holt senior media project

8/9/2019 Holt Senior Media Project

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The Revolution will be visualized:

A research study of media in church worship.

Brian C. Holt

Cedarville University

Fall 2006


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Brian C. HoltSenior Research

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Introduction:

Throughout the history of the church the message has stayed the same even as the

method has changed. Early in the church, around 300 C.E., the church fathers forever

changed the delivery of the gospel. Realizing that Christ had not yet returned and might

not return for some time they decided to collect all scripture and compile them into one

canon. The method changed from oral histories to handwritten record. Later, in the 15th

century, Gutenberg would create his moveable type printing press once again changing

the method and allowing for greater distribution of the scriptures. In the half millennium

since Gutenberg weve seen dramatic advances in technology, not the least of which was

the transition to electronic images. Whether through motion pictures, television or the

personal computer, electronic images have changed the way we view the world around

us. Although there have been many Christian uses for each of these new technologies, it

seems that we have only recently seen these technologies implemented inside our

churches during our weekly worship services. In an age where broadcast is king and print

media is queen, the church must evaluate its priorities and the ways in which it

communicates with members and non-members alike.

Literature Review:

The body of literature dealing with the use of electronic visual arts in the church

is not large. Most treatments have been as sub points in other arguments including:

postmodernism, worship music, and printed visual arts. There is, however, a historical

struggle for balance between image and word. This newest discussion of electronic visual

arts seems to be a new twist on that historic argument. For previous iterations both sides


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were well researched and well articulated. It is yet to be seen whether the majority of

modern church leaders have truly understood the implications of their decisions or have,

as seems more likely, made pragmatic choices. Although there are few works dealing

with the use of electronic visual arts in worship services, there is still sufficient content

for analysis, specifically when considering the historic aspects of the argument. The

issues presented by the modern treatments can be classified into four major points.

Summarized, they are as follows:

Experience-driven versus intellect-driven worship services

The use of electronic visual arts for relevance by means of connection to pop

culture

Generational gaps in processing, understanding and appreciating the use of

electronic visual arts

The dangers of the uses and misuses of the electronic visual arts.

These issues, however, can be restructured as they relate to one another. The

overarching issue is the argument of image versus word, though the modern authors

argue the same topic in different terms. The average Christian is more likely to

understand the issue in terms of experience-driven worship services versus intellect-

driven worship services than they are the issue of image versus word, and although the

two issues have differences, they are also linked. Proponents of image-oriented worship

are more likely to enjoy and support worship services with significant experiential

components. Those who suggest the preeminence of the word are much more likely to

advocate a primarily intellectual worship service. Each of the other topics of discussion

presented by the reviewed treatments can be incorporated into this issue. Proponents of


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The current culture is shifting into a post-modern, experience-based way of life.

Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg Church stated, We live in a post-modern, post-

Christian, post-literate agefor the post-modern, fact is out feeling is in! (Slaughter,

1998, p.31). This is a statement about our current culture, about the guidelines by which

our secular peers live their lives. William Brown (1995) gives an example, The visual

imagery of television has aided and abetted the rise of postmodern culture, at least at the

popular level of experiencethe television experience is by far the most defining

influence with regard to the development of popular postmodern thinking (p. 159).

While this is not a study of postmodernism, it is important to understand that the current

culture is moving from knowing to experiencing. Based on this change, those who

desire to be relevant to pop culture often favor experience in an effort to be relevant. For

Brown (1995) Christianity must be presented in the broadest terms possible (p.164).

Slaughter (1998) uses the idea that we are in a post-literate age to suggest the need for a

more relevant, experience-driven worship service: Post-literate means that we can no

longer afford to pursue our ministry in the old, tired, linear, literate way. The sight and

sound generation calls for a multi-sensory experience (p.36).

