Over the last several years churches have begun what they call Video Venues or Satellite Campuses. A video venue or satellite campus is one where there's not a live preacher but the pastor is on a very high quality video that is shown instead on a very large screen that fills a stage. A basic service at one of these churches is very streamlined and has live worship music, maybe some creative element, and then the sermon on video. I was working at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX when they opened up their first campus like this. I remember it being a back and forth on whether or not this was a good idea. The questions of do we build a bigger auditorium that will seat close to 9,000, redo the current auditorium for more seating, or go to video venues were the questions of the day in staff meetings.
Here is why I remember Fellowship Church went to video instead of the other two options:
1. People would not have to drive as far to new venues.
2. You could reach new people in new areas and have more impact on a different community.
3. The cost for building a new auditorium or redoing the current one would be as much if not more than starting 3 new campuses.
4. Ed is a gifted communicator and would be better on video than most would be live.
5. People who were sitting more than 10 rows back were already watching Ed on the large video screens and not looking at him on stage.
6. LifeChurch.tv was being very succussful in starting and maintaining new places of worship. Therefore we could follow a model of success.
Basically it came down to impact, levels of excellence, cost, and success.
Here is the question of the day, the month, the year, and years to come:
Is it working?
Keith Johnson just wrote a blog post about his experience at one of these services. Read the article and look at the comments. I have known Keith since 1999 when he hired me for a summer to work for the Billy Graham Association. Sometimes in his post and in his comments he comes across harsh, judgemental, or critquing. I know that is not his heart or intent (I just got off the phone with him). He could communicate his questions better. His questions are the same as why Fellowship started doing video venues.
1. Can and is it being impactful?
2. Is the level of excellence greater than a live speaker?
3. Is the cost of watching a video overcoming the building of community?
4. Is it being successful and how do you measure that success?
These questions are not those of critique but of evaluation. These questions are very viable and need to be answered. For many churches they have answered these questions. Take NewSpring Church in South Carolina for example. They are just starting their video venues and must have answered a resounding, "Yes" to the questions above. Why else would you start something if you didn't believe in it.
Here is the problem. This is still a new thing. We don't know the long term answers to the questions. We don't know if video venues cause weird attadance patterns or a lack of passion for attendance. We don't know if video venues cause tithing issues. We don't even know if a gifted communicator on video is more impactful than a gifted communicator live. We don't know if there is longevity in these campuses. We also don't know how this effects the rest of the family.
What we do know is that people are going to these campuses currently. Just look at LifeChurch.tv again. We know that they are hearing the truth about God. Anytime Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church preaches you here the truth about God and they have video venues. We know that they must like a gifted communicator on video more than a sub-par communicator live or they wouldn't be there.
What I hope doesn't happen is this same trend in Children's Ministry. I hope that we are not streamlining Children's Ministry so much that all they get is live worship music and a video. Whether you think adults can handle the difference or not, I think it is much harder for kids. We should not put more emphisis on production to make sure every kid gets the same experience over all the campuses by video. This statement is coming from a guy who loves production at very high qualities. We should instead make sure every kid has the same experience through building relationships. Kids don't get enough relational learning outside of church. They do get enough video and entertainment. Small groups or relationship building is going to be more and more important. I would much rather see a "good" live performance of a drama, Bible story, and games than an incredible, out of this world, great produced video for kids. Please keep as many live elements as possible for kids. It builds their imigination, their understanding, and I believe is just more effective.
July 2, 2008
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7 Responses to "Hot Topic: Church and Video"I agree with the kids. I do think Elevate give you a great video element that is short (w/ most series) and would work if you built up the small group format to support it. But I agree; the more live production the better for kids.
BRILLIANT Balance and a great way to explain both the positives (excellence trumps mediocrity through a video venue in terms of the speaker---though I would say that also feeds our cult-of-personality too much) and the negatives within children's ministry!!! You're a good friend and an eloquent, credible spokesperson who can and will make more effective our own ministries to children not look like little adult settings!!! CUDOS!!!!
Read a great quote in the Wall Street Journal that illustrates why we need more evaluation and critique not less!!!
"...civility has a way of creeping into daintiness. If our [pastors] lose their sense of combative humor we may grow more polite...but less honest!"
This is a critical issue that MUST be discussed. I am at a multi-site church and just started attending on the video venue locations. (www.chapel.org) and see the CM going to almost solid video even for worship with an EmCee just commenting when video is paused. I'm really struggling with this trend, and yet I see the struggles of growth and maintaining and preparing lessons across multiple campuses. Don't have the "answer" but am thinking about it A LOT. I think kids need LIVE PEOPLE leading them or I fear it will be harmful long term in not forging relationships with instructors.
I want to be cutting edge, but want to see a return to relational live in person teaching too. How to balance that? Not sure yet.
I remember in college I went with to a video church a number of Sundays. It was comfortable and the preaching was good. I didn't have to drive far. I got to wear what I wanted. The temperature was just right in the room. It was almost like I was watching from my own bed or couch.
Great post Matt. A quote I heard a seasoned youth pastor say once has always stuck with me and saved me many a time.
"What God blesses as a suplament he curses as a substitute."
James Wilhoit, professor of Christian Formation and Ministry at Wheaton has a new book out "Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Gorwing in Christ through Community" (Baker Academic, 2008) and it has a great observation about some of the enemies of spiritual formation and he points to "the rising emphasis on the sermon. It is being asked to do things that the sermon alone cannot do."
By making a video venue focused on convenience for some stellar preacher we've just transferred community and personal responsibility to engage the text to some person who explains it for us. Are we babies or what?
Great post Matt. A lot of really great comments here as well!
I've been in multi-site for several years now. I believe in it more now that I did when I first got into it. Maybe it's different (I'm sure it is) for every church. What I've experienced in multi-site is for a church to make a much more significant impact for less money and less work. Building a new auditorium that will house twice as many people is unbelievably expensive. I'm not saying it's wrong, but there may be more efficient ways to spend 6 million dollars. Planting a new church is hard work, but a church can add a new campus with significantly less work when it takes advantage of of the resources and people available. Honestly, it makes sense. The same principles that made McDonalds a fast food (and real estate) empire can help see more and more people connect to Christ.
What I've experienced though is that we opened up campuses in communities where a large group of people were driving from to come to our "big" campus. As soon as we opened a campus in "their" community, we empowered them to invite their friends (it's much harder to get a neighbor to drive 20 minutes with you to your community church). When we did this, we'd see the campuses grow by leaps and bounds because we were enabling the people. However, all of this hinged on us providing an excellent experience, otherwise they'll just go back to the "big" campus.
As far as video for kids... I have opinions on that as well. Maybe later though...
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