Church lyrics and slides operator checklist for the volunteer on the screen
A printable checklist for the volunteer who runs worship lyrics and sermon slides on the screen, from one person on a laptop to a team with a stage display: before the service, during it and after, with the copyright line, typos, slide breaks, font size, contrast, a line-ahead timing rule, a sermon slide cue sheet and variants for hymnals, liturgy and bilingual services.
Free printable PDF
Lyrics and slides operator checklist
What is inside
- Before the service: song order, the copyright line, typos, slide breaks, font size, contrast and backgrounds
- During the service: staying a line ahead, repeats and spontaneous moments, the sermon slide cue with the preacher, Scripture and announcements
- After the service, plus a song log, a sermon cue sheet and variants for one volunteer, a stage display, hymnals and liturgy, and bilingual services
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What the checklist covers
Before the service
- Get the song list early (a church media director's checklist), put each song in the order the band sings it and read every slide on the screen for typos, with a second reader (a Baptist worship ministries guide; see Sources).
- Show the copyright information once per song, with your church's license number rather than the song's CCLI ID (CCLI, US terms). Information, not legal advice.
- Keep slides to one to four lines at one size, in light text on a dark background, and test them on the real screen (MediaShout, Renewing Worship).
During the service
- Change the slide before the words are sung. One guide's cue is the next to last word on the slide (Church Visuals); always err toward early (Renewing Worship).
- Expect repeats and a changed order: duplicate a slide for a repeated line instead of adding a label (MediaShout).
- Song slides go up a few seconds early, but sermon points should not show early, so agree a cue with the preacher (Logos).
After the service
- Save the slides you changed, reset the screen to the welcome or a blank slide, check your songs are reported and thank the team (a church media director's checklist, CCLI, US terms).
- Write down what went wrong, with the time, for next week.
Frequently asked questions
Work in passes. Early in the week, get the song list and the sermon slides, put each song in the order the band will sing it and read every slide for typos. In the room, check the slides on the real screen from the back, play every video all the way through and have the blank and logo screens ready. Then agree with whoever leads the music and with the preacher how you will be cued, and write the week's songs in the song log.
Before the words are sung. A Baptist worship ministries guide says it is crucial that slides change before the words are sung and to err toward early. Church Visuals gives a rule of thumb: advance when the worship leader sings the next to last word on the slide. MediaShout says to train volunteers to advance slides just before the line begins. A fast song needs an earlier change, and a fade counts toward your timing, so find the cue that fits your songs and write it on the sheet.
MediaShout says to break lyrics or Scripture into 1–4 lines per slide. On a PowerPoint slide, a Baptist worship ministries guide suggests a font somewhere in the 32-48 pt size, depending on the font; on a 1920 x 1080 canvas, start at 48 px or more. It also says to try several font sizes on screen while standing at the farthest point. Use one size for every slide of a song and light text on a dark background, then test on the real screen, because it can look different from your laptop.
CCLI's US FAQ says to include the copyright information on each printed or projected song copy, and that for a song with several slides it only has to appear once, usually at the beginning or end. It also says the number should be your church's license number, not the song's CCLI ID number. This is information, not legal advice. Your own license terms come first, and CCLI Canada or UK terms may differ.
The passes are the same. For hymns and service music, ask which license covers them: Sing! The Center for Congregational Song says CCLI and OneLicense do not have very much overlap of what songs they cover, so a church that sings both kinds may need both. A US diocese says GIA and OCP take part in OneLicense for reprint permission and asks parishes to properly identify the citation of copyrighted works. Show fixed texts and sung responses exactly as printed in your worship aid. For a bilingual service, choose one layout, keep both languages at one size and have a fluent reader proof each. Your denomination's or diocese's guidance comes first. Information, not legal advice.
MediaShout notes that worship leaders may repeat lines or change the order of songs on the fly, so know where each section sits and jump to it. Duplicate a slide for a repeated line instead of adding a label such as Repeat, as MediaShout advises. If you lose your place, go to the blank or logo screen, find the line, then bring the words back; a blank is better than the wrong words.
Logos says to show song slides a few seconds before people have to sing, and that showing sermon points early breaks the speaker's flow. It suggests giving the slide operator a copy of the sermon notes or discussing cues beforehand. Agree the cue before the service: a spoken phrase, a hand signal or a remote, which verses are on slides, and what the screen shows during prayer.
Yes. Enter your email, confirm the code we send and the PDF downloads. It is also emailed to you. Tick the separate box to get new free resources and tips; every one has an unsubscribe link. The copyright items are information, not legal advice.
No. Song lyrics stay in your presentation software, such as ProPresenter, Proclaim, EasyWorship or FreeShow. Sermon Slides makes the sermon half: paste your sermon notes, review the outline and edit slides that use your own words, with Scripture slides that carry their reference and matching lower thirds for the livestream. Your first deck is free.