To Screen or Not to Screen

It's interesting to go from event to event, conference to conference, church to church, and be a part of so many different styles of worship services. Despite our shared liturgy, Book of Worship, hymnal, and seminary-trained clergy, our worship is as varied as our people. During my travels this summer, I've been paying close attention to the use of screens in worship and how they appear to affect congregational singing. I've made a point to discuss screens in worship in workshops and classes. Here's some of what I've learned and have come to think about screens in worship.

Positive Aspects of Screens in Worship

• Screens appeal to younger people who have been raised with TV and video. Younger people are comfortable with technology; and, in part, are defined by it.
• Screens bring worshipers' eyes and focus up rather than down and buried in a hymnal or bulletin. This can lead to more of a recognition of the community at work rather than the individual.
• With worshipers focused more up than down, there is more interaction and engagement with the worship leader.
• Projection of hymn texts, Scripture, liturgy, and other elements of worship places an emphasis on words and text, perhaps leading to increased understanding and internalization.
• The text-only format allows for a natural presentation of the literary and poetic form of the hymn text rather than breaking it up unnaturally and interlining it with the music.
• Use of projection allows for selection of worship materials from a wider range than what is contained in a hymnal. Use of a hymnal "freezes" the repertoire unless additional songbooks or supplements are made available.
• Projection allows for incorporation of multimedia (audio, video, film, illustrations, art) in worship.
• Projection removes the expense of providing hymnals and Bibles in the pews.

Negative Aspects of Screens in Worship

• The same things that appeal to young people are often a hindrance for older people who are accustomed to handheld print resources. Conflict or loss of attendance may result.
• Nearly all hymn projection is words only, with the following consequences:
  • Loss of the melody, which even nonmusicians can use to facilitate singing the right notes, especially on an unfamiliar or difficult hymn.
  • Loss of normal hymnal harmonizations leads to primarily unison singing and loss of the beauty of harmony.
  • Absence of music leads to loss of and nondevelopment of musical skills.
• Absence of hymnal and Bible in the pews eliminates both as individual devotional tools for the worshipers.
• Screens can destroy the aesthetics and beauty of the sanctuary.
• Projection complicates worship planning by requiring longer lead and preparation time prior to worship.
• Projection requires close attention to the details of copyright law and music licensing, adding staff time and expense, and requiring a thorough understanding of how to apply the law and licensing legally — a daunting challenge.
• Projection requires considerable expense to purchase and install equipment.
• There are ongoing needs for software, updates, and a trained technical staff (versus the fixed expense of purchasing a hymnal).
• For many, the ability to hold and use a hymnal is a primary connection to the history and tradition of the faith. Loss of a hymnal for many results in a loss of that connection to their faith or denomination.

There is one more aspect of the presence and use of screens in worship that some will see as positive and others will see as negative; and that is that the use of screens is understood to imply a number of things to members and visitors:

• This church practices contemporary worship.
• This church incorporates contemporary music.
• This church is more attuned to youth than to older generations.

Screens, of course, cannot by themselves serve as proof of these three implications. Other proofs might include architecture, guitars and drums, worship furnishings and symbols, informality versus formality, structure and content of the liturgy, the language of worship, presence or absence of choirs or praise teams and bands, even the way worshipers are dressed.

So, SHOULD churches install and use screens to project hymns and liturgy for worship? That is a decision to be made by each congregation. We can say, however, that today a majority of United Methodist congregations are using screens and projection in worship; and the number is rising. What we do not know is if the trend is permanent, long-lasting, or temporary.