Execution is as important as the process of video selection.
Communicate with the Technician. The person(s) running the video need clear instructions from you. When will the video be shown during your message? Will you give a verbal cue? Do the lights need to be dimmed? What are the start/stop times for the video segment being shown?
Practice with the Technician. Test everything to be sure it works. Then, rehearse the transition from preacher to video. If your church has multiple services, everything needs to be checked again between viewings, especially if you are using a videotape that needs to be rewound!
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Expect mistakes to happen. When mistakes happen — and they will, laugh it off. However, it is a good idea to never depend on a video illustration to make your point. Ultimately, your message is a word from God that He will use — with or without the video!
Use sparingly for best results. To maximize the impact of video illustrations, try to use them occasionally, instead of weekly. Frequent use will diminish their effectiveness. Use a variety different creative approaches (e.g., props or drama) to illustrate your messages, including video as only one tool among many in your communication toolbox.
Remember the Goal
Notice how David responded as the significance of Nathan’s story penetrated his heart: So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man . . . Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” . . . David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Sam. 12:5-13)
For months, David carried a horrible, secret sin in his heart and did not repent. In minutes, God enabled a prophet’s insightful illustration to slip past his emotional defenses and intellectual excuses, reducing David to a broken, repentant state.
The artful use of a video sermon illustration can help transport God’s truth deep into the hearts of your audience. What is the ultimate goal? A changed life!
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Don Pucik is the Associate Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention_______________
Online Resources for Finding Video Illustrations
Sermon Spice (www.sermonspice.com). Sermon Spice is an index of companies providing ready-to-use, privately produced video clips.
Worship House Media (www.worshiphousemedia.com). A service similar to Sermon Spice, but with some different features and resources.
ScreenIt.com (www.screenit.com). Need to know whether a movie is family-friendly? ScreenIt helps you decide by commenting on 15 different moral characteristics of a feature film.