Christian Video速 Magazine
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Mar / Apr 2012 VOL. 5, NO. 2
7 Article
The Artist passion, pride and reinvention by MARTIN BAGGS
11 Greg’s Toolkit
Lawnmowing - A parable on the creative process by GREGORY FISH
13 Article
Who Moved the Line? by RYAN GEESAMAN
Cover Story 4
StreamingChurch.TV An interview with Steve Lacy by STEVE HEWITT
Editorial 3
It Is Time for a New Leader by STEVE HEWITT
Christian Video® Magazine
Mar/Apr 2012
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from the desk of the editor
by STEVE HEWITT
It Is Time for a New Leader I am helping to launch another magazine with a new partner. This means that at present I am serving as Editor-in-Chief of three publications, reaching over 100,000 readers each month. And, as I mentioned here in a previous editorial, I started a new church about 18 months ago and it is growing each Sunday. As a result, I have done some self-evaluation and feel that I have not been doing the job I wish I was doing here at Christian Video Magazine. Therefore, I am firing myself (grin). We have been in talks with Greg Fish for most of this year, asking him to pray and carefully consider taking over the job of serving as Editor-in-Chief of Christian Video. After meeting with Greg and his lovely wife a few months ago, Greg took us up on the offer and will begin serving as Editor-in-Chief of Christian Video Magazine next month. I know Greg will need your help, and your prayers. We need more writers, and more sponsors for Christian Video Magazine to really blossom. It presently goes out to around 67,000 readers on a bi-monthly basis, and, under Greg’s leadership, should have a major impact in the area of Christian video. I know Greg is going to do a fantastic job, and I encourage you to contact him directly at fish.gregory@gmail.com. Together We Serve Him,
Steve Hewitt Editor-in-Chief steve@ccmag.com Follow me on Twitter @stevehewitt
Christian Video® Magazine
Christian Video Magazine is published monthly by Christian Video Magazine, Inc. Editor-in-Chief Steve Hewitt – steve@ccmag.com Contributing Editors George Temple Gregory Fish Stewart H. Redwine Mark Carroll Jay M. Delp Martin Baggs Robert Kramer Ryan Geesaman Copy Editor Gina Hewitt
Corporate Home Office Mailing Address: PO Box 319 Belton, MO 64012 Phone: (816) 331-5252 Fax: 800-456-1868 Copyright 2011 by Christian Video Magazine, Inc. All Rights Reserved Written materials submitted to Christian Video Magazine become the property of Christian Video Magazine, Inc., upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Christian Video Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication is the sole property of Christian Video Magazine. Copy or distribution of articles or content can be done so on an individual basis. Multiple copies or distribution may not be done without the express permission of Christian Video Magazine. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Christian Video Magazine, or Christian Video Magazine, Inc.
Mar/Apr 2012
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Cover Story by Steve Hewitt
StreamingChurch.TV
An interview with Steve Lacy
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s I have mentioned several times in the past, I started pastoring a little church about 16 months ago. We were not a split off from another church, nor were we sponsored as a new work by another church. Basically my wife and I started with four others, all feeling called to start a new church. Since I am Editor-in-Chief of Christian Computing Magazine as well as this publication, our little church (we had 45 for Easter this year) uses a lot of technology for our worship service. Last fall, I looked for a way to stream our services live on our site. I was aware that there were several options available, but I had recently spoken with Steve Lacy of MyFlock about the new StreamingChurch.TV product they had developed to help churches stream their services; and I was impressed by the many features that StreamingChurch.TV provided. It gives our little church the ability to do far more than just stream our services live to our website. It gives us the ability to connect with those that join our services live via the Internet. People log in and have the opportunity to join the song service as well as hear the message. They are greeted by a live person monitoring the service, and we even ask them for their prayer requests when we come to that part of our service. I thought our readership would like to know more about StreamingChurch.tv and all they have to offer, so I asked Steve Lacy for an interview. I hope you enjoy and learn from it!
