Lazy worship software users

[Cliff]

Yep

[rkresge]

Originally Posted by Cliff

I just noticed something. Worship software can make us lazy.

Last Sunday in church 15 mins before the service the pastor ask one of the "computer guys' to find him a video of a wall or building falling. He does and with the aid of Easyworship plays it.

C'mon, 15 minutes before the service? Why would a computer tech even be willing to TRY? Sometimes you get caught by surprises like language or inappropriate content! To paraphrase an old adage, lack of planning on pastor's part should not constitute a failure on the part of the media team.

There is no excuse. This should not have been asked for. Failing that, the request should not have been accepted. It's a recipe for disaster, as some of the other responses have discussed.

I've said this before: The fact that something CAN be done with technology does not always mean it SHOULD be done.

One last comment: I can't believe ANYONE would be willing to put something that has not been previewed on the screen Sunday morning.

Blessings,

Roger

[jnorth]

Not sure why I am even looking at this let alone replying to an old topic but.....

I finally had to put my foot down (a few years back now) to the service has already started additions.

With an agreed upon soft deadline, meaning in an 'emergency' I will do my best right up to the last minute to prep something and put it up (but I must have atleast enough time to prep/preview).

The solution from the pastor for the last couple years - doesn't even bother at all. Not enough organization to be properly prepared or to communicate or both. What ever way the soft deadline has pretty much worked.

[rkresge]

Pastor forgot to send me a copy of his sermon this past week, which I noticed on Saturday afternoon (during Irene). He was able to email it to me, but got pretty much a basic minimum of 5 slides. Deadline is supposed to be Thursday evening, so he basically got nothing. Certainly none of the effort I would have put in if I had the sermon text on time.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother. My wife asks me the same question.

Roger

[Cliff]

I am realizing that some (many) Pastors do not really understand the benefit of powerpoint. Also some are not overly good at their jobs. And I am an ex-pastor.

[Dan Rector]

Originally Posted by Cliff

I am realizing that some (many) Pastors do not really understand the benefit of powerpoint. Also some are not overly good at their jobs. And I am an ex-pastor.

I'm not sure its so much lack of understanding about the benefit of powerpoint so much as the lack of understanding of what it takes to put quality visuals up each week so that its an additive to the message and just not putting into print what is spoken (ie. main points + Scripture). And even then doing it in a quality way that matches the theme or at least looks good.

[scottengstrom]

I never tell my Pastor "Not enough time." I tell him each time, "Got ya boss, give me a couple of minutes." Normally, no problem, Pastor is a great speaker and can talk up enough time or pray or ask for testimony, etc.... the members never even know what is really going on. I give him a thumbs up and ready to roll. True, it does not work 100% of the time, but my Pastor is open minded far more times I give the thumbs up over knodding the head left to right and in that case we just reshedule it. Either way no harm done. It would be nice if all things worked out on a schedule but life would not be very interesting if that was the case. Let go and let God.

[tedanderson]

Well it's nice that you have a pastor and other members of the leadership that are understanding.

But I think that this becomes a problem for the majority of us on this forum because when things don't go right, regardless of the reason, it's considered to be a major injustice to the ministry.

Or if for some reason we can't pull it off, it's considered as willful disobedience where they will argue that we did it last time so we should be able to do it again.

So if someone is going to be mad at us, it's usually better to be mad at us for saying "NO" than to say "Yes" and not deliver.

[wogster]

Originally Posted by Cliff

I am realizing that some (many) Pastors do not really understand the benefit of powerpoint. Also some are not overly good at their jobs. And I am an ex-pastor.

I know this is old, but, if I could add a comment.

Seminaries don't train pastors to use tools like Power Point, graphic design school does, occasionally you will see a seminar on using it, but that usually deals with the whiz-bang stuff and not the basic readability.

I think the best thing is proper deadlines:

Hymn List, Monday at 4PM.
Order of Service, Wednesday at 4PM
Pastor's PowerPoint, Friday at 4PM
Final changes and additions, Saturday at 2PM

This allows me to run a final test on Saturday, and make any changes, it also allows me to go over to the church and do a run through with the projector, if I feel the need. I live just down the street, so this isn't a biggie. The deadlines are new ones, because there have been things not work properly in the past. Powerpoint decided to stop talking to the projector last Sunday, I have no idea why. I think it's a configuration issue, trying new software (OpenLP) hope it works, but if it doesn't then I can go back to the old setup. We had a lot of extra goofy stuff happening last week, perfect time to try something new (sigh).

[Cliff]

Here are our schedules/deadline.
Everything Sunday morning by 9-10am we start at 10:30!

[wogster]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Here are our schedules/deadline.
Everything Sunday morning by 9-10am we start at 10:30!

Which simply means your A/V guy looks like this most of the time, and things in the service don't look polished. Because there isn't time to add the spit and polish, because they are too harried at trying to get the right thing in the right place.
Polish being things like making sure that there aren't spelling errors or missing verses or words in the presentation. Trust me, the little old lady who spent 47 years teaching grade 11 English, will come up to you after the service and ask you how you passed English with all those spelling mistakes - there was one where I missed changing the word color to the more proper in Canada colour.

It's laziness on one persons part, putting a lot of pressure on someone else, with an unreasonable deadline. When that someone else is a volunteer, it doesn't take them long to decide they don't need the stress with all the other stresses in modern life, and they resign from that ministry. Usually to join the pew warming ministry, which must be very important, since the majority of the congregation is in it.

Now the deadlines I set down are soft deadlines, if I get the hymn list and order of service, Wednesday night occasionally I will not complain. Although I am sure the bulletin secretary will, because she needs them before I do.

[wotz]

The latest deadline I have set is for worship leaders to finish their practice by 9.30 so we can do final checks of other media, before service starts (for us) at 9.55 with a countdown.

Had to tell someone a couple of weeks back that no, I didn't get his slide, and with 5 minutes to go before the start, don't bother looking for it now.