There are more choices for worship backgrounds than ever before. Just in our CMG library, we have over 4,000 motions that have been specifically designed to complement text lyrics and make your worship environment engaging.
When choosing backgrounds for each song in your worship set, it’s important that you make selections with intentionality. Each motion should fit the song that you’re singing, contribute to the worship space, and avoid distracting your audience.
Here are 5 factors to consider when choosing a worship background:
1. Song Tempo
Motion backgrounds come in a variety of speeds ranging from subtle to hyper. It is important that you choose a motion that has the same speed as the tempo of your song. For example, for a contemplative song, it is best to have a slow-moving background so that you don’t distract from the moment. However, for an upbeat, praise song that kicks off your service, it would be best to have a fast-moving motion that adds to the celebratory feel.
At CMG, we have made it easy to find the perfect background quickly with TempoMatch. With this tool, it’s easy to find motions quickly that fit into these categories – subtle, slow, medium, fast, hyper.
Action Church (Winter Park, Florida)
2. Message of the Song
Your worship visuals will look the most intentional when they have a visual characteristic that matches the message of your song. For example, if you’re singing a song that mentions oceans, having a background with water, or at least a blue color, is a great choice. Additionally, if your song focuses on the sacrifice of Christ, choosing a motion with a cross would be a perfect selection.
More importantly, you should be careful to avoid using backgrounds that contradict the message of the song. If you’re singing about “Holy Spirit fire,” you would never want to use a visual with water.
3. Worship Environment
One of the major benefits of having a CMG Subscription is that you have access to many different styles of backgrounds. Some motions are much more abstract or elaborate in style. It’s important that you choose backgrounds that fit your church’s individual style. It can be tempting to just select motion backgrounds that are trendy or that you personally like more. However, it is important to follow the vision of your specific ministry. If you aren’t sure which backgrounds fit the style of your church the best, talk to your leadership team.
4. Color Theory
When creating an environment for worship, selecting the colors for each song is a great way to set the tone for each moment. Different colors help create a different atmosphere and mood. Every color is associated with societal and cultural symbolism, emotions, personal preference, and meaning. For example, a room lit with a red light. The room will “feel” warmer than a room lit with just a regular white light, even though the temperature in the two rooms is exactly the same.
You may use a red background to symbolize the blood of Christ, a blue motion to create a feeling of peace, or a green visual to represent new life in Christ. The implementation of color meaning is an advanced skill and will take time to hone. Be sure that your backgrounds match the colors of your stage lighting, as well as fit the mood of the song.
5. Readability
The most important factor to consider when choosing your backgrounds is the ability for your audience to easily read the lyrics. After all, the main reason for projecting these slides is so that your audience can sing along. Also, be sure to choose motions that have colors and shapes that make it easy to see your text.
In the event that you want to use a background that doesn’t have a clear spot for displaying text, a text box or shape under your lyrics can help to make your words more legible.
Church of the Highlands (Birmingham, Alabama)
—
If you apply this thinking when you’re making selections, you can feel confident in your content every Sunday. Worship backgrounds are more than just decoration; they have the power to make or break an environment that points people to Christ.
