First Church Worship Open

When working in a fairly traditional church environment, change comes a little slowly. Even with all of our video production capabilities, and capacity, we have to be careful in how we integrate these elements into worship. As a run up to our summer movie series, Jeremy put together a simple teaser/trailer.

We've used it the past four weeks to open the service, rather than using an organ fanfare. Not much in the way of reaction. Just the way I like it! Might seem like not big a deal for some, but for those of us working to introduce change, it's pretty huge.

Here's Your Bulletin, and Your Glasses!

Turns out that having your pastor speak via HD video on the center screen of a three screen array is just so, well, 2008.

Coming soon... 3D video in a movie theater near you, just in time for Sunday morning services. Kevin Maney writes on Wired.com that some folks think 3D sports events are going to save the local movie theater from the NetFlix invasion. Theaters across the country are already installing the equipment, for flicks like Journey to the Center of the Earth and the upcoming Avatar feature.

The Pace 3D Fusion camera technology was demo'd for last year's NBA All-Star game. They showed off the same technology at NAB this past March. We looked at Pace and a few other options for 3D, including some options that might be pretty affordable when we were on the floor of the NAB show. Pretty fascinating!

Cisco recently announced a new holographic 3D teleconferencing system that "puts you in the same room" with someone halfway around the world. You can see the demo, here.

So how long before some enterprising church takes the plunge, and puts the pastor on the platform, not just in HD, but in 3D? I'll bet it's not as long as you might think.

The Gift of a Close Call

Sunday's shooting at a church in Knoxville, TN has me thinking back a few weeks. We had a close call. The details aren't important. What I'm thinking about is the incredible opportunity that a close call represents.

If failure is a learning opportunity, a close call is a gift from God! Failure usually comes with a price tag. They can be only annoying, or devastatingly painful.

With a close call, the opportunity is there to learn very nearly as much as in a failure, but at a much lower cost. We may get a scare, and in that scare be spurred to action.

What close calls have you had recently, and what are you doing to capture the opportunity that your close call created?

A Curious Silence?

So, there was another church shooting on Sunday. This time it was in Knoxville, TN. Right now I have about 180 blogs in my reader. Half, or maybe a bit more are "church related" in some way or another. So, kicking out all of the news sites, how many posts do you suppose I've seen on this tragedy.

One, from my friend RLP.

When I heard about the incident on Sunday afternoon, and heard that it was a Unitarian Universalist church, a fleeting thought raced through my brain. Really just a quick flash of a question. I wonder what the blogosphere will do with the fact that the church involved was Unitarian?

Now I know. I'm disappointed. I wonder what the blogosphere would have had to say if it had been a Baptist, or Methodist, or a non-denominational evangelical congregation.

I'm please to learn that the church community in Knoxville is rallying to meet the needs of this church. My sympathy goes out to the people of a congregation that is grieving. We may not believe in the same way, but we hurt together.

Monday Resource - Bubbl.us

If you've never used mind mapping software, you should give it a try, the next time you need to brainstorm, or try to get your head around a multi-faceted task or problem.

Mind maps have been around forever. You can do them by hand, but new software tools make the process easier. They are part word processor, part spreadsheet, part powerpoint presentation... and more. You kind of have to use one to understand it. They facilitate capturing all of the elements of a project or idea, and let you work in a very visual way to organize those thoughts. It's a diagram of an idea or problem. Think of an online, editable white board. They are great for visual, random folks like me!

I've used a few different ones, but I really kind of like bubbl.us. First, it's free! That's always a plus for me. I also like the fact that it's online. I can bring up a map (or sheet as they are called) whenever and where ever I happen to be. They can also be shared online with a team. Give it a try. You'll be surprised at how helpful mind mapping can be.

Relevant or just Trendy?

Phil Cooke has a great post this morning on the difference between being relevant and being trendy. He takes it further pointing out that trends are not an end in and of themselves. They are a tool to be used to discern what is happening in the lives of your target market.

Being relevant, goes way beyond just tracking trends, or even being able to correctly interpret them. Phil quotes French philosopher Simone Weil who said, “To be always relevant, you have to say things which are eternal.”

Allowing Failure: Where's my Rabbit?

Folks involved in the church tech world are doers. They are problem solvers. They're the "go-to" folks. They are the first ones in the door on Sunday morning, and the last ones out.

