Send To Printer
Creating the Perfect Apostolic TV Show
By Kent d Curry
September 6, 2004

I'm not a knee-jerk “all technology is good” kind of guy. I find that attitude as disappointing as the “All TV is bad” mantra. After all, with technology, there’s always more there than meets the eye. To pretend that the technology of print doesn’t create different mental habits than the technology of television is ludicrous. I’m told movies are experienced completely different in a theatre than when those same movies are shown on television. E-mail and cell phones were both created to communicate with others, yet inculcate dissimilar habits within us, even when we’re talking to the same friends. All technologies that deliver information fall under Marshall McLuhan’s famous “the medium is the message” insight and should be treated as such. The medium, the technology, matters most.

That’s why I cringe at those who believe all television is of the devil, but also wince at those who feel like the nature of television is neutral. The latter was disproved long ago. Social scientist McLuhan identified television as a “cool” medium, meaning it favors moods of conciliation (think: Oprah) or when substance is subdued. Red faces, wild eyes, and unusual gestures end up looking silly and insubstantial (think: overwrought coaches on any sideline).

Maybe that’s why the Apostolic movement maintains an uneasy relationship with the small screen. Our messages and services are “hot,” better suited for other mediums, yet broadcasting services on television is the default mindset most people hold. To my mind, the “Apostolics and TV” panel’s most interesting question was the last—Is there some Third Way to use television that Apostolics aren’t exploring; not services on television, not advertising, but some other method where television could be used most effectively (to reach non-believers)? This is the most pertinent question to ask. After all, if you don’t understand the medium, you’re not going to be effective winning souls.

For this medium is best suited for entertainment; Neil Postman wrote, “The spectacle we find in true religions has as its purpose enchantment, not entertainment. The distinction is critical. By endowing things with magic, enchantment is the means through which we may gain access to sacredness. Entertainment is the means through which we distance ourselves from it.”¹

I’d like to start a conversation of what the best use of televised ministries is for Christians today. This is not a tacit endorsement of televised ministries, but a necessary first step; for the best time to discuss something is before it is widely implemented (be that in five days or five decades). Informed discussion sets the necessary priorities before it is achieved.

Two factors must be weighed before proceeding with any type of television ministry:

Cost—I once heard Larry King (at that time he was the king of cable TV talk), admit that he couldn’t host an author short of Stephen King or John Grisham because it couldn’t maintain the ratings that advertisers are charged. The best he could hope for would be an author’s roundtable dealing with a single theme. (And even then, it wouldn’t be for the entire show.) If Larry King’s guests are dictated by the astounding cost of television, then there’s nothing that would keep Apostolics from being drained by the cost of a half-hour show, even if it was local. Only our largest churches could come close to affording it at a reasonable hour. Yes, there’s public access cable and late night slots, but then you’d have to evaluate if audience size was worth the invested effort.

Authenticity of Emotion—To non-believers, preaching rarely translates on television. (There’s more than one reason why televangelists are mocked.) In a cool medium, authentic (Read: “hot”) emotions don’t translate well with viewers. The best analogy is rock concerts; almost everyone who attends a great rock concert leaves raving about how powerful and exciting it was. There’s something about that experience that binds the crowd together and leaves indelible emotions within them. I’ve heard people rave about concerts years later, talking about how the entire auditorium swayed in unity to the lead singer’s voice. Yet even the all-music channels rarely broadcast concerts because they come across as tinny, fake, and cheap. They just don’t work. While I hate to place T.D. Jakes and P.O.D. in the same small box, that’s the place they belong in this case.

Understanding these two dynamics, and that advertising and drama (two possible alternatives) are completely different, but unrealistic (one can only blurb the message while the other is cost- and talent-prohibitive), means a better method must be found.

The best format for an Apostolic broadcast is the college coach’s weekly TV show. If you’re unfamiliar with a “Coach Curry’s Tiger’s Talk,” it boils down to a recognizable host (usually the team’s announcer) rehashing the last game and key players (via game highlights) with Coach Curry; they then discuss the next week’s opponent(s), with possible highlights of “players to watch.” The show might also interview a player, profile a booster or alumni (on how they contributed to the university and / or society), blurb the university, and answer viewer e-mails. (Infomercials work along the same lines, depending on what’s being sold.)

This is an easy, successful model to follow even if a church has just a small, dedicated staff. Not all of these ideas are original, but all fit within the “cool medium” coach’s show model:

Instead of game talk, teach practical living—The host can introduce a new topic each week (financial management, parenting, choosing a mate, improving your prayer life, creating good health habits), then ask the pastor (or expert lay member) to elaborate on that subject from a biblical perspective. This establishes credibility and an easy connection to a non-believers life.

Instead of player interviews, share personal testimonies—This is this Olympic human-interest story writ spiritual. By telling real stories and victory reports (answered prayer requests) through still shots, partial interviews, and some recent footage of them at work, home, and work, viewers can experience true reality TV. Nothing proves Christ better than a real person sharing Him.

Instead of university blurbs, offer Apostolic music—Whether it be through taped service solos or special presentations for the broadcast, let God use gospel songs to touch the hearts of viewer and keep the presentation upbeat.

Service Highlights would work if focused on the unusual, such as healings, short missionary presentations, or other special moments that would electrify non-believers with something they could get nowhere else. It would also familiarize them with the actual church sanctuary.

Like the “Ask Coach Curry” feature, include an “Ask the Pastor” section for emails needing answers. This humanizes the pastor and allows him to build a rapport with non-members.

Scroll a local phone number for prayer requests with saints ready to take the calls.

Offer a Community Calendar of events (both services and otherwise) where viewers and their families could meet church members by attending.

Best of all, this Coach’s Show format would be relatively inexpensive to produce, offer a variety of people to highlight the Lord, and create a clear break between the tainted, money-grubbing televangelist stereotype.

Television’s reliance on visuals means even this model would still need some positive X-factors. Besides the obligatory lively camera shots and interesting graphics, a charismatic host and/or pastor would be necessary to stop the channel surfers mid-click.

Assuming that’s true, anointed Apostolic music, genuine testimonies, and a compelling, practical, biblical topic will offer true sustenance in contrast to the wasteland on most channels.

It could broadcast inexpensively. It would reach non-believers. It should work for small churches and large.

Now we just need someone to try it at the appropriate time.

© 2004, Kent d Curry

---------

Kent d Curry is an Executive Editor of ninetyandnine.com.

1. Amusing Ourselves to Death, Viking Penguin Inc., 1985, p. 122.