Church Media Blog

There’s a lot of great media out there to use for Christmas, right? With all the great possibilities to choose from, how in the world do we narrow it down? How do you sift through all the Christmas trees, snow globes, stockings, cookies, mangers, donkeys, stars, shepherds, and babies in order to use the most relevant, impactful media you can find? Well, I think I can help you out with that!

Our friends at Playback Media have been creating compelling media for years, and they have some amazing Christmas collections I want to share with you. The word “collections” is important because I am only showing you one possible image that is part of a much larger collection that could include: motion backgrounds, still backgrounds, and countdowns. Be sure to look at each collection to see how the media might fit into your Christmas themed services this year.

Christmas Village Collection

Peaceful Advent Collection

Trendy Christmas Collection

Merry Evergreens Collection

Modern Christmas Collection

Wooden Christmas Collection

Happy December, everyone! Can you believe Christmas and 2018 are just around the corner? It’s amazing how quickly time flies by. In all of your prepping for the Christmas season, have you stocked up on your FREE media to use at church? Well, check out some of the deals we’ve found to help you as you prepare for your Christmas services this month. But first, here are the top 5 reasons why FREE media is, by far, the BEST media:

1. It doesn’t cost you a dime
2. You can download it and surprise your creative team
3. You don’t need a credit card
4. You can use it this year and/or next year
5. You don’t need approval to download it
6. It will bless your church (this was a bonus item)

WorshipHouse Media

This Christmas season, we have partnered with our amazing producers to give you 24 free items of media, just to say Merry Christmas and thank you for serving The Church! Visit this page every day to download your freebie.

Healing Spirit Scripture Countdown by Playback Media

This countdown features a beautiful abstract image of a nebula in outer space. What looks like stars slowly drift out from the middle of the nebula. What looks like space fog also drifts out from the nebula. The cool hues help set a peaceful serene feeling. At the top a five-minute countdown appears. Throughout the countdown different bible verses appear about the Holy Spirit and the role he plays in a believers life. This is a gorgeous background to help set a calm meditative mood for any setting and is a great starting background for any time of the year! It’s also a great background for talking about the Holy Spirit and the comfort and healing he can bring to life. The Healing Spirit Countdown Motion Background is part of the Healing Spirit Collection.

Free Video of the Month from Lightstock

If ministering to large audiences through electronic media including video/television, radio, and web based media is your thing, then you don’t want to miss this opportunity! Shoreline Church, a non-denominational church in Austin, TX is looking for a results-oriented, intelligent, well rounded, adaptable to frequent changes kind of person to join their growing, dynamic team. The church is led by Pastors Robert and Dr. Laura Koke, and they are looking for that right person to fit this role. Let me list off a few of their desires they are looking for to help minister to the over 5,000 people who attend their church each week:

• A degree in video production or three years minimum equivalent on the job experience.
• Proficient with cinematic cameras and accessories. (Blackmagic, Canon DSLR’s, Gimbals, sliders, etc.)
• Proficient on Apple Mac.
• Proficient in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and others.
• Proficient on, or able to quickly learn high-end HDTV production equipment, including Ross Vision switcher, Ikegami cameras, Everetz Xenon router.
• Know all facets of production including creative process, scriptwriting, producing, shooting, audio, graphics, editing, color grading, etc.
• Knowledgeable and current with design trends.
• Work with producers, videographers, editors, talent and crew.

If this gets you excited then I’m going to encourage you to click on the link below and head over to Church Staffing to learn more about this incredible opportunity.

Filmmaker – Shoreline Church, Austin, TX

Includes Co-Writes With Matt Redman, Unreleased Tree63 Track

Known as the frontman for the internationally renowned, GMA Dove Award-winning South African rock band Tree63, John Ellis released his fourth solo album, Growing Silent, Oct. 20 through Africa-based Christian Art Media. An ASCAP Vanguard Award-winning songwriter, this is the first time Ellis has released an album of specifically all worship songs.

Available now at iTunes, Amazon.com, Spotify, Bandcamp and everywhere great digital music is heard, Ellis harvested from over a decade’s worth of original songs for this new, 10-song recording. Each of the tracks are entwined with vulnerable, confessional moments.

“Silence is almost the antithesis of modern life; we are the most over-stimulated generation in the vast history of humanity,” shares Ellis, revealing the impetus behind Growing Silent. “When we stop our endless torrents of words and noise that we throw at God all day, every day, we are able to stand silently before God and only then really get to know Him.

“We are repeatedly encouraged in the Bible to be still and silent, things which seem more difficult to do now than ever before,” continues Ellis. “Silence of the heart, silence of the mind, even silence of the tongue, these are the foundations of a contemplative way of life, which is where the deep things of God truly reside.”

Featured on Growing Silent are three songs written in 2005 with multiple Grammy Award-winning Matt Redman: “Hope Springs Eternal,” “Rose Again” and “Anywhere and Everywhere.” It also includes the Ellis-penned “If God,” first featured on Tree63’s 2015 reunion album, Land.

Additional tracks include the first single and lyric video from the album, “Mercy,” as well as “Believe,” “Be Still” and the title track that Ellis wrote more than ten years ago while on tour in the US with Tree63. “It was an experiment in a certain style of writing, but it has my favorite line in it: ‘a speechless man is sometimes worth a million preachers sounding forth’.”