We're wired to make things happen! We'll bend over backwards to help you succeed, pushing systems and ourselves to the limit and beyond to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat. But in doing that, we're our own worst enemies.

We let the amazing things that we can pull off in a pinch become expectation. We allow a work-around to a problem to become the operating norm. We refuse to let a lack of planning impact the final product of the worship service, and we ignore the cost of ourselves, our families, and to our heart.

I'm learning that sometimes letting logical consequences occur is exactly the right thing to do. Let me explain.

Of course, this all begins with communication. As techs, we have to be diligent and clear in our communication with leaders about issues that might cause a failure. That means doing it in writing, in addition to verbally, and doing it in a way that's not perceived as overbearing, threatening or judgmental. For me, that has meant making sure that I use informal and casual language... "Hey... I just want to make sure we're on the same page about the lighting system in the Fellowship Hall."

Be careful to line out the logical consequence if the problems aren't addressed. "We really need to get those mic lines in the Sanctuary repaired. Until we do, we can really only use one, or perhaps two microphones in a service. And if we lose another line, we could be without sound for a service while we get it fixed."

Then, we have to be willing to allow a failure to occur. Certainly there are some exceptions. Life and safety issues, for example. If we were dealing with speaker rigging or electrical issues that could injure someone, obviously allowing the consequence to occur is not an option.

But for things not involving life and safety, failure can be a good thing. This is a major mental readjustment for me. My makeup is such that I'll kill myself to make you look good. I'll work all night to make sure that things go smoothly, even if I don't have the right tools, or if you miss your deadlines for getting me material.

But, I won't be happy about it. My joy is gone! And, we set ourselves up with unreasonable expectations if we continue to pull rabbits out of our collective hats, sooner or later people won't be amazed at the trick and grateful for your skills. They'll simply stare back at you and ask "Where's my stinkin' rabbit?"

Doing this requires a certain mental "dis-investment." We have to become willing to allow things to go "not as well as they could" for a greater purpose. We also have to be prepared for the inevitable backlash at the failure, staying calm and more than reasonable in my response. A calm response acknowledging that the failure was not good, and reasonably pointing out that you have been asking for the tools to prevent the failure is a powerful tool.

By allowing failure, we are then in a much better place to address the NEXT issue that comes down the road. It's human nature that we don't remember pain, but we do remember the circumstances surrounding the pain. We remember what caused the pain, and we try to avoid it. By letting little things hurt, just a little bit, you have an opportunity to educate your leadership, and prevent more pain in the long run.

Link Love: When a Jack isn't a Jack

Cindy asked a question in a comment on yesterday's post that bears some discussion. She had the grace to apologize for linking to a post of mine last week on some great new resources on fair use.

Here's my take. In the world of blogging, links are LOVE. I don't think it's ever necessary to ask to link to a blog post.

When linking to a resource like the fair use guides, the author obviously wants them distributed. Further, you are probably going to reference the source in your copy, anyway.

In the case of Cindy's link directly to a resource I recommended, a shout out or a hat tip are kind of customary in the blog world. So thanks Cindy! 'preciate the LOVE!

And, by the way, Cindy has a pretty cool blog herself, where among other things, you can find our once and for all whether crap is really a swear word, right here!

And, lest I be accused of not following my own example, HT to Craig and crew from the Swerve blog for kicking off this little conversation.

Jacking for Jesus: Imitation as Flattery?

There have been a couple of interesting discussions online regarding plagiarism and the use of creative material, with and without permission this week. One involved a church who recently discovered that their web site had been jacked by another church. Ripped off. Like even using the same stock photos. Amazing! I don't think anyone would disagree that is just flat wrong. Sometimes, though, the line is not quite so clear.

Over at the Swerve blog, Craig Groeschel asked the question about when it's appropriate for a pastor to use material from another pastor's sermon, and when credit should be given.

Lots of interesting responses in the comments.

Here's my take, for what it's worth.

Reference. Footnote. Attribute. Always. Every time. Without fail.

Why?

Because if you don’t, it will be discovered, and that has the potential to harm the cause of Christ. It’s SEEN as inappropriate.

Some folks questioned whether this is a thinly veiled attempt to seek credit. I don't think so. Attribution and credit are not the same thing. Even when credit isn’t sought, attribution is still appropriate.

Use of material unattributed can be a huge barrier to the reception, and ultimately the emotional and intellectual integration of that message by the person hearing it. It doesn’t diminish the message, or the messenger to acknowledge where material has come from.

