When the guru sat down to worship each evening, the ashram cat would get in the way and distract the worshipers. So he ordered the cat be tied up during evening worship. Long after the guru died, the cat continued to be tied up during evening worship. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the ashram so that it could be dutifully tied up during evening worship. Centuries later, learned treatises were written by the guru’s disciples on the essential role of a cat in all properly conducted worship. (Source Unknown)

“The answer to the church’s problems doesn’t lie in greater creativity or better music or more relevance or a better understanding of culture or even of the arts. The solution lies in asking better questions. Or at least that’s where we need to start. If we don’t ask the right questions, we can fall for the Ashram Cat fallacy.”  – Mark Pierson (from his upcoming book release “The Art of Curating Worship”)

“Worship” is a term thrown around a lot these days. Vicky Beeching recently wrote about how the usage of this term (as our culture uses it) might even do more damage than good, as it can be “misleading & theologically unhelpful”. Worship is a LIFESTYLE…it’s much more than singing songs & meeting together once a week. We worship in so many ways…from singing songs, to being obedient, to loving others, to enjoying a majestic cloud formation & sunset. But for the majority of the “worshipVJ audience” (or “visual worship tribe”), we are in charge of designing, facilitating, curating & leading corporate worship on a consistent basis. I could flesh out “3D Worship” in many ways, but for now, I’m going to focus on the Sunday morning/corporate gathering aspect of our worship. And not just “worship” in general, but specifically the visual layer of leading worship (media/lighting/art/etc.)

I believe in stepping into “the box” and meeting our people where they are at. Only then can we lead them “out of the box”. Standing outside of the box and being frustrated with people “stuck” in the box does no one any good. That’s not how you affect change. So then, how can we meet our people “in the box” where their eyes are drawn? And how can we lead them further and deeper into worship through the use of visuals?

Let’s think about the 3 dimensions: up, across & out. I believe our worship services should contain moments of each…some days might emphasize one more than the other. It doesn’t have to look the same or have an equal portion of each every single time. Let’s think about our songs; you could probably categorize each of the songs being sung: “Here I Am to Worship” is UP… “Made to Worship” (”you & I were made to worship”) would be ACROSS… “God of This City” would be OUT. Our singing is the audible amplification of our worship. The main point I’m trying to make here could be stated in a question:

Are you visually amplifying your worship in the same direction that you are amplifying audibly?

Pause & think about it.

Another way to put it is simply making sure your visual content matches (or at least doesn’t compete with) your context.

I see & hear about lots of moments when people are audibly worshiping up, however, the visual is amplifying across. A good example that might help you better understand this would be iMAG (live video) during worship. (yes, i’m going there!) If we are singing of the great and glorious splendors of God, we are audibly amplifying God vertically (up). However, if all we do visually is project the face of the worship leader & band, we are visually amplifying each other horizontally (across). The two dimensions aren’t lining up…and that’s why so many of us struggle with this. (Now don’t get lost on the “iMAG during worship” debate…hang with me here. I’m not saying it’s bad all the time. It’s different for everyone…but it’s something we all need to consider & wrestle with.)

Worship leaders are more guides than anything. To me, leading visual worship is like shining a flashlight while giving a tour of a cavern. I’m shining light on different aspects of the cave while I’m telling you about it. I wouldn’t be very effective if I only lit myself while I described the jaw-dropping beauty & story of a 2000-year old stalagmite formation.

Here are a few applicable examples:

UP – images of creation (both earth and the heavens), writing out prayers on art walls, names of God, the Cross, the empty tomb, broken bread & wine. The same approach can be taken when choosing colors that correspond to the emotion of the message.

ACROSS – iMAG, testimonies, baptism videos, stories from the Body. The same can be applied to levels of lighting, even the direction & brightness of the lights. Who are we drawing attention to? Someone on stage, the baptismal, the congregation?

OUT – images of your city, hurting people, the homeless, different tribes & nations, those suffering b/c of poverty & injustice. Even THIS. It might even be expressed by stories of serving (whether across the ocean or across the street). Instead of a picture this time, I want to lead you through an experiment: 1) download the song “God of Justice” by Tim Hughes. 2) Watch this video while listening to the song (be sure to mute the volume of the video itself.)

My friend Paul Briney told a beautiful story at one of our Visual Worship Roundtable events where the middle school kids of his church went around and collected pocket change for victims of a recent natural disaster…and at the end of the worship service, they came and dumped all their buckets of change all over the altar….which turned out to be hundreds of dollars. They totally showed up the adults! What an “out” moment of visual worship!

Wow.

But what about abstract visuals?

