Good to Great: Onscreen Lyrics and Notes - Part 2

In Part 1 of this article we explored Contrast, Alignment, and Font Choice. You can start there and catch up.

The Purpose of Backgrounds = Enhance ≠ Distract

The whole purpose of backgrounds - loops or still graphics - is to add visual interest to the screens and to break up the monotony of plain black behind the lyrics.

On the flip side, many churches drank the kool-aid and now believe that worship can’t happen unless there’s some sort of motion - whether abstract or video - behind the lyrics. Backgrounds were never meant to become the focal point of the music set (unless of course you want them to be the focal point on special occasions). If at any point in time they become the focus, pull a “Heart of Worship” and get rid of them for a time. They cannot become a crutch.

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Web 2.0 ministry: Facebook

This is the first in a series of articles that will explore how Web 2.0 is changing the effectiveness of ministry within the church.

We are going to take a look at the social networking site Facebook. This site, a competitor of Myspace, was originally targeted at college students. However, now it is open for anyone to join. Facebook has become a great platform for connecting with people and it is not littered with all of the garbage that you can get bombarded with on other sites.

Lets get into what Facebook can do to change your ministry.

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Confessions of a Tech Director

I wear a lot of hats here at St. Simons Community Church and at the Gathering Place where I volunteer regularly. My job title is Technology Director. My roll is WAY more complicated. I am involved with everything audio, video, lighting, IT, software, graphic design, video production, event production, service planning, content planning, and a few other things I am missing. I like the multitasking, I like the every-day-is-different, I like the freedom & responsibility. (This is where I must mention the two guys I work closely with: Bo and Chris, they share an equal load in tech direction in the church and I/we couldn’t come close to doing it without them.) What I don’t like is how it has fostered a critical nature in me.

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Good to Great: Onscreen Lyrics and Notes - Part 1

Open your software of choice. Add the lyrics. Play.

So is the preparation of the typical church using lyrics presentation software. It works. The lyrics are on screen and God is sung to and about. But what if a few simple treatments could be applied between “Add the lyrics” and “Play” to take these good presentations and turn them into great presentations?

Praise God “what if” is a reality. Here are a few things to try.

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“New” Drum Mic - Shure VP88

I love music and I love mixing live music. I also love grasping ways to improve my technique, my ears and mixes. While at the Willow Arts Conference “Arise” a couple of weeks ago, I encountered something fantastic. It was the drums that I was hearing through the PA. Granted, the Meyer line arrays hanging in the room had something to do with that but I have experienced plenty of performances on all sorts of quality speaker systems and this stood out. The cymbals were smooth, the snare popped, it seemed you could hear every nuance of the kit without any of it being overbearing. Read more

Introduction to Music Loops in Worship

If you are part of the growing community of worship leaders, there is a good chance that you are at least mildly acquainted with loops. Loops have, to varying degrees, become an important tool to many modern worship leaders. From simple drum loops to full-song sequences, artists such as Steve Fee, Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band have integrated loops into their songs.

From the standpoint of a worship band, loops can be very useful as they can be used to compensate for Read more

Google: A Free Solution for Small Budgets

Worship Planning has become high-tech these days. There are dozens of options of web-based and software-based resources to aid and assist in worship planning and scheduling. Most of these premium resources have monthly subscription fees. For example, some worship leaders have chosen to use pay services such as Planning Center Online to plan and share resources with team members. I think that is a great option for those who have the financial resources to implement that. Large churches typically have a big enough budget to accommodate the monthly fees associated with PCO and similar solutions.

But what if you’re serving at a smaller church with little to no financial resources set aside for this sort of thing? Read more