State-of-Your-Art
When did being state-of-the-art become a priority for churches? It’s something I’ve wondered when I receive questions like the one below from church techies:
“The Lord has placed me in a church that is starting a new building with 300 seats. I’m a self-taught tech guy and am all they have. Pastor and I share a vision for state-of-the-art. Help!?”
You know, this is actually not an uncommon question for me to get from churches that see other (usually large) churches doing “state-of-the-art” and want to follow suit. It’s natural to want to use the best technology to achieve amazing results. That being the case, I thought I’d tackle this question with relevant, practical advice.
Before you go state-of-the-art, know the state-of-your-art.
IMAG in Small Churches (Don’t Do This)
IMAG – Image MAGnification. A simple definition for IMAG would be:
IMAG: Taking live video camera shots that magnify the action on the platform so that even those far away can easily see.
But that definition is a bit simplistic isn’t it? After all, if you sit more than 15 to 20 rows away from most church stages/platforms, you can’t see as much detail as someone sitting in the front row. For all but the smallest of churches, 15-20 rows away from the stage is common and people can still see enough detail that IMAG isn’t necessary.
IMAG was developed for venues that were so large that a good portion of the attendees were missing important action – specifically, body language and facial expressions. It makes sense to use IMAG in a 4,000 seat auditorium. So why are so many small churches using their small camcorders to create IMAG in rooms seating 600 or less? It’s simple: IMAG in non-mega churches is a fad.
I'm Anthony Coppedge, a follower of Jesus, a husband to my uber-bride and father to four great kids. I help ministries leverage technology and communicate with a digitally-infused culture. I'm passionate about this, so that makes me a Technology & Communications Evangelist. I attend and volunteer at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX and love it!
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