BAPTIST CHURCH POLITY
LECTURE 36
THE MULTI-MEDIA MINISTRY
I don’t believe that the churches in that first century had what we call a ‘multi-media ministry’. The only media they probably had was in the form of paper and books. Should churches today have a multi-media ministry? Are mult-media ministries just simply conforming to the world’s way of doing things, vice the Bible’s?! Does the multi-media help in proclaiming the truth of God’s word? Is there anything inherently evil in it? Are there certain types of multi-media that a church should avoid? We will attempt to answer these as we proceed thru this lecture.
I think that it is wise to use new and improved ways of communication that become available. Compare mailing out letters at 42 cents each, to sending emails for free! Compare having a library full of books to having all those books contained on 1 or 2 small DVD’s! Compare drawing a bunch of pictures of what the people and buildings look like to having a movie presentation with text and background music!
It is important to discreetly use the media, and not to be ‘media-driven’. You just use what you think will benefit the congregation or the lost, and that won’t compromise your standards. Don’t just use a media source because it is available, or because others are. For example, the following are two forms of media that a church might, or might not, want to employ:
Worship Software: “Songbase is the only software package available for worship leaders that combines guitar chord charts, lyrics and video presentation,” explains one of Songbase’s spokesmen. “That’s the thing that makes it unique – there’s no other program that does that. It actually ships with chord charts in it… It’s all pre-packaged, but you can add your own material quite easily.”
Songbase also enhances worship in another way – the video presenter. This feature adds graphics to the text and really brings the songs to life visually.
Media Art & Worship: (from a multi-media website) “Modern praise and worship in the church has not kept up with our culture. Christian music has flourished over the last few decades, but not many churches encourage creative worship outside of music. The worship team usually only consists of musicians and singers, but what about using more of our senses and creative gifts to praise The Creator?
Art is an incredibly broad term; it includes painting and drawing with unlimited media, photography – still and motion, dancing, drama, costuming, make-up design, hairstyling, music, literature, architecture, landscaping design, graphics, gourmet cooking, flower arranging – you get the point: art is everywhere.”
The basic types of common multi-media used in churches are the following:
Paper: tracts, bulletins, booklets, books
Sound: music, word audio, CD
Visual: Overhead Projector, CD, DVD, Computer, software
Internet: websites, email, audio and visual presentations
Ideas for the multi-media ministry of your church:
Paper:
Standard – standard 8x11 sheets of paper can be used to record sermons and lessons on; every sermon or lesson should be placed on standard sheets of paper and be made available to those interested; one could employ a small file rack near the door that would contain the various sermons and lessons from the past week; these could also be given to (or mailed) those that missed
Tracts -Have a variety of ‘good’ tracts available; plenty of gospel tracts; ideally have a church tract designed and printed by a company (or church) unique for your church and its ministries/belief; have a large tract rack near the foyer/door.
Sunday morning bulletins - these help keep the members, and visitors, up to date on church activities; have the gospel in them; have information about the sermon in them; some churches have a different bulletin for every service.
Booklets – these are in association with the tract rack; they are like multi paged tracts; always have these, as well as any other ‘media’ for free, even if in book form; topics might include: abortion, homosexuality, baptism, church, blessings, sin, Hell, Heaven, etc..
Books – many churches will have a ‘library’ which allows members to check out a book for free to read for a few weeks and then return it; the library should be operated by members donating their already read books; discretion is needed to not stock heretical books; some churches have bookstores, but I am against these because they are charging for being a spiritual blessing thru a church; operate new books, the same as you would with used books…check them out from the library.
Audio:
The most important multi-media ministry is that of the sound (audio) ministry. If the folks can’t properly hear what is being said or sung, then how will they call on God to get saved?
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Do not cut corners with a sound system. The main reason the people have gathered in that auditorium on any given Sunday is to ‘hear’ something; specifically, to hear the truth of God. Yes, they see some things too, but the hearing is the paramount concern they have. Therefore, the quality of that hearing needs to be the best that can be had. If someone cannot hear clearly in the back, then the truth is not getting to them properly. If the folks in the first few rows are slammed with a volume that is uncomfortable, they will tend to not focus on the words, but rather on the volume, and the discomfort therewith.
Of course, over a hundred years ago, there was no ‘sound system’, no sound amplification. How did they survive without it? Were people able to hear? I guess they spoke loudly and employed good acoustics.
There typically is a ‘sound technician’ (aka ‘sound guy’) in the multi-media ministry. This is a visible area of ministry in the church and thus should follow the same standards as for other ‘workers’. Often, sadly, the sound guy is unkempt and uninterested in spiritual things. He should wear appropriate clothing (tie, dress shirt, slacks, dress shoes), and be faithful to the majority of the church’s services and events.
He should ideally have an open air box seated enclosure near the center-rear of the auditorium. Ideally, this enclosure should be lockable, to prevent theft.
The most important part of the sound (audio) ministry is the microphones and speakers.
There are three basic pickup patterns used by most microphones: Omnidirectional - Sensitive to sounds from all directions; Unidirectional - Sensitive only in one direction, usually a cone shaped pattern; Cardioid - A type of unidirectional mic, sensitive in one direction. It picks up sound in a heart-shaped pattern, strongly from front, and about half as loud from the sides.
