The digital movement has made the world a much smaller place. Simple features like instant messaging allows us to communicate with anyone on the globe, at anytime, with no noticeable delay.
For a few hundred dollars, the missionaries that your church supports abroad can be equipped with a Digital8 or MiniDV camcorder and a computer to communicate their work. Your church could get to know the various people that your missionary team serves on a daily basis. What a great way to make use of such simple and readily available devices.
Audio, video, and web-based technologies are continually introduced into the marketplace. Software suites like Macromedia's Studio MX and Adobe's Digital Video or Web Collection provide powerful tools for you to communicate both within your organization, as well as with the outside world. Videoconferencing, too, is becoming increasingly affordable.
The way we create, store and consume information is changing. Businesses have seen the excellent return on the digital investment for years. Many businesses still continue to invest money toward digital technology because they know the return on the investment is significant.
As churches and Christian-based organizations, we also want to be good stewards of our resources. Churches, however, have been very slow to move from an analog component base of operation to a more open and fluid approach to worship and communication. Such a transition is easier to make than it once was.
In the past, the audio, video, lighting and "administration" systems were separate, requiring their own unique wiring and a different set of skills to operate each system. The distinction between these technologies has since been blurred. Now, even utility technologies such as telephones, security, fire and safety, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) are interrelated.
We can look at digital systems in several broad design blocks: capture, control, storage, distribution, and consumption. Within these various blocks are additional technologies, such as storage. Since we are talking about digital bits of information, the first thing that comes to mind is a hard drive. With hard drives, the operating systems, along with the way that stored data is accessed, must be taken into consideration. What filing system is being used? In this case, a database is preferable.
For the moment, let's consider our church's requirements: We need a mailing/contact list containing details about our membership. Wouldn't it be nice to have a family photo in that database so we can place faces with the names, too? We can use this as the new church directory, which is updated dynamically and can be accessed via any PC in the church -- or even a kiosk in the lobby, or password-protected web site. (My favorite way for a member to gain access to a secured area via the web is assigning the tithing envelope number for the ID and a user-selected password.)
A database that was originally created for mailing purposes can have multiple uses, such as a means of maintaining the church directory, as mentioned, or as a content resource for the multimedia team. For example, let's say that you are generating announcements and wish to thank several families for their assistance at the Sunday school picnic. By accessing the appropriate JPEG (.jpg) photo/image file in the digital directory, you are able to include it in your video, PowerPoint presentation, or whichever application you use to create announcements.
The task of distributing newsletters can be made easier -- and less expensive -- when churches make good use of their digital resources. Instead of sending out newsletters by "snail-mail", use the database to automate the distribution of newsletters via email. Most people who use email are more likely to read the newsletter in email form than in printed form, anyway. (I must confess that I don't go to the mailbox everyday, but I check email several times a day. My kids also have a knack for putting the mail in different places, so I don't always see the mail until weeks later.) To keep a modern congregation informed, it's wise to adopt the "e-newsletter" approach. You can now colorize e-newsletters while avoiding the increased costs associated with printing in color. In some areas where broadband is widely available, short videos may be attached to e-newsletters as well.
Thinking digitally also applies to the recording of services for archival purposes. While "analog thinkers" may seek a dedicated recording device, in most cases, the PC is one of the best:
- Content is easy to archive
- It is easy to duplicate and distribute
- Audio files can be made available for web streaming or download
- It's an excellent playback system -- you don't have to fight with tapes and CDs
- You can put your entire audio library on the hard drive -- load your play list for Sunday morning and away you go
You can also make your life easier in the long run if you catalog the audio on a database so that you can search for music that fits the worship service -- by the message or mood, for example. You may configure a single PC to record one thing while playing something else. If you are networked properly you are able to play back the audio from anywhere in the facility. In essence, a PC may act as a recorder/player and digital library for less than $800.
Photos and videos are also very important to store and archive. It is wise to have a team of camera operators that make a concerted effort to occasionally shoot every Sunday School class, small group, and members of the congregation. This is a valuable asset when it comes to creating videos for services, or for the promotion or recognition of a group. The challenge is archiving it in a way that enables you to easily search and access these materials. A hard drive for storage, a database for keeping everything organized, and a content server are the key components that you will need.
And, by networking both internally and externally, you are able to achieve two important goals: reducing costs while expanding your reach.
Brent Harshbarger is the founder of m3tools.com,
a company with the sole purpose of supporting multimedia ministries. Brent
can be reached at brent@m3tools.com.