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Q- Steve, what exactly is StreamingChurch.TV and how did it get started? StreamingChurch.tv provides the ability for churches to broadcast their services live on the Internet using interactive tools to help viewers not only watch a service but interact with others while viewing. StreamingChurch.tv actually grew out of our original ministry product, MyFlock.com. MyFlock.com began as a social networking tool within a church body created to connect church members with each other. MyFlock.com was introduced 5 years before Facebook or MySpace, although with a slightly different purpose. While Facebook was designed to keep you connected with friends you already have, MyFlock’s purpose is to foster new relationships within the church body by providing profile matching tools and other tools designed to connect you with other members within your church. To accomplish this goal, we created several interactivity tools designed to get members interacting Mar/Apr 2012
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Cover Story
By STEVE HEWITT
with each other. When we launched StreamingChurch. tv, we leveraged some of these interactivity tools (chat room, private messaging, interactive maps, etc.) into the StreamingChurch.tv platform. Q- What makes you guys different from other companies providing streaming services to churches? Interactivity and great customer service! Rather than providing just a live video feed online, we try to replicate the interactive experience a guest would have when attending the service at your physical facility. For example when visiting a new church in person, you’ll most likely be greeted by someone as you approach the service. You’ll find a similar experience with an online greeter when attending a StreamingChurch.tv service online. You’ll be logged into the chat room as you arrive and the system will automatically announce your arrival and there’s a good chance an online greeter from the church will give you a “virtual handshake” and welcome you to the service. The system is designed to provide both the guest and the church volunteers/ members the ability to connect while attending the service. My church’s web pastor likes to point out that the online church service is a safe place where you can actually “talk in church” and have it add to the experience and ministry opportunities. Obviously guests can interact as much or as little as they wish online. Some arrive to the online service and just say “hi” and then retreat to just watch the service, while others actively engage. We also provide tools that allow attenders to bring their identity and social network to the service. For example, they can login using the Facebook Connect option and their Facebook profile pic appears in the chat and “who’s attending” area. The online invitation tools also automatically provide the opportunity to invite their Facebook friends as well as “tweet” the service to their followers via an automated Twitter integration. Churches can also stream on Roku via StreamingChurch.tv’s Roku channel.
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Another key distinction of our service is the ability for ministries and churches to seamlessly integrate their StreamingChurch.tv’s “online campus” into their existing church website so that it appears as a natural part (or extension) of their existing church web site. Our customer service is also a big priority with us. For many streaming providers it can take days, even weeks to get a problem solved, that is simply unacceptable. At StreamingChurch.tv we will return your phone call or email in a timely fashion. We also work exclusively with church and ministry organizations. In fact, all of our people are involved in their local churches, most are in leadership. We understand how churches work. Q- How long have you been helping churches? We got started with MyFlock.com in 2001 and have been serving thousands of ministries for almost 10 years now. In the summer of 2009, my home church (AliveChurch.com) launched a multi-site campus where we began broadcasting our services live to a remote facility. As my church leadership looked at it, we saw that they could create an online web campus that everyone could attend with very little additional effort. That was the beginning of StreamingChurch.tv. Our developers were able to quickly leverage several of the interactivity tools into StreamingChurch.tv and we began offering the service to other ministries in late 2009. Q- Do you believe every church should stream their services live? Absolutely! Many churches don’t realize how little additional effort is required to broadcast their services. Most ministries already video tape or record their services now for viewing at a later time. That means most ministries already have the infrastructure in place necessary to broadcast; cameras, computers and an Internet connection. To broadcast live, you just need to connect these parts together, connect with a streaming provider and you’re broadcasting online. Mar/Apr 2012