Back to Broadway for Godspell

The 1970's musical "Godspell" ... which has arguably exposed more people to the Gospel stories recorded in Matthew than any preacher or evangelist in history... is headed back to Broadway.

Interesting. The music is amazing. Lots of songs you'll be humming for days after seeing the show. They may be a bit dated, although there was an update done to the score in 2000 or so. The show is often set in a junkyard, but I've seen it done on a playground, and with a very minimalist set of colored blocks. Real fans know it was the musical banned from Bobby Hill's school on "King of the Hill."

My question: Moving a show to Broadway is big bucks. So is this another piece of evidence that our culture is more curious than ever about all things spiritual?

BJ is Back

One of the people who was on my original blogroll a few years back popped back up today!  BJ Bergfalk was one of the first voices speaking of an emergent, missional faith that I found. His self-imposed sabbatical from blogging is now over.  Do yourself a favor and add Naked Religion to your daily reading list today!  Now if we could just get Terry to use more than 160 characters at a time, life would be sweet again!

Save Time. Follow Tony's Advice

Great post and reminder from Tony Morgan yesterday.  If you're reading blogs (and if you are reading this, you are!) you should be using a blog reader.  Yes, this may be basic for lots of folks, but let's not assume!

I have a tremendous amount of stuff I need to stay current on every day. Lots of that input comes from the web. Much of that is available on a blog, or as what is called syndicated content.  What's that, you ask?  Simple. 

When you go to a web page, you're PULLING the content to you.  How cool would it be if the web page PUSHED new content to you whenever something you are interested in is updated? That's what syndicated content and blogs do when you use a blog reader!

Anytime you see this symbol, there is content that can be pushed to you on that page.  It's so much more convenient than visiting dozens of websites every day!  You set up the blog reader to go get what you want and deliver it to you neatly!  I'm using Bloglines right now, but a switch to Google Reader may be in the works.  Give it a try.  I guarantee, it's addictive!

Monday Resource - Fair Use Best Practices

Copyright and the church and copyright law is one topic guaranteed to kick up a cloud of dust. Lots and lots of confusion out there.  Some people still think that churches get a pass on copyright issues, just because they are a church.  Not so, but we'll leave that discussion for another day.

When the whole subject of video media in the church comes up, things get even more confusing.  Yes, you should have a CVLI license in place, but it doesn't cover everything.  And, what about this whole concept of fair use?

The Center for Social Media has a couple of great resources on the topic of fair use.  They've put together a HIGH POWERED panel of attorneys and legal scholars to create a statement of Best Practices in Fair Use for both online media, and for documentary filmmakers.  There's a lot in here that applies to our use of video and other copyrighted works in the church.

Both give real world examples, and boil down complex legal concepts to a place where normal folks can get a handle on them.  Both are worth taking 15 minutes to read. 

What Creates the Spark?

"Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye."

 

Don't know who said this, but it's really rolling around in my mind today.  I love the dichotomy of the wild mind and the disciplined eye.  Here's what I've been thinking, though. Both are impacted by junk and clutter and a lack of white space.  Is it even possible to maintain consistent creativity in the midst of chaos? 

Checklists, process and SOP are all tools tools of the concrete and sequential.  They're certainly not intuitive to me.  I'm learning more and more to use them. Here's why. I think they're tools that can be used by creatives like me to manage our worlds. 

That creates more space. White space.  More margin.  That allows our minds go off on wild goose chases. And it increases the likelihood that we can capture the connections between those random pieces of experience that make up our lives.

Those connections, I think, are critical.  It think that it's in these connections where creative thought and expression live and breath. 

HT to Jon for the quote.  Have a great week!

The Career Builder Monkeys

It's Friday.  Time for monkeys.  These ads are from the Super Bowl a few years back. The first one is my personal favorite!

Have a great weekend!

Google vs. Bloglines

Hey... I noticed last week that Google Feedfetcher had edged into the lead as the most popular feed reader among the literal dozens of folks who read this blog.  Question!  What do you like about FeedFetcher?  Have any of you made the switch from Bloglines to FeedFetcher?  I'm a Google fan, and I tried FeedFetcher quite a while back. Not too impressed then, but I'm sure that like all things Google, it's improved with time. What do you like about it?  

Breaking Out of a Rut

Craig Groeschel of Lifechurch.tv has some great insight on the why behind making change in ministry.

