Data Projector

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Data Projection Ministry

As God’s people gather for various purposes such as praise, prayer, and hearing from the Bible (Col 3:16), the data-projector facilitates and augments the participation of God’s people in the service.

Although the result is very visible, it is a behind-the-scenes ministry, because it always directs the congregation’s attention to the content – not to the technology itself or the operator. When done poorly, however, this ministry has the power to distract and detract from the content. So it is very important for this ministry to be prepared and executed with faithful proficiency.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Luke 11:33

Tips & Tricks

  • Arrive good and early so the inevitable last-minute changes don’t crowd out your regular prep.
  • Don’t be afraid to question or even refuse a last-minute change that will delay or distract you from the rest of the service elements.
  • Confirm the elements and order with the service leader and musicians in case they’ve made bad assumptions about what you’ll have ready for them.
  • Practice the transitions between different programs – e.g. from presentation software to DVD and back again, including the audio. If anything changes, re-check everything.
  • Always change slides for songs and prayers at the start of the last word – they won’t forget that last word, but they do need a moment to process the new slide before they can carry on.
  • Check that the version of song-words and prayers matches what the people up-front have for anything that is new or unusual.

Links and resources

The Briefing

“I love Powerpoint”, Gordon Chenge, Issue #345

I’m such a fan of the new, up-to-date ways of getting the message of the Bible out there.
Yep, it’s true. I’m really pleased because, erm, because … oh, look if we can just wait for a moment until this next slide comes up, I’ll explain why. Er… okay … er … can we get that up now? Hang on a moment.
Oh look, while we’re waiting, sorry about the mix-up with the verse and chorus of that last song. I’ve got the remote control here but it’s not working very well, and the PowerPoint people up the back were a bit caught out. So that’s why we had two verses where you could only hear the song-leaders; it wasn’t because the mikes were turned up too high like last time…