Dear Church Family, About two months before I came to Brentwood, a church member asked Bishop Spain, “Will our new pastor use the projection screen in our worship services?” Bishop Spain replied, “Yes, and it will be alright.” If you were here on Saturday or Sunday, you know that we used the projection screen to visually support the sermon at all four services. It was a modest beginning. We only used a few slides for a few moments. In the months and years ahead, the use of projection will continue and increase. And, in the words of Bishop Spain, “it will be alright.” In this week’s e-note, I want to share with you why we will be using projection in worship. While I could list many reasons, the primary rationale for using projection is that we live in a visual age. American culture is now a visually orientated culture. Television and computers have changed the way we process information. People now need to hear and see messages to comprehend and retain communication. The church cannot ignore this huge shift in communications. We’ve moved from a print society to a digital society. To effectively communicate the gospel, we must use the primary communication medium of
our day—which is digital and visual. Although we must never change the message of our faith, we must continually change the methods we use to share our faith. Churches that do not use modern methods to communicate the gospel (projection, Web sites, contemporary music, etc.) are steadily declining and will eventually die. Virtually all growing churches use projection. In fact, 65 percent of all American churches now use projection in their worship services. And that number is rapidly growing in spite of occasional conflicts over placing screens in the sanctuary. By the way, it’s interesting to note that almost everything we consider “traditional” today—like hymns, hymnbooks, choirs, robes, pianos, organs, and even grape juice for communion—were once new, controversial, and hotly debated. So current debates about modern worship methods like projection and praise choruses are certainly not new in the life of the church. Please know that I respect the great tradition of worship at BUMC and will always honor that tradition. The use of projection will enhance, not diminish, our worship experiences. After many years of using projection screens in worship, I believe strongly that visual aids are an important tool for proclaiming the Gospel and worshipping God. If you don’t like the use of the screen, I hope you will tolerate it for the sake of the majority of our members, both current and future, who are more digitally and media orientated, especially young people. This past month at BUMC has been one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling months of my life. Thank you for your overwhelming welcome, love and support. It’s great to be your pastor!
Finally, it was good to receive Dan, Lisa and Caroline Petty, Paula Thielen, Samuel Gemechu Bonner, McKylie Griffin Johnson, and Jan Burns as new members. Welcome to our church family. In Christ’s Love, Martin PS Tonight (Tuesday) at 7 PM I’ll be hosting “Coffee and Conversation with Martin.” If you have been visiting our church and would like to get better acquainted with me and learn more about our church and how to become a member, I hope you will attend. Child care is provided and you don’t need to RSVP. Just show up at the big entrance on the side of the church and find Haney Hall. Someone will be there to point you in the right direction!