Creating custom T-shirts is one of the best ways to bring excitement and unity to your church family. Until now, it’s been difficult to design creative shirts for your ministry. With The Church Shirt Kit, our new collection of ready-to-print apparel templates, anyone can do it! With 100+ included designs for baptism, production, greeters and swag, you can bring a creative look to every area of your church.

100+ Creative Shirt Designs Included

We’ve included shirts for every occasion. This kit contains designs for baptisms, production, greeters and even general swag that everyone in your church will love. You’re only a few easy steps away from your church family looking great! Learn More

Compatible With All Screen Printers

We’ve taken the guesswork out of designing shirts for your church. Simply choose the perfect style for your church’s needs, then submit the print-ready file to the screen printer of your choice. It couldn’t be easier to get an awesome look. Learn More

Bonus Lanyard Design Kit Included

We’ve included 20+ lanyard designs to help you identify staff and volunteers. These badges are the perfect way to bring an added level of professionalism. Learn More

Our team at CMG is always dreaming up new ways to help churches look great and reach their communities better than ever. We get excited when we can offer new products to move the global Church forward. Here are two new features that we’ve just rolled out to assist you in your ministry.

Vertical Motion & Still Backgrounds

Vertical video and stills (9:16) are becoming increasingly popular for use on mobile, as well as for Instagram and Facebook Stories. To help you make the most of these platforms, we’ve added the option to rotate our graphics 90° to fit into this vertical size. Now, everyone can download vertical stills, and CMG Premium Subscribers can download vertical motions.

Music For Countdown Timers

You spoke and we listened! We’ve added music tracks to all of our 2018 countdown timers. This new feature provides a great way to add extra energy to the buildup to your services. Prefer silent countdowns? No problem. There’s an option to exclude the music track when downloading.

ProPresenter is a powerful presentation software platform created specifically for use in churches. It is used primarily for displaying song lyrics, Bible verses, and videos. While this program is simple to use, creating pro-level looks can be challenging to get just right.

To help make it easy to take your slides to the next level, our team has put together a template filled with lyric designs. These 16 unique slides come bundled with still images from our popular Summer Splash CMG Pack.

The best part? This professional template is 100% free to download.

Video Tutorial

The following video tutorial from one of our previous templates will walk you through the basic concepts of using this in your church. Each part of this template is fully editable within ProPresenter 5 & 6, and is sure to take your presentations to the next level. You’re only a few clicks away from a new look for your screens.

About The Designer

This template was designed by Trevor Day. He has served in the church world and worked with ProPresenter for the past 10 years. He currently serves at The Village Church in Dallas, TX as their Assimilation Manager. Trevor is a zealous reader, food lover, and ping pong enthusiast. He enjoys making the mundane engaging.

Choosing the right font for your worship slides can be difficult. It’s important to present the lyrics that your church community sings in a way that’s clear and easy to read. However, it’s also important to display them in a way that looks good and fits well with current design styles.

This often leads media operators to either choose from a boring selection of fonts built into the computer or scouring the internet for fonts to download from thousands of confusing options.

Download & Use For Free

CMG Sans is 100% free to download and use in any way. Join over 2000 churches around the world who are trusting CMG Sans as their go-to font for worship lyric slides and more.

Projecting lyrics may not be the most exciting part of church production, but there’s no doubt that it provides a valuable service for your audience members. It’s particularly important for newcomers who are less likely to know the songs your worship team is singing. Because of this, it’s critical that we do our best to create slides that are easy to follow and look great, too.

Whether you’re new to church production or a seasoned pro, here are 10 important rules to keep in mind when projecting lyrics for your faith community:

1. Provide lyrics when you want people to sing along.

Wondering whether or not to display the words to worship songs, choir specials, or solo performances? A general rule of thumb is to provide lyrics to any song that you want your audience to sing along to. Some music in services may not require lyric slides, but most do.

Background From The September 2018 CMG Pack  (Font: CMG Sans)

2. Provide the words to each part of the song.

For your congregation to be able to sing along properly, be sure to include every part of the lyrics that will be sung from the stage in your slides. It can be helpful for the operator to place these slides in order as they’ll be used.