The full Growing Silent track listing follows:

1.   Mercy

2.   If God

3.   Be Still

4.   The Feast

5.   Anywhere and Everywhere

6.   Rose Again

7.   Believe

8.   Hope Springs Eternal

9.   This Love

10. Growing Silent

For more information on John Ellis, Growing Silent, the latest tour dates and more, go to

http://johnellis.co.za/, www.johnellisproduction.com, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About John Ellis:

Since his major label debut as frontman and guitarist for the internationally renowned, GMA Dove Award-winning rock band Tree 63 in 1999, John Ellis has become a stalwart of the songwriting community. An ASCAP Award-winning songwriter, Ellis has written and recorded such internationally known hits as “Treasure,” “Look What You’ve Done,” “A Million Lights,” “King,” “Stumbling Stone,” “Sunday,” “Come Out Fighting,” “Get You” and “Set Your Self On Fire.” He also led the No. 1 hit in the US, “Blessed Be Your Name,” named Billboard’s most played Christian Song Of The Year in 2004.

Ellis has shared the stage with The Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, MercyMe, Delirious?, Matt Redman, Ard Matthews, Just Jinjer and many more. He has further played at a Billy Graham Evangelical Association event and toured across the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Australia, New Zealand and more countries across the world.

Launching his solo career in 2010, Ellis is also a full-time parent and part-time lecturer at Varsity College and Vega in Durban, South Africa.

BRENTON BROWN RELEASES “HOSANNA IN THE DEEP” NOV. 15, “YOU WILL NOT FAIL US” DEC. 15, “WORTH IT ALL” JAN. 15

Joyful, EDM-Flavored Worship Songs Follow “Impossible Things,”

“Lion and the Lamb” Singles; Precedes Seven More Songs To Come

Songs Are Co-Writes With Chris Tomlin, Brian Johnson, Mac Powell, Leeland, Jason Ingram, Matt Maher, Audrey Assad, Pat Barrett, Jason Upton, More

Grammy, Dove Award-nominated singer / songwriter Brenton Brown, one of the most prolific writers of modern worship, is intending to “put the joy” back in worship. Over the next several months, he will be releasing EDM-inspired songs one at a time about every four weeks with the song “Hosanna in the Deep” set to release Nov. 15, “You Will Not Fail Us” Dec. 15 and “Worth It All” Jan. 15 from Squeakyseat Music / Right Angle Music.

With all songs produced by Grammy-nominated Jonny Macintosh and the Fun Kids, “Worth It All” was co-written with Jacob Sooter and features background vocals by Harvest Bashta, “You Will Not Fail Us” was written with Housefires members and “Hosanna in the Deep” marks the third single to release in this series of 12 songs from Brenton. The first single, “Impossible Things,” was co-written with Chris Tomlin and Chris McClarney and releasedAug. 11. “Lion and the Lamb” was co-written with Leeland and Brian Johnson and releasedSept. 29.

Creatively, the idea behind the new songs is to #skiptotheremix; to go straight to a remix flavor for each of the tracks. Three of the songs are dance versions of Brenton’s more recent congregational co-writes, including “Impossible Things,” the Dove Award-nominated “Lion and the Lamb,” and the soon-to-be-released “Soul on Fire,” which was written with Mac Powell. “Soul on Fire” was first recorded by Third Day, spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on Christian Hit Radio and received a 2016 Grammy nomination. The rest of the upcoming singles are brand new songs.

“I have such a deep affection for joyful worship and have missed that lightness and joy in some of my worship sets. A joyful heart is good medicine!” exhorts Brenton, quoting Proverbs17:22. “When I listen to EDM with headphones on, it literally blows my mind and makes me extremely happy. This new music sounds different from anything I’ve ever done.”With seven more songs in this series to be announced and that have been co-written with such acclaimed artists/songwriters as Mac Powell, Jason Ingram, Matt Maher, Audrey Assad, Pat Barrett, Jason Upton, Marc James, Jordan Frye and more, Brenton says the music was inspired by his daughters: “I’ve been driving to school every morning for the last couple years. Their love for EDM has changed me!

Brenton also shares a taste of his love for EDM on the “Jason’s Voicemail” track that is literally built around an encouraging, Godward voicemail message Jason Upton left for Brenton. The track can be heard now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLrgf_Ai5Bc&feature=youtu.be.

For more Brenton Brown information, including tour dates, chord charts/lyrics, etc., go to www.brentonbrown.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Brenton Brown:

A South African-raised Rhodes scholar who studied at Oxford University, was worship pastor in England’s Vineyard Church and now resides in Malibu, CA, Brenton Brown is an award-winning songwriter known for favorites like “God My Rock,” “Joyful,” “You Will Not Fail Us,” “Worth It All,” “Your Love is Amazing,” “All Who Are Thirsty,” “Hosanna (Praise is Rising),” “Humble King,” “Glorious,” “Holy,” “Our God Saves,” and many more being sung by millions in places of worship all around the world. His song “Everlasting God” was honored by ASCAP as one of the most performed songs in the USA in 2007 across all genres, marking the first time that a worship song has been recognized with such an honor. He has released four albums, including God My Rock, which Worship Leader calls, “True musical art in the genre of worship.”