Lyric software first came to the fore in large-scale gatherings like Promise Keepers and Franklin Graham crusades. In video's infancy, stark white text was placed over a simple black background. In those days, pastors and worship leaders were concerned that elaborate text and backgrounds would create a distraction. Today, even small churches use presentation software to project lyrics and display announcements.

As time progressed and congregations became acclimated to the visual element, static images were placed behind the words. This effect was accepted as a simple yet powerful method for creating a mood and providing a connecting point to the hymns being sung.

Today's video presentation software products make full-motion video available as a background for the songs. Maps and moving diagrams can be added to the sermon. With all the building blocks in place, video presentation software is now an integral part of weekly worship for churches of all sizes.

With all the capabilities these programs present, it's easy to get carried away and develop worship services that are dominated by video presentations. However, the key to using video is to focus on its power to complement. It should remain subservient to the song and sermon by reinforcing the point under discussion.

Video underscores the spoken and sung Word. When the power of the audible message is sufficient, video can be omitted entirely. Yet, video can be displayed on its own when it has justifiable merit. By varying content and frequency, video can add elasticity and vibrancy to the worship service without overtaking the proceedings.

It doesn't end here—video presentation software developers continue to enhance their products. Here are some of the newest features from a few of the most popular worship presentation programs.

Softouch Development's Easy Worship Version 2006 addresses glitch-less dvd playback, one of the last remaining problems with presentation software. Derek Pfeifer, the company's sales manager, explains, "dvd playback is difficult to integrate into a software solution. We've been able to channel the components so they enhance the resident system's abilities. Now playback is as smooth as that from a stand-alone dvd player, just without the dreaded loading screen. Easy Worship takes the 'blue-screen' fear away from playing a dvd clip."
www.easyworship.com

Digital Hotcakes has received accolades for its Worship Series video backgrounds. To set the images apart from stock fare, the Hotcakes team developed broadcast-quality moving and still images and placed them into complementary volumes. The looping dvd clips can be interspersed with still image backgrounds. The effect creates continuity between song sections as well as within the full worship set. In place of disjointed pictures projected on a whim, Digital Hotcakes provides a complete, organized solution.
www.digitalhotcakes.com

Media Complete continues to raise the bar for encompassing packages with its updated Media Shout. The latest version offers enough Bible translations and support material to satisfy the most in-depth teaching pastor. The included song database is current and thorough. The improved user interface makes the immense power of Media Shout available to anyone willing to spend a little time learning the process. As Jann Saulsberry, vice president of marketing for Media Complete, notes, "We exist to help churches do video well. When executed properly, video becomes a skillful servant of the ministers on the platform."
www.mediashout.com

Fowler Productions, an innovative visual supply company based in Oklahoma, has gone beyond the traditional role of a systems integrator by developing SongShow Plus, the firm's in-house presentation software package. SongShow Plus is a complete visual solution, able to generate motion-backed lyrics, detailed maps and illustrations for sermons, a library of Bible translations and paraphrases, along with a menu system that makes managing the program's myriad divisions quick and intuitive. Fowler continues to update SongShow Plus to entice new users while sustaining current owners with world-class support. The package now provides system-wide updates, so a change in one section automatically provides the same data for other relevant sections. Clip playback has also been improved for seamless transitions between dvds and text imagery. With its latest updates, SongShow Plus has become one of the most comprehensive programs available to the church.
www.songshowplus.com

The big news emanating from Grass Valley, California's Grass Roots Software company is not their signature Sunday Plus lyric package, but a new program called Freeport. Unlike Sunday Plus, Freeport is not an application, rather it oversees presentation packages as diverse as PowerPoint and Worship Live. Then, to take presentation to the next level, Freeport brings all forms of media under its wings. Every format from mpeg to dvd is brought under control and tied to the primary program. If a guest speaker introduces a last-minute PowerPoint file, Freeport can instantly lay it into the program with no glitch or delay.
www.sundayplus.com

Presentation software continues to improve, both in terms of performance and ease of use. As these products move toward ubiquity in the Church, the unique qualities of each grow more evident. There truly is a package perfectly designed for your church.

Kent Morris (kent@worshiptech.com) is a media system designer in Atlanta.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Your Church magazine.
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May/June 2006, Vol. 52, No. 3, Page 26