Other Video Uses at Church
Posted on 25. Feb, 2009 by Steve Swisher in Audio & Video, Technology
What are some other ways I can use videos in a worship service?
• Pre-Service Countdown – helps get people in worship and sitting down before the service. Consider implementing the “513” for your leadership/committed core. Have them commit to be in the sanctuary 5 minutes before service to meet guest and fill the room. If you have a meet/greet time in the service, have them commit to greet at least 1 person they don’t know. Finally, studies show that guests are out the door and in their car within 3 minutes after the service is over unless someone talks to them. If your committed core talks to each other or the staff, then your visitors will be gone. So have your core commit to wait at least three minutes to talk to the staff after church as well as look for a guest to talk to for the first three minutes after the service.
• Communion & Invitation – If you find a video that is the right combination of worshipful, reflective, and summarizes the theme or message of the service, use it for your invitation time or during communion that morning.
• Worship – Can be used as a substitute for a worship leader. The only thing worse than no music is bad music. The iWorship videos and others like it are a solid alternative. It takes some practice to use them seamlessly in a service. You still need someone to service as a worship leader even if they are not a singer.
• Announcements & Promotions – This is a good time to put in a promotional video from the SBCV, NAMB, IMB, or other in house events that you want to promote like small groups. VBS videos can be used both after VBS to share with the church what happened at VBS. Save the footage and next year you can add in some new clip art to promote VBS in the month leading up to next year’s VBS. Pictures and video footage from youth mission trips and fun nights can also make great promotional pieces to show what is going on outside of Sunday mornings at your church.
• Offering – You can use videos to highlight the mission work that is done with the offerings through the cooperative program. “As we take up the offering the morning, I wanted to share with you how your gifts have had an impact on the people of the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of the hurricane.”
• Testimony – Some people who are uncomfortable talking in front of people will talk to a camera. You can mix in pictures and other video footage on the screen instead of them if you want to spice it up. For really shy people, I have simply recorded their voice and put pictures in the video about what they were talking about.
• Baptism – Great way to allow the entire church to be a part of a baptism that everyone in the church couldn’t attend. You can also play a video testimony right before they get baptized.
• Holidays – On holidays like Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and the like we show a video during the offering or to close the service that highlights the holiday. With some advance planning you can make in-house videos. Consider the following ideas involving the children of your church: All I want for Christmas is…, I love my mom because…, My dad is the best because…. On Memorial Day, ask the spouses of military, police, and firemen to email you pictures of the service men and women in your church. Make a video using animated pictures in Windows Movie Maker or on PowerPoint with a song in the background. It can be really powerful if you start with footage of national or global things and then insert your own service men and women.
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