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Cover Story
By STEVE HEWITT
Another key reason to broadcast live is that it’s an integral ingredient to your church growth. Attending services online is the easiest, lowest barrier way for new people to experience your church and determine if it’s a fit for them. Also once you start broadcasting, you’ve now equipped your members with a great low intimidation tool to invite their friends to church. Members can say “yeah, check out my church this weekend. We broadcast our services online at mychurchwebsite.com”. My home church has quadrupled our regular attendance (to over 1000 attenders a weekend) in less than 2 years since we began broadcasting live. Q – What’s the biggest challenge for churches desiring to stream? There really aren’t any big challenges to streaming your services live. Although I believe there are challenges to effectively creating a vibrant online ministry that leads to church growth (both online and in-person). Pastors and church leaders need to treat their online broadcast as another campus (rather than just a video presence online). This means investing their vision, thoughts and energy into some of the same things they invest in their physical campus. Do I have a skilled greeter at the front doors? What about my online campus? Does my church look inviting to a first time visitor? What about my online campus? Are there lay leaders in place to minister to attenders? Who’s in place for those needing private prayer in the online campus? Getting your members and lay leadership involved online with your web campus is essential for the care and feeding of those first time visitors checking out your church online. If the experience isn’t good online, chances are they will not bother giving your ministry a chance in person. We’ve found at my home church that the majority of those that become new members at our church (AliveChurch.com), first attended a service online.
Christian Video® Magazine
Q- What the future look like for the “streaming” age and technology in general for churches? Wow. I believe that the future is really bright for streaming and technology in general for ministries. The church has been leveraging technology in ministry dating back to the time when the Romans first built roads to connect their cities. This equipped those of that day a technology that led to an explosion of spreading the gospel. As time has progressed, so has the technology of the day. Think of some of the technology over the ages and it’s incredible affect on evangelism; the Gutenberg press, television, the Internet… Wow! What’s next? As you know, technology is accelerating and its capability for ministry is growing exponentially. I believe the Internet and broadcasting your services live is still in the early phases of its maturity. As television viewing continues to wane and consuming your media via the Internet continues to increase, I believe the church is in a unique position to reach the world for Christ using streaming technology.
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Article
by MARTIN BAGGS
The Artist
passion, pride and reinvention
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o you remember the days of silent films? Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, movie theaters filled with the strains of live orchestras playing the score that signals the emotional changes scene to scene. And audiences in rapt attention, captivated by actors mugging and posturing, with simpler plots and minimal effects. No, most of us don’t remember those days from almost a century ago. Yet bring on The Artist, the Best Picture Oscar winner, a silent film that is a true homage to the early golden years of Hollywood. them “a presence, a power, a strength. They oc The year is 1927 and the film opens with footcupy all the space of the screen.” And they do! age of a silent film starring George Valentin (Jean But it is more than just a black and white silent Dujardin), Hollywood’s leading man, the George film. It is a romantic comedy (not a rom-com in Clooney of that era. As the film cuts between the the current use of the term) with a charming and film on screen and the leading man in the actual endearing heart. Cue theater backstage, the girl. we get to experience Remember, before showing clips from We meet Peppy Valentin’s pride and movies, be sure you have a license to do Miller (Berenice Bejo, ego as he savors the wife of writer-director audience’s laughter so. Check out Church Video License to Hazanavicius) when and joy. An interestbe sure you are legal. www.cvli.com she literally bumps into ing viewpoint has us Valentin as he mugs watching the footage it up for the cameras at the premiere of his latest on screen with this audience, so we are watching film. Kissing him, she earns 5 minutes of fame, an audience watch the film we are watching. with everyone asking “Who’s that girl?” She turns This is a black and white silent film, shot in the this into a bit part dancing in one his films and old-fashioned 1.33:1 aspect ratio that predated the before you can say Hazanavicius, she is moving up wide-screen ratio. According to director Michael the cast list. Hazanavicius, this ratio is perfect for actors, giving