3. Choose a font that is easy to read.

Sans serif fonts are by far the easiest typefaces to read for worship projection. They look clean and neat on your slides, plus they are what many people are used to seeing on screens. We have created our own font, CMG Sans, that is specially designed to look great in church environments. It’s available to download and use in your church for free.

CMG Sans – The World’s Best Lyric Font

Background From The September 2018 CMG Pack  (Font: CMG Sans)

4. Make your font size large enough for everyone.

While you don’t want your slides completely consumed by text, it is important to have your words be visible. A good rule of thumb is to have your text be clearly legible from every seat in the room. Don’t be afraid to use less lyrics per slide if necessary for larger text.

5. Use dark backgrounds behind your text.

Since white text is the standard look for projected lyrics, using dark backgrounds is best for visibility. Even with a shadow behind your words, it’s recommended to avoid light-colored backgrounds altogether. Deep colored backgrounds also look great on projectors and help the white text to stand out.

Background From The September 2018 CMG Pack  (Font: CMG Sans)

6. Use 1-2 backgrounds for each song.

While some churches choose to use one background for the entire duration of a service, using different imagery for each song can complement the change in music. Using one background per song is today’s standard, however, another option is to change to a second background in the big moments of a musical piece.

7. Use backgrounds that match the song tempo.

Just as important as choosing a worship background for your lyric slides that looks good is choosing one that matches the speed of the song. For example, you wouldn’t want a slow, reflective song to be interrupted by fast, exciting movements in a background. Match the tempo of the song as closely as you can.

Background From The September 2018 CMG Pack  (Font: CMG Sans)

8. Break lyrics up into bite-size pieces.

It can be tempting to squeeze a lot of lyrics onto a slide to make it easier for the operator to keep up. Unfortunately, large sets of text make it difficult for your audience to jump in and can ultimately cause more damage than good. Stick to 1-2 lines of text per slide and think of 4 lines as your max.

9. Display each lyric slide just before it’s sung.

Lyrics should be displayed just before they’re sung so that audience members have enough time to comprehend the next line. It can be helpful to transition to your next slide while your congregation is singing the last word of the current slide. This small change in timing makes a huge difference in crowd participation.

Background From The September 2018 CMG Pack  (Font: CMG Sans)

10. Follow the worship leader as needed.

It’s important to be flexible when displaying your song lyrics. Worship leaders should have the freedom to move around in the song or repeat certain parts differently than the original version. Do everything you can to plan ahead for your worship time, but be prepared to make changes on the fly as needed.

Church Motion Graphics has been bringing you fresh motion backgrounds since 2010. We have had the opportunity to work with thousands of churches around the world to help bring their screens to life. 

Play Game Now

In that time, we have built an incredible bond with our subscribers. Our CMG community is super loyal, and sometimes it seems like you know our products even better than we do! 

So, we thought we’d create a cool way to test your knowledge of CMG motions. We’re excited to introduce Know Your CMG – the fun game designed to see if you truly know your CMG Packs.

Playing is simple. You’ll be presented with 15 randomly selected CMG stills, each with 3 possible CMG Packs that it could be from. Can you identify which pack it belongs to? 

Have fun challenging your friends and church tech team with this surprisingly difficult game. How many can you answer correctly? Can you get a perfect score?

Share your score on social media with the hashtag #KnowYourCMG.

No matter how many smartphone apps there are for note taking, there will always be something special about putting pen to paper. This is particularly true for creatives who are constantly capturing ideas and inspiration.

After polling our Visual Church Media Facebook Group on their favorite notebooks, we compiled this list of recommendations for your next notebook purchase.

1. Moleskine Reporter

Price: $14.99

Why It’s Awesome: Moleskine notebooks are infamous for their superior quality and endurance. This version flips upward, which allows the use of the full page without the interference of binding.

2. Rocketbook Erasable Wirebound

Price: $33.98

Why It’s Awesome: This notebook includes 32 reusable pages that can wipe clean with a damp cloth when used with Pilot FriXion pens. Plus, with an app, can easily be uploaded to the cloud service of your choice.

3. Moleskine Classic Notebook

Price: $13.10

Why It’s Awesome: This extremely high-quality notebook is great for journaling or note keeping. It includes a pocket in the back for cards, photos, etc. Plus, it comes with Moleskine’s famous ribbon bookmark.