This stands in stark contrast to the reformers stance ofSola Scriptura (only

Scripture), which is often used as a basis for intellect-driven worship. John MacArthur

(1996) explains, Scripture is wholly sufficient to meet every need of the human soul

(p.177). Once again John Calvin (as quoted in MacArthur, 1996) gives us clarity:

Therefore, if we would have him approve our worship, this rule, which he everywhere

enforces with the utmost strictness, must be carefully observedGod disapproves of all

modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by his word (p.178). MacArthur (1996) goes


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on to explain the importance ofSola Scriptura by stating that the abandonment of it has

allowed the church to engage in some [gross abuses], including honkytonk church

services, the carnival sideshow atmosphere, and wrestling exhibitions (p.181). For

MacArthur the danger of moving away from an intellect-based worship service is that we

are no longer tied down to the solid and proven tradition of Scripture-based worship, and

when you are not bound to something there is the possibility of forsaking it altogether.

Tex Sample (1998, p.87) talks about what he refers to as the spectacle of modern

worship. He speaks of the performance-based culture of a media-centered society. The

danger with spectacle, especially in the worship service, is that it can distract from true

reality. If we are only being entertained then we have no basis for any true, lasting

transformation.

There are some points to be made that the experience, through visual imagery, can

reinforce the intellectual. Morgan (1999, p.201) makes the assertion that even throughout

the historical lack of imagery in Protestant churches, images were still used for childrens

services. This shows that imagery can be used to reinforce abstract ideas, especially for

those who may struggle to understand them. Johnston (2002, p.179) refers to a service at

Willow Creek Church that used a wooden cross as a visual element to reinforce the

sacrament of baptism. He points out the power of the visual to make an impact greater

than no sermon of words alone could (p.179). There are those then who can obviously

see the impact of the visual to help us understand an intellectual topic.

As with any debate, there are those who are quick to point out the dangers

associated with the use or misuse of electronic visual imagery. The most poignant

example comes from Dyrness (2001, p.109) who uses the painting The Treachery of


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Images to serve as a reminder. The famous painting is an image of a pipe followed by

the words this is not a pipe. It is an example of how imagery can contradict reality and

sometimes even itself. In addition to the ability to convey no truth or a non-truth it is

also possible for images to display a partial truth or truth out of context. Brown (1995,

p.163) explains that images can display only a portion of history that is frozen in time.

They can only convey that which is present in the recording. Imagery is, at best, a limited

viewpoint.

Another danger with the use of visual imagery in our worship services is the vast

generational gaps in the ability to process things visually. Members of Generation X are

far more likely to be able to process visual images quickly than their parents, the

Boomers. This will be even truer for the Millennium Generation. The fact is that anyone

under the age of thirty was likely raised with a constant stream of media exposure. Tex

Sample (1998) shares a story about a video a friend of his created. When Tex, a Boomer,

viewed the video, he found himself literally out of breath from the frantic pacing of it.

When he explained this reaction to the videos creator, the man responded by telling Tex

that his son had said, Still a little slow, dad (p.12). This anecdote provides a specific

example of one of the dangers of visual media. If a church adopts electronic visual

imagery, it may run the risk of alienating the more mature, experienced members from

whom the younger generation should still be learning.

Ultimately the question of image versus word and experience-driven worship

versus intellect-driven worship is a scale with many differing positions in between each

extreme. It is my assertion that many churches do not have a well-articulated position,

and even if they do their actions may not always line up with what they claim. In this


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study, I hope to test that claim and gain a greater insight into how average churches

operate with regard to electronic visual imagery.

Methodology:

To best accomplish the goals of this study I will be conducting a survey-based

qualitative research study. In order to gain a broad understanding of multiple churches

with various size and affiliation, I have opted to go with a four-tiered approach. The tiers

of churches I have chosen for research will be separated according to size of

congregation, that being the number of members. Research into common breakdowns

was done in order to choose a commonly accepted breakdown of church sizes. I did not

want to arbitrarily choose church division with no foundation or reason. After looking

into several previous research studies and the way that major denominations breakdown

their own church sizes, I decided to use the following which is an approximate average of

all studied:

Tier 1: Under 150 members

Tier 2: 150 349 members

Tier 3: 350 999 members

Tier 4: 1000+ members

The sample list of churches was obtained from the church relations office of

Cedarville University which has a compiled list of over 30,000 churches throughout the

United States with a diversity of denominational affiliation. The list includes sixteen

churches, one church from each of the four following affiliations in each of the above

tiers. The affiliations I have chosen are as follows: Independent Non-Denominational,

Southern Baptist, Vineyard and Presbyterian. This sample provides a good cross-section


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of evangelical churches. These churches are diverse in both traditional and contemporary

worship services, conservativism and liberalism, and average age of congregational

members.

