What do you want to be when you grow up?

Let's buy $100,000 worth of computers and start a computer-based business. Ok, we bought the computers, now what? Let's try being an animation house. Sorry, we didn't buy those kinds of computers. Well, let's try being a software development company. Great, we did that a while now, but it's not working very well, and we are losing money hand over fist. Let's use these computers for, hmm, I got it! Let's be a web server business!

What in the world is going on here? What a lot of churches do with video production. I recently was told a story about a church that invested $100,000 in one used camcorder and a used non-linear editing system. They paid so much for these 2 items that all they could afford for lighting was a small Lowel kit. First of all, they got robbed on the price they paid for this used equipment. Second, this same church has needed a long lens and professional tripod for there sanctuary IMAG for a very long time. So instead of investing in products that would improve the delivery of the hour-long teaching, they invested (poorly) in remote production gear that will be used to make videos that people will watch for 5 minutes. These folks obviously do not know what they want to be when they grow up. Years ago, they started to gear up for good IMAG production, then stopped investing in it. Then recently starting investing in remote production gear. It's like a kid that starts out pre-med, then before he graduates, changes over to pre-law. It's OK to be both, but someone's going to die if you don't complete your pre-med before going on to other endeavors.

I think a lot of churches are blown about by every wind of technology. Folks, we need to stop, pray, and think about what it is we are trying to do. Whatever we are trying to accomplish, we are supposed to do it with our whole heart. Does that mean everyone has to buy HD cameras? No, but you better be putting everything you got into using what you have and always looking ahead to make things better. If we are going to do IMAG, let's do IMAG great. If we are going to make Christian movies, let's do them great. If you can't, God's just waiting to show you His objective for video in your church.