Matthew BoffeyReleased this year by Passion, “Whole Heart” is an anthem about Jesus’s love for us and our hope in Him. It was recorded live at the Passion Conference this January in Atlanta, with more than 30,000 college students in attendance. There are so many...
“Great Are You, Lord,” by Leslie Jordan and David Leonard (of All Sons and Daughters) and their producer Jason Ingram, came out in 2013. It has since been recorded by many other artists, including One Sonic Society (Jason Ingram’s band), Casting...
Released earlier this year, “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, and Ran Jackson is probably the fastest growing song in Christian music right now. It’s a worshipful song about the passionate love of God. If you’re not familiar with...
Much has been said about this amazing man since he passed last week. We praise God for Billy Graham’s life and ministry—literally billions have heard the gospel through him. Though Billy Graham is most known for his preaching, he loved to...
“What A Beautiful Name” was released in early 2017 by Hillsong Worship. Written by Brooke Ligertwood and Ben Fielding, the song quickly rose to #1 on the radio and CCLI and has won two Dove Awards and a Grammy. With a classic feel, it is an...
“Build My Life” was released by Housefires in 2016 and by Passion Music in 2017. It’s quickly climbing the charts, and it’s a fantastic song to lead in your church. Here are five reasons why. 1. It has sound theology Most importantly, the lyrics are...
“It needs to be affordable.” “It needs to be professional.” “It needs to be easy to use.” Can it be all three? You’ll hear statements like these when church staff debate which ministry tools to buy, especially in the beginning of the year when...
A. W. Tozer, pastor and author of many Christian classics, once wrote, “We do not want new doctrine—we want fresh emphasis on doctrine already well known by all of us.” Tozer is getting at something very much related to the role of art in worship...
Andre KazadayevOne of the most tedious tasks in the church media world is formatting song lyrics. Do I make a new slide for these lines, or keep it to one? Do I use punctuation? What about font, size, color, etc.? Oh, and what do we do about that guitar solo or...
Ray Deck IIINo more than 10 slides. No longer than 20 minutes. No less than 30 point font. That’s the 10/20/30 rule as popularized by venture capitalist and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki, a man who has sat through more than his fair share of presentations...
Now that you can share custom-made Smart Media with the Proclaim community, you might wonder, “How do I create great designs that others can use?” It’s actually pretty easy. Here are six basic design tips that will help you make...
Guest AuthorThis is a guest post from Paul Fleming, former pastor and president of ChurchINK.com. Sparkling lights. Wonderful smiles. Familiar smells. Family traditions. These are some of the things we think of when the Christmas season rolls around. But, for...
For a long time, professional church lighting has been a luxury reserved for churches with big budgets and experienced personnel. Not anymore. A recent Proclaim update lets churches with limited budgets and volunteers enjoy tasteful, professional...
Preparing for church services is hard work. It takes a lot of prayer, planning, and teamwork to consistently construct services that encourage others and glorify God. That said, sometimes we make it harder than it has to be. Here are three mistakes...
Ryan NelsonProclaim’s team of designers constantly produces fresh sermon backgrounds, announcement slides, motions, and more. You may have noticed that with the exception of mini-movies and Bible animations, we produce media “sets,” not...
Proclaim makes it easy to record your sermons, and publishing them online or in a podcast is nearly effortless. But what if you want to review your sermons with staff, a mentor, or on your own? Or, more importantly, what’s the best way for...
Kristen SchaferPlanning a church service takes a lot of coordination, communication, and attention to a large number of details. And your church benefits when you’re able to focus on the core message of your service – not the details of planning it. That’s...
Facilitating corporate worship is a big responsibility. Everything you do, every choice you make, is intended to lead your congregation to worship their creator more fully. Some churches play the same songs frequently to make it easier for people to...
When you can’t even get your congregation to say, “Good morning,” it might be hard to imagine those same blank faces giving you personal answers to questions that matter during the service. But thanks to smartphones, that’s...
Anyone who has ever missed a week of school knows what it feels like to be a church visitor walking in on the end of a sermon series. They look around the room and wonder, “Does everyone else know what he’s talking about? Am I the only...
Your church is people, not a place. Your community is not defined by the buildings you gather within, or the spaces you inhabit. When people visit your church, every interaction they have with your members shapes how they feel about your church as a...
People don’t walk through the door of your church with a big tag that says “Visitor” on it. And hopefully, you aren’t handing those out when they get inside. Especially in a big church, it’s hard to tell newcomers from...
“I visited an Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, and the design and silence of the room made me feel like I had to take my hat off to be there,” says Eleazar Ruiz, a senior designer at Faithlife. As the former art director at Mars Hill...
Your follow-up plan for visitors isn’t a biannual program you turn on before Christmas and Easter. Those are obviously the weekends you can expect the most newcomers, but your church should always be refining the journey from visitors to...
“The same way a campfire draws us into conversation and deep thought, on a basic level, abstract animation captures our attention,” says Fred Sprinkle, our motion graphics team lead. But using animation well isn’t as simple as...
Good design is about clearly communicating your message. Every component of your church presentation should visually align with what you’re trying to say to your congregation. But that’s not easy to do. Without a clear understanding of...
You’ve seen it before. Your sermon is going great, but for some reason the sound tech is trying to distract you. They’re interpretive dancing a message to you. You’re supposed to do something—something is wrong—but what? It’s...
When you’re onstage, you don’t see what the audience sees. It’s all bright lights and (hopefully) smiling faces. That’s why it helps to have someone in the sound booth who can discreetly tell you when your mic is off, or...
Some pastors spend 30 hours or more preparing a single sermon. It takes time to prayerfully study Scripture, craft a relevant message, and prepare to share that message with your congregation. That time is important. Pastors should spend time...
Nobody likes to feel like they don’t know what they’re doing. Maybe more than that, nobody likes to look like they don’t know what they’re doing. If either of those scenarios is the reality for people who volunteer at your...