4. Field Notes Memo Book

Price: $9.95

Why It’s Awesome: This small notebook is perfect to carry with you every day. It easily fits in your back pocket and is always ready when inspiration hits.

5. Leuchtturm1917 Medium Hardcover

Price: $19.95

Why It’s Awesome: This medium, hardcover notebook is perfect for capturing creative ideas and meeting notes. It comes in a variety of colors to fit your personal style.

6. Amazon Basics Classic Notebook

Price: $7.19

Why It’s Awesome: Products from Amazon Basics are known for their great prices and impressive quality. This is a great alternative to Moleskine notebooks.

7. Rhodiarama Softcover Dot Notebook

Price: $15.05

Why It’s Awesome: This notebook is known for its endurance and personality. It comes in many colors, features a unique, orange bookmark, and is proven to stand up to much abuse.

8. Lemome Hardcover Classic Notebook

Price: $14.99

Why It’s Awesome: This notebook is known for its thick pages and special penholder on the binding. It’s a great choice for creatives who like to mockup designs on paper.

Affiliate Link Notice

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, CMG may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

We created CMG Sans to be an easy, go-to font for lyric slides that would look great in any worship environment. It comes in several weights and versions that allow you to get really creative with how your screens look in your church. Did we mention you can download it for FREE?

Try These 10 CMG Sans Looks

Here are ten of our favorite lyric looks that are easy to create using CMG Sans. The settings to mimic these styles are included below each image and are taken from ProPresenter 6. All of the backgrounds used in these examples are from the Nature Tone CMG Extras Pack.

1. Brilliant Bold

Weight: CMG Sans Bold
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: Title Case
Size: 115
Tracking: -5

2. Majestic Medium

Weight: CMG Sans Medium
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: All Caps
Size: 80
Tracking: 20

3. Extra Emphasized

Weight: CMG Sans Extra Bold Italic
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: Title Case
Size: 110
Tracking: -1

4. Bold Beautiful

Weight: CMG Sans Bold
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: Title Case
Size: 110
Tracking: 3

5. Capital Condensed

Weight: CMG Sans Bold Condensed
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: All Caps
Size: 110
Tracking: 5

6. Mysterious Medium

Weight: CMG Sans Medium Italic
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: All Caps
Size: 105
Tracking: 5

7. Cool Condensed

Weight: CMG Sans Bold Condensed
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: Title Case
Size: 120
Tracking: 5

8. Semi Subtle

Weight: CMG Sans Semi Bold
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: Title Case
Size: 110
Tracking: 2

9. Radical Regular

Weight: CMG Sans Regular
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: All Caps
Size: 90
Tracking: 12

10. Brave Bold

Weight: CMG Sans Black
Background: Nature Tone CMG Extras
Capitalization: All Caps
Size: 85
Tracking: 6

Fall is finally here! Such a beautiful time of the year deserves to have great looking slides in your church to match. Whether it’s announcement or sermon slides, CMG Templates makes it easy for your screens to look fantastic.

Here are 10 of our favorite Fall and Thanksgiving slide templates that are available for download today. Each of these includes both fully-editable Photoshop files and blank versions so that you can add your own text.

View Our Full CMG Template Collection

Download Fall Kickoff Template

Download Thanksgiving Table Template

Download Fall Festival Template

Download Thanksgiving Blessings Template

Download Fall Bake Sale Template

Download Thanksgiving Banquet Template

Download Give Thanks Template

Download Fall Retreat Template

Download Friendsgiving Template

Download Thanksgiving Turkey Template

Matthew Kirby is a member of our Facebook Community and has created a useful After Effects template for quickly creating countdown timers. Download the project file to get started.

After Effects Instructions

1. Download and Install CMG Sans Bold Mono Digits font
2. Open AE File “Countdown Timer Template”
3. Select “Control” layer (Layer 1)
4. Adjust Timer Duration to desired length (in seconds)
   Note: Countdown timer opacity is key-framed to fade in. Add 1 second to total time on “Timer Duration Slider” so that the start time displays before counting down.
5. Adjust Text / Gradient Shadow color as desired.
6. Add CMG Motion Background underneath Countdown Timer layer. Loop as necessary.
   Note: Enable Time Remapping on motion background video layer. Alt/Option-Click the stopwatch and paste this expression:

loopOut(type=”cycle”,numKeyframes=0)

click out of expression editor window
7. Export Video

After Effects Screenshots

The world has gone digital all around us, but there is still something special about putting pen to paper. This is especially true for church techs who are constantly capturing ideas and inspiration.