The church relations office was able to randomly select a church with the given

affiliation and size. One problem arose when the Vineyard churches did not have size

information attached to them in the database. Due to the inability to randomly select the

exact church from the list, they compiled a random list of fifteen vineyard churches. I

started at the top of the list and chose the first church that fit the designated size until all

four sizes were present. Unfortunately, a small enough vineyard church was not present

in the list to represent the first tier. At that point I chose a church at random from the list

(excluding the churches chosen) and called to request the name of a church with the same

affiliation but small enough size. It was in this way that I was able to find a suitable

church to be surveyed. The complete sample list is compiled in appendix A.

The instrument used was created from analysis of secondary literature and the

intended scope of the study. The most debated issue in the literature was the importance

of the word versus the importance of imagery. The majority of the works studied eluded

to the tension between the two in some way or another, thus creating an instrument that

would reveal individual positions on the topic. Additionally, much of the literature also

centered on the experience of the worship service. Thus inquiring more about the

positions of the churches on the issue of experience-driven worship versus intellect-

driven worship was also important. Demographically, it is important to know church size

and basic information about the usage of media. From my own personal experience I


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wanted the churches to rate themselves on scale from traditional to contemporary. The

completed instrument can be found in appendix B.

Results

After reviewing the interviews of all of the churches several demographic patterns

seemed to emerge. The most obvious was that church size had the largest impact on the

likelihood of a church to be

utilizing media in some way,

with all of the churches in the

largest tier and only one of the

smallest tier using projectors.

Overall, eleven out of the

sixteen were using projectors

(see figure 3.1). Many of those churches had been using projectors for more than five

years and almost all of them chose to use projectors pragmatically, which is slightly

troubling. For most it was to alleviate the cost and work of printing programs and song

sheets, though several were using overheads with song lyrics before modern electronic

projectors were readily available.

Only one in four of the churches had a full time media producer and two of those

were worship leader positions whos job description included media production. Its no

surprise then that with such a small portion of churches employing a media producer that

most churches were not using video in their worship services. Only six of the sixteen

churches used video in some form in their worship services, including all four churches

Figure 3.1 - Use of projectors


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with a full time media producer.

In comparison, eleven of the

churches were using images in

their worship services (see figure

3.2).

It also became clear that

one of the factors influencing the

level of media usage was the

degree to which the church

described itself as contemporary

or traditional. Those churches that rated themselves more contemporary were more likely

to be using more advanced media pieces like video in the services than the churches who

rated themselves more traditional. Additionally, churches that considered themselves

more contemporary had a younger primary age group.

Churches that identified themselves as more traditional were also more likely to

identify the use of intellect as more important in the worship services and more likely to

identify the word as more important than image. There were no churches that identified

image alone as solely important. The pattern here was that on a contiuum with image

on one side and word on the other, there were churches on the word side of the scale

but none on the image side (see figure 3.3).

Proponents of the use of imagery were promoting a balance of the two to varying

degrees. Some suggested a complete equality, while some preferred to consider the use of

imagery as a secondary but nonetheless important part of the services.

Figure 3.2 - Use of image and video


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It became obvious that the issue at hand was not which was more important, word

or image, but rather if image is important at all. None of the churches said that the word

was unimportant or that the image was more important that the word. Thus the responses

to the question essentially answered How important is the use of images? Traditional

churches responded by saying not very, even if the church was using media.

Contemporary churches emphasized the image as a way to reach a non-traditional

church audience, especially younger people. The worship pastor at The Houston

Vineyard church said, Non-traditional church reaches not traditionally churched

people. The churches interested in using media to reach a new audience emphasized the

use of media as a supplement to the message often illustrating the specific points in much

the same way as traditional anecdotal sermon illustrations. Some even eluded to Jesus

Figure 3.3 - Image and word by tier and affiliation


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use of parables as examples for modern day storytelling using media. The Vineyard

Church in Rolla, Missouri explained, We lean towards the use of imagery in order to

support the word. Jesus did that by drawing on the ground and using parables. He used

real life imagery to connect with people. Though the majority, contemporary churches

were not the only ones that saw imagery as useful.