"The longer we do ministry, the harder it is to be open to change. And the more success we’ve had recently, the more we’re tempted to trust the model… instead of the Giver of the model."

Another observation... when you're in a rut, you're often dealing with a lot of sludge at the bottom, and you occasionally get filled up with mucked up, dirty water. Changing things up is healthy.

Joel Osteen Through Portfolio.com's Lens

Super interesting article on Joel Osteen on Portfolio.com from Conde Nast. I've read it three times now, and it's fascinating. It's as if the author really, really wants to throw down on Mr. Smiles, but just can't quite bring himself to do it. Joel, it seems, is a good guy. Seriously... the whole article is kind of schizophrenic. They refer to the "House of Joel" in a photo of their home. It looks quite lovely, and might be an opportunity to make a point about a pastor living an inappropriately lavish lifestyle. Instead, later in the article, the point is made that he takes no salary from the church and that the home is referred to as "more modest than one might expect."

Also interesting: Joel seems to be more comfortable with who he is, and with his message than his family. Mrs. O. comes off a bit shrill in praising his leadership. His brother, as though he doesn't trust Joel not to fumble the tough, but entirely predictable questions he is going to get in any interview. Seriously... did you think they weren't going to ask Joel about creationism?

From my perspective it was another in a line of what you could see as risky stories for the Osteen and Lakewood organizations. They don't seem to shy away from allowing very full access for media. As easy a target as they could be, the strategy has rarely misfired. Larry King notwithstanding, they're generally able to communicate who they are and more importantly why they are fairly clearly. I'm guessing it's because there's integrity in the brand. Joel looks like Joel, inside and out. It's not made up. It's who he is.

For the record, I've not had the opportunity to meet or hang with any of the folks at Lakewood. I have friends who have. Folks I know and respect have met him, and they say he's the real deal. They say Lakewood as a church is much more than the TV show, and is all about connecting people with God. I'm looking forward to finding out myself in November!

echo Media

Going to Echo?  You should seriously consider it!  Great breakouts. Very cool keynotes.   Dallas in August?  A veritable paradise!

Wireless Changes - The REAL Deal

I've mentioned Church Soundcheck several times on this blog. There's a post this afternoon that just makes the point again that if you are a church sound person... or any kind of a sound person at all... you should be reading it daily!

There's lots of noise out there with regard to the future of wireless microphones. Changes in the TV landscape with the end of analog broadcasting, and some real confusion have left a lot of folks worried that they won't be able to use their current gear after February of next year.

NOT TRUE, says Gordon Moore is a VP for Lectrosonics, a high end manufacturer of wireless gear. This is a guy who KNOWS this stuff. He works it, lives it and breaths it. He's also the tech guy at his church. Some highlights from Gordon's post today.

"The RF spectrum right now is at its worst. After Feb 17, 2009, it will improve dramatically. When all that analog drops off the air, it liberates a great deal of spectrum in UHF."

As far as the dreaded "white space" devices - these devices so far have failed every FCC test. In fact, these devices interfered with DTV! Eventually they may get it figured out but the fact remains that these too will be low powered devices. So it becomes a site management issue - if you don't want interference from a white space device - don't buy one and put it in your church.

There's an effect called FM capture... if your neighbor has a "white space" router, your wireless will still work fine as long as it is stronger than that distant source... Keep antennas closer to the altar. Your FM capture will be much better and you will have reliable signal in spite of other transmissions.

Great information! I'd give you a link to read the whole post, but this is a list serve! Email based. To get to the archives, you need to subscribe. Do it today! Thanks to Curt Taipale for making this incredible resource and community available.

Church Basement Roadshow-isms

"Christianity is a 'first-name' faith. Jesus never said the same thing to two people in the gospel."

"Jesus was a trickster, a revolutionary and a provocateur... We need less sitting around, and more doing things."

And, just before they passed the offering buckets... "We'd like you to introduce, if you will, Alexander Hamilton to Colonel Saunders!"

It was a great night! Great to reconnect with Tony, and to meet Doug and Mark for the first time. If the CBRS is headed to your town, don't miss it!

Welcome Tony, and Doug, and Mark!

The Church Basement Roadshow rolls into Wichita today!

Come on down tonight and hear from three of the formative voices in the Emergent church movement today.  7:00pm tonight at First Church.  330 N. Broadway.  Park on the Topeka street side and Josh will show you how to get to the basement!