After polling our Visual Church Media Facebook Group on their favorite pens, we compiled this list of recommendations for your next note taking purchase.

1. Pilot G2 Premium Gel Roller Pen

Price: $6.59

Why It’s Awesome: The G2 writes longer than the average of the top branded gel ink pens. Its dynamic ink formula is smear-proof and smooth-writing. Did we mention it’s America’s #1 selling gel pen?

2. Zebra F-301 Ballpoint Pen

Price: $7.69

Why It’s Awesome: The F-301 is a perfectly portable steel pen with a secure metal clip which guarantees your pen will be there when you need it. It combines style, strength, and value. The lightweight yet durable stainless steel barrel provides a modern and attractive appearance.

3. Lamy Safari Fountain Pen

Price: $28.99

Why It’s Awesome: Lamy fountain pens are known for their superior writing performance. This high-quality pen is great for journaling or note keeping. It’s lightweight and durable, plus it writes smoothly and beautifully.

4. Fisher Bullet Space Pen

Price: $17.56

Why It’s Awesome: Each Fisher Space Pen is precision assembled, hand tested, and carries a lifetime guarantee against all manufacturing defects. It writes at any angle, even in zero gravity and extreme temperatures.

5. Paper Mate InkJoy 700RT Pen

Price: $13.99

Why It’s Awesome: This pen delivers a fluid writing experience that combines ultra-smooth ink with an optimized ballpoint tip to deliver a seamless and dependable flow of ink that keeps pace with your thoughts.

6. TUL Element Retractable Ballpoint Pen

Price: $16.95

Why It’s Awesome: This sleek and classy pen combines superior writing performance with a memorable comfort grip. It’s controlled and well-balanced, plus its smooth ink reduces drag.

7. Sharpie Plastic Fine Point Pen

Price: $14.56

Why It’s Awesome: Sharpie is already famous in church tech circles, but they now have more to offer than markers. This pen features quick-drying ink that is both water and fade-resistant. Did we mention it won’t bleed through paper?

8. Pentel EnerGel Alloy RT Gel Pen

Price: $9.87

Why It’s Awesome: EnerGel ink dries super fast, which is why left-handed writers love this pen. It promises no smears, smudges, or globs. Its case is made of strong, aluminum alloy and features a sturdy metal tip.

Affiliate Link Notice

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, CMG may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Looking to bring some excitement to your worship team’s lyric slides? The October 2018 CMG Pack has been one of our most popular collections of motion backgrounds in the past year. These Noise Play animated backgrounds and titles combine two trendy design elements – analog noise and colorful waves – to bring a totally unique look.

Try These 8 Noise Play Lyric Looks

To make your church’s screens look even more creative, we’ve put together 8 slide arrangements that are easy to recreate in your presentation software. We hope they will inspire you!

1. Thin Split Lines

Font: CMG Sans SemiBold
Background: Noise Play Arctic

2. Bold White Box

Font: CMG Sans Black
Background: Noise Play Awake

3. Emphasized Electric Lines

Font: CMG Sans Bold Italic
Background: Noise Play Gold

4. Simple And Spaced

Font: CMG Sans Medium
Background: Noise Play Hills

5. Dual White Bars

Font: CMG Sans SemiBold
Background: Noise Play Ocean

6. Deep Dark Circle

Font: CMG Sans ExtraBold
Background: Noise Play Party

7. Single Strong Box

Font: CMG Sans Bold
Background: Noise Play Rows

8. Subtle Solid Bar

Font: CMG Sans Regular
Background: Noise Play Blank

Church tech includes some of the most exciting elements of our worship services: sound, lighting, video, presentations, photography, and design. No matter which area of tech you serve in for your ministry, you need gear to get the job done.

After polling our Visual Church Media Facebook Group on their favorite gear under $100, we compiled this list of recommendations for your next purchase.

1. JOBY GorillaPod 3K Compact Tripod

Price: $54.95

Why It’s Awesome: The GorillaPod is a must have for any photographer, cinematographer or vlogger. This flexible, creative tripod makes it easy to capture stable video from anywhere.

2. Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Professional Headphones

Price: $69.00

Why It’s Awesome: These professional headphones have a durable design that provide high-quality sound suitable for studio or field recording use. They fold up easily for compact storage and have convenient single-side cabling.

3. iFixit Pro Tech Repair Toolkit

Price: $64.99

Why It’s Awesome: This toolkit is the perfect companion for those working with any tech or electronic device. Repairs and upgrades that would cost hundreds of dollars become possible for any user armed with this tools.

4. Rapco Horizon LTIGLBLOX Laptop Interface

Price: $54.95

Why It’s Awesome: This is the perfect companion for hooking laptops, tablets, and phones to church sound systems. This self-contained unit converts input from consumer grade equipment to a mic level balanced output.

5. WD 4TB My Passport USB 3.0 Hard Drive

Price: $99.97

Why It’s Awesome: This portable hard drive packs a massive 4 terabytes of storage into a convenient, compact device. It features speedy USB 3.0, plus includes a number of extra features you won’t find on other similar products.

6. Logitech MK710 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

Price: $59.99

Why It’s Awesome: This keyboard + mouse combo comes loaded with many features including a LCD dashboard, incurve keys, and 3 years of battery life. If you’re looking to level up your productivity, this set is right for you.

7. JBonest 16 Outlet, 4 USB Port Power Strip Tower

Price: $30.99

Why It’s Awesome: Take your workspace to the next level with this tower that makes it easy to power up. This is the perfect addition to any tech booth or creative space in your church.

8. Rode VideoMicro Microphone

Price: $56.20

Why It’s Awesome:The VideoMicro is a compact microphone designed to improve the audio quality of your videos. It incorporates a high-quality cardioid condenser microphone capsule for great quality audio recordings when used with a wide range of cameras.

9. Kensington Wireless Presenter & Laser

Price: $58.96

Why It’s Awesome: This plug and play presenter remote is the perfect addition for pastoral teachers. It works straight out of the box and has a 45 meter range. It’s also comparable with Windows and Mac.

10. Decimator Design MD-LX HDMI/SDI Converter

Price: $99.95

Why It’s Awesome: Decimator has become synonymous with quality when it comes to video adapters. This versatile adapter allows for bidirectional conversion of HDMI and SDI cables.

Affiliate Link Notice

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, CMG may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Looking to bring some excitement to your worship team’s lyric slides? The November 2018 CMG Pack has been one of our most buzzworthy collections of motion backgrounds in the past year. These Feather Flow backgrounds utilize colorful feathers, lighting, and movement to create a stunning look that stands out from the norm.

Combine With These Free Broken Frames

To make your church’s screens even more creative, we’ve put together 10 free broken frame Pro Layers that you can add easily add to your slides for an incredible look.

Broken Box Look #1

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 01
Font: CMG Sans Bold Condensed
Background: Feather Flow Bend

Broken Box Look #2

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 09
Font: CMG Sans Light Italic
Background: Feather Flow Cool

Broken Box Look #3

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 08
Font: CMG Sans Regular
Background: Feather Flow Heat

Broken Box Look #4

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 07
Font: CMG Sans Medium Italic
Background: Feather Flow Drop

Broken Box Look #5

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 06
Font: CMG Sans Semi Bold
Background: Feather Flow Peacock

Broken Box Look #6

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 05
Font: CMG Sans Bold Italic
Background: Feather Flow Pop

Broken Box Look #7

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 04
Font: CMG Sans Extra Bold
Background: Feather Flow Raven

Broken Box Look #8

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 03
Font: CMG Sans Extra Bold Italic
Background: Feather Flow Scatter

Broken Box Look #9

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 02
Font: CMG Sans Black
Background: Feather Flow Soft

Broken Box Look #10

Pro Layer: Broken Frame 10
Font: CMG Sans Bold Outline
Background: Feather Flow Wing

Ready to bring the wow factor to your church’s Christmas services? At Church Motion Graphics, we’ve made it easy to utilize the power of visuals to inspire your community in ways like never before. Here are ten holiday ideas we’ve come up with to bring creativity to every moment of your time worshipping together:

1. A Custom Event Graphic

Having a central look and theme is the best way to start promoting your Christmas services. We’ve created these FREE templates that you can download to make it easy. These images are print-quality and come in both JPEG and Photoshop formats. Simply insert your church’s name and you’re done! Plus, they match the look of our December 2018 CMG Pack.