The assistant pastor of Franklin Road Baptist Church belives that images can be

used to hold the congregations attention and explained, Only the word is necessary, but

when image is absent the speaker is relied upon to hold the congregations attention.

[One should be careful] not to detract from the word, but [imagery] can certainly be used

to help a visual learner. Colonial Presbyterian, a church that rated itself in the middle

between traditional and contemporary, also explained the usefulness of imagery, but with

a cautionary tone. The pastor stated his position this way, Images can be used well but

should be intentional and auxillary. They should serve to draw people to the message.

This begins to illustrate the view of the more traditional churches that were often

uninterested in using media because of the fear that it would distract from the preaching

of the word.

The First Presbyterian Church of Fairborn would fall into this catergory. The

pastor finds imagery useful as long as it doesnt become distracting. It becomes [a

problem] the moment the worshipper stops to process the image and stops worshipping.

Other churches had other warnings. Independent Baptist Church warned that the

Church would fail if we completely catered to cultural standards in our use of media. We

understand that we are in an image-oriented environment, but thats not necessarily a

good thing. The important thing is to meet your congregation. This is in contrast to the


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statement from the Houston Vineyard where the goal was to reach the unchurched. This

difference in goal could be a great contributor to the use of media in a church service and

warrants further scrutiny; unfortunately it lies outside the scope of the instrument.

Few churches mentioned any historical tension between image and word. Most

were more concerned with the practical implications of media. One church, however, did

emphasize a historical understanding and position. The pastor of Coquina Presbyterian

church said, We dont use any imagery at all. Historically we take the position of the

Calvinists, based on the reformers tradition. The Word is all-important.

The positions of the churches on intellect and experience were equally

enlightening. It seemed that most worship leaders were able to understand these terms in

reference to a worship service somewhat better than imagery and word. Though the

answers were similar across the board, the added understanding allowed the worship

leaders to expand their initial points and offer clarification. The more traditional churches

were likely to be more interested in intellect, whereas the more contemporary churches

were more likely to be interested in a balance between the two.

Coquina Presbyterian typifies the response of many traditional churches:

Knowledge and intellect are more important because you learn that way. The study of

scripture is all-important. You cant build worship or doctrine based on experience. The

pastor of the Vineyard Church in Rolla, Missouri countered that point directly when he

said, We like to be stuck right in the tension [between intellect and experience]. Jesus

spoke of knowledge without experiencing Him and that being worthless. However he

continues to explain that, experience wont cover a lack of knowledge. The Vineyard

Church of Morristown, New Jersey explained their philosophy based on a generational


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gap: People of different ages learn better in different ways. Students tend to learn better

with experience. Adults tend to learn better with more intellect. The pastor of First

Presbyterian of Fairborn would disagree. He stated, Reformed tradition is very rigorous

in the useage of intellect, and thats not different for different age groups.

No church had a written policy on the use of visual elements in a worship service.

Only one church was even able to provide a partial answer saying that the church

consitution governs every action and thus governs the use of imagery and media. It seems

that even though many positions were often well articulated and thought out, no one

thought it necessary to make it an official statement.

One of the subjective goals of this study was to determine if the average local

church has a thorough, clearly articulated position on the use of visual imagery in a

worship service. Given the literature and my personal experience the expectations were

low, however I was pleasantly surprised by many of the responses. Unfortunately, not all

of the positions were well thought out. The pattern that emerged was that the churches

that were very progressive in using media and the churches that were very against using

media had well articulated positions. The positions that were not as solid were from the

churches that were only partially committed to using media. These churches were also

more likely to have decided to use projectors pragmatically. This makes sense

considering that a church must put significant effort and resources into utilizing media to

an advanced level. Church budgets are not typically overflowing with room for new

opportunities that are not specifically purposeful. It can be expensive to set up and run a

media studio and employ a media producer. Churches are not likely to invest in such a

venture without thoroughly evaluating it first. With a vast number of churches now using


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projectors, those that arent are more likely to be doing so purposefully. Many churches

that are going to adopt that technology already have, leaving those that have not are

conscious objectors. It is unfortunate that the churches that are not required to think it

through typically do not. This means that the largest group of churches is the one that has

adopted the use of projectors and had a less clearly articulated position on media .

