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Law or License?

There are roughly 300,000 churches in the United States, and almost half have the CCLI license for congregational worship music. But for the Church Video License, the number is just over 40,000.

So, less than 20 percent of churches in the U.S. are licensed to show movies in their churches. And unless they get permission directly from the studio, they're breaking the law.

CVLI provides blanket permission from most (but not all) major producers and studios.

Paul Herman, marketing manager for CCLI and CVLI, says, "There is a reason movie studios put that big FBI warning at the front of DVDs, because to show these movies in a public setting without permission is clearly a violation of the law. To use movies in church is really a matter of doing things right. And the Church Video License allows churches to do that in a convenient and cost-effective way."

For more information on the Church Video License, including a full list of participating producers/studios, go to www.cvli.com.

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