Although for centuries Christianity inspired much of the Western world’s painting and sculpture, we do a pretty poor job of incorporating visual art (other than video) into our worship services.

Like all creative efforts, it adds work to worship planning and implementation. But like all art forms, it can also be used to glorify God and teach more about him.

For instance, one church I attended showed a montage of ancient and modern paintings of the crucifixion during communion time. The juxtaposition of pictures, different in style but united by theme, contributed more to my communion experience than any spoken meditation has.

Plus, many people learn and remember by seeing rather than hearing. Again, we cater to some of this with our short videos, but there’s lots of room for improvement.

I realized how much room when a friend asked me to recommend churches consistently using drama, dance and visual art in their worship experiences (and doing it well). I had no problem thinking of several in the first two categories, but I found myself stumped when it came to churches either creating or displaying art in worship. Can you think of any?