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With most churches now using some sort of video presentation technology during their services, the days of felt boards and overhead projectors as visual mediums are long gone.
Now, graphics and videos are used to help tell and enhances the stories told from the stage each week, and they can help create a level of engagement with the congregants that more primitive technologies could never achieve.
... videos are used to help tell and enhance the stories told from the stage each week.
While many churches would agree that the use of video support is important, those same churches may still be trying to find their way, whether to determine the best way to integrate video into their services, or even to decide what type of content is appropriate.
In a previous article, I addressed some key questions to consider when weighing the decision to use video in services, mainly geared towards establishing an initial vision behind why to take the step (other than “it looks cool” and “the big church down the street is doing it”).
Here, we’ll look at different types of video content that can be used during a service and walk through the pros and cons of each, while also addressing some key thoughts to consider.
Here are the six types of video content that may be present in a modern church service:
1-Filler
This is essentially the simplest, most boring, and lowest-impact type of content that is on screen. Essentially, it’s on screen because the other alternative is just to have the screen black; people are probably socializing with each other during this time and not paying attention at all.
This could be a walk-in or welcome graphic before service when people are trying to find their seats or some sort of generic slide or loop that plays during a scheduled “meet and greet” during the service itself. I would also include any sort of generic countdown in this section.
While all of this content can be helpful, its purpose isn’t necessarily to engage the audience in any real way. More than anything, its presence on the screen helps add some graphical ambience.
2-Informational
This content has a singular purpose: to inform the audience. While it should obviously be created in an engaging and stylish way, the primary focus isn’t really to entertain, but to pass along important information that everyone should be aware of.
Some churches use the time before (or between, if there are multiple services) service to put looping graphics on screen that share information about upcoming events.
For many churches, this would mainly be applicable during the primary announcement part of the service flow. Whether it’s a live communicator on stage giving updates (with graphic support as needed), or a pre-produced announcement video that contains graphics, b-roll, and upbeat and engaging music, the goal of this part of the service is to get everyone’s attention for long enough to share pertinent details related to church programming.
It seems that in every church, most sub-ministries are convinced that if they only had a promotional video or pulpit announcement, that would solve all of their problems.
The key to using informational content, especially in the form of pre-produced videos, is to have a way to try and measure engagement.
But the key to using informational content, especially in the form of pre-produced videos, is to have a way to try and measure engagement. If there’s no clear way to know how effective an announcement is, then you almost have to ask yourself whether it’s worth the time and energy to create it. Otherwise, your team is pouring countless man hours and resources into the creation of something (“just because that’s the way we’ve always done it”) without really knowing if it has a measurable impact.
Also, when tempted to try and over-fill the announcements with every possible detail of church life, remember that if you give people too much to remember, they won’t remember any of it. Try and focus on the essentials.
3-Environmental
This represents any type of video or graphics content that’s used in the room, whether on screen or on walls, to help create an experience that feels immersive. In essence, I’m not just watching something happen on a lit stage, but I feel like I’m part of an atmosphere that envelopes me.
Many churches choose to create this type of environment by utilizing still or moving graphics (“jumpbacks”) as backgrounds underneath the on-screen lyrics during worship, or graphics spread across a display surface along the back of the stage (whether an LED wall or large projection surface).
Other churches extend this experience out into the room itself by using “environmental projection” to display these types of graphics and images along the actual walls of the auditorium/sanctuary itself.
When used in conjunction with a well-programmed lighting look, this can all serve to help create an immersive experience that takes the attendees on a journey from observer to participant.
However, when not done well, this can sometimes feel overpowering and inappropriate for the space, given the context of the congregation, worship style, etc.
When it comes to worship, I would also suggest that animated lyric files/videos can also be grouped in this category. Thanks to the features of various display softwares utilized for song lyrics (ProPresenter, for example), the band can now use click-track software like Ableton to send a trigger to that lyrics machine and start playing content that aligns with the flow of the song itself.
This affords video content to change perfectly in sync with the rhythm of a beat, and it also opens the door for animated lyrics to be used as well, since they could be timed along with the song.
4-Illustrative
Illustrative content simply serves the purpose of more fully explaining or enhancing a point made by a speaker on stage.
As the pastor or presenter is telling a story, is it more effective to pair that story with pictures that help the audience clearly understand its context or impact? Does a chart or graph more effectively depict complex information? Does a funny video clip help provide a practical example of a complicated point, or even help lighten the mood during a very serious and heavy message?
Sometimes a greater impact is created by having an idea come to life in front you.
Everyone has probably heard the cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is a case where that is definitely true. As a presenter tries to use his words to create an impact that resonates with the audience, sometimes there’s no better way to do that than to let the content speak for itself.
Sometimes a greater impact is created by having an idea come to life in front you.
5-Inspirational
This is content that is focused purely on two areas: emotional impact and a call to action.
Whether it’s a baptism video, a testimony story, or a recap of an outreach event or a mission trip, many churches use inspirational content to tell stories and make a personal, emotional connection with people in the congregation.
But beyond just impacting people emotionally, whether by creating empathy, passion, or something else, there has to be a clear next step involved. This type of content must also contain a very clear picture of what I should do next.
Now that I have this feeling inside me, how can I get involved? What do I do next? Where can I go to get more information? Now that I’ve seen someone else do something, I’m inspired to try it myself! But the worst possible outcome is for me to not know what to do next.
So, this isn’t designed to simply manipulate people by playing to their emotions or tugging on their heart strings. It’s designed for people to understand the importance or impact of certain actions, casting the vision behind those actions, and then helping people learn how they themselves can act.
6-Magnification
Lastly, this is where IMAG (image magnification) camera usage comes into play.
Based strictly on the name itself (“magnification”), the goal of using this type of video is to take something and make it bigger when it hits a screen.
While using cameras during worship or the message can seem controversial to some (by perhaps making the “focus” of a service on a person, not God), the intended goal is primarily just to help people at the back of the room see things better.
When people can see what’s happening on stage more clearly, and they can see the emotions of the singer or speaker, it makes them more likely to engage with what’s happening. It can help them feel like more of a participant than an outside observer.
But perhaps as much or more so than any other type of video that’s being used, there must be clear vision attached to this. Are we wanting to use cameras because it’s “cool” and another church is doing it? What is going to be our church’s style as we use cameras, and how can we train our teams to do this effectively? How are we going to use this technology to clearly tell a story or to enhance what’s happening on stage?
Without having clear direction and vision, there can be a tremendous amount of confusion over what the actual targeted goal of this technology is.
When done right, it can greatly help engage attendees with the service, it can help add to the energy and atmosphere created by the worship team, and it can help clearly tell a story of what’s happening on the room so that the same level of impact can be transferred to live or on-demand broadcast audiences.
But when done poorly, it can distract from the content of the stage and actually harm the experience.
Not every room was designed for IMAG, and not every room needs it.
Not every room was designed for IMAG, and not every room needs it. The best question to ask is simply this: can someone on the back row clearly see and connect with the emotion of those on stage? If not, it may be worth considering as something to implement.
In sum, as churches continue to use more graphic and video content in messages, it’s always important to stay connected with the roots and vision of why that decision was made. Also, know your audience and how your decisions will impact them.
Never be afraid to evaluate your progress and be willing to change your methods if what you’re doing isn’t effective. And don’t allow yourself to get so busy chasing the next big or cool thing that you lose sight of what God has called your specific ministry to accomplish.
