Every eye in the congregation was looking in the direction of the preacher as he spoke.  The preacher had decided to engage more than the congregation's sense of hearing. He was using the projection of slides, charts and images to illustrate and enhance his spoken message. He was touching their minds and hearts through two of their five senses.

More and more we are seeing sermons being augmented through visual illustrations. The business world learned some time ago that visual aids greatly enhance any presentation. Learning specialists have told us that the average person absorbs about 80 percent of what they know through sight. So if the message is really important, it would make sense to use every tool available to communicate that message as effectively as possible.

What does it take to do a visually enhanced sermon? Let's look first at the logistical and equipment issues.

The Projection Surface
Although it might seem obvious, it is important to consider the location of where the projected images will be shown. First, it must be in the same general area as the speaker. Consider what it would be like to have the speaker on the right side of the sanctuary and the images projected on the left side of the sanctuary. Not only will the sense of connection between the speaker and the congregation be impaired, but some members of the congregation may develop "tennis neck" from swiveling back and forth.

The color, texture, and lighting of the projection surface are also important to consider. While a projection screen is an advantage, it is not always feasible. It is okay to use an existing surface, but if it's a dark colored surface, your images will have to compensate by being light colored or vice versa. The texture of the projection surface also has to be considered. If, for example, your surface is a tapestry, will its unevenness cause the image to be out of focus in places? Lighting is another important issue. While a bright sunbeam concentrating on the image surface just as the sermon begins might sound inspiring, it makes it very difficult to see the projected image due to the "wash out" effect.

The Projector
The projector is another major consideration in this effort. Its projection must be bright enough so the image can be seen under the room's normal lighting conditions. The measurement of a projector's brightness is given in lumens. The higher the number of lumens, the brighter the projector's light and the brighter the room can be and still have the image easy to see. If the lumens are too low, it might be necessary to darken the room in order for the images to be seen. Darkening the room during a sermon is not desirable even if it is feasible. So it is important to get this part right. Projector manufacturing companies can help you determine the minimum number of lumens you need for your specific environment (room size, distance from projector to screen, amount of ambient light). Keep in mind that the higher the number of lumens, the higher the price, normally. But this is not the place to try to cut costs. A projector that is not bright enough is worse than no projector at all.

Making the Presentation
When you have only a brief time to make your presentation, you can't afford to be unprepared. Preparation for this kind of sermon requires more effort. After preparing the traditional oral message, it is now necessary to create/design/prepare the slides and images that will make your message more understandable and more compelling. You cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that your message must be able to stand on its own, delivered with no supporting props. The purpose of the visual aids is to enhance the message, not become a substitute for it. You must also be judicious about how much "aid" you give your presentation. Technology and visuals, if not done carefully, can be more a distraction than enhancement.

In real estate, they say that the byword is "location, location, location." When using the kind of presentation techniques we have been discussing, the byword would be "practice, practice, practice." I don't mean practice to the point where the presentation loses its freshness, but certainly practice to the point where you are comfortable with the timing of your slides and know which ones will work and which will not. Getting another person's reaction and opinion is priceless. Just think--you have spent all week delivering your message in many different ways. This is the one time this week that you will get to deliver it in this very special way. It's worth the effort of practicing and being creative.

Afterwards
One of the drawbacks of using a multi-sense presentation is that the recording of it becomes more difficult and, therefore, the re-presentation of it over the Internet and on CD/DVD becomes more difficult and more expensive as well. Frequently, we settle for simply posting an audio of the sermon on the Internet or providing a copy of the audio on tape. But this limits the experience of the sermon to only one sense. The listener doesn't get to experience the slides or the facial expressions or the gestures. Yet they were part of how the message was delivered originally.

Until recently, if you wanted to "stream" more than the audio of the sermon you needed access to an expensive "streaming server" on the Internet. Fortunately, technology is progressing, and there is now software that will allow the capture of the slides, the video of the presenter, and the audio and can render it in a compact format that can be played back on the Internet without using expensive server technology. It can also be used to produce multi-media versions of the sermon on CDs and DVDs for distribution and for archiving.

While it is clear the we have no control over the response of those who hear our message, more and more, technology is providing us with the opportunity to present our message more clearly and compellingly so that those who do hear it will have fewer obstacles to overcome in responding to it.

Bill Haybyrne is the president of CMC Group, www.cmcgroup.com, an 11-year-old church management consulting firm.