If you haven’t already noticed, most of my examples have been very literal & direct (real, focused imagery, film content, etc). When I VJ, I lean much more towards literal than abstract. Using literal imagery is harder to “pull off”; it requires a lot of experience, practice & balance. And if timing is off, it’s a huge distraction. I don’t recommend going literal with your visuals on every song on every Sunday…use literal imagery sparingly! It’s very easy for it to come across as cheese-ball, & when it’s too redundant, then future moments become very predictable and not very special. If “Names of God” was used all the time, it would become the new waterfall or girl-with-the-hands-raised-on-the-mountaintop that we’ve seen 100 times. The more you use a certain piece of media, the more you devalue it.

Abstract imagery is powerful in that it gives your congregation a break (visually); they don’t have to think about what they are seeing and can concentrate more on the emotion, mood & lyrics of the song. Abstract visuals help to reinforce the moment in an aesthetically pleasing way. They can also carry meaning in the tone, movement, color & design…and sometimes, your visually-wired people might see something specific that aids them in worship that no ones else sees!

And check this out: one of the most powerful abstract images of all is black! Why else do people close their eyes during worship? I guess you could say that “visual silence” in golden. (translation: don’t be afraid to let your screens or lights go to black…and stay black.)

It’s ok to be visually neutral. Just b/c the moment is “up” doesn’t mean the visual has to be overtly “up”, too. But I encourage you to try both approaches…mix it up…change is good…step out of the box a little and see if your people will follow! And have fun while you’re at it! Enjoy God to the fullest while preparing, practicing & leading. Love your team well. Speak encouragement and life to everyone around you. And remember that all this “worship” isn’t for people..it’s for GOD. Make much of God…even visually! And when we make much of Him, it’s the most satisfying thing in the world!

So there it is. Pretty long blog post…sorry. :) And this even doesn’t really sum it all up for me…but my hopes are that these posts serve as a catalyst & a conversation starter. This is only the beginning. Let’s dig deeper!

Do you have any stories or examples you’d like to share involving any aspect of 3D Worship?

Zach Fonville is one of the few media producers that “gets it”. He creates stunning, creative visuals to use in the church that aren’t distracting. I was SO happy when I heard Brad Zimmerman at CMDtv talk about Zach because it changed my church’s Sunday morning. Before RedFerrisWheel, we were using some cool loops, but it just wasn’t “there”. But after hearing about RFW (and USING them), it just wasn’t the same.

Why do I say he “gets it”? I think that Zach understands that it isn’t the visual that matters, but rather the emotion and message in the song and in the worship that matters. His visuals just reinforce that emotion and message. His use of color and visual simplicity is fantastic. He forsakes a focused image for blur and abstraction. I love that because even though the worshiper is watching a video, there’s nothing to attract your eye to the video, but rather focus on the words and the worship, while also being able to take in the color and the visual. I LOVE that.

One of the defining characteristics of Zach’s pieces are their use of color. They are usually pretty simple, kept to 1 or 2 colors, but some offer more a variety in hue. One of the greatest things that you can do with ProPresenter 4 or ProVideoPlayer is change the hue of the video. So even though his original piece was blue, you can change the hue to green or yellow to match the environment you’re setting as one of the worship leaders! (If you haven’t heard of “color theory”, I highly recommend reading the first part of Smashing Magazine’s mini-series HERE.)

If you lead worship, you need to understand how color and visuals both aid and detract from worship. As Stephen pointed out in his “3D Worship” post, worship is for GOD and not for us. Yes, God gives us an awesome gift in being able to enjoy worship, but we need to remember it’s for his glory and not our own. Our worship needs to reflect this in every aspect, even down to the visuals we use. Are the videos you use during your services aiding worship or detracting from worship? I challenge you to ask yourself this question:

Why are you using it?

Do you have an answer? If not, you need to be careful. The point of using visuals in worship is not just to do it. God doesn’t JUST put trees in the ground to look pretty. He also put trees in the ground so that they can grow, get big and develop leaves that produce oxygen for us to breathe. God has a reason and purpose for EVERYTHING he does. Do you?

Like I said before, I love Fonville’s work because of its simplicity. In many cases, his work aids my congregation in worship. I highly recommend checking him out and taking his stuff for a spin. =]

Zach’s website is RedFerrisWheel.com – he offers all of his visual creations on his site for FREE…there’s a lot of motions on there, as well as bundles of stills. So knock yourself out, and spread the word! You can also follow Zach on Twitter: @redferriswheel

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Nathaniel is Proctor’s awesome summer intern at Grateful Inconvenience. He does it all: somersaults, push-ups, and spit balls. Be careful: if you see him in the wild, he may walk up to you and give you a high five.

I’m not going to pretend that I know what “worship” truly means. There seem to be many definitions out there, but I don’t think any of us ever fully “get it”. However, that doesn’t stop me from learning, exploring & wrestling with what worship looks like…for both my daily, personal life as well as the corporate gathering of the Church. At the end of the day, it’s all about amplifying God with our lives.

3D is all the craze right now; thank you, James Cameron! I’m sure one day 3D technology will be as accessible as an iPod, and it’s inevitable that a church somehow somewhere will implement 3D technology for worship. Maybe it will come via 3D glasses, Hologram, or some other technology invented just yesterday that we have yet to learn about. Who knows.

