We recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by The Music Bed along with the film teams at Elevation Church and Church on the Move. We agreed to do it not only because we are passionate about stories, but more importantly the role of stories and film within The Church. I don’t know what it is like in your part of the world right now, but from where we are sitting and places we are travelling to, God is calling artists from all walks of life to build The Church in ways not seen in my lifetime and we are starting to experience beautiful creativity at the centre. More artists are understanding the power of building the Kingdom through their God-given gifts, laying down their own ambitions and allowing their deepest dreams to be fulfilled through His will.

As much as it was an honour to expose our crazy little world from Sydney, Australia, I was interested to see what the film crew from The Music Bed experienced as they travelled the world on their journey of discovery.

Will Meier who was producing the project had this to say…

“On the outset of the ‘Stories That Matter’ project, I think I had some preconceived expectations about exactly how we were going to tell the ‘church media’ story. It’s funny how our expectations, more often than not, get turned completely upside down.

Coming from the church creative world, this subject hits home for me. I was really determined to walk in to this project with open hands and discover the process again. Not just rediscover the faces behind the scenes but expose the ‘messy’ side of church creativity. Not to expose for the sake of exposure, but to be a source of encouragement to those sifting through the same processes and challenges. 

I believe there is a gap between the way people view church media versus any other form or sphere of creativity. The two really aren’t so different after all. Every creative team, secular or not, have the same insecurities, weaknesses and constraints. 

Sometimes the excuse of being on a church team can be abused as a crutch for a lack of determination to push past limitations that are actually present in every arena of creative teams. Speech like ‘Ah man, it’s just for The Church’ does not give us an excuse to not attempt the best films we’ve ever made. 

It’s way easier for filmmakers to put more effort into their Vimeo profiles and personal websites than it is to submit to a team/pastors and carry the weight of a film for The Church… as if making a film to help communicate the greatest thing that ever happened in the history of the universe isn’t fulfilling enough. However, we’ve all believed that making something for your own audience and building your own brand would be more satisfying than leveraging your creativity for the betterment of a whole. 

What I discovered on our journey is that the people who are producing the best work aren’t the crews with the highest budgets, best gear, or even the most time. The people that are simply allowed to create boldly and freely are the ones making a statement. There is a determination that accompanies freedom — a determination to not let any hindrance stop you from doing your best work right where you are.”

Check out more from The Music Bed here: vimeo.com/themusicbed

Ben