HomeSundaysAudiovisualSelect the Right Presentation Software in 4 Easy Steps

Select the Right Presentation Software in 4 Easy Steps

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Presentation software is an essential in today’s church. Making the choice to get presentation software for your church is an easy one. But selecting the right product that meets your churches needs is becoming less and less straightforward with the multitude of great products available on the market today. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.4 steps 2

Whether you are considering an upgrade or a new presentation software purchase, the selection process can be straightforward and quite easy if you are willing to put in a little bit of up-front effort. I have been using the 4-step process below for several years now it has helped me and I also believe it can help you too. So let’s dig in and take a look:

Step 1 – Document your service workflow activities.

If you have not gone through this exercise yet, you need too. Whether it’s on a post-it note, a napkin or you do a full-blown visio diagram; take the time to understand what service workflow activities are occurring from one phase to the next in your church service. An simple example would look like this:

Pre-Service Phase (examples)

  • 5:45pm – Doors open – worship DVD is playing on side screens and on campus TV’s, announcement graphics are rotating on center screen.
  • 5:55pm – All three screens switch over to 5 minute video countdown timer
  • 6:00pm – Service begins

Mid-Service Phase (examples)

  • 6:01pm to 6:35pm – Worship service, iMag with lower third song lyrics on side screens and campus TV’s, motion backgrounds on center screen.
  • 6:36pm to 6:44pm – Video announcements all three screens and campus TV’s
  • 6:45pm to 7:30pm – Pastor’s Sermon, iMag with sermon lower thirds side screens and campus TV’s, themed sermon graphic center screen, confidence display has 45 min countdown timer running. 

Post-Service Phase (examples)

  • 7:31pm – Altar call, all screens and campus TV’s change to settle cross background until congregation is released.
  • 7:36pm – After congregation is released by Pastor, transition to slow worship DVD on all screens and campus TV’s.

Step 2 – Evaluate the hardware the presentation software will be operated from.

If you plan to get a brand new system (Mac or PC), this is less of an issue. However, if you plan to use a system you already have, you need to ensure that the minimum hardware requirements are met in order for the software to run seamlessly. Every manufacturer should have minimum requirements they recommend for their software. Take time to review them on the manufacturer’s website. Important things to take in consideration are: memory, processor speed, hard drive space, operating system versions.

Step 3 – Define a features and functionality list.

This list will be a combination of the features and functions you need to have based on the service workflow activities documented in step 1 and those features that would be “nice to haves”. Here is an example:

“Need to have” features and functions

  • DVD/Video file playback
  • Lower thirds
  • Paging calls
  • PowerPoint file integration
  • Bible Scripture lookup

 “Nice to have” features and functions

  • Social networking integration
  • Cloud based planning services

Step 4 – Demo presentation software trial versions.

Compare the “Need to have” and “Nice to have” software features you defined in step 3 with those that exist in the software demo. When working with each demo, keep these things in mind; test it with your files! A lot of trial software comes with a library of “free goodies”. Don’t use their stuff, use yours! Test the heck out of it, run it through its paces, do your absolute best to try and break it so you can see how reliable it will be in a live production environment. Make sure the degree of user-friendliness that the software offers is high, You don’t want complicated stressful software, even if it is the greatest product on the planet, especially if you run a volunteer team. So what are you waiting for? Start doing some google searches and downloading some trial versions.

Here are a few links to get you started:

I am confident if you use this 4-step process, your church will get the right software to serve their needs, your church staff/volunteers will be able to use it with ease and the worship experience and God’s word will be communicated in a powerful, fresh and effective way.

Lauren Hunter
Lauren Hunterhttps://laurenhunter.net
Lauren Hunter is a writer who loves the big picture of God’s journey we are all on together. In 2007, she founded ChurchTechToday, a website for pastors and church leaders to harness technology to improve ministry. Married to her high school sweetheart, Lauren lives in Northern California with her husband and their four children. Her latest book is Leaving Christian Science: 10 Stories of New Faith in Jesus Christ. She can be found online at https://laurenhunter.net.

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