The Purpose of Media in a Church
I was going through the documents folder on my computer today, doing some house cleaning, when I came across something I wrote in August of 2003. A short document called “The Purpose of Media in a Church.” Prior to starting eleven72, I spent about five years as the Media Director of Gateway Church in Austin, TX. I’m not sure why I wrote it. I guess I was trying to focus my thoughts on why we use, or should use, media in the church. Here’s what I wrote:
Why do we use video/media/art at Gateway? Why is it important?
Media is a powerful communications tool. Using images, text and sound, media engages us at a core level. It challenges us, reveals things to us and enables us to riff off of it down what our Associate Pastor refers to as rabbit trails in our minds.
Media causes us to respond emotionally. It disarms us, lays us bare and opens us up. It shows us who we are, how we are, what we are. It gives us something to look at, listen to and reflect on. Through it we can explore our world and open ourselves up to people and situations we wouldn’t in our everyday lives. It challenges us and enables our empathy for others. It reveals truth about the world around us.
Media is important because stories are important. Because emotions are important. Because it engages our souls in a conversation that doesn’t have to make sense in a literal, mathematical or logical way.
So there you go :).
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