It's Called a "Microphone," Jesse

Microphones are interesting things. From a technical standpoint, they convert mechanical energy in the form of waves of air, into electrical energy. One these sound waves are converted into electrons, we can do lots with them. Like record them. And then play them back. On YouTube. Like 157,00 times in 24 hours.

If you have the microphone on, assume that it's on. If you are standing within 15 feet of the microphone, assume that it's on. Always. No exceptions.

IT Best Practices from Yoda

OK, maybe not Yoda, but Jason Powell is definitely the jedi master when it comes to Church IT. The Granger Community Church staff was recently introduced to their brand new "IT Best Practices" document. It's an acceptable use policy and practices document all wrapped up into one. I was so impressed, because it is entirely focused on the end user, and not on the IT department. That's not to surprising, though, if you know Jason at all. Here are a few highlights from his presentation to staff, courtesy of Tim Stephens.

• Other church leaders think we are on crack because we let you use Facebook..."
• "You can play outside the guardrails...that's okay, but we can't support you if you do."
• "Holy crap, how much did you pay for that thing?"
• "ILikePigsFeet would be a good passphrase."
• "We don't want to see pictures of your dog and your kid on the server."

This fall, after we finish the cutover to a new set of servers, this is on my radar to prepare for our staff.

SPAM Names

I'm always fascinated to see the "from" names on SPAM that hits our server. Some make me laugh out loud. Here's a sample from the past few months. You can't make this stuff up!

• Embalmed F. Vapidness - dead, and dull.
• Workman J. Nopes - not working, here!
• Untrue Q. Facetiousness - and irrelevant liar.
• Windowpane I. Craws - so you can see what's stuck.
• Fourteen O. Embolisms - a neurologist's dream patient.
• Reuben E. Cleats - a sandwich that won't slip and fall.
• Upholsterer O. Layman - makes for a lumpy sofa.
• Snort E. Sneakers - No thanks!
• Insatiably V. Gossip - can't get enough.
• Hartwig Dooley - I got nothing here. It's just funny.
• Fakers J. Preciser - exactly not real.
• Thoreau F. Snottiest - a literary snob.
• Demote B. Collaborating - working together to get busted.
• Infant U. Mulches - insert dead baby joke here.
• Coincidental J. Tangerine - or an accidental orange.
• Kamikazes F. Dissimilarity - a safe landing, maybe?
• Tacklers H. Terrorism - A hero in the making.
• Intermarry M. Vespa - a scooter from Arkansas.

A Full Desk, Creativity and White Space

My friend and colleague Laurie Carney often talks about personal white space. Designers know all about white space. Often the difference between great design and the yellow pages is simply the lack of white space. Too much, in short, is too much.

Laurie says the same thing applies to our mind. Creativity, she says, springs from the margins in our life. Too much going on, and there is nothing left for the creative and the life-giving.

Brian Houston hit the same note recently

"Step out of the traffic! If we don't leave ourselves some creative space, what will suffer is hearing the mind of the spirit, hearing the voice of God in your life.

I am really looking forward to spending some time with Laurie and Jeff today. Maybe we can find some white space together!

The Worship Graphics Guy

There's a great post from Ricky Merrefeld today on the value of one of the more under-appreciated folks on your worship media team. The Worship Graphics Guy/Gal.

"It may be tempting to believe that your part isn’t important. That’s a dangerous thought to have, because the less important you think what you do is, the less likely you are to do your best."

Good stuff. HT to Ken Wilson from NewSpring!

Trunk Monkey

It's been a while, but this is the classic of the genre!

Broadcast Best Practices 5 - Should We?

To wrap this up, I want to spend just a little bit of time throwing out the questions I think you should be asking if you are considering putting your worship service on TV.

There are a lot of benefits. First, it's exposure. Even if it's just local cable, there's value in the visibility that TV affords. That assumes that you're doing a good job. If you can't do as good a program as anyone else in your market, you should think twice. People will assume you don't do anything else well either.

It's also a great port-of-entry and a great opportunity for conversation with people. When you're on TV, your neighbors will notice, and they'll probably tell you. Double edged sword? Sure, but it's an opportunity then to invite them to other church activities.

Another benefit that many churches don't consider is the continued connection that TV allows you to keep with older members. When you reach a certain age, your mobility becomes limited. Simply getting to church becomes more and more difficult, and for many older folks. For many they lose contact with churches, relegated to a "homebound list." They may get an occasional visit, but they lose a what may have been a very important part of their life.