But as this new technology makes itself attractively accessible to us all, let’s make sure that WE are shaping the Church, instead of letting technology shape it. Let’s also remember that worship is for God…and not for us. So slippery a slope it is to lead worship…if we aren’t careful, we can start to “worship the worship” and even the leading of it. I struggle with this on a regular basis.

So if it’s really for God, what does 3-Dimensional worship look like through God’s Eyes? I stumbled across something that might help us better understand this. There are three dimensions to worship. Check this little graph out. (I’ll try not to go all “math” on ya.)

UP

“Up” is the vertical dimension of our worship. It’s a direct dialogue between God & His Church. It’s amplifying Him by declaring Who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s yet to do. There is revelation, and there is response. Corporate moments like this might include songs about God, prayer, & communion. This is the main dimension most of us think of when we talk about “worship.”

ACROSS

“Across” is the horizontal dimension of our worship. Yes, our worship is directed towards God, but there is an element of community & togetherness involved. These are those “one anothers” we hear about in the Scriptures. “Across” moments bring ourselves into the light, whether it’s through times of encouragement, edification, confession, forgiveness, celebration, healing, baptism or simply sharing someone’s story/testimony.

OUT

“Out” is the action part of our worship. This is where we put it all into motion & BE the Church. These are the moments of compassion, mercy, justice & mission. Sometimes it’s as simple as engaging in someone’s story with no agenda other than loving them or doing something for them and expecting nothing in return. It’s being the hands and feet of Christ. As it says in James, it’s going to the widows & the orphans…this is pleasing & acceptable worship to God. This is what makes our worship 3D! Without the “out” dimension, our worship is 2-dimensional and flat. Sure, we declare regularly Who God is and what He’s done, and we may get “community” like nobody’s business…but if we don’t do anything about it and love the world around us like Christ calls us to love, then we become stale, lukewarm & stagnant…and God will spit us out of His mouth eventually. Worship not in motion is a nasty, foul stench to God. We must be salt & light. Faith without deeds is dead.

Sometimes I wonder if our “out” is actually “in”. To be missional means to step out of your own context and into someone else’s, meeting them at their point of need. I’m not against inviting people to our churches & events, but if that’s the all-end of our efforts to “reach them”, I think we are missing it.

The great tension that I live with is trying to get all this with my own life, when I spend most of my days designing worship events & using new, cutting-edge technology. I see so much need out there…so many injustices…people who have never heard the name of Jesus… and yet I come home to help those of us (who have already heard) use motion backgrounds, triplewide screens & do worship “better”.

But I cannot discount the power of sacred times set aside for the Church to worship together…and I love to create environments where we can gather and meet with God. I see these times as exclamation points to our week of worship…and a launching pad for the next week. So I believe our content should be as 3D as possible! I’m all about leveraging technology & imagery to express in new, creative ways the things that are close to the heart of God.

The content of our gatherings usually falls into one of these dimensions. Even if there’s a moment that contains an aspect of each, there’s still a dimension that’s dominating the moment.  I look at the context I’m leading in, and I do all I can do make sure the visual content I’m choosing aligns with the focus/dimension of the moment.

Think about your worship services…the songs, the visuals, everything. What moments could you categorize as “up”, “across” & “out”?

More to come.

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Here is the continuation.

Recently, I finished the book “Flickering Pixels” by Shane Hipps. This is not a feat to take lightly as I am not much of a book reader. It’s a weakness I struggle with constantly. I really wish I loved to read books…I really do. But it’s just not a natural means of entertainment or enjoyment for me. People are constantly saying “Oh, you HAVE to read _______.” Sometimes I take their word for it and jot it down, but very rarely (like every Haley’s Comet orbit) do I actually read it. Mark Zurowski (who I met in Thailand) was one of those guys recommending a book, except he gave me his own copy…and the title was “Flickering Pixels”. Man, am I glad I read it!

The basic message of the book is that the medium is just as important as the message, so much that the medium becomes the message itself. The two can’t be separated. The medium Hipps chooses to focus in on is technology. The whole book is a journey of unveiling the stealth-like influence and power that technology has in our lives & faith. I felt as if I was led to the backstage of the Technology Revolution and was shown what was going on behind-the-scenes. Everyone’s all hyped up on media & technology these days, but very few go exploring through the back hallways & secret passages of this thing. Another good analogy might be “The Wizard of Oz” and the moment when the man behind the curtain was revealed.

There’s so much to process after reading this book. There’s no way this one little blog post can contain all my thoughts (good, bad & cautious). But I can tell you this, it has profoundly impacted my view on technology and it’s proper relationship to both my daily life, leading others in worship, & training others to lead worship. I’m not saying that I completely 100% agree with every word in the book…like I said, I’m still processing. But the overall message & many of the stories told definitely back up a lot of what I’ve been thinking and wrestling with lately.

