The issue of churches using their projection systems to show copyrighted content on the "big screen" came front and center this past year when the NFL started sending legal cease & desist letters to churches like Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis to cancel their SuperBowl gathering.  While that matter was settled after an uproar from Congress, the issue of remaining legel when showing video clips of any sort still remains.

Just as most churches buy the affordable CCLI licenses, a parallel license is available for video use.  The CVLI allows you to take most of the big production (and little ones too) films and use them during your sermon and other teaching opportunities at church.



Securing a license for your church will suddenly give you numerous options for ministry.  Here are some starting points for opportunities to include movies in church life:

• Pastors can use selected movies to illustrate sermon points
• Sunday schools and Youth Groups can view the latest videos
• Educational classes can use videos for teaching and training
• Churches can host special event movie nights
• Breakout sessions during retreats and revivals can be focused around specific movie clips or themes
• Weekly bible study groups can focus on cinematic themes and map them to principles for Christian living
• Childcare while adult bible study sessions are running can involved appropriate children's movies
  

Most churches will only have to pay about $15/month for the CVLI license and that comes with a subscription to a movie sermon download service as well.

What you receive is permission to use video content from over 100 different producers:

 

 

Do It Without A License

Another way to approach video sermon illustrations from movies is to use a service such as WingClips which already has negotiated licensing terms with the major movie studios.  So any clip that you download and use from WingClips.com can be used freely without any additional purchase of licenses.


Please feel free to share other ideas for using movies and videos in church life with me and I'll add them to to list!