Matthew BoffeyMatt Redman wrote “Blessed Be Your Name” with his wife Beth in response to the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. It reflects on the faithful response to suffering we see all throughout Scripture, especially from Job: praise. Blessing...
As always, Proclaim’s developers have been adding new features to make it an even better program. Here’s the latest round of updates, which now make it easier to format text, choose media, upload sermons, and work as a team. Text Enjoy...
Guest AuthorEvery person who steps into church is, to varying degrees, a sufferer. It’s part of the human condition. While it’s good that we sing songs about joy and victory in Christ, we misportray the Christian life if we never sing about suffering—and even...
Elevation Worship, a musical group from Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC, released “O Come to the Altar” in early 2016. As a mid-tempo ballad with a melody in an accessible range, the song has been well received by churches worldwide. Lyrically, it...
“Who You Say I Am” was released this year by Hillsong Worship and centers around John 8. It explores the wonderful truth that when Jesus saves us, He not only sets us free, but also brings us into the family of God. About the song “Who You Say I Am”...
“Good Good Father,” by Pat Barrett and Tony Brown of the band Housefires, rose to prominence after Chris Tomlin’s wife heard it at a conference. She showed the song to Chris, who went on to record it. The song soon became a number one radio single...
“Resurrection Power” is a new song from worship leader Chris Tomlin. If you’ve led music in church for any length of time, you are familiar with Tomlin’s music. Any new song from Tomlin carries with it a strong recommendation. He is one of only four...
Released in 2011 by husband-and-wife duo Bryan and Katie Torwalt, “Holy Spirit” has been sitting near the top of CCLI charts for weeks, and many well-known artists have recorded it (including Francesca Battistelli, Jesus Culture, and Kari Jobe)...
Four lines, thirty seconds long, and yet one of the most popular worship songs for centuries. How has “Doxology”—officially called “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow,” but usually referred to as The Doxology (as if there were no other)—become...
Released 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...
We recently made a couple small feature updates, and in the excitement of Digital Signage launching, we want to be sure you don’t miss it. 1) It’s now easier to edit multiple slides at once Hold Shift (or Command on Mac) and click on any number of...
“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 and...
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...
This 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...