Here’s an excerpt from the book, which has been the single most memorable section of the book for me:

“Information alone is strength without coordination. We become a danger mostly to ourselves when we have it. Understanding is the ability to coordinate that raw information in meaningful ways. Understanding creates a certain enthusiasm. We can direct our knowledge toward potentially useful ends — but we may also be a danger to others. Wisdom, however, is knowing how, when, and why we use our understanding; wisdom is settling into our understanding without being too enamored by it.”

I think this can be applied to so many areas. The Internet, social media, visual media, art, etc. Think about the area of technology you lead in your church, and read that excerpt again keeping that area in mind.

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Here’s something to think about: with access to all these new motion backgrounds, software capabilities, magic box devices, projection techniques, intelligent lighting, etc… that alone is like having “information”. But I think a majority of our creative church subculture is in the “understanding” phase right now. We are learning how to wield our knowledge/information/gear/creativity & apply it in meaningful, worshipful ways. There is a sense of enthusiasm & excitement when this happens. And we’re very enchanted by it all. However, we haven’t really obtained “wisdom”.

Hipps goes on to write that “unfortunately, [this] Age does little to encourage the development of wisdom. This requires time, experience, contemplation, patience, suffering, and even stillness to obtain.” And with the current fast-paced climate of our culture (and sadly, even some churches), things “never settle long enough to allow for the emergence of wisdom. We are left instead with ‘the conceit of wisdom rather than real wisdom.’”

I want this message to be an encouragement to the Church. It’s so easy to become critical and point fingers, but the reality is, we all need to slow down. I need to slow down. This means turning things off once in a while. Or choosing times to lead without all the bells & whistles. It’s in those times of silence when our souls are quieted, our creativity gets some breathing space, & wisdom is nurtured.  And I really REALLY desire this for all of us.

Well, there’s a few other dog-eared pages in this book that I might have to write about later. We’ll see. But for now, I highly recommend that you go and pick up a copy for yourself. Connect with others in your community that have read it. If you can’t find anyone, then buy your worship leader or pastor or volunteer a copy and initiate some conversations with them about it. It might just revolutionize the way you approach media. Just maybe.

Thanks Mark! You were right. :)

There is something powerful when people come together to create. You see, when it comes to playing videos, I’m pretty much by myself, choosing the videos I want and doing it my way. Sure, there’s community with the band, leader and production guys, and a hope for some sense of “community” with the people in the pews…but let’s face it, when I sit down at my laptop, it’s pretty much whatever I decide. And very quickly, it can become all about me and my own artistic preferences.

In Thailand, I ran smack dab into a wall of frustration, tension and confusion over what needed to happen visually. Nate & I experience this tension frequently in our projects, and we’ve learned over the years to embrace and wield this tension to our benefit. Add the fact that Camron and I teach together a lot but rarely VJ together. Now put all three of us in a room together; it was the making of something very interesting.

Both of those guys rank at the top of my list of creative people I know. But working together in a close environment brought out some crazy things. I realized very quickly that we have different creative/artistic preferences. We each gravitate to different types of images & styles of VJ-ing; there were even moments when I thought, “I would never use that picture!” But as we focused on communication and our friendship, we all learned to die to our preferences and serve a greater cause.

You see, it’s all about relationships! This applies to all of us. I don’t care how big or little your budget is, how cool that video effect is, how many projectors and screens you have, or what version of ProPresenter you’re running…if you don’t have love, game over. It’s probably the single most important & foundational element for an effective ministry. I cannot stress this enough!

What happened in Thailand was probably one of the most creative worship experiences I have ever had. It involved all of us working together…as a team…loving each other and encouraging each other along the way. I failed many times at this during the process, but God trumped all that in the end and decided to accept our offering and do something great with it.

The conference went from a Wednesday thru Tuesday. For ELIC, Sabbath rest was ushered in Saturday night and ended Tuesday night with a sending out. They wanted each of these nights to be set apart…very unique and special. So Saturday & Tuesday nights were our two main opportunities to bring all we had. We still VJ’d the rest of the time, but it was much more simplified & stripped down.

Both nights incorporated Nate painting live during a segment of the worship while Camron and I took turns VJ-ing & running lyrics. As we dreamed together, we stumbled onto a few simple and innovative things that none of us had tried before. But what sent this experience over the edge was the participation of everyone else in the room…all contributing and leading the rest of us through their own acts of visual worship. It was “co-creation” like I had never seen before.

To be continued…

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35 (NIV)

“Then something happened, and the visual layer of worship was stripped out of the Church.” (excerpt from the “Story” page.)

