Jurnal Pengabdian dan Pengembangan Masyarakat Indonesia

• The multimedia training activity significantly improved the competence of church youth, as evidenced by an increase in participants' knowledge scores from an average of 82% to 100% after training. In addition, all participants could create straightforward multimedia content with excellent quality.

• Forming a church Multimedia Team ensures the' collective and sustainable management of multimedia resources.

• Training activities strengthen youth social participation in church ministry, making them creative, innovative, and responsible agents of change in church ministry.

Young people are the future generation of the nation who have a strategic role in the development and progress of society, especially in the current era of digitalization. Prianto & Firman (2022) emphasize that strengthening digital literacy, including the ability to manage multimedia, is urgent for young people. Multimedia, as one of the main products of digital technology development, is now an integral part of everyday life. Mastery of multimedia is crucial for young people to keep up with the times, increase competitiveness, and expand job and business opportunities. Multimedia skills include digitally managing text, images, audio, and video.

Mayer's concept of multimedia includes three levels. First, the technical level relates to technical tools, which can be considered vehicles for transporting signs. Second, the semiotic level refers to forms of representation (i.e., text, images/graphics); these forms can be considered types of signs. Third is the sensory level, which relates to the sensory channels that receive signs (Mayer, 2001) Multimedia plays a vital role in various aspects of life, including in the context of worship in churches. Research by Talumewo & Tulangouw (2023) reveals that multimedia can facilitate worship services, as worship feels more effective with the presence of multimedia. This aligns with research conducted by Ondang & Kalangi (2023), which found that models of congregational faith development utilizing multimedia technology can be promoted to develop congregational faith.

The use of multimedia in church services, such as song text projectors, video displays, and audio systems. Multimedia can improve the quality of service and make worship more interactive and meaningful. In line with the research by Prihanto et al. (2022), multimedia technology is one way to eliminate the perception that church services are boring. In addition, Multimedia increases the active involvement of the congregation in worship with transparent visual displays and a good sound system. The congregation is not just passive spectators, but can fully participate in singing, praying, and meditating on God's word. Suhariono (2021) research states that adequate audio-visual or sound systems and multimedia are effective in helping congregations listen to God's word. Multimedia also makes it easier for congregations to learn new songs without bringing hymn books, making the worship atmosphere more conducive and solemn. The appropriate use of multimedia can strengthen the congregation's relationship with God and among congregation members through well-organized and easy-to-follow liturgy.

The HKBP Rogate Waena Church in Jayapura City, one of the churches belonging to the denomination in Jayapura City, was established on August 12, 2012. The HKBP Rogate Waena congregation comprises 100 families across Sentani, Koya, and Kota Raja. There are around 20 young people who are active in church activities. On August 25, 2024, the HKBP Rogate Waena Church in Jayapura City inaugurated a new church building with complete multimedia facilities, such as a projector and screen system; a professional audio system that includes microphones, sound mixers, and speakers; and laptops.

However, the availability of these multimedia facilities is not accompanied by the readiness and capacity of the youth and congregation members to manage multimedia. So far, multimedia management has been the responsibility of one church council member. Based on interviews with three young people, they said they did not understand how to manage multimedia or use the appropriate media/applications to create slides/audio/text/and visuals. This condition is a challenge because multimedia plays an important role in supporting worship's smooth running and solemnity. The absence of competent and responsible human resources in multimedia management can hinder the effective implementation of worship and impact the overall quality of church services.

This training was conducted to improve the youth's competence in the field of multimedia while also equipping them with the practical skills needed to manage multimedia technology professionally in the church. The main objective of the training was to create young human resources who can take full responsibility for multimedia management, thereby supporting the continuity of wise worship and maximizing church services. This training is also expected to foster a spirit of creativity and social responsibility among church youth.

The training to improve youth competence through multimedia training is carried out in 3 (three) main stages, namely:

a. Planning/Preparation Stage,

1) Communicating and coordinating with the pastor and council of the HKBP Rogate Waena Church, including the youth category administrator, to determine the multimedia training needs and agree on the implementation schedule.

2) Preparing modules to assist participants in conducting practical exercises.

3) Preparing the facilities and other supporting equipment.

b. Implementation Stage

The activity will be carried out in one day and divided into three sessions, namely:

1) Session I: a lecture using the Andragogy learning method with content related to the basic concepts and benefits of multimedia mastery.

2) Session II: simulation/hands-on practice and guidance in the practical application of multimedia in worship activities, including creating multimedia content, such as digital posters, short videos, and multimedia presentations.

