There is a saying that churches buy a sound system three times. The first is the one the building “comes with” that was most likely designed by the general contractor or a local music store. A well-meaning but ill-experienced volunteer who adds some new Radio Shack equipment that has pretty lights typically installs the second system. The third system is usually the result of the church leadership (and members) being tired of the problems. A consultant or design/build A/V firm normally designs this third system and does it right.
Now, given the fact that most chur...read more
To fully appreciate the statement made in the title of this article, you'd have to know that I'm a "techie" at heart. I love toys...um, I mean tools. I only call them tools when I'm talking to the Pastor. Every other time: toys. I like to edit. I enjoy shooting (camera work). Building graphics brings me great satisfaction. And all of those things require a certain amount of equipment.
Whoops. I am talking about toys again and my first statement ontradicts that entirely. Focus...focus...focus.
Let's start again.
Creativity has nothing to do with technology....read more
Have a defined vision, purpose and plan for using Media. That's it.
If the church leadership has a desire to use Media, then there must be a clear vision, attainable goals and operating budget established.
1) Vision
If the desire is to be 'cool' or 'do what ABC Church is doing', then I'd question the passion behind the vision.
However, if the vision is to use media as a sermon/song support tool, membership growth and involvement and community outreach, then you're on the right track.
The vision must be defined. In 3 months, what things MUS...read more
It never fails.... The final session of my seminar is on video production. Every time I start this session, half of my audience glazes over and looks at me in disbelief. "You want us to what? Make videos?". Yes! Yes! Yes! Here's why....
If you have been keeping up with broadcast technology lately, you know that all television signals will eventually be transmitted digitally. If you have been keeping up with company mergers, you have noticed that broadcasting, cable, Internet, and telephone companies are all trying to get together. There is a reason for this phenome...read more
The concept of Media budgets is relatively new (aside from broadcast oriented churches), and the amounts jump dramatically from church to church. So how much should you set aside for your Annual church Media budget? The best way to answer that is to look at what drives the budget.
Budgets for churches are driven by three main components:
1) Vision from church leadership (value - how important is Media)
2) Content and frequency (application – what is required of Media)
3) Personnel – the ability & quantity of Media personnel (expertise
– ...read more
Does your Pastor use a Creative Team to help craft the weekend experience at your church? Does your team plan out sermon series, music, videos and events well in advance?
Chances are, your Pastor is overloaded with studying for the weekend, managing the staff, meeting with members and handling the day-to-day of today's church. I doubt that your Pastor has had the time to even consider how to implement a strategy that would help relieve some of the stress by inviting a group to help plan the weekend experience.
Of course, how far in advance you plan depends o...read more
Simple, yet legitimate questions about projectors are often the ones that are assumed. A subscriber of mine once asked me what sorts of connectors should be on a projector.
First, the projector should be DATA and VIDEO compatible. This is the de-facto standard in today’s projectors, but it never hurts to ask. The physical types of connectors that are common are:
• DVI input– (specialized connector) – A computer-type input that uses a digital signal instead of the analog for a cleaner image. Not a common interface – yet.
• COMPUTER IN (HD 15-pin) {1-2 inputs...read more
Looking for a great resource to spice up your sermons and other teaching venues? We live in a very visual/video world. Advertisers spend billions of dollars each year to get your attention to buy their products. It's a prove tool to communicate.
MovieMinistry.com is an awesome resource for your illustration library. They have tons of clip ideas for every topic you can think of. You are able to search by scripture, topic, movie title and keywords. It truly is a great site for movie clips for sermons, teachings, Bible studies and more. Check them out at <a ...read more
I receive numerous emails from churches asking about Video Projection. Listed below is one such church that is looking to upgrade their projector. What follows are a few of their questions. My responses are directed not only to them, but also to you, the reader.
Read on to follow this real-world example. - Anthony D. Coppedge, CTS, CAVSP
CHURCH
“...The projector needs to be at the back of the sanctuary, which is about 72 ft from the screen. Our current projector isn't bright enough to see unless all the windows are closed and the lights are...read more
There are two versions of this reply - Basic and Advanced. I offer both so that no matter where you are on the 'Techie-O-Meter', you can get direction on this often misunderstood subject:
First, the comments and question raised by a reader of mine, Scott Steffan:
My only comment on scan converters is that you will always lose resolution quality in the conversion from computer-RGB to S-video or composite video. At least this is my experience and I have only spent 200.00 on a scan converter.
Are there very good scan converters that you would have to split ha...read more
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
Experiencing Worship, The Study