I’m sure we all agree that well-timed and well-constructed lyrics are very important to delivery of the worship songs. That equates into a much more powerful experience that allows the Holy Spirit to enter with much less resistance. In short great worship helps set the stage for the Word.
The gold standard for that among modern churches is ProPresenter run from a Mac (preferably) or from a Windows pc. By using multimedia to enhance, not detract, the songs and the message, we are able to follow the unwritten Rule #1: Don’t break the spirit.
The funny thing is that we are just scratching the surface of the capabilities of the technology. While some “old school Christians” may be resistant to change, I always like to remind everyone that until 2 events happened around 450 years ago, the Bible was not in circulation among the common person. As a matter of fact, until Tyndale’s translations and Gutenberg’s printing press, it was punishable by death (from the Church) to own a copy. Thus, the printing of the modern translations of the Bible are “new” technology.
So – here are my bullet points for a worship experience excellence.
- Creating slides for 1 song takes about 60-90 minutes per song.
- Slides MUST be used instead of videos unless an “emergency”.
- Lyrics MUST be correct and timed correctly.
- Text in the slides must be clear and readable (no comic sans fonts, etc).
- Backgrounds (still or video loops) must enhance the song or message.
- Slides must be timed correctly for song – or the tech person must pay complete attention to manually run the slides.
- The sound board MUST be tweaked to reflect to the needs of the song and the singers in the moment. Sound will vary based on song levels, singer levels, number of people in the congregation, etc. You cannot “set it and forget it.”
- Finally: PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE – do not wait until the last minute.
By following the above points, the worship team is infused with confidence. That means they will sing stronger which in turn helps the congregation sing stronger. It’s a recipe for allowing the Holy Spirit to work with far less resistance.
This is a TEAM effort and takes hard work and as much dedication as can be given around jobs and life outside the church.
By following excellence in everything we do, we display a greater love for Christ and ability to help lead people to Christ.