One Picture Is Worth . . .
Although
preaching has always been an inherently verbal medium, one of the major trends
of 21st century preaching is a new emphasis on the visual.
As
churches seek to communicate with new generations that are increasingly visually-oriented
(and less and less literary), many have discovered the power of a visual image
in communicating divine truth. That’s one reason why the most consistent trend
of contemporary church architecture is the presence of projection screens —
we may or may not include a pulpit in a new church, but almost every new worship
center has one or more (usually more) screens for use in projecting visual images.
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As
one might expect, many companies and organizations have recognized the opportunities
presented by this trend, and the result is a burgeoning industry in visual resources
for worship and preaching. We aren’t talking about still photography here —
the kind of images often used as backgrounds for song lyrics and such — but
coordinated video presentations (which may include still photos) with audio
tracks.
How
are such videos used in worship? The best uses are integrated into the overall
worship experience to accomplish some purpose: set a mood, provoke a thought,
spark an idea, draw a chuckle. Sometimes they are used early in the service
to help set a theme; other times they are used immediately before the sermon,
as a virtual sermon introduction. On occasion, they might be used at the end
of a service to send listeners away with a powerful last impression.
In
this first-ever survey of video resources for Preaching, we are emphasizing
resources that are ready-to-use for worship. A variety of resources are available
for the church which has media staff to create original resources, but that
is beyond our purpose here. This resource will focus on video material that’s
ready to go right in your DVD player — ready for you to push the “Play” button.
Many of the websites listed provide the opportunity to view a preview of the
videos. Be sure to take advantage of this before ordering something, just in
case you aren’t comfortable with the look or style of a particular offering.
Even within a single resource provider, you’ll often find a wide variety of
styles and production values.
No doubt we’ll miss some good sources, so feel free to let us know about other
options by writing us at feedback@preaching.com.
This
seems to be one of the most prolific Christian media companies right now, with
a variety of resources available. They offer several categories of video, including
“Sharable Parables” (brief stories with a deeper meaning; a bit long for most
worship services, but good for small groups), “The Text: Scripture in Pictures”
(images and narration focused on a specific biblical text); “Mirrors” (contemplative
reflections on life and God; they also have a Christmas collection in this series);
and “Interludes” (thirty-second videos on a biblical passage, ideal for transitions
in worship). Angelhouse offers quality production and a lot of variety. DVD
sets are $35.00 each, and can be ordered from http://www.angelhousemedia.com/.