Are Blank Screens Ever Good?

We’ve made a big investment in projection equipment, computers, software, and media. We’ve spent a lot of time learning and tweaking the system so that everything looks the best that it can. We have to use it to its fullest potential – we have to get our money’s worth. So we should be projecting something every minute of the service, right? Well…no, not really.

Certainly, almost every church should be using imagery during the service. But remember, projection is only a tool. What is done on the screen should flow with the rest of the service. And sometimes, projecting nothing is the best we can do.

Here are some service points where you should consider projecting nothing:

• a quiet, reverent moment of worship when the congregation is completely silent.
• you are singing a slower, familiar song, you have repeated the chorus several times, and the instruments stop, so the congregation is worshipping acapella.
• the pastor has finished the main part of his message and is closing in a thoughtful, poignant tone.
• the pastor is giving a salvation invitation.
• someone is leading the congregation in prayer.

At those times, having something on the screen can potentially be more of a distraction than a help. Again, our aim is to flow with/be a part of what God is doing during the service – and sometimes, doing nothing at all is the best way to accomplish that.