Understanding the history of visual worship is a vital piece in forming one’s philosophy. Honestly, this is an area of discussion that intimidates me, but when i dive in, i find it fascinating! The other day, i stumbled upon an interesting article on the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Ironic since it was Calvin who played a major role taking the arts out of the Church. It’s long (for an online article) but it’s worth the read.

here’s an intriguing section from the article:

“Opening yourself to new experiences of art in worship starts with questioning two assumptions.

First, many Christians value the verbal over the visual. We understand how the Holy Spirit uses the Bible, inspired preaching, and music to connect us with God. But linking art with worship stirs worries about idolatry, distraction, and poor stewardship.

Second, many of us think of art as something to look at in museums and galleries—something different than craft, which is beautiful and useful.

God’s people have not always looked on art as an inferior (or impossible) way for the Holy Spirit to mediate God’s love to us. Nor have God’s people always seen art as disconnected from real life, which includes true worship.”

I think it’s really important to know where we’ve come from and to study the decisions of the visual worshipers of old… to know WHY they made certain decisions and to see how, generations later, it has made an impact on how we worship. And if we don’t know our history, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

i’m not very far on the journey of discovering our past. i hope you’ll join me. b/c i have a lot to learn.

If you’re wanting to explore further, i recommend reading these books. If you know of any other resources, please share them in the comment section.

Sally Morgenthaler is one of my heroes. She’s been challenging the status quo and dreaming about the future of worship for as long as I’ve known her. I met her in my early years of VJ-ing and got to reconnect with her at a few recent events. I wanted to get on iChat to pick her brain about a few things and to share with you her thoughts. Prepare to have your mind blown. Sally’s not kidding around.

*warning: this video is fairly lengthy (about 50 min), so you’ll have to carve out some time to watch it. I know it’ll be worth it…wouldn’t want to waste your time. If you don’t have time to watch, then you can download the MP3 of the chat, sync it to the iPod, & listen to it on your way to work. Enjoy!

“We are not producing worshipers in this country. Rather, we are producing a generation of spectators, religious onlookers lacking, in many cases, a true encounter with God, deprived of both the tangible sense of God’s presence and the supernatural relationship their inmost spirits crave.” - Sally Morgenthaler, Worship Evangelism

(to read a really great article on Worship & Entertainment, click here.)

As I’ve been on the road having conversations with pastors, worship leaders & techies who are all trying to figure out how creativity works in worship, I have had a growing burden to gain a clearer understanding of what true, biblical worship is. i have much to learn and more scripture to dig into than i can comprehend. Here are some of the main things that have stuck with me, and here are some questions I’m asking myself in hopes of finding the answer to “What is Visual Worship?”.

• Worship is our response to a revelation from God…specifically, Who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s yet to do. // So how can visual media/art facilitate a revelation from God (just as text on paper can), and how can we use visual media as a way of leading our response to God?

• “We breathe in the wonders of God, and we breathe out our response.” – paraphrasing Matt Redman // Can we “breathe” in/out using our eyes and what we see?

• Worship, by nature, is 3-dimentional (picture an X, Y, Z axis): UP (Godward/Intimacy), ACROSS (Communal/Relationships), and OUT (missional/Kingdom)…all three working in motion & together..never independently. God is everywhere. // How can our visual media support each dimension? Can our screens and walls be windows into the world around us, bringing everything from the wonders of God’s creation to the hurting and oppressed into the church building, where we tend to confine our worship?

• ” ‘Missions’ exists because worship doesn’t.” – John Piper //  How does “missions” play a role in the visual content we are choosing?

• Worship stems from the heart…it’s not what we do, but how we live. // How are we using visual media/art to connect the dots… that worship is not the songs we sing nor the experience we have during an event, but a lifestyle of authentic relationships, loving others, and adoring God in everything?

• “Religion (worship) that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit widows and orphans in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” – James 1:27 (ESV) // Again, how does this relate to “visual worship”? What priorities do we have when it comes to worshiping ourselves and leading others to worship?

• “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12:1 (ESV) // If we are using this phrase “visual worship”, how does it apply to this passage of scripture?

• I once heard a friend in Hong Kong say that we can glorify/worship God by what we see, that if we weren’t able to do that, God wouldn’t have created us with eyes. // How can I see Jesus in everyday life? How can I use images and art to help others see Jesus in the midst of singing worship songs and hearing a sermon?

So, with all of this said, what would you say is the definition of “visual worship”, and how does it relate to leading your congregation?

Share your voice.

this seems to be the train of thought amongst a few of us in this “visual worship conversation”. However, could simple loops with nothing but textures, colors and particles ever have a home in our churches? Does your visual media ALWAYS have to have a clear meaning & message? Does the visual impact always have to be an obvious revelation of theological truth?

I have the privilege of attending the Dirt Conference this week, and i’ve been meeting some of the coolest people who are also asking the question “why?” & pressing in to find out how to be better visual worship leaders. One of them is Katie Strandlund. Check out this blog post she wrote today, where she breaks down our conversation about the proper place of “simple colored loops”.

