teleprompters for pastors...

[RamboPreacher]

if i get teleprompters for church, would i then be rev. brent obamafling? heheheee

how many churches have a video monitor available so that the pastor can see what's being projected as he is at the pulpit?

I had installed a 7" flat panel in our pulpit some years ago (shortly after I started attending COGOP). and have some comments about it, but was wondering if anyone else has this, or perhaps a digital projector or CRT's or something similar that the pastor can see what is being projected, usually behind him (or otherwise out of site)?

any comments on this kind of setup, good, bad, experiences?

[dolfan]

I once used a laptop -- this was years ago -- and it just didn't go as well as I'd hoped. When I did preach, I was at my best when I had fully typed out my thoughts and just went by that. Always struggled with the in-my-head need to be free of notes, but I just did better fleshing it out on paper, manuscript typing but conversational language and tone, and more or less reading it.

[Paully_44]

if i get teleprompters for church, would i then be rev. brent obamafling? heheheee

how many churches have a video monitor available so that the pastor can see what's being projected as he is at the pulpit?

I had installed a 7" flat panel in our pulpit some years ago (shortly after I started attending COGOP). and have some comments about it, but was wondering if anyone else has this, or perhaps a digital projector or CRT's or something similar that the pastor can see what is being projected, usually behind him (or otherwise out of site)?

any comments on this kind of setup, good, bad, experiences?

well, we dont have a teleprompter, but I do have 2 projectors. 1 projecting to the front wall for the audience to see & 1 pointing to the backwall for those on stage. All those who have visited loved having their scriptures and notes on the back wall to see as well.

Worship team likes having the words on the back also.

[Pianoman]

if i get teleprompters for church, would i then be rev. brent obamafling? heheheee

how many churches have a video monitor available so that the pastor can see what's being projected as he is at the pulpit?

I had installed a 7" flat panel in our pulpit some years ago (shortly after I started attending COGOP). and have some comments about it, but was wondering if anyone else has this, or perhaps a digital projector or CRT's or something similar that the pastor can see what is being projected, usually behind him (or otherwise out of site)?

any comments on this kind of setup, good, bad, experiences?

I suppose it might depend on what you want to use it for - but I've
seen a lot of churches that use a projector behind the
congregation on the back wall so the pastor & praise team can
follow the words during singing or pastor can read Bible text.
Have also seen TVs on the platform floor hidden behind plants
like sound monitors for the same purpose (although it's sometimes
a bit more obvious that folks are looking down at those).

In a decent sized church - usually don't notice the folks on the
platform reading from the back wall setup - just appears they
are looking out at the congregation & seems to keep better
eye contact.

I think either of these setups is great as long as it's not too
obvious that they are looking away or down at something.
I prefer the setup to be as transparent as possible.

I've noticed on television lately a few folks that have their laptops
unfolded on top of the pulpit & that seems a bit distracting to me.
Probably wouldn't be so distracting in person - but on TV when they
keep a tight zoomed in pulpit angle - just seems like it's taking up
a big chunk of the shot.

[Pastor Gary]

I am a manuscript preacher. I write out my thoughts in manuscript form, even though I do not read the notes word-for-word, and insert parenthetical thoughts.

I have tried using a prompter. I obtained some Mac software called "Presentation Prompter" and used it a few times. I like having my notes scroll past (or advance a screen-full at a time) but tried to drive it myself, and found controlling the speed (scroll-rate) and pauses distracting. If I had an operator sensitive to the flow and capable of driving the prompter for me, I would use it more.

As it stands, I use an old-school white 3-ring binder with notes printed out in a big 16-point sans serif font so I can glance down and keep up, without burying my face in the notes, and I can see them from several paces as I step away from the music stand/pulpit.

[RamboPreacher]

Great comments. any more? PG - with your notes, may I ask about how many "pages" turns into a 1/2 hour or 45 minute message?

Our local church doesn't' have a place for a back projector (I have tried). and we have tried the TV monitor thing too, but our platform is not extremely large, and the only place that really worked is in the pulpit itself. and that turned out to be too much of a distraction for the speaker, even with the little monitor on top in the corner.

I know many people that really, really like the little monitor, so that the power points/slides were there. In fact, some speakers that come to our church and know our setup have a print out of their notes, but only as a back up. What they do is have a slide up and then expound on that slide, then go to the next, and continue, etc.. the slides apparenlty bring to them a memory/direction to bring the message they have prepared.

since I tend to teach more than "preach" (a style, not a definition), I have found that using slides is kind of a hinderence for me. I get going, and if the Spirit leads me to go in a slightly different direction, my slides don't match up. maybe it's just me, but i have discovered that a whiteboard works great for me. I have even used a digital whiteboard in my Sunday School class with my touch screen tablet PC and digital projector (My fathers day present mentioned before) - and though I am not an artist, I feel more "free" to move in the message that I believe is fresh for that people.

[JohnDB]

We use one...well...two screens

But it is for the choir and the music director/soloist more than it is for the pastor.

The choir director looks at what I am putting up on the screen for everyone...if he isn't looking at the choir or the orchestra.

The pastor gets a clock...heh heh heh...but that is mostly for the recording for the radio program (his sermons are broadcast over a local radio station)

His notes aren't on it...they are usually taped to the inside of his bible or the podium...

But I have seen him speak and be as lost as last year's easter egg before. Happens to all of us once in a while.

[darylscook]

We have a projector that projects the song for the audience. It is connected to a 19" Monitor right behind the built-in altars on the Worship leaders side. Additionally the laptop that runs the songs and my scriptures are behind the Altar on the other side. I actually run the PPT using a remote (the remote has a page up and page down funtion). While preaching, I read my scriptures directly off the Laptop monitor. I can read it standing a couple feet behind the pulpit. This method may not work when I get older and/or my eyesight worsens, but for now it works great and I have no problems seeing it.

[j]

We use two projectors, front and back wall. At first the Committee did not like the idea but then they saw the advantages and now they love it. It helps with the Praise and Worship and Choir. I use videos and ppts, and this aids in the message getting across to the congregation. It was a wonderful investment.

[one love]

Rambo I type all my messages before hand. I use my notes when I preach, which I do not read from "word for word" but have it to stay on track etc.

45 mins is about 4-6 pages of a 12 font for me..