Christian Video® Magazine
Mar/Apr 2012
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Article
by MARTIN BAGGS
Back home, Valentin is in love . . . with himself. His palatial home is dominated with a lifesize painting of yours truly. Yet, his wife Doris (Penelope Ann Miller) seems less thrilled. An early scene has Valentin putting his ever-present sidekick dog on the table so he can act dog-faced, mimicking his pet to try to make his wife laugh. But she doesn’t. Instead she doodles on his photos, giving him mustaches, glasses and black teeth! An homage to Citizen Kane (another Oscar winner from 1941) shows these two eating a number of meals together over a period of time, with a descending relationship evidenced by their degenerating interaction, just like Kane and his wife. As their marriage deteriorates; Valentin’s work changes, too. The time marches toward the Great Depression, and the technology of the movies migrates to talkies. Valentin’s producer (cigar-chomping John Goodman) cuts all silent-films and focuses on the new mode of sound, hiring new stars like Peppy Miller. As Miller’s star ascends, Valentin’s descends. A terrific visual scene illustrates this when Valentin walks down flights of stairs at the studio and runs into Miller going up. As they talk, she stands half a Christian Video® Magazine
flight above him on her way up. Moreover, the film reemphasizes her journey through the judicious use of movie posters themselves, telling the story in the titles of her new films as Miller takes center stage. Part of the charm of the film is in the acting it-
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Article
by MARTIN BAGGS
self. The two main actors are unknowns in America. Dujardin has the classic good-looks of the era. With his suave charm and thin mustache, he could be Douglas Fairbanks. On the other hand, Bejo has the fresh-faced look and peppy personality of a newcomer grabbing at her opportunity. She represents the Katherine Hepburn of Hollywood, transitioning from one form to the next. Both have powerful presence, and use their mannerisms and facial gestures to great effect. Both display the art of acting, rather than speaking. For this, both were nominated for acting Oscars, with Dujardin winning his first Oscar. In the words of Leonard Maltin, the film critic (quoted in USA Today in February), “to paraphrase an old saying, a look can be worth a thousand words. An actor’s expressive face or the timing of a scene that leads up to dialogue can have far greater impact than the dialogue itself.” This is so true here. There is precious little sound; there is wonderful music. And it’s not until the end that we wait for and expect some form of dialogue. By then we are beginning to feel uncomfortable with the silence, as the screen depicts talkies being made and characters talking together. Alongside these two foreign actors, Goodman, Miller, James Cromwell and Malcolm McDowell have strong supporting roles. Perhaps the best supporting actor, though, is Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier who is simply delightful as Valentin’s pet and acting side-kick. The core theme of this nostalgic movie is not nostalgia itself, though, as in Midnight in Paris (another best picture Oscar nominee). That is just a sidebar. The themes that emerge are passion, pride and reinvention. Passion does not focus on the romance between Valentin and Miller. Rather, it focuses on their joint passion for the work of acting. It is beautiful to see them passionate for their craft and career. Miller, in particular, exudes joy as she begins a career in acting. Christian Video® Magazine
This kind of passion is often missing today. In an era of unemployment (mirrored in the film’s depiction of the Great Depression), many are forced to take lackluster jobs that employ their hands but not their hearts. Such work is simply trading time for money. It lacks fervor, and it is often done poorly. In the context of work, Paul spoke to slaves, saying: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” (Col. 3:22) Work is a gift from God and intended to be done for him, as an act of worship (Rom. 12:2). We can and should do it with pride. Pride is another theme, and a characteristic that causes Valentin’s downfall. Refusing to move into talkies, Valentin’s pride stops him from seeking help from others. Even when his driver (Cromwell) calls him to account, he refuses to humble himself and swallow his pride. Pride, of course, is one of the “seven deadly sins” and is mentioned negatively in Scripture. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,” declares Proverbs 16:18, a verse that almost characterizes Valentin in the second and third acts of the film. Isaiah puts it this way, “The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. 2:17). The apostle John labeled it most plainly as a sin: “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 Jn. 2:16) Indeed, the third act shows Valentin’s plummet and turns the sparkling charm of the first two acts into the gloomy gray of despair. Unemployment and loss plague Valentin. Worst of all for him is the loss of identity as an artist. Not making movies, he has lost his raison d’etre. Valentin’s problem is not just pride. It is his reluctance to reinvent himself. As technology changed his way of life, he fought this change, seeing himself as an artist. His art was acting without Mar/Apr 2012
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Article
by MARTIN BAGGS
words. But that form of art was ultimately destined for extinction. He could either reinvent himself in his craft or find himself redundant and useless. He chose the latter. Artists even today face this challenge. Once they have mastered an art form, the tendency is to stay there, milking it, churning out more of the same. This may be lucrative in the short-term, but is artistically suicidal in the long-term. The best artists constantly challenge themselves by moving out of their comfort zones, trying new things, embracing change. But it is not just artists that need to reinvent themselves. Most if not all workers today will find themselves facing forks in the roads of their careers. With jobs moving offshore or being outsourced to larger, cheaper companies, retaining a job means reinventing yourself multiple times in your career. Being open to change, even looking for it, is an art and a survival skill necessary in the 21st century. Valentin was wrong. His art was not defined by a lack of words. Some of his artistic creations were defined in this way. But he had the ability and talent to move beyond this wordless boundary. He could use his talents to create different forms of beautiful art. But it took a mindset change, as it does for us even today. With the technological changes that we are experiencing in the second decade of the 21st century,
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this movie is relevant for us, even clothed in a 20th century skin. How we watch movies is changing. No longer do we need to go to the theater or even rent a DVD. We can stream into our living rooms or into our iPads and iPhones. How we read books is changing (if we still read books!). The smell of paper has transformed to the feel of the Kindle as we become digital readers. Even how we do church is changing. We must not be so absorbed with the outer shell that we lose the inner being. This anachronistic tribute to the 20s earned 10 Oscar nominations, only being bested by Hugo, another nostalgic film with a nod to the silent pictures. When it won the 2012 Oscar, it became only the second silent film to score that top prize, the other being the 1927 film Wings in that inaugural Oscar year. As surprising as this was, it is a true delight and a worthy winner! Copyright Š2012, Martin Baggs Martin works as a manager in the high tech industry. He leads a monthly film review group at Mosaic Church in Portland, Oregon. He writes film responses from a biblical perspective on his blog: www.mosaicmovieconnectgroup.blogspot.com Contact: martinbaggs@gmail.com
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Greg’s Toolkit by GREGORY FISH
Lawnmowing A parable on the creative process
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know the feeling far too well of sitting down to crank out a video production, and instantaneously being bombarded with all sorts of obstacles and creative blocks. If you do much with video, I’m sure I’m not alone in this. That type of situation—the difficult creative process—is what inspired the following parable. It’s probably pretty obvious, but see if you can figure out all of the symbolism here: I had an idea. The idea was to get my lawn mowed. The grass was getting tall, and my wife’s patience was probably beginning to wane. After all, it is my job to keep up on the lawn. I don’t really like mowing, per se. I do enjoy having a beautiful lawn that the kids can enjoy which is also attractive to others. I love having a lawn. I’m glad that I’m a homeowner with a lawn; I realize some don’t have that. But I do. It’s perfect for cookouts and relaxing or playing. When it’s mowed nicely, it’s a real benefit. But back to the issue at hand; my lawn needed to be mowed. It was time for it. In Christian Video® Magazine
