Get Plugged In To The Media Ministry

When we think of the Media Ministry we think of the super smart tech geniuses that sit in the booth full of computers and gadgets pushing a series of buttons to make the magic of Sunday mornings happen. But in all reality the Media Ministry is an area that anyone can serve in. Whether you have a love for everything technology, have an ear for music or have a creative mindset, there are multiple ways you can be involved both inside and outside the Tech Booth. As our Church continues to grow I continue to look for ways to expand our “creative arts & technology” presence to better help us, as a Church, to Worship our Lord, Equip believers and Engage those who do not know the good news of the gospel.

Luke 8:1-11 “Sowing seeds on as much soil as possible”.
This scripture talks about how sowers do not limit themselves to certain soils. They spread the seeds everywhere. Technology allows us to do just that: connect to a bigger audience and spread the gospel everywhere!

As Christians, we are expected to do the same. We should not be selective in who we extend ourselves to, but rather aim to spread Christ’s message to as many people as possible. Technology lets us connect with a bigger audience than ever before.

Ways You Can Serve INSIDE The Tech Booth

The Tech Booth: often thought of as the technology HQ of Sunday mornings. On any given Sunday it takes 5-6 volunteers to help run all of the media aspects of Sunday morning worship. The goal of the tech team for Sunday morning worship is to create an experience that allows our Church to worship our Lord, grow in our spiritual development and share the gospel to all - both inside the Church building (in-house) or outside (online).

In-House Experience

Main Screen Lyrics & Graphics
One of the most seen areas is the main screen graphics and lyrics. This person is responsible for displaying lyrics during worship and other graphics, such as announcements and sermon points. This person does so much more than just throwing words on a screen. By providing the lyrics during the song set, they help keep the worship team on track and allow everyone in attendance to worship (even if they aren’t familiar with the song). They also help provide visual aids during the sermon to help people better follow along and provide the scripture references for those who may not be as familiar with how to find scripture in the Bible or may not have one with them.

Lighting
Lighting is an area we often don’t think about. We know that when the lights dim that it is time for “the music”. But why do we dim the lights? The main goal with lighting is to create the worship atmosphere. It allows for everyone to have an opportunity for a worship experience with minimal distractions. It helps enhance the words that are spoken. It helps us tune in to what is happening.

Audio Mixing
We are blessed with an exceptional praise band. We truly have some talented individuals who help lead us to the throne each week. Each week a member of my tech team takes the talent from each of our musicians and combines (or mixes) it to create the joyful sound as we worship our Lord.

Online Experience

Not only do we focus on creating a great experience in-house, we also focus on creating an online experience for those who may be sick or may not be comfortable worshiping with us in-person yet. This is accomplished by providing a visual of our worship service and a unique online sound.

Visual
One member of my tech team is in charge of the cameras. They are controlling 3 mini cameras located around our worship center to provide a visual of what is happening during our services. This allows a person to get to experience what it looks like in the room, even though they are not there.

Online Sound
Another member of my team mixes the audio, separately from the in-house audio, so that our online viewers can get the best experience possible. This allows them to focus in to what is happening on stage during our service and experience their own worship atmosphere from where they are tuned in from, whether that is their living room, in a different state or across the country.

Ways You Can Serve OUTSIDE The Tech Booth

Now that I discussed ways you can serve INSIDE the Tech Booth, let’s talk about ways you can serve OUTSIDE the Tech Booth.

Photography/Videography
We all know the saying, don’t judge a book by its cover. But let’s face it, we all do. When a new person is thinking about attending our Church they are looking on our website and social media to “see what we look like”. One way you can help serve in the Media Ministry is by helping capture “what we look like”. When looking at our Church from Facebook it’s hard to see people fellowshipping. It’s hard to see our kids learning about Jesus. It’s hard to see how we are a family. You can help us with this. You can help capture those images so people can see what our Church is like. They can see the fellowship. They can see our kids learning about Jesus. They can see how we are a family.

Social Media
Nowadays every business has a website. Every business also has some kind of social media presence. That is how we communicate with business and people. Looking for a new restaurant to try, check social media. Want to know a good mechanic, check social media. The goals with our social media presence is to: allow our members and visitors to know what is going on with our Church and about upcoming events; allow new people to see what First Baptist Joplin is about; and to be encourage people throughout the week.

Creative Arts/ Technology Knowledge
The Media Ministry is one area that is involved with every other area. Every ministry uses technology in some way. With media and technology being used in so many ways, there are lots of various ways you can serve. Do you like to draw or are you very creative; you can serve by helping create handouts, graphics and informational materials. Do you like to work with data, input information and organize spreadsheets; you can serve by helping us organize information, inputting information from visitors, and helping with our Kids Check In system. Do you have electrical and IT knowledge; we often have special projects come up for our different events where we need help with projects like building a light up cross or installing some new technology.

As you can see, we have LOTS of different areas you can serve. Whether you are techie minded or just have a love for creativity, we can find an area for you to serve in. I am always open to talk with you about ways you can get involved with the media ministry or if you have new ideas about ways we can implement new technology to help serve the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:21 says "the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'” Each person is blessed with their own talents. It is important to embrace all of our different talents. We live in a world that is constantly evolving and adapting. By adapting our technology we can continue what we are set out to do: go make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20).

-Austin Buckner
Creative Arts & Technology Director