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I have been living in the world of visual worship for six years now. God has taught me a thing or two along the way. I’ve used a variety of tools, changed my “best practices” countless times, and my philosophy probably as many. But through all of that I had one question I couldn’t get a good answer for: why use simple colored backgrounds, backgrounds that are visually less saturated?

I mean, I have visited several churches and by far the majority of them use colors 90% of the time. Sure, they look neat and can be all flashy, but for me they do very little to enhance worship. Not only do churches use them but video companies have produced them in mass and continue to do so. I couldn’t help but think there was something magical abut these backgrounds that I was missing.

Well today, I had a brief conversation with Stephen Proctor and the lightbulb came on. His answer to that question made complete sense and made me think “aha, I get it!” In short, his answer was not only can we use colors to create certain moods, but perhaps more importantly we can use less visually saturated backgrounds to great an ebb an flow that is necessary in visual worship. You see we need highs and lows in order to have either. You can’t get to the mountaintop unless you start from the bottom. And the mountaintop isn’t nearly as sweet if you stay there all of the time. In visual worship terms: you use visual simplicity to create space where you prepare people for something more. But if it’s more all of the time it becomes too much. The opposite is also true however. If it’s all colors all of the time you are missing out on the essence and power of visual worship.

Seems so simple, doesn’t it? But then, I guess most “lightbulb moments” do. What was the last “lightbulb moment” you had?

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Check out Katie’s blog here.

Thanks, Katie, for asking me a question that no one’s ever asked me before…our conversation led me to a deeper understanding of the impact visual media can have during worship, even in the abstaining of “high impact” visual moments. wow.

“Most VJ content doesn’t interest me– the flashing lights and swirling and pulsating images. What interests me is technology that enables me to recollect and rearrange images, transitions and timing in response to the moods in the room…. I could do more, like mix in some live camera. And that’s all slick and cool– but again, the question is Why? What would that add to my story? Showing you as an audience member, does that add something to my story? If I don’t have an answer to that question, I won’t do it. I’m not going to add something just because it’s technically possible.”

Read more excerpts from ‘The VJ Book’ here:
http://feralhouse.com/press/thevjbook/text_excerpts.php

I encourage you to go read his latest post: an expanded explanation of his Lyric-Tweet.

Between today’s conversation and something growing in my heart (fueled lately by my latest sound-bytes on Twitter, i.e. imag is like porn, lava lamp media, & the image-saturated church), i’ve needed to slow down a bit and re-evaiuate what our overall purpose, intention & motivation are. Sometimes challenging the status quo can be interpreted the wrong way, making it sound like “we’re right and you’re wrong” & look like a “elitist” mentality is there that should not (and hopefully does not) exist. This is the last thing i want.

I wrote this in a letter to a close group of friends today involved in the “lyric-tweet” debate. I hope this honest explanation & confession builds up and edifies the Church.

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This whole conversation has been amazing b/c it causes us all, at least in a brief moment, to look at one consistent aspect of our culture’s picture of a “worship gathering” and to question “why” it is that way. “Because that’s the way it’s always been done” is not cutting it for me, as i’m sure it doesn’t work for you as well.

There’s been a lot of “questioning” going on… part of this next generation finding it’s place in leadership in the Church. Change is messy and it’s full of mistakes.There is an overall shift happening in our Western Church on a large scale…. i can’t quite sum it up in a statement or even an email, but i get a big sense of God doing something every where that i go. I have no idea where He’s leading us, but i can firmly say that the Church has seen it’s “glory days” in America, as i see the mega-church/seeker service model failing, church staff’s being laid off more and more, and a general sense that people are yearning for authentic worship & community more than they are a cool experience. I think He may be preparing us to be persecuted a little more. i dunno.

I enjoy sparking debate and leading people to ask the question “why”….. one way i have done this is in thought-provoking and sometimes jabbing sound bytes & RTs via Twitter, and recently i have felt a sense to provide a little more context (via blog or whatever) unless the context can be contained in 140 characters or less.

I have to make sure that i have a filter on though = the edify and build up God’s Church. I have failed repeatedly at this.
recently, God led me to Romans 14 and i had a good heart check about passing judgement on others. It explains a LOT in that passage about choosing and abstaining; there’s a LOT to unpack there. I won’t do that here… but I definitely took away the fact that some churches will choose to lead their people one way and some will choose to lead their people another way….some will choose to do certain things and some will abstain…. but we are not to pass judgement on each other or think that any one of us is experiencing a deeper worship than the rest…. ALL are acceptable to God, as long as the intent and purpose is to honor Him. I want to know and own for myself why I am choosing or abstaining from something.

