Let’s face it– the world we live in today is filled with graphics and media. And as the Church, we aren’t called to be of the world, but we’re called to be in it as salt and light. Our influence as the body of Christ can include church graphics as a ministry tool to enhance and reach our communities (inside our churches and beyond).
So with the wide range of high-quality worship media and church graphics available these days, how do you really make them fit your community and message?
Authenticity is First Building Block
We believe one of the first key elements of successful ministry (in any area, but especially media ministry in this case) is authenticity. Just like a worship team shouldn’t try to become a carbon copy of what another church across the country is doing, our media shouldn’t be simply mimicking the larger church around the corner. That would be falling short of what God has established as our true identity and potential to impact those around us. It doesn’t mean we can’t pull from the successes of other ministries and learn from them, but it does mean we should be selective about what will work where we are and with the specific group of people God has given us.
Every community is unique, and what works for one community may not work for them all. Right off the bat, we should establish that no matter what direction you go with your church graphics for social media, church website, projector screen media, or worship live streams, what’s most important is that they authentically represent who you are as a community.
Understanding the “Why”
Another key element of successfully using church graphics and media in your community is that everyone understands the “why” or the greater vision behind it. As we touched on earlier, we don’t want to just be using tools like worship media and graphics because the church down the street is doing it. Instead, we should look into the unique benefits for our community.
As local churches and the larger *Church as a whole, everything should stem from caring for those in the body already and also reaching the lost who need the hope of Jesus. Visual media for church happens to be an amazing modern tool that you can use for both of these goals. Worship media helps the congregation engage in singing and experiencing God during the service, and is one element that helps facilitate powerful worship moments. Church graphics online help promote your church’s message to those who need to hear it. Ultimately, visual media is just another tool in your ministry toolbox!
A Practical Example
One very practical example of using church graphics is for church announcement slides. You’ll find that a graphic on screen that accompanies the details of an event will help people remember the event much better than just seeing text on the screen alone. It’s usually easy to place graphics or photos into an announcement slide on your church presentation software or Powerpoint, and there are tons of resources to get quality church media for just that.
But when it comes to making these graphics fit your community, you have options. If you or someone on your team has the ability to work with actual photos of your community, you can use real pictures from the life of your church as part of these graphics. If you don’t have that luxury, luckily, there are tons of pre-made church graphic designs and templates out there. If you do use stock photos, just be sure to pick ones that represent your community well. (If you are advertising an event for a senior group, you may not want to pick the photo of young people in their 20’s, and vice versa!)
Consistency is Important
One way to be sure your church graphics fit your community is to be consistent. Much like a business would want to be consistent with its branding for marketing purposes, your church should be consistent with its “graphical” identity. This is not for business purposes, but for outreach and community culture purposes. Marketing for the church is actually the most important kind of marketing, because we offer a greater hope and purpose than any product a business could offer. We are tasked with sharing that hope and life with the world.
Consistency can be accomplished by finding your style for graphics. That could be certain fonts, colors, logos, or even a favorite type of image that works for your congregation. (For example, some congregations and communities will be drawn in by mountain scenes and nature for their worship backgrounds, and others will engage more with abstract designs and colorful motion).
Once you find your style of church graphics, you can apply it across all the different methods of communication that you have. You can use media that’s similar to your worship media for sermon series promotions on your church website, on print media, and on social media. Then if someone comes to your church for the first time after seeing it online, they’ll instantly feel like they are familiar with what’s happening (and that they came to the right place!).
Excellence and Simplicity Can Meet
The great news is, you don’t have to have a huge budget or an extremely talented team of graphic designers on staff at your church to accomplish these things. In 2021, great worship media is accessible for any church or even small grassroots groups of worshippers. There are great worship software options that make putting lyrics, scripture, and graphics on your screens at church easier than ever. And many of them come with pre-made templates so you can achieve the results we’ve talked about in this article when it comes to choosing a look that’s right for your community and keeping it consistent.
There are countless church graphics available for purchase online, memberships to provide unlimited access to media, and even a good selection of free worship media to get your started on your journey of implementing and establishing an identity in the world of visual media for your church. If you are just beginning to implement worship media or establishing a social media presence for your church (or maybe you’ve done it for a while but want to grow your efforts), pre-made content is a great place to start. And it’s okay to start small and simple. After all, simplicity with excellence is better than a mess created by trying to do too much at once!
Taking Action
As a practical “next step,” we suggest getting some of your leadership together to identify your favorite styles of worship media and church graphics. Then evaluate the current media that’s utilized in your services, your website, and any other streams you may have (like social media or weekly emails going out). Discuss whether it’s truly a fit for your unique community. From there, you can decide what is good, what could be better, and where you’d ultimately like to go with your use of church graphics.
Be encouraged! If you’re spending time researching how to best use tools like church graphics in your ministry, you’re not alone. This is an amazing time to make use of visual media to be a light in the darkness. Do you have questions about how to get started with using worship media or church graphics in your community? Let us know by leaving a reply below.
