Tomorrow, I’ll be heading home to see my family for Christmas. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite times of the year. But, seeing extended family usually involves questions like “Kendall, what do you do for a living?” or “What is it that you do at the church?” If you’ve worked or volunteered in Church Media for any amount of time, you know these questions can be fun to answer. A lot of the general public don’t have a clue about media, projection, lighting, or any other form of creativity in the modern church.
So to help you with the awkward questions this holiday, I’ve prepared eight quick answers to help your family members understand what you do. (And hopefully not tilt their head in confusion so much.)
1. “I create all of the content that you see on the screens at our church.”
2. “If you see it or hear it at our church, I play a part in making that happen.”
3. “In 2013, people take in information through video a lot easier than by spoken word. I create visuals to help our church communicate better.”
4. “These days, people will write off your church if you don’t have a credible, professional look. I design all of our graphics and keep us looking good.”
5. “At our church, we place a lot of emphasis on getting our message out to as many people as possible. I work with the cameras/audio to create our internet stream and podcast.”
6. “I work with our pastor to develop creative ways to teach the Bible in a modern world.”
7. “I manage our church’s website and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It helps us to connect with the community on their turf without seeming intrusive.”
8. Or, there’s always old faithful: “I make PowerPoints for a living.”
Be sure to let us know how it goes! Remember that while people may not always understand it, what you do for the Kingdom of God is important!
Good! I had a convo w/my good friend today about sucky church graphics and branding issues. So, #4 was my favorite.