Written by: host
2/16/2010 7:00 AM 

Then a friend on Facebook asked for advice on how to spend a new $400 annual budget for technology in worship. He already had the projector and screen but wondered what else his tech-savvy friends would suggest he also needed. Though he hadn't mentioned it, I assumed he already had a computer, DVD player, cabling, sound equipment, and PowerPoint, since those are either common in sanctuaries or are likely available within the church already.

Most of the responses either suggested sources for video clips or worship software that is more full-featured than PowerPoint. There's nothing wrong with those suggestions, but to me they missed his larger initial need: learning to communicate effectively using digital media, particularly using the power of metaphorical imagery. This is a topic that anyone who leads worship or education should understand.

So, I encouraged him to get a copy of one or more of the books by Len Wilson and Jason Moore, who are two of today's leaders in the area of digital ministry and the creative energy behind Midnight Oil Productions. The Wired Church 2.0 is the book to start with ($13.30 on Amazon), followed by Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship ($25 or less). These two books help ordinary people (i.e. the majority of us who are not artists or graphic designers) learn how to create and use imagery effectively in church settings, both static images as well as video images. Although they specialize in media for worship, the principles are essentially the same for education ministries.

Second, I recommended he consider getting a small, portable shoot-and-share video camera, such as these. I've previously written about why I think these cameras are a great ministry tool, so I'll simply add that the simplicity, portability, and affordability of cameras like these make it far more likely that they'll actually get used by those in charge of worship or eduation. They're great for getting used to the principles of creating good videos before you run off and spend a lot on a more expensive camera, and they're perfectly adequate for YouTube videos. You can get one for around $100.

And then there's my secret tool: an annual subscription to either clipart.com or iclipart.com—purchased not from the websites but on eBay. An annual subscription to these tremendously useful clip art/photo sites starts at $50 for a single-user license, but most churches will need a more expensive option (e.g. one that is licensed for multiple users or that provides larger images.) These run about $150 and up.

What few people know, though, is that these subscriptions are available for free with a few older clip art software packages. To find them, just click here to find the most likely packages, then sort by "Price + Shipping: Lowest first" to find the best prices, which can be as low as $9.95. I recommend checking the images and the descriptions for those that specifically indicate they come with a 1-year subscription; otherwise, they may include only a 1-week subscription.

So, there you go. Just ten bucks will get you all of the images you need for your church publicity, curriculum, worship services, or presentations ministries for one year. (And for under $150, you'll have the tools needed to become pretty savvy at using both static images and video.) Sure, this may not have been the biggest secret in the world, but it can save you a few bucks, reduce your image search times, and help you to be a great steward of your church's finances. Just get there before all of our other subscribers do!

~ by Tim Gossett

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