2. Social Media Posts

Since all of your community is on social media, posting engaging content on your church’s pages is essential around Christmastime. Our CMG Social library contains 1150 graphics that will take your church’s social media to the next level. Included in this collection is 100 Christmas images that your church can use all December long. These visual posts will bring life to your social pages and help spread the word about your church.

3. A Custom Facebook Profile Frame

Help your congregation spread the word to their friends about your Christmas services by creating a custom Facebook profile frame. This service is offered for free to all Facebook Pages. We have created 3 free templates to help you get started. Plus, they match our popular December 2018 CMG Pack!

4. Announcement Slides

Make it easy for your audience to know what’s happening in your church by using announcement slides. Our CMG Template library is filled with many announcements like these that you can customize to fit your events perfectly.

5. Countdown Video

Countdown timers make it easy to let your congregation know that it’s time to find a seat as your service begins. A matching countdown video is included in each month’s CMG Pack like this one that’s from the December pack.

6. Christmas Video Opener

Video openers are a great way to capture the attention of your audience. This short video was created specifically for the 2018 holiday and is included for FREE with all CMG Subscriptions. It’s an easy way to add a special creative detail to your services.

7. Worship Backgrounds

Motion backgrounds are the perfect way to create a dynamic visual experience during your church’s worship songs. They bring creativity to an otherwise boring aspect of your service – text lyrics. Each of these motions can be found in our new December pack.

8. Custom-Built Titles

Make it easy for your audience to know what’s happening in each moment of your service with custom titles. Our Title Builder tool allows you to easily create custom stills and motion title slides to fit your ministry’s needs.

9. Sermon Graphics

Using a creative visual with your preaching and teaching can create a lasting impression. Our CMG Template library is filled with hundreds of customizable sermon graphics that make it easy to grab the attention of your congregation during your messages. Included in this library are dozens that are perfect for Christmas.

10. Exit Slide

Fill your screens with a friendly graphic saying goodbye as your guests leave. It’s a great way to leave a lasting impression on your audience from your service. This moving exit background is also included in the December pack.

Want These Looks For Christmas?

We love helping churches look great and make a big impact in their communities. Become a Subscriber to get access to all of the latest CMG Packs!

Join A CMG Subscription Today

Christmas is almost here, and churches all over the world are preparing for powerful worship services to celebrate the birth of our Savior. One of the most important elements of every Christmas service is the music.

To help make your life easier going into your holiday services, we’ve handpicked motion backgrounds that match perfectly with the top 10 most popular songs for this season. All of these motions are from our new December 2018 CMG Pack.

1. Joy To The World

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Party
Artist: Jeremy Riddle, Hillsong Worship, Chris Tomlin
Tempo Match: Medium

2. Noel

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Star
Artist: Chris Tomlin, Hillsong Worship
Tempo Match: Subtle

3. O Holy Night

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Fall
Artist: Hillsong Worship, Lauren Daigle
Tempo Match: Subtle

4. Angels We Have Heard On High

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Lava
Artist: Chris Tomlin, For King & Country
Tempo Match: Medium

5. O Come All Ye Faithful

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Eve
Artist: Jeremy Riddle, Hillsong Worship
Tempo Match: Slow

6. Silent Night

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Darkness
Artist: Chris Tomlin
Tempo Match: Slow

7. Here Comes Heaven

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Gold
Artist: Elevation Worship
Tempo Match: Medium

8. Little Drummer Boy

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Blast
Artist: For King & Country
Tempo Match: Fast

9. Light of the World

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Special
Artist: Lauren Daigle
Tempo Match: Medium

10. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

December 2018 CMG Pack | Glitter Bliss Tinsel
Artist: Kim Walker-Smith
Tempo Match: Slow

Christmastime is a special season for every church. Not only is it a time that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, but it’s also a holiday that brings people together unlike anything else.

Christmas provides a tremendous opportunity for your church to reach out to your community. Since people are more inclined to visit a church for the first time in this season, it’s the perfect time to put your best foot forward in creating a welcoming church experience.

