Over the past few years I have noticed a new emphasis in church life on AV and digital media ministries. We all know why, so rather than talking about that unpleasant elephant in the room, I would rather talk about one aspect of a good AV ministry: presentation software.
There are many different options for presentation software, some good and some bad, but a clear cut favorite has arisen in the past couple of years. In January of 2020, Renewed Vision officially announced ProPresenter 7, which they marketed as an all in one presentation and streaming software. This announcement was followed by enthusiasm for churches, and especially after the pandemic started many churches found themselves scrambling to set up a worship computer with this new software.
ProPresenter 7 is a great and expansive software, and really does contain just about everything most churches in the US could need in their presentation software. However, in the scramble to quickly get a livestream started, many churches found themselves with this great program but no knowledge of how to use it. Yes, there is a good help center to access, but many of these ministers have limited to no background with presentation technology.
I understand how difficult it is to learn a new program as expansive as ProPresenter 7. I know it sometimes feels like walking up to that soundboard with all of those knobs and sliders that most people struggle to comprehend.
The good news is that when you break it down to the basics and build from there, ProPresenter 7 (like that scary looking soundboard) is a lot simpler than it looks.
Christen and I are launching "A Church's Guide to ProPresenter 7" next month to help churches who are struggling to use this program correctly for their church so they can get the most out of it.
I want churches to understand that it can really help you have a great AV ministry when used correctly. I look forward to seeing you in class!
(Jonathan Boggs is the founder of Parable Media, and a friend and partner of Digital Congregations.)