It seems that a lot of things that churches do or don’t do are more bandwagon issues than the result of careful, Scriptural thinking. Worship videos are kind of like that. Rather than think about the purpose, meaning, quality, and legitimacy of a given thing, some churches do whatever everyone else is doing, be it their denomination, their favorite celebrity pastor, the megachurch down the road, or even pop culture. We would caution against the bandwagon approach to anything, even worship videos. But the issue of church videos goes beyond mere bandwagon appeal. Using worship videos is just plain smart, for a whole variety of reasons (which we’ll discuss in a future article). Today, we wanted to share with you how popular and how easy it is to use worship videos in church. The explanation behind worship videos helps you realize why churches are using worship videos in higher numbers than ever before.
Worship Videos on the Rise
Most churches today are using digital projection of some kind. With the relative low cost and easy setup of a projection system, digital projectors are commonplace. What are churches using these data projectors for? The most common use of projectors is song lyrics. Using worship backgrounds with beautiful designs, churches can improve the aesthetics of their worship at a surprisingly low cost. Now, the use of worship videos is rising. It is still quite common for churches to use worship stills, i.e., worship backgrounds of still images. An increasing number of churches are realizing that worship videos, i.e., a motion video background for the worship lyrics, is often just as easy and cost-effective. The upside of worship videos is that they are far more engaging, attention-grabbing, and professional. Although megachurches are leading the trend in motion video backgrounds, many smaller churches are realizing that worship video backgrounds are just as easy to create and use as the still backgrounds are.
Using Worship Videos
Sharefaith is leading the way in the growing popularity of worship videos. With a low-cost Sharefaith membership, it is just as easy to download and use a worship video from the site as it is to download a still worship background. The site’s vast collection of worship videos makes it easy to find one that fits the theme or style of the service, and then to download it for instant usage. According to a recent Sharefaith church media survey, most churches today are using Microsoft PowerPoint for their projection. PowerPoint now allows video playback and editing within the software itself. For churches who use PowerPoint, worship videos are now easier to use than ever. Other churches use Keynote, the presentation software from Apple. Keynote also supports video playback within presentations. Other churches use presentation software such as MediaShout to meet their presentation needs, which makes it simple and easy to use worship videos.
Whatever the presentation platform, worship videos are essentially as simple to use as conventional media tools like still worship backgrounds. But worship videos are so much more powerful! Church videos, whether used as a motion background video, a sermon video illustration, or a mini video sermon, increases the effectiveness of church media exponentially. Churches no longer have to settle for just still worship backgrounds. Worship videos are the new norm, and they’re easier to use than ever.