3) Session III: Formation and selection of the Multimedia Team. The team will be divided into tasks according to their expertise, such as projector operators, audio managers, and visual content creators.

c. Evaluation of activities

The activities were evaluated to measure the achievement of objectives at each stage of the community service program. The evaluation instruments used include:

1) Knowledge Evaluation (Pre-Post Test): This assessment measures the increase in participants' understanding before and after the training. It utilizes a questionnaire consisting of 10 statement items covering basic multimedia concepts, service benefits, and technical content creation (such as digital posters, short videos, and presentations). The test results are subsequently calculated to determine the average percentage of knowledge improvement among participants.

2) Skill Evaluation (Observation Sheet): This instrument measures the participants' practical abilities during the simulation session. The assessment is conducted using an observation rubric with a 1-5 Likert scale encompassing 10 key indicators. These indicators are categorized into three aspects: Preparation (instruction comprehension, tool utilization, and planning), Production Process (creativity, use of design elements, editing techniques, and visual/audio quality), and Final Result (alignment with objectives, technical proficiency, and neatness of the work).

The main stages of the training to improve youth competencies through multimedia training are illustrated in the following flowchart:

Figure 1. Flowchart of Multimedia Training Activities at HKBP Rogate Waena Church

Implementation 0f Activities

A competency-building activity for young people through multimedia training for all of the HKBP Rogate Waena Church was held on August 16, 2025. Forty participants, consisting of young people, categorical administrators, and church councils, took part. The activity took place in an enthusiastic atmosphere, marked by high attendance and active participation throughout the training session.

Figure 2. Group Photo with Facilitators, Community Service Team, And Participants

The training began with an introduction to the basic concepts of multimedia, designed to give participants a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical foundations and practical applications of multimedia in the context of church ministry. As an extension of God in expressing God love and truth to humanity, the church must continue to strengthen its ministry by the wise use of technological advances. Efforts to provide adequate facilities and improve the multimedia competence of ministers are strategic steps to deepen the congregation's faith, maintain the ministry's sustainability, and adapt to the demands of church communication in the digital age (Stevany & Silalahi, 2024).

Figure 3. Presentation of multimedia material

In this initial session, participants were not only introduced to multimedia and its constituent elements such as text, images, audio, video, and animation, but also learned how these elements can be combined to improve the quality of communication and the effectiveness of message delivery in various church activities, including worship, teaching, and social services. In addition, participants are also guided to understand the ethics of using multimedia, such as respecting copyright, maintaining the authenticity of content, and being responsible for the social impact of the digital information produced. The material uses an andragogical approach to encourage interaction and a participatory learning experience. This stage is a foundation before participants are directed to more practical sessions.

After understanding the basic concepts, participants can immediately practice their learning. They practice creating digital content through posters, short videos, and multimedia presentations relevant to the context of church services and needs. This process involves using Canva and EasyWorship software and multimedia equipment such as PCs/computers, cameras, and projectors.

Figure 4. Digital Content Creation Practice

In addition to participating in digital content production training, participants received technical training on using and configuring church audio systems. During this session, participants practiced audio mixer configuration and learned about the principles of worship space acoustics that affect sound quality. This training is important because good audio quality supports effective communication and worship services. Research shows that the frequency and resonance in worship spaces controlled through audio enhancement systems are closely correlated with congregations' spiritual and emotional experiences during worship (Algargoosh, 2024).

Figure 5. Audio Usage and Settings Practice

The transition from theory to practice is intended to test participants' understanding of the material and foster critical and creative thinking skills in applying the concepts that have been learned. The training atmosphere is interactive because participants are encouraged to express their ideas creatively. The participants' success in completing the simulation is an important provision for the next stage, which is team building.

After the practice session, participants who demonstrated the best understanding and skills were selected to form the HKBP Rogate Waena Multimedia Team. Multimedia technology places the multimedia team in an essential and strategic role (Kasanang, 2025). Therefore, forming this team is not merely a formality but a concrete step to ensure the sustainability of the training results. The team is divided into several strategic roles: projector operator, audio manager, and visual content creator. With this team in place, the learning outcomes do not stop at training, but are applied in daily church services.

Activity Evaluation

Training evaluation was conducted using two instruments, namely pre- and post-tests to measure knowledge improvement, and practice observation sheets to assess participants' technical skills.

