The Multimedia team helps create an atmosphere of worship along with the lights and sounds that`s why avoiding blunders to help keep people focused on the Word and on worship is very important.
Here are some of the most common mistakes we make and how we can avoid them.
SOLUTION: Prepare your lyrics and line-up beforehand. Double-check before the service starts or have someone proof read them. Some presentation software have auto-correct options. Some can even automatically capitalize words you specify. Make use of those special options in your worship software.
2. INAPPROPRIATE WORSHIP BACKGROUND. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to choose an inappropriate background for worship that COULD DISTRACT people from actually worshipping. Am I saying that we should be mediocre or conventional? No. What I`m trying to say is that creativity and sensitivity should always go hand in hand. If you see that people are watching the background rather than worshipping, keep that loop out of your archives or save it for something else. A funky background may not work for a Sunday service, but would definitely do well for a youth service.
SOLUTION: Test your new video loops before using them and get opinion from other people. If it distracts a couple or more, you should probably try something else. 
3. DELAYED SLIDES. Ever sang in Karaoke and you`re supposed to be singing the chorus but the lyrics are two or three seconds delayed? Or ever been introduced to new song but the slides don`t seem to be moving?
One of the main functions of our ministry is to aid and help our congregation to sing and worship. So,
SOLUTION: Be a second ahead. Hit the next button as the last word of the current slide is being sang. You don`t want to hit next too early, as the congregation must still be reading it; but you also don`t want it too late that they won`t able to sing the first few words of the next slide. Being a second or even half a second early would might be just enough.
4. EXAGGERATED TRANSITIONS/ANIMATIONS FOR YOUR PASTOR`S PREACHING PRESENTATION. I honestly don`t think it is necessary for slides to have breathtaking, eye-popping, Avatar-inspired transitions . The truth is, I think it actually depends on what your pastor wants to communicate to the church. If your youth pastor is doing some superhero theme and told you he wants some magnetic, animated transitions then that would work. But don`t use those transitions for your senior pastor`s normal Sunday preaching. You don`t want people to blurt out “Wow! That`s so cool!” instead of actually listening to the pastor.
SOLUTION: You are actually free to try anything and be creative just as long as you don`t distract the people from what they should be focused in. Key: CREATIVE but APPROPRIATE.
5. DESKTOP VISIBLE ON SCREEN. If your work area is displayed on screen and you have to do a little editing in between presentations, chances are, you would distract the congregation. This is one thing you would really want to avoid especially during the preaching. You don`t want people to be looking at the screen rather than at your pastor speaking.
SOLUTION: Use your computer`s secondary monitor.
If you are not yet familiar with the secondary monitor in PC or the mirror option in Mac, let`s just put it this way: it is the option that allows you to have two monitors turned on, the primary monitor (your computer screen) as your working monitor and the secondary monitor (your LCD) as your presentation monitor. It allows you to show your presentation on the LCD rather than your work area/desktop. It allows you to work and people won`t get to see what you`re doing.
6. NOISY MULTIMEDIA STAFF Kidding! Anyway, a couple of years ago, my co-Multimedia operator got electrocuted on her computer`s AVR! She screamed right in the middle of a guest pastor`s preaching. Everyone was shocked, including the pastor that he stopped what he was saying and stared at us. We were so embarrassed, we literally sank in our seats . Well, we tried to. But everyone just stared at us and we couldn`t explain what happened.
Anyway, let`s always remember that serving in Multimedia is also like serving in the Worship Team or in the pulpit. So take authority in the ministry that God has given you and let`s always keep focused, that we are here to serve our God and the church.
Things to remember to avoid multimedia blunders: PREPARE. AVOID DISTRACTIONS. BE CREATIVE AND SENSITIVE. BE CREATIVE AND APPROPRIATE.
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