fact, it was long overdue. I had put it off long enough. I had the time get it done. You know, I could pay someone to do it. There are a lot of other people that could really do a better job at it. But, this is my lawn. If I pay someone else, I won’t have the satisfaction of having done it myself. I need to take pride in my lawn. It may not win any awards, like best lawn in the neighborhood, but that’s OK. I need to take care of my own lawn, and do so sooner rather than later. It’s kind of cold today. It’s a lot colder than when I usually mow. That’s just an excuse to put it off. So I put on long sleeves, shorts, and mowing shoes. Alright, I’m committed to doing Mar/Apr 2012
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Greg’s Toolkit
by GREGORY FISH
this, and seeing it through to the end. I got the key to the shed, opened it up, and started moving the mess of bikes out of the way. When one pedal got stuck in the spokes of another bike, I was got really mad trying to get it out! Finally, I got the mower out of the little, and granted, unorganized shed. That mower! How long have I had it? It’s pretty old. I can’t stand this thing. But it’s a necessity for having my lawn mowed. Do I start in the back yard or the front yard today? The front yard’s a piece of cake. I can do that in no time. It’s the back yard that is my kryptonite. I don’t by any means have a big yard. It’s a decent size. But to someone who isn’t really outdoorsy, it’s a huge task! Today, I decided to save the front for last. Tackle the more difficult part early and save the easy part for the homestretch. If the front’s really bad, I usually start there. With all in place, I tried starting that old mower. No luck. I tried again. I’m not giving up that easily. No dice. I know a few tricks on this thing. If I take it around to the front, on the driveway, it should start right up… nope. Not today. What a piece of junk! Let’s see, it has oil, gas. I unplug and plug the spark plug back in. I turn it on its side, move the blade with my shoe. Pull hard, lifting it up a little. None of my tricks are working today! All is in place, but the engine is not firing up. The cord’s not even going back like it should. By this time I’m ready to give up. I’ve hit a huge obstacle before I’ve even begun. I really should upgrade my equipment. I could put this out on the curb and give it away for free to some sorry fool who would then have to put up with it. If I had one of those mowers that is motorized and takes less effort, I’d mow more often. If I had a riding mower, I could mow the whole neighborhood! But I don’t. I’ve only got Christian Video® Magazine
this old junky mower. Its cracked cage is lopsided and looks like the mower’s grinning at me- mocking me. I’m not going to let this beat me. I set out to mow the lawn. I will have a finished lawn, if it’s the last thing I do. One more time, I gripped the bent handle as hard as I could and pulled that cord something fierce, all the while lifting the front wheels. It started! I’m in business now, to the back yard I go. Now what do to? Sometimes I mow in rows, sometimes triangles. I suppose some of you are like me. Have to switch it up now and then. Keep things interesting. Maybe some have a set way of mowing; a process from which they never deviate. Well, today I chose to work my way all around the edge and then back. I suppose I’m making a game out of it, or maybe I’m trying to figure which way is best. I never have timed myself or anything. Aw, man. The mower quit on me. In the really thick stuff, I even went slower. If I could tell it was about to die on me, I’d lift up on the handle. But it happened. And pretty quickly. I’m just getting started and already after a slow start, now I’m ready to throw in the towel again. My equipment for mowing has become unresponsive, but the good thing is that I am able to restart it. This happened a couple times actually, but once I got past the worst part it was smooth sailing. In the end, I was able to finish. I executed my plan. Now I have a beautiful lawn again, because I did the work. Well, I mowed. Weedeating…that’s another story. The End. Friends, persevere through all of those creative blocks. Get your creative video projects started and finished. See your ideas through to the end. Do your best. You’ll be glad you did.
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Article
By RYAN GEESAMAN
Who Moved the Line?
T
his past winter I taught a course at a local Bible college;“Intro to Electronic Media,” which sounds innocuous enough. I thought it would be fun to talk about all the ways I use electronic media in my full-time job as video production director at a church of 12,000 and to teach the next generation of church “techies” how to do the same. The topics covered in the course included radio, television, advertising, ratings, the Internet, and how those things influence electronic media in the church, such as presentation software, projection, video cameras, and electronic sermon illustrations.