When used for vocal amplification, a microphone should be mounted or held within a tolerance of between 3 and 8 inches of the person. To keep a mic within these tolerances, a gooseneck or boom can be used on a stand or lectern to adjust the vertical/horizontal placement. When holding a microphone during singing or preaching, it’s best to hold your mic approximately 3 to 4 inches under your chin. During moments that a microphone is not being used, it should never be held randomly in any direction.
Speakers should be able to handle at least 150 watts a piece. Keep speakers ‘subdued’; don’t have them stand out like they would at a ‘Rock concert’. Obnoxious looking speakers will detract from the holiness of the church sanctuary and make it look worldly. The sound should be amplified as such to give the impression that the one who is singing/playing/speaking is only about 18 inches away from you.
The worse shaped building for sound would be one that has rounded walls with a domed ceiling. The best is one with carefully placed angled walls with sound reflectors on a medium high ceiling.
Sound levels in an empty auditorium won’t be the same when it is filled with people. It is estimated that one body absorbs as much sound as a 4 foot open window.
When eyes are closed, turn your head to the source of the amplified sound. When you open your eyes, you should be looking at the person speaking or in their direction from any location within the sanctuary.
What type of media should you record the audio on? Cassette tape… CD… mp3… DVD… etc.??? Cassette tapes are going off into the sunset; most newer churches have abandoned them for the Compact Disc. With a CD one can place about 90 minutes of clean, clear, crisp audio on a 3x4 inch plastic disc that has the advantage of being able to navigate quickly thru different ‘tracks’, and smaller storage space and weight. But, believe it or not, CD’s are becoming outdated also; the mp3’s and other related media are pouring out into American’s lives and are the newest and bestest. The main concern on this is to have a media form that the average church goer can use.
Visual: Overhead Projector, CD, DVD, Computer, software
A picture is worth a thousand words… Is it wrong to have a projected picture of a sheep in a meadow grazing when the preacher is speaking about Jesus and His flock? Can that image on the screen help the listeners (and viewers) better understand the concept? Is it too Hollywoodish? Is it going too far? Maybe not at this point, but it could get to a whole visual smorgasborg of images and even video to where the focus is on the visual and not on the words. And in today’s visual driven marketplace, this would be an expected outcome if it were left up to the mass marketers and popular demand by the public.
Some conservative-type Baptist churches are using OHP’s (overhead projectors) to display an image, or the words to a new song, or announcements, or the order of the service, etc.. Is this acceptable in the ‘house of God’? OHP’s are kind of archaic when compared to our modern technology in this new millenia. It reeks of being old-fashioned (technologically speaking). Most independent Baptist churches have chosen not to step in this direction yet…that is, in the visual media direction. But, I believe, that in the next decade or so, most will.
The multi-media presentations on a CD-ROM allow you to combine text with pictures, video, graphic design, web links and audio to create a better understanding of your ministry or church. As a matter of fact, you could hold all of your marketing material on one, thin, inexpensive disk. The church’s Statement of Faith, Constitution & Bylaws, Covenant, Church photo, history of the church, many Bible lessons and sermons, etc., can all be on this little thin disc. How convenient for handing to visitors or new church members. Much better than 500 sheets of paper! No ink is used!
Direct Video Discs (DVD) contain about 120 minutes of video, or about 800 megabytes of information. These can be used to market your church, promote a ministry, or hold several video recorded sermons/lessons. Just think if someone misses a service who oh so wanted to be there to hear the ‘guest preacher’; they could almost be there with a DVD recording of the sermon! Of course, never charge for this…though many churches do….even to their own members! $5.95 for a DVD of Pastor Fillthee Luukar’s sermon…wow, what a deal! Help us God!
1 Cor 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Internet:
The Internet is no longer confined to rich Western countries. There will soon be 100 million users in China. Companies like AfricaOnline, based in Nairobi, are putting Internet Cafes across the continent. All around the world, young and old are learning how to use computers and they want the benefits that the Internet can bring. Most every home in America has a computer with internet access. It is the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way of delivering information to anyone anywhere in the world!
Think of advertising…the mediums went from cereal boxes and milk cartons to billboards, to radio, to TV, and now the most common form being the web. What church doesn’t have a website?... The problem is that along with the demand for having a great-looking online presence come a flood of technical questions and has made the having church member computer-geeks the most sought after prospect on the planet.
One of the most amazing explosions in world evangelism ever is from the birth of internet evangelism. One can put up a website for free, or a nice one for a few dollars a month, and have it full of the gospel. It is viewable by anyone with internet across the globe.
A church website can greatly promote your church and also be a great blessing to others. If someone was looking for a good church in the Seattle area, they could type in ‘Seattle Churches Baptist Independent’ and search this and they would find websites from many different independent Baptist churches. On these websites would typically be the Statement of Faith, photos, sermons, ministries, etc.. All at the touch of a keyboard.
Most church websites are somewhat unprofessional looking, so spending a bit more money initially might be wise in order to develop an attractive design for the site.
“As a ministry it is important for us to adapt to the environment God has placed us in. For us this means taking into consideration the rapid changes in communication and technology. While our message remains the same, we want to adapt to an audience that is increasingly media focused. The challenge for us is to communicate in a relevant and contemporary fashion without being media-driven.”
1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
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