Church and Video
Video plays a very important role in many Churches nowadays. Some of the most influential actually get thousands of people to watch a live video or even a previous week’s video of a sermon. Does this water down the message of God? Does it take our dependence on God to reach people out of God’s hands’ and put it into technology? Are we too dependent or perhaps too enamored by video media? Or is it ridiculous to think we can take anything away from God with video because maybe this it a tool that He has given us?
I do a lot of work in video media and my take is that we need to be relevant, interesting and inspiring. Sure one could argue that you should only rely on God and nothing else. Well I believe that we should give God and His message the respect it deserves, and that means creating environments for people to hear God that are relevant, professional and make people want to come back for more. Environments that get people in to listen, respond and accept. Environments that bring people in for the message of God to be sown into their lives because they want to come back and find out more. Therefore is it not obligatory to give your best in every area?
So I am fairly convinced that video plays a very important role in the modern Church. Not for the sake of it. Video, as with any media has to be strategic, it has to serve a purpose – otherwise it just becomes another bit of noise in the background.
I want to give more of my opinion, but first let me explain where I am coming from:
Part One: How We Got Here
Been doing video for the Church going on 4 years now and I can say that it has been an interesting time of challenges, insights and celebration. When I first started I was asked to man the Church’s Sony Hi-8 camera for sending through a video feed to the adjoining room where the kids were being looked after. It was only supposed be during the holiday season when the volunteers of the childrens’ ministry could take a break.
How was I to know that God was going to take this minor hobby and create a passion in me that would see video media play an integral part in our Church service. Well it was not on my agenda to take it anywhere other than where it was. Ha ha ha. I had to start experimenting. I had to start recording our Sunday morning services and Friday KidStuf. I also had to find out how to edit this stuff and with what equipment. My investigations took me to Apple’s PowerMac G5 1.6GHz SP and Final Cut Express. Wow, it was really amazing what could be done. Ok, I did find it very expensive in-spite of the fact that I purchased the bottom of the range G5 available, but I did it without going into debt – and only because of God.
I think that the first major step for the Video Media at out Church was the funky and funny value adds that we put together. Usually on the fly and with the kind of organizing that could only have been God inspired. Then I started putting the recordings of KidStuf and the Sunday Services onto DVD. Initially this was a really cool idea and resulted in some nice products. But I soon realized that the Final Cut Express was a bit limiting in what I was wanting to do, so I purchased Apple’s Production Suite. Needless to say, many hours were spend playing around with that cool collection of tools.
The second major step came about when I just had to obtain a better camera, something that had true manual control and that was widely favored in the independent film arena. Seems like a hectic jump, but looking back on it, buying that Panasonic AG-DVX100BE was a pretty good idea. The improvement over the Hi-8 was enormous, both for the DVDs and for the value adds. Soon we were putting together video testimonies that were so professionally done that it looked like we were hiring specialist to get the job done. Hehehehe.
Ok, at the moment, we don’t do DVDs anymore. There does not seem to be much of a demand, maybe for the KidStuf footage – but the idea is to get kids and their parents to see the live event together, not to keep the kids distracted with the DVD version. Anyway, currently the big effort for video goes to promoting the environments we create for KidStuf, FazeOne, Building Blocks, Transformers, StartingPoint, GroupLink and the Services. This we do by presenting the promotions of each environment, or informational segments of what is needed in the form of a TenBefore (10 minutes before the Service starts). Also Testimonies for Baptisms, but only the bravest of brave get baptized in Winter, brrrrr. To a lessor degree I put together Video Title Enhancements to act as transitions for when the speaker gets up.
The TenBefore stuff we do, is based on the very same structure that North Point Community Church’s TenBefore has. Very cool to be involved in a Church like that, very cool indeed – especially from a video stand point – very cool.
This is not a ministry that is a one man job, definitely not for a volunteer. Those late night renders are not always good for family life. That is why I constantly pray for God to provide people who are keen, passionate and eager to commit. And I have been blessed in that area with the likes of Shadrach, his son Dylan and Pam. All offering what they can to God in this area.
At the moment there are restrictions and stone walls – like our volunteers and equipment, things that – I am happy to say – are out of my hands and in God’s hands. (Well happy is a strong word here cos I am really on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen that may be the realization of the dream I have for the video team)
thanks. Although I can be a bit of a cowboy in trial and error testing on a live blog :O lol .-=...
Well, that was very insightful! For me personally going to a video church does not seem to be any different, I think that it actually can allow for some very creative things to happen that have a high impact. Personally having the right gear makes a world of a difference, it is like anything, if you want to drive a screw into wood, would you rather do it by hand or use a drill? same thing for equipment, and yes it does cost money, but hey what doesn’t?
Video church in my opinion allows for more growth than a non video church. especially if you want to keep the experience the same.
That is my 2 cents.
On the whole ‘Video church’ church thing, I have attended an annual conference over the past 5 years that relies completely on video for it’s content. Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. God has used this conference in churches all over the world, and you can really hear God speaking through a lot of the speakers (the Christian ones anyway) even though the message is played via DVD.
Some of the most impacting messages in the life of our church have been delivered via DVD (Canvas and Matrix for example).
On the other comments – sorry for inflicting the Hi-8 on you. I which I had known more and had a bigger budget at the time.
‘which’ in my last sentence should have been ‘wish’
Ron, that Hi-8 was a launch pad
Wow, rather interesting 4 year timeline Phill…I think the 10B4 is an awsum, way more interesting than someone just standing in the front anouncing all these adverts. As soon as the 10B4 is up everyone goes silent and starts sitting down and is facinated. They are probably trying to work out which segments were made by you, and which are from Northpoint, or thats what I do at least…Its very good at drawing people. Our video serves many purposes and serevice would struggle without it, the lyrcs, and the verses during a sermon are crucial. The video shouldnt seep into the backround, bt it shouldnt be too blatant either.
I know some churchs just watch DVDs evey week but it does get annoying, I much rather prefer an actual paster, although it is interesting watching a dvd some times, for example, the indescribable DVD a while ago. Wow.
When we, (Or 95% you) made that Stellywood production, it had to be very short because it was being played in the service. think we should make more movies, and just show the trailers on sunday mornings, and have movie evenings after kidstuf…and sell the DVD…
Thanks Dylan for that.
I agree with you on the DVD Church thing, I will always prefer the live service. But in essence, and especially true for a live video feed, there really is no difference when it comes to the message and how God uses it to communicate to those that would listen.
As for the effort I put into the Stellywood production – I could not have done anything without the rest of the team, so props out to the guys that helped put together the short film; from the script to the dude that were there in the days we shot (including you and yer Dad).
One thing is for certain, Video (or Film for that matter) aint no one man show – if it is then it aint gonna get far. For it is a multi-skilled, multi-hatted and multi-tasked workflow that requires a dedicated team to drive and champion it.