[This article is an excerpt from The Worship Media Handbook Version 2 by Church Motion Graphics.]
The primary purpose of worship lyric projection is to prompt your community when singing songs. All projected lyrics need to feel like they belong on your screen with readable text that is accurate and timely. When done well, this can help your community worship God. On the other hand, distractions contained in a poorly designed presentation will have a negative impact on an individual’s worship experience.
If the primary purpose of lyric projection is to present the text, then the secondary purpose is the visual experience. When visuals are done well, they enhance the worship experience to create deeper engagement and meaning for your community. Good visual design is not always noticeable. Sometimes what goes unnoticed is what makes a design great. Visuals need to flow seamlessly into the environment and sensory experience.
Everything you do as a designer and projectionist needs to glorify God and communicate His truth. Designing and presenting lyrics and slides to the best of your ability will ensure you are doing the most you can to help point people to Jesus.
Consistency
Consistency is key. Most of the guidelines in this handbook come down to this one important point. Whether it is font size, line height, punctuation, font choice, transition speed or any other characteristic of your presentation, it is all driven by a cohesive consistency.
Simply put, the more consistent your presentation becomes, the more professional it will be. Uniformity communicates purpose and well-thought-out design. Work to deliver these principles in every presentation to create the very best experiences for your community.
If you only take one thing away from this handbook, may it be that you must be consistent in your consistency. Always be mindful of your presentation from slide to slide, from song to song and from week to week.
Preparation
Mistakes will occur more often when you do not leave enough time to prepare your presentation. Edit it and run through it once or twice with the worship team. A rushed job will be noticeable by the errors it contains because not everything was checked and double-checked before going live. Give yourself enough time to do everything the right way. Always check over your work and have a margin of time just in case something needs to be changed at the last minute.
Be at the rehearsal on time and have everything prepared in advance whenever possible. Familiarize yourself with the worship set, songs and order of service. Check to make sure everything is working properly, especially all the pieces of media. Ensure you test the church sound systems to sync up with the presentation. You can never be too prepared when it comes to worship projection. Do not underestimate the preparation time needed to put together a flawless presentation. It takes dedication and sacrifice to make sure your job is done to the highest standard.