The first class was in early January, and my church had just finished a week of Christmas Eve gatherings. I decided as an introduction to the topic, I would show all of the electronic media elements from our gatherings. After each presentation, I opened the floor to discussion. The first element was a music video for a song written by one of our worship leaders. The visuals were of the Earth from the International Space Station, courtesy NASA. It was not a very controversial subject according to the responses of the students. The second element, however, was a comedic video we produced in the style of the TV show “Modern Family.” After it played, I admitted to the class that although the video was very loosely tied to the theme of the message, its main purpose was to get the audience to laugh. We know that, on Christmas Eve especially, we have many first-time
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guests, some of whom have not been in church for years or ever. Some are even there against their will to appease family or friends. We try to make them laugh, thereby bringing down their guard and hopefully increasing their openness to the message that follows. I then posed the question, “Is it okay to entertain in church?” Some students thought it was fine as long as there was a purpose. Some did not see a difference between that and someone singing a solo. Some thought worship should never seek to entertain. The responses were as diverse as the backgrounds of the students. Our music video that followed the message drew just as diverse a response. The band performed the Adele version of the song “Make You Feel My Love.” The video we paired with it followed the stories of five characters going through difficulties Mar/Apr 2012
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Article
by RYAN GEESAMAN
and making a first step towards crying out to God for help. While the video did not contain much to make it controversial (other than one of the characters being in a bar), the fact that it was paired with a secular song made it ripe for debate. Some students thought it worked well with the overall theme of the gathering. Some thought it was wrong to use a song that does not specifically mention Jesus or God. Some thought using a secular song was never appropriate in a worship setting. So I again posed some questions, “What makes a song a Christian song? Is it the words? The writer? The artist performing? The way it is used?” Again, the responses were all over the map. A line had been crossed for some and not others. The students’ responses were not the most interesting part of the discussion. The interesting part to me was that each student’s response was directly related to the type of church they grew up in or were attending at the time. Their views had been formed by the views of the leadership of their respective congregations. And while that is, for the most part, a healthy relationship to have with one’s church leadership, do we really want to be teaching the next generation to judge the quality, sincerity, or simple “rightness” of another congregation’s style of worship? Sure we should all be willing to listen to the sound advice of another believer who is sincerely trying to hold us accountable to Biblical standards. But are we really having these discussions with one another to hold each other accountable, or are we simply gossiping amongst our own groups about how another group is doing it “wrong?” And, are these Biblical standards or simply congregational preferences? Who determines where the line is? Let’s talk about the use of culture in worship. A large part of a worship gathering is the teaching. In Acts 17, Paul is talking to the Athenians and makes reference to their altar dedicated “To an Unknown God.” Paul tells them he can name this god, his
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God. He is taking something from their culture to teach them about the one true God. He is making a culturally-relevant teaching point by using an illustration not just from culture but from an idol-centric, non-Christian religion. I find it compelling that one of Jesus’ followers used a cultural reference to lead others closer to him. As a video producer in the church, that is my constant, heart-felt goal. Perhaps that example is not as compelling for you. Perhaps you still disagree with me. Perhaps you disagree with our use of secular media. The thing is: I am okay with that. I am. I honestly do not think that every church must do worship gatherings the way that we do them. I do not think we have the magic recipe for video, music, or church in general. But we have found a recipe that works well for our church, our congregation, and our community. Lives are being changed. And is that not the goal—to have people meet Jesus and have their lives changed by Him? So does it matter if it’s done through organs and choirs or guitars and movie clips? In Romans 14, Paul is writing about the dangers of criticizing other believers. He acknowledges that we all have slightly different interpretations about how to do things, but he says that as long as we are doing it to please and honor the Lord, no other believer should condemn us. I think we can all agree that we are in this for the right reasons. Thank God for the diversity in our churches, so that the person that does not connect with our worship style can come to your church and connect with a God who loves them and longs to be in relationship with them. Let’s not stop having the conversations. Let’s learn from each other: our successes and mistakes. Let’s challenge each other. Let’s keep one another accountable if a Biblical line is crossed. But let’s make sure we are talking to each other not about each other.
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