I’ve heard quite a few excuses and just plain bad ideas about Church Media over the years. Truthfully, I’ve even believed a lot of them at some point. But today, I’m going to debunk five popular myths and set the record straight so that we can all move forward and minister more effectively through CM.
1. You Can’t Afford It
This is probably the #1 excuse that I hear from church leaders as to why they don’t venture into Church Media. They allow the price of a projector or a mini-movie to scare them away from investing in these incredible resources. There is room in even the smallest of budgets to get started with some sort of media for your Sunday services. Don’t get me wrong—it is an investment. Media does cost money. But you’re investing in a tool for ministry that changes lives and it’s so worth it. Plus, there’s always free resources and low cost subscriptions after you’ve purchased your equipment.
2. Bad Equipment = Bad Media
I get it. Not having the proper equipment can be frustrating. (Especially when you see the cool toys that some of the bigger churches are using.) But having all of the right equipment doesn’t automatically generate the best results. I’ve visited many churches who have massive budgets but left shaking my head with how awful their media was. On the other hand, some of my most creative moments in my ten years in Church Media have been when my resources were scarce. Start using the equipment that God’s given you to its fullest potential and you’ll be surprised how He will work through it (and open doors for better equipment as you move forward).
3. You Can Do It All By Yourself
If you’re looking for a recipe for burnout, just try to do everything in your media ministry by yourself. It won’t take long for exhaustion to kick in and it will take a toll on your relationships with your church, your family, and with God. I’ve been there. There was a time where I literally ran media with one hand and sound with the other. (Yikes!) Take my advice. Recruit some volunteers that may not be experts in the field, but are willing to learn. A ragtag team of volunteers who make mistakes left and right is still better than you having to do everything alone. They will get better as time passes. On the other hand, if you’re working alone, your quality will start to slip as you become more and more exhausted.
4. You Need To Do Whatever Their Church Is Doing
Trying to keep up with the Joneses will cause you to live with a constant cloud of inadequacy over your head. The problem with chasing what others are doing is that you’re not them. God has called you to be you. He wants to do something unique in your media ministry that is specific to your community. Even if you were to exactly imitate what another church was doing, you’d still be missing the mark because it’s not what God’s called you to do. Instead, find inspiration in what other churches are doing and then ask the Spirit to lead you in what He’d have you create.
5. “That’s Good Enough…It’s Only Church”
Excellence should be the standard for all that you do in Church Media. I believe true excellence is defined as simply doing the absolute best with what you have. Just throwing something together because “it’s only church” is a waste of a valuable tool for sharing the Gospel. When you’re communicating the greatest news of all time and souls are on the line, good enough will never be good enough. Give your best and work hard to make your service special for your congregation. Take pride in leading your church in visual worship. Strive to honor God with every click.
Have you found yourself caught up in any of these myths?
What are some other myths you’ve heard?
I’ve heard youth pastors rejecting all forms of media because the teens are “too addicted” to it, and we need to be in the world and not of the world. I personally have found that today’s youth are exploring, experiencing and learning about life and our world through ones and zeros, and there is a difference between being counter cultural and irrelevant.