Georgia congregation produces "Facing the Giants"

When Alex Kendrick thinks about sharing his faith, he thinks about movie screens, not evangelistic tracts.

Kendrick, the associate pastor of media ministries at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., has co-produced "Facing the Giants" with the help of hundreds of volunteers — on screen and behind the scenes — from his Southern Baptist congregation and local community.

Next Friday, the movie about a Christian high-school football team will premiere on 400 movie screens in 86 markets, including at a number of theaters in the Puget Sound area. In addition to co-writing the script, Kendrick plays the lead character, Coach Grant Taylor.

"This is a ministry tool," said Kendrick, who handles TV and video productions at the 3,000-member church. "I think churches are waking up to the fact that this is a valid avenue of ministry."

Movies and ministry have been combined for decades, with organizations such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association producing films and pastors sprinkling sermons with movie clips. Evangelical churches played a big role in getting audiences to "The Passion of the Christ."

Now, this congregation has its own company, Sherwood Pictures.

Research by the California-based Barna Group shows that 66 percent of adults say they talk with friends and associates about movies and TV, but, founder George Barna said, the majority of those who attend a church service "cannot even remember the theme of the sermon within two hours."

Such figures fueled the church's interest in making movies as an expression of faith, said Michael Catt, the senior pastor of the church.

"Facing the Giants" is built around the struggling Eagles football team at a Christian academy. A local layman walks down a hallway of lockers praying for the students. The coach turns to the Bible as his wife falls to her knees in a battle against infertility.

The film was made with hardly any paid professionals. More than 500 people helped in a variety of ways, from baby-sitting to donating meals and serving as extras. The credits give the sense of the grass-roots effort — listing everyone from the "prayer coordinator" to the local restaurants and supermarkets.

Church members donated $100,000 for the film, and Provident Films and Sherwood Pictures collaborated on the color. A soundtrack includes Provident Music Group artists such as Third Day and Casting Crowns. Sony Pictures is distributing it through Samuel Goldwyn Films.

On screen and off, Kendrick opts for a direct message about his beliefs. The coach sparks a turnaround on his team — which eventually faces the formidable Giants — when he urges players to not think of their own glory but glorifying God instead.

"I believe as long as we honor God, nothing is impossible," he told the team.

Barna's company has hosted screenings of "Facing the Giants" for secular and religious groups, and Barna has launched a new Christian entertainment company, Good News Holdings, to produce its own version of faith-related movies. Barna's first project is an adaptation of author Anne Rice's "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt."

"We realize there are some people who are open to and even appreciative of a very direct faith-oriented message," Barna said.

"Some people who, because they're coming to be entertained, aren't looking for something that always leads back to faith. From my perspective, you've got to have different approaches, where sometimes it's direct, sometimes it's indirect but it's theologically correct."

Stewart M. Hoover, professor of media and religion at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said groups — from the Spiritual Cinema Circle to the Christian Film and Television Commission — have had a focus on inspirational movies.

"To have an individual congregation doing it is kind of unique," he said.