It's exciting and encouraging to see ministry leaders and church planters begin to grasp how crucial video will be moving into the future. Missional churches are churches that speak the language of the culture they are in, and in the US culture that 'language' is video. Now that we're beginning to accept this new reality, I think we need to challenge ourselves to become far more fluent in 'media.'
Imagine for a moment if you felt called to share the gospel in El Salvador. Would you take a one-week crash course in Spanish and then hop on the next plane out? Would you buy a coffee table book about the country from your local Barnes and Noble and assume that would teach you everything you needed to know about the culture? Of course not. Yet so many Christian leaders today assume that a video camera and firewire is all you need to create compelling video.
Speaking 'video' fluently really isn't any easier to master than any other language, and Christian leaders need to stop assuming it is. If you participate in Christian worship experiences with any kind of frequency you've probably experienced a time when no video would have been better than the embarrassing video that was used. The intentions were good, but the results were cringe-tastic.
So how can take our media to the next level?
The first thing we need to do is accept the fact that solid concepts and ideas are not enough to make a great video. For decades (and some would say centuries) modern Christianity has operated on the idea that solid, empirical, verifiable information was the universal trump card in a spiritual dialog. In post-modernity it ain't, and no medium reflects that better than film. Film incorporates narrative, imagery, emotion and sound to convey meaning. The best films still have great ideas at their core, but they don't drive the piece.
Next, ministry leaders need to take steps to learn more about what makes great video great. Too many Christian leaders and artists just assume that an idea and a handicam is all you really need. I'll be the first to admit that some churches spend too much time ripping off the latest Madison Avenue ad campaigns, but at least they are studying the best. Imitation can be a great first step towards innovation - just don't stop there!
Here's one of the the real problems; not everyone is really gifted to 'speak' video. That's ok. If you're leading a Christian community chances are someone in your group can, or could. While we all know this at some level, sometimes leading means empowering and getting out of the way. But even if you're not wired to create video, it's important that you begin to identify what makes some videos compelling and what makes other video weak.
If you're in the KC area I'm going to be teaching a workshop called "Digital Storytelling" at the Leadership Institute next month where I'll be getting into the nuts and bolts of media in the context of worship experiences. (in fact, I can probably hook up the first person that emails me - alex@alexschwindt.com - with a free pass to the workshop) Equipping churches to effectively engage the media generation is a huge passion of mine, and I can't wait to connect with new leaders about this.
If you can't make that, carve out an hour of time and head over to Video101.com to learn the basics of what makes for good video. Another good place to start is with the director's commentaries and making-of features on many DVDs. This will help you understand the 'why' and 'how' of some of the best filmmakers working today. If you're looking for more resources feel free to email me and I'll do my best to hook you up.
At the risk of overstating this, the battles for the hearts and minds of postmodern generations is being waged on screens (movie, tv, computer and cell phones), and this is a battle we cannot afford to sit out.
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