Despite the literature, very few churches have an articulated problem with

displaying the image of Christ in their worship services. About half of the churches are

not displaying images of Christ because it has not been necessary or has not been

required. Only about a quarter of the churches were deliberately not showing imagers of

Christ, though none could clearly explain why. Two of the churches stated that they

would show videos depicting Jesus, but not still images. The explanation for both

churches was that a picture was more likely to confuse a member of the congregation.

The danger was that they might believe that it was a true picture of Christ, whereas a

video would be significantly less likely to confuse someone. The rest of the churches

were willing to show images of Jesus with little to no reservation.

Conclusion

The results of the study concluded that many churches were able to discuss the

issues of image versus word and experience-driven worship versus intellect-driven

worship. There was also no indication of any church that directly contradicted itself in

word and practice. The study also showed that the most clearly articulated positions on

the tension between image and word came from churches that were using media to an

advanced level or were not using media at all. This is likely due to the requirements of


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being deliberate in the decision to use media or not use media. Churches that are using

advanced media need to make a significant commitment in order to do so. Churches that

are not using media are often doing so deliberately from a position of historical tradition.

The results also showed that the majority of the churches surveyed are now using visual

media in the worship services through the adoption of projectors. While some churches

are using video, the majority of the churches that have adopted the use of media are only

using still images in the worship services. The adoption curve of media in churches

seems to be reaching critical mass. Most churches that are going to adopt projectors and

electronic images have likely already done so. Many of the churches that are only using

still images now expressed some desire to move forward into a more advanced usage of

media. My hope and desire is that as they move forward into this new venture they will

take the time to thoroughly examine the historical tension and the issues that arise when

utilizing any visual medium in a worship service.


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Works Referenced:

Brown, William. (1995). Theology in a postmodern culture: Implications of a video-dependent society. In David Dockery (Ed.), The challenge of postmodernism

(158-168). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Dyrness, William. (2001). Visual faith: Art, theology, and worship in dialogue. GrandRapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.

Johnston, Robert. (2002). Visual Christianity. In Todd Johnson (Ed.), The conviction of

things not seen (165-182). Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

MacArthur, John. (1996). How then shall we worship. In John Armstrong (Ed.), The

coming evangelical crisis (175-188). Chicago, ILL: Moody Press.

Morgan, David. (1999). Protestants and Pictures: Religion, visual culture, and the age of

American mass production. New York: Oxford University Press.

Packer, J.I. (1993). Knowing God. InterVarsity Press.

Sample, Tex. (1998). The spectacle of worship in a wired world: Electronic culture and

the gathered people of God. Nashville, Tenessee: Abingdon Press.

Slaughter, Michael. (1998). Out on the edge. Abingdon Press.

Turner, Steve. (2001).Imagine: a vision for Christians in the arts. Downers Grove, ILL:Intervarsity Press.

Webber, Robert. (1994).Music and the arts in Christian worship: Book two (Vol 4).Nashville, Tennessee: Starsong.


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Appendix A : Sample List

Tier 1: Under 150 attendees

Independent Non-Denominational:

Independent Baptist Church, West Stewartstown NH

Southern Baptist:

Carnation City Baptist Church, Alliance OH

Vineyard:Vineyard Church, Rolla MO

Presbyterian:

Coquina Presbyterian Church, Ormond Beach FL

Tier 2: 151 349 attendees

Independent Non-Denominational:Franklin Road Baptist Church, Indianapolis IN

Southern Baptist:

Bethesda Baptist Church, Granite City IL

Vineyard:Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Houston TX

Presbyterian:

First United Presbyterian Church, College Corner OH

Tier 3: 350 999 attendees

Independent Non-Denominational:Grace Gospel Church, Huntington WV

Southern Baptist:

Hopewell Baptist Church, Plant City FL

Vineyard:Vineyard Community Church, Morristown NJ

Presbyterian:

First Presbyterian Church, Fairborn OH


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Tier 4: 1000+ attendeesIndependent Non-Denominational:

Spring Creek Church, Pewaukee WI

Southern Baptist:

Park Avenue Baptist Church, Nashville TN

Vineyard:

Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Boise ID

Presbyterian:Colonial Presbyterian Church, Kansas City MO


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Appendix B : Survey Instrument

CHURCH NAME:________________________________________________________________CHURCH PHONE NUMBER:

________________________________________________________________NAME OF INTERVIEWEE:________________________________________________________________

DATE / TIME CONTACTED:________________________________________________________________ADMINISTERED BY:

________________________________________________________________

I. DEMOGRAPHIC / CLASSIFICATION:

1. How many attendees does your church have on an typical weekend?

2. What denomination is your church?

3. How many worship services do you have on a typical weekend?

4. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is very traditional and 10 is verycontemporary, how would you rate your worship service?

a. Why?

5. Which of the following age groups are present in your congregation andwhat percentage would you think they are of your overall congregation?

a. 01 - 17 _____%b. 18 - 24 _____%c. 25 - 35 _____%d. 36 - 55 _____%e. 56 - 75 _____%f. 75 + _____%

6. Does your church have a full time media producer?


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a. If yes, what tasks is that person responsible for?b. If yes, what background or training does he or she have in media or

ministry?

II. ROLE OF MEDIA:

7. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not important and 10 is very important, howimportant is print media in your worship service (bulletin, sermon outline,etc.)?

8. Do you use projectors in a typical weekly worship service?

a. If yes, go to question eight.b. If no, go to question twenty-one.

9. What prompted you to start using projectors?

10. How long have you used projectors?

11. What part of the service are the projectors used?

12. Do you use projectors in services for any of the following (select all thatapply):

a. Announcements before the services?b. Lyrics to songs?

i. Replacement for the song book?ii. Supplement to the song book?

c. Congregational readings (liturgy or scripture)?d. Sermon outline or main points?e. Still images (drawing or photographs)?

i. With song lyrics?ii. Congregational readings?iii. Sermons?

f. Video clips with song lyrics?g. Video clips to illustrate sermon points?

i. Original works?


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ii. Compilation?iii. Movie / Television clips?

h. Video clips presenting devotional thoughts?i. Show music videos (without congregational singing)?

j. Video clips that serve as ending to services?

k. Video clips that serve as internal promotions for church ministries?l. Video clips created by organizations to promote other ministries?m. Video clips with an evangelistic message or intent?n. Video clips of pre-recorded sermons, presentations, lecturesetc?

13. What types of images are used on your projectors and what types areavoided?

14. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not important and 10 is very important, how

important are still images in your worship service?

15. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not important and 10 is very important, howimportant are video clips in your worship service?

16. Do you have a CCLI license or some other license for the presentation ofsong lyrics?

17. Do you have a CVLI license or some other license for showing clips frommovies?

III. IMAGE AND WORD:

18. Do you show still images of Jesus or God?

a. If yes, are there any limitations to the usage?

b. If no, why not?

19. Do you show video images of Jesus or God?

a. If yes, are there any limitations to the usage?


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b. If no, why not?

[IF THE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 18 AND 19 DIFFER, GO TO QUESTION20, IF NOT, GO TO QUESTION 21]

20. Why do you use [select one: still images / video clips] or Jesus or God butnot [select one: still images / video clips]?

21. There are differences in the approach churches take in the use of imagesin a worship service. Some argue that images should not be part of theservice; that the use of image detracts or distracts from the presentation ofthe Word through scripture reading and preaching. Other argue that

images are necessary to reach a new generation of people who havebeen raised in an image-oriented environment. What position would youtake on the balance between image and word in a worship setting andwhy?

22. How important is it to be relevant to popular culture in order to evangelize?

a. Why?

b. If important, in what ways do you try to be relevant?


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c. If not important, what concerns you about relevance to popularculture?

23. Churches also differ in the importance of experience and intellect inworship services. Some would argue that the value of experience shouldbe the driving force behind our worship services. Other would say thatencouraging the use of intellect for the gathering of knowledge is moreimportant. What position would you take and why?

24. Does your church have a written policy on the use of visual elements in aworship setting?

a. If yes, please summarize.

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