1. Knowledge Improvement (Pre-Post Test)

The results of the pre- and post-test evaluations showed a significant increase in the knowledge of the training participants. Before the training, the average score was 82%, reflecting a basic understanding but still limited to multimedia use's technical and ethical aspects. After the training, all participants achieved a score of 100%, indicating comprehensive mastery of the concepts, benefits, and applications of multimedia in church ministry. This achievement proves the effectiveness of the andragogy-based learning approach, which combines theory and practice, thereby strengthening the transfer of knowledge and skills and producing a more complete and applicable understanding. This improvement also shows that participants gained cognitive knowledge and internalized ethical values in multimedia. Thus, this success has implications for increasing individual capacity and for the collective readiness of the congregation to utilize multimedia as an innovative means to strengthen church ministry. This improvement is visualized in the following diagram:

Figure 6 Increase in Participant Knowledge (Pre–Post Test)

2. Skill Improvement (Practical Observation)

The evaluation results through practice observation show that all participants successfully achieved a very satisfactory level of skill mastery, with a rating of "very good." Every aspect of the assessment, ranging from the ability to understand the instructions given, accuracy in using multimedia devices and applications, creativity in designing content, to the quality of the visual and audio produced, received a maximum score with an average of 5 out of 5. These findings are visualized more clearly in the following diagram (Figure 7). These achievements show that participants are not only able to master basic technical skills but also apply them creatively and relevantly to the needs of church ministry. Furthermore, the suitability of the content produced for worship is an important indicator that participants can integrate technical skills with an understanding of the ministry context. In other words, this success reflects that the training process has not only succeeded in transferring practical skills but also shaped participants' sensitivity to the functional and spiritual aspects of multimedia use in the church.

Figure 7 Observation Results of Participants' Practice (Scores 1-5)

Impact of Activities

This training activity has strategic impacts that can be analyzed from several aspects, namely:

1. Organizational Aspect

This activity strengthens service management at the HKBP Rogate Waena Church by forming a structured Multimedia Team. This team functions as an official unit that manages multimedia facilities on an ongoing basis, so services no longer depend on specific individuals but run on a collective and professional system.

2. Social Aspect

From a social perspective, training increases youth participation in ministry. Young people who were previously less involved now have the technical capacity and greater motivation to contribute. This strengthens their role as creative, innovative, and responsible change agents, both in internal church activities and the wider community

3. Technological Aspects

The training also encouraged the optimization of multimedia facilities that were previously underutilized. After the training, devices such as projectors, audio systems, and live streaming equipment could be operated properly. This impact made worship more interactive, modern, and in line with the congregation's needs, while also opening up opportunities for multimedia in congregational education, publication of activities, and documentation of services.

4. Academic Aspects

On the academic side, the community service team successfully compiled a draft scientific article ready for publication in a community service journal. This publication is a form of accountability and contributes to developing literature on community-based multimedia training models, which other churches or communities can replicate.

The Multimedia Training Activity for HKBP Rogate Waena Church Youth has achieved its objectives while providing tangible benefits for participants and the church as a service partner. Participants significantly increased their understanding of multimedia mastery's basic concepts, components, and benefits in supporting church ministry. In addition, they also demonstrated their ability to produce straightforward multimedia content, such as digital posters, short videos, and interactive presentations, which can be applied in various activities and worship services. Furthermore, the training resulted in the formation of the HKBP Rogate Waena Church Multimedia Team, which is structurally ready to act as a driving force in the sustainable management of multimedia facilities. Thus, this activity improved individual knowledge and skills and strengthened organizational capacity and the sustainability of technology-based services within the church environment.

Based on the results of the activities and evaluations that have been carried out, several recommendations can be proposed to support the sustainability and development of the program in the future, namely:

1. Similar training activities should be conducted periodically so that participants can continue to improve their skills, while also expanding the scope of benefits to other young people who have not yet been involved.

2. There needs to be full commitment and support from the leaders and administrators of the Church of the Holy Spirit in empowering the established Multimedia Team, through the provision of facilities, guidance, and further training, so that the team can function optimally and sustainably.

3. The results of this activity can be used as a basis for research or development of community-based multimedia training models, which can be replicated in churches and other institutions with similar needs.

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This community service project is funded by PNBP FEB UNCEN T.A 2025

The author would like to express the deepest gratitude to Cenderawasih University through the PNBP Faculty of Economics and Business funding for providing financial support for implementing this community service activity. Thanks are also extended to the HKBP Rogate Waena Church Council for helping to facilitate the venue, equipment, training supplies, and coordinating the training participants. Appreciation is extended to all participants, namely the church youth, categorical administrators, and the congregation council of the HKBP Rogate Waena Church, who enthusiastically participated in the training. With the support of all parties, this community service activity was successfully carried out and is expected to provide tangible benefits for the development of the church youth's competencies in the field of Multimedia and the advancement of services at the HKBP Rogate Waena.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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