By being available on TV, your older members will keep a part of that vital connection with their church, and their pastor. Don't discount this. It's powerful. It's a very real reason to consider broadcast of your worship service on a local cable outlet.

It is important to remember, when you begin to broadcast, your not just doing a TV show. You are providing a worship experience for potentially thousands of people. You need to be ready to be the church for them, as well. That means hospital calls, and crisis calls and all the normal people stuff you already deal with, but magnified by the number of folks joining in your worship service by television. Make sure you're ready to manage that, too.

So, to wrap it up, broadcast takes some work. You don't have to nationwide or even be on a local network affiliate to realize many of its benefits. It's not easy, but there are great benefits for congregations willing to make the investment in tools, and in the people to make a broadcast ministry happen.

Monday Resource - Windows Live Writer

This is a blogging specific tool that I've been using for a few months now, and have really grown to rely on it. Windows Live Writer is a great application specifically designed to compose blog posts. It's part of the Windows Live suite of products, but you don't have to install them all to use this tool.

I've played with Wordpress, looked at Typepad, but until I found Windows Live Writer, I just used the Blogger interface. Windows Live Writer has them all beat. It makes it a snap to upload pics, create links, embed video, or use tables: Basically all the stuff that makes for rich content on your blog. It’s easy to publish to most major blog services, including Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint, Wordpress, Blogger and others, and you can easily manage your categories, and set publication dates in advance.

Best of all, it's a freebie. Thumbs up from me!

E-mail Not Working

Hmmm...  seems the E-mail author link is not working on posts.  Sorry!  I'll work on that.  In the meantime, if you tried to E-mail in the past couple of days... drop me a line directly at ********  There, that should trick the spambots.  Right!

Update...   it's working now.  Feedburner issue!

More on Music Licensing

Just in case you're not reading the comments, Craig Key of 5 Alarm Music clarified some of the information regarding use of music with video. He's absolutely correct. In addition to a synch license, you need to obtain the Master Use license if you are using a recorded tune. The synch license is from the publisher, and compensates the writer of the tune. The master license is usually from the recording company, and compensates the performer (and of course the record company!). The old HFA service provided both in one package, and Music Services offers them as well. Craig has a great piece on the issue of recording rights on the 5 Alarm blog. It's written from the perspective of the musician, and it's well worth the read!

Broadcast Best Practices 4 - The Costs

When considering a broadcast ministry, any sensible church is going to want to get a handle on costs. There are some costs that you may not have considered.

The most obvious, and probably the most significant cost for a broadcast ministry is airtime. Whether it's cable, or time on a local television station, time costs money! There are a few rare exceptions around the country. One station in a large market actually gives away an hour of time on Sunday morning. Several churches rotate broadcasting their services, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

Cable time is generally cheaper than time on broadcast stations, but it's all about eyeballs. How many eyeballs can you reach on the proposed outlet? The math is pretty simple. Spending $1000 for an hour on a broadcast outlet that is cleared on every cable system in the state, and on DirectTV and Dish Network may be a better value than spending $300 for a cable station that only reaches only a fraction of the potential viewers. The cable outlet, though, may be the right choice for you, if it covers your specific community, and hits the people you are trying to connect with.

One thing is certain. Time is getting more expensive. Infomercials, believe it or not, are driving time costs up. The infomercial people have discovered that Sunday morning is a good time to hawk knives or vacuums or whatever on TV, and they're willing to pay for that time. TV systems and cable outlets are in business to make money and they're going to sell that time to whoever will pay most for it.

Beyond time costs, there are a few other costs to be aware of.

You will need to have your program closed captioned. Since 2006 virtually all programming on TV, whether cable or broadcast must be captioned. There is no exemption from the rule for churches. Plan on spending $60 to $75 per half hour to caption your program. You can do this in house, but that will require software and hardware, and people to get it done.

We've already talked about the additional equipment that may not be a part of your video system. Remote camera control and scopes and monitoring equipment aren't cheap. And don't forget com!

Finally, don't forget to factor in the cost of maintaining your equipment. Some of the preventative and basic maintenance, you can do yourself. Some requires a qualified engineer. Twice a year, we have our system designer and engineer make a site visit. It usually takes two days, and I like to have him here on a Sunday so he can observe during service production. I'll generally have a punch list of items for his attention when he arrives, and we work through them together. Over time, you'll get more and more comfortable doing some work yourself, but there will always be things that an engineer will have to take care of for you.