Here are nine simple tweaks that you can make to make your guests feel more welcome at your church this holiday season:

1. Advertise Your Service Times On Social Media

Make it easy for newcomers to find your Christmas services times by having them posted on your website and all of your social pages. Use an eye-catching image like these examples from the CMG Social collection and keep it pinned to the top of your page.

See Full CMG Social Christmas Collection

2. Display The Names of Speakers

As a visitor to a church, you are surrounded by many people that you don’t know. It can be helpful to display the names on your screens of speakers and leaders who take the stage. Just knowing the names of a few prominent people can bring comfort and give a sense of belonging.

Get Backgrounds Like This With The December 2018 CMG Pack

3. Communicate Things Regulars Already Know

For those who attend your church regularly, you probably take for granted how many methods, programs, and traditions just come naturally to you on Sundays. Things as simple as how you take communion, what activities you have for children, or how you read scripture together are complete unknowns for guests. Take a moment to explain the things that are well-known to your regulars.

Get Slides Like This In Our CMG Template Collection

4. Create An Inviting Atmosphere

What does it mean to be inviting? Just imagine having guests at your home for Christmas. In the same way, your church should be clean and well-decorated for the occasion. A dingy lobby or dirty restrooms can be immediate turn-offs for the guests that you worked hard to invite. Use Christmas-themed decorations or screen visuals to bring a sense of familiarity to the space.

Get Graphics Like This With The December 2018 CMG Pack

5. Provide Lyrics For Every Worship Song

Your best chance at getting a newcomer to sing along with your worship team will come with providing the lyrics on your screens. As a basic rule of thumb, project lyrics to every song that you want your audience to sing along to at your service. Ensure that the words are clearly legible by using a clear font and high-contrast backgrounds.

Get Backgrounds Like This With The December 2018 CMG Pack

6. Use A Countdown To Get Things Started

Countdown timers make it easy to let your audience know that it’s time to find a seat as your service begins. This can be especially useful for guests who will be deciding where to sit in your auditorium for the first time.

Get This Countdown Timer With The December 2018 CMG Pack

7. Identify What’s Happening At Each Moment

Make it easy for newcomers to know what’s happening in each moment of your service by displaying titles onscreen for each element. This extra bit of information keeps everyone in your audience on the same page and leaves no room for confusion.

Get Titles Like This With The December 2018 CMG Pack

8. Display All Bible Verses From The Screen

Many newcomers will not bring a hardcopy Bible to your service or even have a Bible app on their phones. For this reason, it’s always helpful to display any Scripture that is read in your service on your screens for all to see. This can also go a long way to add clarity to your sermons, especially when using multiple verses from around the Bible.

Get Slides Like This In Our CMG Template Collection

9. Promote What’s Next After The Holiday

Since you’ll have a larger crowd on special days like Christmas, it’s the perfect opportunity to announce upcoming events and plans for the upcoming year at your church. Guests at your church appreciate these announcements so that they can see what your ministry is like outside of the holiday.

Get Slides Like This In Our CMG Template Collection

Displaying colorful backgrounds behind your worship lyrics on your projectors or screens is by far the easiest way to add a creative element to your church’s time of singing. It takes things that are otherwise boring – plain text slides – and transforms them into engaging artwork that enhances the overall experience of your music.

You have probably seen these backgrounds, whether motion or still, used in worship moments at other churches, concerts, or events. You may have even used them in your ministry context, but are still wondering about the proper way to use these media tools. In this blog post, we have the answers that you’ve been searching for about worship backgrounds. 

How Often Should You Change Worship Backgrounds In A Service?

The most popular method for using backgrounds during worship is to use one motion or still for each individual song. This single background is displayed behind all of the pieces of a song (verses, chorus, bridge, etc.) from start to finish. So, if your set list includes 4 songs, you would use 4 backgrounds. 

It’s important to note that with this method each background should match the song in terms of speed, mood, and theme. For example, a slow, intimate song about finding solace in Christ could be paired with a slow-moving, deep blue background with a cross. In contrast, an energetic opener song about lifting up praise could be paired with a fast, bright orange motion with rising particles. This creates a unique, visual experience for each song that is very moving.

Taking It One Step Further

To take this look one step further, some churches choose to use multiple backgrounds per song. This is typically done by assigning one background to the majority of the song, such as the verses, then swapping to another during the chorus or bridge as the tempo of the song changes. This method should be used carefully because it can easily become more of a hindrance than a help. However, when executed properly, it can create a powerful visual moment in worship.

