Welcome to worshipvj.com, a blog for VJs, visual worshipers, creatives, motion graphic artists, video junkies…you get the idea. For years, VJs have found their homes in places like clubs, raves, concert experiences and conferences. From Japan to Germany, VJ-ing has become widely accepted in the global community. There is another home that the VJ has found, and that is in the Church.

For a couple of decades (give or take a few years), there has been a growing trend of using visual media as a tool in leading God’s people in corporate worship. It all started when the Wednesday night business meeting voted to add an overhead projector and do away with the hymnals - though they’ll still be available for those who hold firmly to tradition…we don’t want the tithing to go down! Shortly thereafter, the key-stoned square on the wall with shadows of sharpie marks disappeared and was replaced by digital projectors, and the age of the computer crept it’s way into our worship services.

Bill Gates had no idea that he had become the leading pioneer in the world of visual worship (& probably still doesn’t), as PowerPoint swept the world’s churches as a means to an end. Then people creating and running these PowerPoints clued in: “we can add images as backgrounds to our words!” ah hah! The result was usually a sight for sore eyes, as white text was washed out by glorious white clouds, and lo-rez JPGs were downloaded by the hordes. But the role of the VJ in worship had, in a way, begun.

Fast-forward (literally) a few years later, and we find ourselves in a visual revolution, exploring new technologies and techniques of implementing the creative arts into our houses of worship. Not only have we (well, some of us at least) done away with PowerPoint, but we’ve discovered and even created for ourselves turn-key multimedia solutions that allow video playback and motion backgrounds. Now software and hardware exist to mix, manipulate and maneuver our media to our own creative expressions. If only the guys that invented stained glass could see this…what a conversation that might be!

And so we (greg dolezal & stephen proctor) have decided to enter into this conversation about visual media, worship, and the Church today, and to create a place of community for those wishing to join this conversation. Not only will we talk about technologies, media & gear, but more importantly, we’ll talk about how this fits into corporate worship today, how to create a balance between excellence in production and authenticity in worship, and ways to put our own worship into action by embracing justice & missional living. We’ll share stories from the road, and also invite guest authors to share their experiences….and the best thing about a blog is that we all get to hear from each other. Through commenting and linking us to your world, the journey only gets wider.

This is not about our own story…it’s about the invitation & participation in His.

Welcome.