Mike Walker

Apple is changing the game

Apple announced yesterday that there is an update to Apple TV coming in the next few weeks and months. You will soon be able to rent movies directly from your Apple TV device. I hate going in Blockbuster stores so this is huge for me.

This news started my brain going. I have been doing some extensive research and reading on the topic of broadcast culture versus digital culture. Here's how it relates in this instance. Broadcast tv, radio, etc...decides what's going to be the show you will watch or the program you will listen to at a certain time. In a digital culture the options are more wide open. Imagine you being able to tune in whatever you wanted when you wanted. I could elaborate more on this, but I'll leave that for later.

So what does that have to do with church?

Most churches have audio, video, teaching materials, etc...that the public can go online and access. In some cases there is a cost involved and in some it's free information. What if...WHAT IF....the public could access all your material at any given time, watch it when they want or read it when they want? What if we were able to basically set up our own networks so people could access it and build their own playlist?

Think about it, not only would this allow public to listen to or watch what they want from your organization when they want to, but think about what you could learn about your audience. Your audience will automatically tell you what THEY think you are great at communicating about. The information that would be collected could drastically tell you how well you are doing with branding...if you are branding at all.

Again, I could go on and on about this....and I will be.....but I think the possibilities of thinking in a digital world open whole new spaces for us in the church world to start considering.

Senator Grassley Investigation Update

The deadline for the 6 ministries publicly named in the Grassley investigation was this week.

I had a conversation recently with a friend who I used to work with who is fairly worried about the investigation and how it will affect churches long term and whether or not it affected the whole seperation of church and state.

The issue has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with privelege. By signing up as a 501c3 tax exempt organization it carries a lot of benefit. It also carries a large responsibility. The investigation is merely wanting to ensure that money people give to organizations are going to worth while ministry and not lavish lifestyles.

For those of you who dabble in stocks, when you choose to invest in a company you most likely want to know how they spend their money so as to know where your money is going. Would you invest in a company that spends frivolously? Of course not...

As a giver you should have that same desire....how is the money being spent? You can agree or disagree with it, but I think it's ok to ask. Everytime you say yes to one organization you say no to another. Knowing where your money is going is a big deal. There are organizations out there doing a GREAT job of making sure the money you give goes to what you think you are giving to.....I know others who do not.

The issue here is not religion or theology, it's merely tax laws and benefits and whether or not some of them are being abused. Our government set up laws for us to live by. They also set up some benefits for those involved in ministry. I personally don't have a problem with them checking to make sure that organizations are staying above board. We live in this society and we should honor the laws and governing folks above us.

If ministries want the privelege of maintaining 501c3 tax exempt status then don't be upset about disclosing the information. If you want to exist in a commercial society and have all the benefits of a lavish lifestyle, then don't worry about your tax exempt status. It was set up to aid organizations that are trying to do charitable work.....not make it a tax shelter for those who want to make a ton of money under a religious umbrella.

Here is a link for an article I came across that might shed some light on the investigation.

Great thoughts on email

I read the following post from Phil Cooke who had some great thoughts on email.

I recieve on average 55-70 emails a day (not including junkmail) and it is so easy for me to get caught up in quickly responding that I could eat up my entire day doing nothing but emailing. I forget sometimes, that while email is nice and handy you also need to completely think through what you type.

Take a minute and read this. It will help you both personally and professionally. If you don't have policies regarding email I would encourage you to put some in place. It can bite you real quick...

Live Programming 101

I talked recently with a large church here in the Dallas area that is putting together their plans for their Christmas production. They asked me about different technologies to use...LED lights, LED video panels, moving projection, sets, etc....

My first questions were, "what story are you telling and what feel do you want?". THe answer was "we aren't real sure, but we wanted to see what you recommended for our production".

For the record...that is a REAL good recipe for failure. What you will end up with is a great looking program that goes no where. A friend of mine referenced a fairly popular Christian TV show as the best looking show no one watches. It is, hands down, one of the best looking shows in the industry but no one cares and no one watches. It looks great and says nothing. The problem is they having their tech folks looking at their program with a tech first attitude and not a perspective of how to most effectively reach people.

Principal #1 - Technology is a tool....not the message. Figure out what you want to say, how you want to say it, what the "feeling" of the message and delivery needs to look like and feel like. This will determine your tech needs. Otherwise all we end up becoming is Las Vegas, which has great delivery and absolutely nothing to say.

I just did an event for Bishop and First Lady Jakes. As a tech guy there were some technologies that I wanted to use, but after hearing the feel and the vision it totally changed my direction. The story is always more important than the technology.

Update

I know I have been absent for a while, but I have been pretty "heads down" finishing up a couple of projects.

Most recently I spent the weekend with TD and Serita Jakes providing the production for their "For Ladies Only" event. We supplied the sound, lights, and video support as well as production management and lighting design.

The event turned out great and looked killer both live and on camera.

To make sure the look was great I brought in Andy Dunning from Landru Design in Nashville. Andy and I have worked together for years. We are always able to walk in with understood expectations of what things are supposed to look like while making a great broadcast look and making it a good experience for the people in the room as well.

For audio I used Crossroads audio in Dallas. They are a Meyer house so I was able to stick with what I know works. Bill Barnett mixed FOH. I had never worked with him, but wow....I guess anyone who mixes in ear monitors for Stevie Wonder must be pretty ok at what he does. :-) He was spot on all weekend.

The event featured several great speakers including Bishop Jakes, Serita Jakes, and Joyce Meyer.

I will have pictures posted shortly.