I think in this season, there are some people (myself included) who are realizing and experiencing that abstaining (or choosing other ways of leading) is actually ok and effective in certain contexts (our own). This is a part of that SHIFT i was referring to….it’s happening on a larger scale than we imagined.i also think there’s something refreshing and spiritual that happens when the one who chooses goes through a season of abstaining, and when the one who abstains decides to “choose”…. as long as it’s about making ourselves available to God…being open and flexible….allowing room for the Spirit to do something new and different in us. but i also recognize that “while others may, you may not” …. this has to be decided between you and God. No author or speaker or blog writer or artist or conference can dictate for you.

this is the bigger picture at hand, and i hope that it comes across the right way. i’m sure it doesn’t most of the time. esp in 140 characters.
i don’t know about you, but this has been really good for me. It’s causing me to check my motives and pray for more wisdom….

i welcome any wisdom you might have.

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we live in a culture that promotes choosing the latest greatest thing… a whole industry has been built on selling us the latest greatest stuff… i think it would be interesting if everyone chose to abstain, at least just once…. it may truly fail… it may not work for you…but at least you’ll know it & be better off in the end. I encourage everyone to look at every single aspect (creative & logistical) in guiding people in corporate worship, and to own the answer for yourself. Don’t let the overall popular culture dictate how and why you lead a certain way. God has a journey uniquely crafted and carved out just for you and your local church. He has so much more in-store for your congregation than you could ever imagine!

no matter what media i have in my playlist… no matter what software & technique i’m using… no matter what the message is…

…the most influential layer in VJ-ing is the music. It’s the one element that completely dictates the emotion of the moment.

i’ve curated and sequenced an iMix via iTunes…a playlist of music that inspires me way beyond the melodies of today’s worship songs. i hear these songs, and my mind explodes with imagery.

the worshipVJ iMix

it’s just a fact… sometimes i hear the music of a church, band or artist, and i simply struggle with what i would VJ for them. a friend pointed out to me the other day that i’m not very analytical in my VJ-ing b/c i mostly “feel” the music as i VJ. it’s very true. if i can’t “feel” the music, it’s very hard to VJ. (that doesn’t mean i have to necessarily ENJOY the music…. “feeling” and enjoyment are different.)

i might hear a popular song like “How Great Is Our God” led differently depending on the band’s style, and so i would VJ that song completely different for each band. VJ-ing is not just reflecting the content of the song but the musical context in which it’s carried.

This is why i always teach people to treat your software & media like a musical instrument instead of a “tech tool”. Let the movement of the visuals groove with the beat of the music, and when the bass & drums drop out, let the visuals back off (slow down, go to black, etc).

When i’m editing a video, the first thing i start with is picking the music… once i find a soundtrack for my vision, i let it orchestrate the entire video. here is an example of a video i created for Beth Moore a few weeks ago. (turn up your speakers or put on some headphones)

Does this make any sense? Let me know. And if you struggle with “feeling the music”, just go watch “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

Does the Environmental Projection stay on through the service?
Camron Ware: It can; but doesn’t mean is has to. Like any other visual worship tool; less is more, and it has its place. You can use one still image look for an entire song, or have a different look and feel for each verse and chorus within a song. You can also use it during the message to paint the room with a theme that supports the spoken word. It really depends on the worship element, and what the focus in the room is.

Stephen Proctor: i’ve tried starting out with everything OFF, then in the right moment i’ll do a creative reveal. Many times i’ll tie the same visual theme between the last song and the message, maybe adding subtle motion or some other images (VJ’d) during the last song, then going full frame to the “theme” image at the end as the music fades away and the message begins. then leave that up during the whole message so that it creates a visual environment to support the pastor’s message.

Can you use two of the TripleHead2Go’s to split 6 ways?
Camron Ware: I don’t believe so; due to the technical limits of the TripleHead. However, I know that you can take each output of the TripleHead, run that into a scaler that will allow to stretch the resolution. For example; one church is using 4 projectors for their Environmental, using a DualHead2Go. The computer output resolution is 4096×768. Each output of the DualHEad (left/right) runs into a scaler that stretches that content to be twice as wide.

Stephen Proctor: yeah, what he said. you also may want to look into Renewed Vision’s options with ProVideoPlayer…where you can slave multiple Macs together, add dual/tripleHead2Gos to those machines, and play around with Grid Mapping & Tiling options inside the software itself. The possibilities are limitless.

Are there limitations with rear projections?
Camron Ware:  If you’re asking if rear projection is darker; less colorful…the short answer is no. There are benefits to rear projection when using Environmental Projection, so if you are wanting to know more; please ask! Leave a comment or email me.

Stephen Proctor: I’ll add this: if you’re Environmental Projectors are hitting the main screens, most of the time, THIS IS OK. I definitely recommend NOT doing iMAG (unless those screens are out of the way/not being hit by Env. Proj., AND if you have an extremely large mega-church), and going with just white text on a black screen…letting the environmental visuals wash over everything. and sometimes it is cool to take the 4:3 or 16:9 version of the same graphic being used with the Env. Proj. and making that the main screen background to the lyrics/sermon/etc. That also can tie everything together. sorry for the “imag” rant… but it can very easily hurt (if not kill) the worshipful mood that Env. Proj. so powerfully creates.

