July 2009
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Cover Story
National Community Church Reaches Out to a Wider Audience
By Dave Clark
How We Got Started
Total attendance has grown significantly at National Community Church over the past five years, as we reach out to more people in more locations in a broader community using the latest video technology and tools.
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Editorial
Do You Use YouTube?
By Steve Hewitt
Last month I heard from a minister that uses YouTube as part of their church’s discipleship and evangelism effort. They are having a course on how to share one’s testimony, and when they are ready, he is encouraging them to record their testimony and post them on YouTube. Not only does this give them an opportunity to share their testimony with anyone that might see it on YouTube, they also can then give the YouTube link to anyone in an email or text message, and encourage them to view it. In addition, with permission, the minister is making a special place on the church’s website where they can post these for visitors when they come to the website. This is great content for a church’s website, as well as a great way to use videos to help visitors hear the message of Christ.
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Article
Philosophical Considerations for Video Ministry
By Gregory Fish
A media ministry should not exist simply because it is what other churches are doing. It should be born out of a desire to effectively communicate truth and to aid (not distract) the church-goer in their worship experience. A capable team of either paid staff or highly motivated volunteers should make up the core of this functional ministry, but should work in sync with the worship team and preaching minister.
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Article
Why Production Value is NEVER the Benchmark for Success
By Stewart Redwine
There is a way to objectively measure the success of the videos you produce for your church or ministry, and it is NOT production value. This point was driven home for me recently when a friend of mine sent over a video she produced and qualified it as “amateur”. The video is BE STILL by Darla Bishop.
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Article
The Visitor and Frozen River
By Martin Baggs
Ten million illegal immigrants live in the United States according to government estimates. Some suggest the true number is double this. Illegal immigration brings with it poverty and profit, prejudice and pain. Undocumented workers will work for the lowest pay and no benefits. Indeed, working at the most dangerous jobs an illegal immigrant dies every day in an unsafe work place. It is clearly an issue that will not go away.
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Special Feature
Who Is "The Sound Tank"?
By Andrew Manzano
My name is Andrew Manzano and I'm a Christian filmmaker from the Rochester, NY area. The Sound Tank started as a recording studio in South Jersey and I kept the name "The Sound Tank" for my films, even though my company is primarily visual now. I say primarily because in addition to Christian film shorts I also do background music for several national TV shows as well as music and sound design for national TV commercials.
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Article
Reflections on Gran Torino
By Mark Carroll
Eastwood’s had quite a life. The one-time mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California (responsible for abolishing the law which forbade selling and eating ice cream on public streets) was once a teenager employed at a pulp mill in Springfield, Oregon. Later on he worked as a service station attendant, a fireman and at one time entertained bar clientele as a ragtime piano player. While in the U.S. military, a couple army buddies encouraged him to try acting, which resulted in a contract from Universal Studios earning $75 a week playing small roles in B-grade movies.
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Article
The Art (and Tech) of Videotaping Interviews
By Jay Delp
The names Larry King, Barbara Walters, & Katie Couric (among others) have become almost synonymous with one of video’s most popular and powerful formats: the personal interview. They have mastered the art of the interview like few others. It has become their trademark, their professional legacy, and, their contribution to not only those whom view their “work” but to those whom they interview. Now, before you get scared off it is not my intention to attempt to turn (train) you into the next Larry, Barb or Katie but to enhance your ability interview others (on-camera) helping them and you tell their story most effectively. If you are reading these words then chances are you are involved (or will be soon) in some aspect of using media/video in ministry and therefore it won’t be very long until you find yourself in the midst of a production project where interviews are the driving force of that production. Even the now-ubiquitous man-on-the-street video productions being produced by nearly every ministry using media is an informal interview format. Let’s take a look at the two primary aspects of the successful (effective) videotaped interview: 1) the technical aspect and 2) the intangible aspect.
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