No matter how many backgrounds you choose to use in your worship service, they should all match and come from the same visual theme. This level of excellence and consistency brings comfort to your audience. This is easy to achieve by using CMG Packs that come with 15+ coordinating motion backgrounds. 

How Often Should You Update The Style of Your Worship Backgrounds?

The most common method for updating the overall look of worship backgrounds is to bring in a new look every month. After about 4 weeks of using a style, the “newness” of a look tends to wear off. Also, depending on the time of year, changes in weather and seasons of life will call for an update in your backgrounds. For example, backgrounds with a Summer, ocean theme are perfect for August, but wouldn’t pair well with September as you’re heading into Fall. 

Familiarity & Change

When using a particular look of backgrounds for an entire month, you give your audience a sense of familiarity in that season. It allows you to determine the overall feel for those worship services. Then, as a new month begins, you can hit the reset button and bring a boost of enthusiasm by premiering new visuals. 

We have made it easy and affordable to get a fresh look every month like this with our monthly CMG Packs. Every month, you get a new pack of motion backgrounds delivered to your inbox.

Taking It One Step Further

To take this one step further, some churches choose to use a completely new look every single week. They will use backgrounds with the same visual style for every song in an entire service, then change it up for the following weekend. If you plan to use a large number of backgrounds like this, the CMG Premium Subscription is for you. You’ll gain unlimited access to over 175 unique packs of worship backgrounds for an unbeatable price.

No matter what creative role you have in your church, there is one thing that unites us all – a love for coffee. Okay, so maybe not ALL of us love coffee, but maybe you can appreciate a good cup of tea or hot chocolate. Whatever your choice of hot beverage, you’ll need something to put it in.

After polling our Visual Church Media Facebook Group on their favorite coffee mugs, we compiled this list of recommendations for your next cup or tumbler purchase.

1. YETI Rambler 20 oz Stainless Steel Tumbler

Price: $29.99

Why It’s Awesome: Yeti is known for its superior quality drink ware. This tumbler comes standard with the YETI MagSlider Lid, the only drink lid that uses the power of magnets to keep your beverage on lock.

2. Ember Temperature Control Travel Mug

Price: $149.99

Why It’s Awesome: Ember is a connected device that can be used on its own or through the app. The app allows you to remotely change your temperature, name your mug, create presets, and choose notification preferences.

3. Contigo Handled Autoseal Travel Mug

Price: $19.84

Why It’s Awesome: You can sip confidently knowing that your mug’s autoseal technology is leak-proof and spill-proof. Drinks stay hot up to 5 hours or cold up to 15 hours thanks to vacuum insulation.

4. Zojirushi SM-SA60-BA Stainless Steel Mug

Price: $29.99

Why It’s Awesome: A special manufacturing technique was used to make the body ultra-lightweight and compact. This lid completely disassembles for easy and thorough cleaning, plus the vacuum insulation provides superior heat retention.

5. GSI Outdoors Commuter JavaPress

Price: $22.95

Why It’s Awesome: The Commuter JavaPress features an incredibly clever, sliding inner carafe, which replaces the rod from classic French Presses for unencumbered drinking. It includes a ballistic cloth-wrapped, foam cozy sleeve insulates hands and coffee for a secure grip.

6. Strata Camera Lens Coffee Mug

Price: $22.95

Why It’s Awesome: Take your love for photography one step further by bringing it into your morning coffee routine. This travel mug perfectly resembles the look of a 24-105mm camera lens. It will blend right in with the rest of your gear.

7. Simple Modern Tumbler with Straw & Flip Lid

Price: $17.99

Why It’s Awesome: Simple Modern Classic tumblers are double walled and vacuum insulated, which keeps your favorite beverage hot or cold for hours. Two lids are included—an internally threaded insulated straw lid and insulated flip lid. It also features a matte powder coat finish that is super durable.

8. Mighty Mug 1571 Biggie Airlock Travel Mug

Price: $29.99

Why It’s Awesome: Avoid ruining important documents and sip around your electronics worry-free because this mug won’t fall over when when bumped into, but lifts 100% naturally. It’s smartgrip function never wears out and is guaranteed to work on any smooth, flat surface.

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