Worship PowerPoint

(1) Make the text big and clear. Words on video screens should be easy to read from any vantage point in your Worship Center. Try reading the screen from the back row. Can you? If not, make the text larger. Choose a light color text on a dark background--it's easier to read from a distance. That's why all highway signs are white letters on a dark background.

(2) Check your spelling. Misspelled or misplaced words will absolutely ruin a worship mood. It's a distraction that takes people out of the worship experience. Check your PowerPoint. Have someone else check it. Double-check it. Check it again. On words to songs, also make sure line breaks match with musical phrasing.

(3) Avoid busy backgrounds. Text over a busy background, like a photograph, may be difficult to read. Make sure text is clearly visible. Use a black shadow to add definition to text over photographs. Take a background picture into Photoshop and blur it to make the text stand out more on top of it. I'm also kinda partial to static versus motion backgrounds. It's worship--let the focus be on Christ and not the technology. Tone down the eye candy.

(4) Test it. The worship service is not the time to discover that your slides are out of order, or that you are missing a verse or a repeat. Rehearse all slides in advance. Have a printout of the slides handy. Number them slides so you can skip to one if you need to. Be on top of the music as it is run--don't slip behind during the song service so people don't have words when they need them.

Know the limits of your computer. An older machine just won't process tons of graphic backgrounds and hundreds of slides. If you can't upgrade, don't press your luck--use simple graphics and do what you can with what you have--but do it well.

(5) Keep the screen full. The song service is over but the projector is still on. Use the screen. A still image can enhance the experience. Take pictures of your stained glass and project that. Use seasonal shots as backgrounds. If your Pastor doesn't put his outline on the screen, put just his sermon title or theme up.

(6) Keep it simple. Sermon slides should be short and simple--let folks concentrate on the Pastor and not point XXXVI on the screen. Less is more. Keep words to a minimum outside of your song service.

(7) Switch to Media Shout... or Apple Keynote (my favorite) or any one of a dozen other progams for worship support. They're better than PowerPoint. Much better. It's absolutely worth the cost. Most of them also work like PowerPoint so it's easy to learn and make the switch. It's time to move beyond the cheesy corporate presentation and look like a pro. Learn more...

(8) Be careful with promotion. The worship service is not designed primarily to plug the next ministry or event. You are in God's presence, in God's House, to worship Him. Keep promotional slides to a minimum. There are many other means to promote your events and ministries. Draw a line as to how much promotion you'll do on screen, and when it will be appropriate. Being conservative in this area can benefit you in the mood and preparedness of your congregation for the worship experience.