Beyond that, there are costs involved in taking care of the folks who join with you in worship by TV. More on that tomorrow!

Broadcast Best Practices 3 - Licensing

There is often a LOT of confusion around copyright and licensing, particularly when it comes to the world of broadcast. I'll preface all of this by saying, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV... but here is my understanding of your situation as a church that wants to play on TV.

If you are broadcasting on a major cable system, or any broadcast station, they will have an ASCAP, SESAC and BMI license in place. This is a performance license and they are responsible for it.

If you are synchronizing video with audio, in other words, using copyrighted music as a music bed for video, you need a synch license. This includes your show open, any music videos you do, or even a mission team report that has a music track underneath.

Synch licenses are, frankly, a pain in the neck. They used to be easy, because the Harry Fox agency had an online tool that let you get them quickly. They are out of that business now. The still do mechanicals and other license types.

Another online service, MusicServices.org offers the same service, and they seem to have a pretty solid library of contemporary Christian tunes. That's a huge help. They also do mechanicals and other types of licenses online.

If the song you want isn't in their library, you have two options. First, you can contact the individual rights holder to negotiate them. This takes time. Lots of time.

You can also hire Church Copyright Administrators to do this for you. It's easy, but because of their minimum project fees, it can be rather pricey, if you're just trying to get a quick video done for the youth.

An easier path is to purchase royalty free tracks for these uses. There are dozens of options, including Killer Tracks, Music Bakery and many others. For a single fee, you get use of the track for whatever you want, forever.

Now... none of this applies to web streaming. To be legal for web streaming, you need the appropriate license from ASCAP, SESAC and BMI. The easy way is to purchase a blanket WorshipCast license from Church Copyright Administrators. You have to report your music use on a quarterly basis, but it's easy to do online.

But wait, there's more. If you're offering the service for DOWNLOAD... the ChurchCA blanket doesn't cover you. You're back to dealing with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC directly.

Now, That's a Lead-in!

Gotta love ABC Family's schedule on Friday evening!

HT to Jeremy for the heads up!

Broadcast Best Practices 2 - The Toys

I've sat in on a few meetings with churches where the following conversation went around a table.

"Hey, the new video system in the Sanctuary looks great. We should go on TV!"

"Yeah that would be killer! We can just tape the IMAG output and use it."

Hold the phone please! Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. Here are just a few of the new equipment related issues that pop up when you go from IMAG to broadcast.

IMAG, or image magnification, is different from Broadcast! Different in equipment requirements, and very different in approach. Broadcast requires wide, establishing shots. It requires shots of the congregation.

(By the way, if you're doing wide shots, or shots of the congregation on IMAG, call me! I'll be happy to provide you with training!)

The pacing and timing for broadcast is entirely different than broadcast. What that means is you will probably want an entirely different video cut for broadcast. You may be able to get way with doing this on an ME buss on your switcher, but it might require a second switcher,altogether!

Broadcast requires its own audio mix. You CAN NOT do that off of an aux buss on your FOH board. It can't be done. Trust me. Don't do it. You need a full split of every input on the platform, and at least as capable a mixer and an audio technician for the broadcast mix. It's tougher than FOH. Much tougher, particularly with music.

Levels, both on audio and video become much more critical. Don't plan on running your cameras in auto-gain. It won't work. You will need cameras with remote control of iris and blacks, and this is not cheap. You'll need someone trained to shade and paint cameras. It's not easy. Matter of fact, it's probably the toughest and highest skill position on your crew.

You need professional intercom. It's about the most important piece of equipment you own. I keep running into churches trying to do broadcast using radio shack wireless intercoms, or walkie talkies or whatever. Don't do it. Spend the money. Buy Clearcom, or PI, or whatever. Get good com. You can't do TV without it.

And finally, don't forget closed captioning. Since 2006, virtually all television programming, whether on cable or over air is required to be closed captioned. There is no exemption for a church. Plan on spending $60 to $75 per half hour for captioning. You can do it in house, but there's an equipment investment and staff or volunteer time involved.

And finally, broadcast really isn't a do-it-yourself endeavor. You should get help. Find someone qualified to help you navigate and plan. Then find someone qualified to help you put together a quality system that will give you video that your church can be proud of.

Up next... staying legal with licenses.