Do the projectors have the be the exact same specs?
Camron Ware:  (In reference to Environmental Projection, I’m assuming)

Yes. I know it’s tempting to try and reuse older projectors, but you will end up noticing that the brightness and color don’t match. Now, in reality, almost no two projectors will look EXACTLY alike straight out of the box. But, it’s almost a nightmare to color match different projectors from different manufacturers. If you are wanting to do any kind of projection where the images are going to be side-by-side or even just close to each other; buy the exact same projector make and model for each screen/wall.

Stephen Proctor: i definitely agree, but don’t let this stop you from going forward with what you already have. The first time i did triple-wide seamless video staging, i had three older & different projectors. No edge blending was involved. It was tedious work (about a half day) in changing settings in each of the projector menus, but we made it work…and i don’t think any of the missionaries at this conference noticed (no one said anything). Even if they did notice, i don’t think it’s going to make or break someone’s worship with the Creator. ;) We were in Thailand when we pulled this off…had never tried it before…and had a ZERO DOLLAR BUDGET.

How do we take into consideration those with conditions such as epilepsy/vertigo/colorblindness/etc. Are there tips/guidelines to follow?
Camron Ware: Good question; I’ve actually never been asked this specifically about epilepsy/vertigo. Like I talked about in the class, less is more, and being that Environmental Projection is larger-than-life, motions are exaggerated. Let’s say this: If Environmental Projection is causing issues for someone with epilepsy, there is something wrong with how that tool is being used. Environmental Projection should be subtle and tasteful. Using lots of fast-paced motion loops can be a problem, so always ‘test’ the loops you use on the walls before the service/event. If you think they are too fast; they probably are. :-)

Stephen Proctor: Wow. Yep, i totally agree. I love this question b/c it brings it back to the “weak/the least of these”….God always works more powerfully through those of us who are weak and have physical/mental limitations….i see it over and over again. i think we should view this not as an obstacle but as an opportunity. Anybody see “Mr. Holland’s Opus”? They did a musical concert for the deaf, but added large screens with moving lights that moved to the music….HOW COOL IS THAT?! I have a dream, to create a visual worship experience for the blind. Where there are devices of LIVE moving/”speaking” braille handed to blind…and while visual images are displayed on the screen, descriptions of those visuals are going to the braille devices… emotions, names of God and Who He is, scripture to think on while singing, colors described as emotions & feelings & touch, description of imagery….the list goes on. One day.

We do this for lost people. They do not know the song that we sing but they do remember what they see. What they see stays with them after they leave. It’s all about the lost.
Camron Ware: True; I agree that people who are seeking the Lord and come into a worship service DO remember what they see, and the experience they had. I agree that we should do all things with excellence. However, the act of worship is for believers, and when we gather corporately to worship we focus our passion for visual worship towards leading those fellow believers visually… We don’t do what we do the ‘attract’ the lost per se, but to glorify God, and point fellow believers worshiping beside us to Him.

Stephen Proctor: When “pre-Christians” walk-in, i think that they SHOULD be mysteriously drawn in to our worship while probably experiencing tension from their flesh. With post-moderns, who knows what is going on in someone’s mind. but it’s not our job to turn our worship (which is for the saints) into a tool/spectacle that serves the lost. It IS about reaching the lost, but it’s also about growing disciples and leading our congregation deeper into corporate communion with God. If we only go as far as “lost” people can go, our Church will never grow deep. This is one frustration that i am struggling with: the subtle cultural fact that outreach events and worship services have become the same thing. I know this is very ecclesiastical, theological, and probably controversial debate, but i believe we must struggle well with these conversations and seek God’s Wisdom as we are developing into “visual worship leaders”. If you leave discussions/decisions like this up to the pastor/elders/leadership, then we give up our role as “worship leader” and simply serve as a “media tech”…in doing so, we turn away the opportunity and responsibility to lead our congregation effectively, and we should just focus on the mechanics. If there is no one on the media/visual team thinking about these things & striving for God’s wisdom, then I doubt that your media ministry will grow effectively. You can always add more technology, but that doesn’t make “church” happen. See “Don’t Use Visual Media in Worship”.

Great questions, everyone! We’ll close with this…we are young and have much wisdom to gain. These are our opinions that we feel deeply convicted about. We invite your feedback, whether you disagree or not. We’re not about forcing our opinions on others, only inviting others in on our conversations and experiences in leading worship using visuals and technology.

We’re live streaming “Conversations on Visual Worship” at the Gurus of Tech conference! Join in on a discussion i’ll have with Jonathan “Biscuet” Smyth, Camron Ware, and we’ll be taking questions from the live audience. we’ll cover topics such as tools for visual worship, the role of the worship VJ, visual philosophy, relationships within the worship team, and what visual worship looks like in the global Church.