There is a lot of discussion in churches of our size about whether the use of video and lighting in worship is important or distracting. Some people feel like colored lights and image magnification (or IMAG) takes your focus off of the ultimate goal of glorifying God. A lot of larger churches have been using impressive sound, video, and lighting systems for some time now and consider them an integral part of their worship experience.
A friend of mine put me in touch with Cameron Ware, who runs the website Visual Worshipper. He believes that use of technology runs deep into the roots of the church:
“If you look at the old churches and cathedrals; they used the technology they had at their disposal to create works of art that tell the stories of the Bible.”
He does, however, think that technology, when mismanaged, can be very distracting.
“The key is WHAT is being presented; and WHEN. Imagery needs to be thought through, and made sure that it glorifies God and does not distract the congregation away from Him. IMAG is tricky - it's purpose is originally logistical. But, churches try and use it as a worship element when it's really not that at all.”
Steven Proctor, from WorshipVJ.com, says that he uses this process to determine when to use certain elements of technology:
“I run everything through this filter: how is it echoing our response to God's revelation, or how is it bringing a revelation to our people? How is the image on the screen guiding people in deeper worship? You can't tell me that a 30 foot blown up version of the worship leader's soul-patch during "How Great Is Our God" is doing that.”
We need to make sure that everything that we do has the ultimate goal of bringing people closer to an understanding of God's sacrificial love for them. If our goal is not Jesus, all of our efforts are worthless. Please pray that all of the leaders in the Worship Arts Department keep the pursuit of glorifying God as our number one priority.
-Thomas
1 comments:
I love that churches of the past used the technology at their disposal to tell the stories of God, and that those technologies have stood the test of time. You can still walk into those cathedrals and experience an encounter with God in the beauty of stained glass. It has stood the test of time. It was not just distracting fluff placed there to look cool. It was actually placed there to draw people who could not read to God. Awesome post Thomas!
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