The Best Jesse Helms Quote

I just heard about the death of Jesse Helms, which I'm sure has been commented on adequately. It did remind me of one of my favorite quotes, ever, which was courtesy of the former Senator.

"If Jesus wanted us to use the metric system, he would have had 10 disciples."

Broadcast Best Practices - Part 1

Curt Taipale over at Church Soundcheck asked a question this week about best practices for broadcast church services. With the proliferation of IMAG in worship services, I'm sure there are a LOT of churches thinking about dipping a toe in the broadcast pool. So, let's chat about it a bit.

First, I think there are a lot of churches that SHOULD look at broadcast. But, there are many, many more who should run away screaming when someone suggests "getting on TV."

A bit of background. First Church has been a broadcast church for 35 years. We've only been producing our broadcast in house for about 2 and a half years. Prior to December of 2005, we contracted with a local television station for both time and production services.

In late 2005, we finished construction of a great facility, and began doing all of our production in house. Our team is primarily volunteer. I lead a department with two staff, and a team of about 25 volunteers who are responsible for getting us on TV each week. Oh, and did I mention that we're live? Yep. No editing here baby. Live and in living color, on the local ABC affiliate, and statewide on cable.

So with that said, what about best practices. I use the initials P.C.E. when talking about it.

Plan. Communicate. Evaluate. Learn it. Live it.

In any production environment, but particularly in broadcast, planning equals success in providing a quality worship experience over television. You can't fly by the seat of your pants.

I once worked with a church, and after a time, remarked that everyone involved was TOO talented. We could walk into the building at 10:00, having done nothing to plan, and do a good service. The music guy was that good. The pastor was that good. The media guy and sound folks could make it happen. It was good. But they had the potential to be great, to create amazing experiences. They still aren't doing that, unfortunately.

Want to go on TV? Each and every element of the service is timed, to the second, in advance. Participants keep to their times. Going long is NOT permitted. Each and every transition is talked through, and in most cases, choreographed and even rehearsed

Yes, I know, have participated in, and get bored pretty quickly with the old "that kind of planning kills the spirit" argument. It's just bull. People who don't want to spend the time in planning either haven't ever done it well and don't know the difference, or are just lazy.

During the production cycle, any change is communicated quickly and broadly. No one makes decisions in a vacuum.

And, when it's over, evaluate critically. Plan to spend time WEEKLY with every single person involved in the service, reviewing the video. You can't improve unless you are evaluating your work. In the best case, this is mandatory, and there is permission to be critical around the table. LOOK for problems. Look for areas that can improve. Actively make critical evaluations that will lead to better services, and better broadcast.

Plan. Communicate. Evaluate. In reading over this post, it's more about production planning than anything else. But in the world of broadcast, it applies just that much more. More thoughts later.

Pruning for Growth

Tony Morgan has a post today on managing ministry growth.  He's expecting it to tick some folks off.  He's probably right.  Here's the kicker that I've had rolling around in my head for months now.

"You probably need to cut programs and events. Less is more. If you have fewer events and less programs, more people will connect with your ministry. Stop confusing them and help them focus on the next appropriate step."

Just think how well it will go over at the church council meeting! 

Sales vs. Operations

We got caught in the intersection between sales and operations this week.  I hate when that happens, and I hate it more when both our facilities manager and I predicted it

The front of our Sanctuary is white marble.  It's beautiful, but hadn't been properly maintained.  It had a dull yellow look, because it had been waxed over many times.  So, we're having it cleaned and resurfaced.  It's a big job, but the sales person swore up and down that they could get this job done in three days, four tops.  They pushed to get it on their schedule this week, a short week due to the holiday.  The man doing the work never looked at the job.  Sales bid it and we signed the contract.

The problem with that there are lots of steps, and angles, and curves and slopes. Lots of hand work on this job.  I knew there was no way they could get it done.  So did our facilities manager.  We raised the question several times.

Yesterday, the guy doing the work (who is doing fine work and is a nice guy) let us know they won't be done this week.  We have removed fixed choir monitor speakers, and taken out all of the floor pockets.  Lots of work to put them back in.  I'm not excited about having to put them in, proof and test the systems for this weekend, and then take them out again so they can finish the job next week.

We're working with the marble craftsman to make the best of it. When it's done, the room is going to look fabulous, but I sure wish the sales person would have involved operations up front, so we weren't caught in this situation at all.