DEBORAH POTTER, guest anchor: The vast majority of Americans who believe in the Bible have more ways than ever to connect with it these days, especially on television. TV ministries are a growth industry and, as we found out, there's no single model.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN (singing at National Association of Broadcasters convention): You are the Lord…

POTTER: It's not unusual to hear praise music at a church conference, but this is the National Association of Broadcasters convention -- the world's biggest electronic media show.

The "Technologies for Worship" pavilion here is a sign that TV ministries have come of age.

UNIDENTIFIED VENDOR: This is my 16-mike line return, aux 17-32, matrix 1-16. You add it up, that's 48 aux…

POTTER: Some churches are just looking, but others are ready to buy.

PHIL RAPP (Lifechurch.tv, Edmond, OK): It's a great place to find new ideas, new technologies, new, quite honestly, new vendors.

ROD PAYNE (Media Director, First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, TX): If God wants me to move into super high-definition, I want to at least be able to say I've seen it.

POTTER: This trade show attracts hundreds of religious broadcasters every year, most of them well established in TV. But they're only part of the picture. People in the industry say there are 10,000 TV ministries around the country, maybe more, and they come in all shapes and sizes.

Mr. PAYNE: If you turn on basic cable and a public access channel in communities all over not only the United States -- and probably other places, but certainly the United States -- you're going to find churches with a camcorder, a single camera shot, with an on-the-camera microphone, and a pastor who's sincere, who believes the word of God and has a desire to teach that word and share that word with other people.

POTTER: It can start with just a pastor and a camera, but lots of ministries are investing big money in television, from high-definition cameras to digital transmitters, not to mention the airtime.

BRENT KENYON (Total Living Network): Cost will vary on the distribution, the amount of coverage you're going to be able to get. So if you're going to go to a small, little station then obviously the costs are going to be a lot more economical, versus going to a network or something like that -- that you're really going to be really sticker-shocked with the price that's out there. So it can range from couple of hundred dollars to get your program on to thousands and thousands of dollars per day to get your program on.

POTTER: Some local churches like Frazer Memorial United Methodist in Montgomery, Alabama keep their costs down by operating their own low-power stations and selling time to other TV ministries.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Frazier TV Video, "Happy New You"): We are gathering for worship. We want to welcome those of you watching by television or on the Internet.

POTTER: Frazer TV reaches about 100,000 homes, airing weekly worship services and other religious programs, 24/7.

JOHN ROGERS (Director, Frazer TV Ministry): It's quite a compact little operation but very, very effective. It's an outreach we feel like we can offer that enables folks to become familiar with what church is all about, serving Jesus Christ, and to bring them in and let them be part of the family here.

POTTER: Like many churches, Frazer relies heavily on volunteers for its TV production crew.

Mr. ROGERS: Is that button up here a -- don't we have to push it? This one here?

POTTER: Frazer launched its TV operation 24 years ago with donations from local businesses and money from the church budget.

LAUREN WEBSTER (Frazer UM): We have four cameras. We have a camera control unit, which opens up your iris and adds your black levels. We have a switcher.

POTTER: Now it offers training to churches that are just starting out.

UNIDENTIFIED TRAINING SESSION ATTENDEE #1: We are looking at making some investment in some equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED TRAINING SESSION ATTENDEE #2: We're here basically to get tips and tricks about video production, getting it mainly on the Web now, later on television.

POTTER: The TV ministry business is getting so big that many churches have full-time media directors.

PHIL COOKE (Cooke Pictures and Author, "Successful Christian Television," speaking to class): It's more than just slides on the screen and Scriptures.

POTTER: So pastors don't have to worry about how to pay for it all.

Mr. COOKE (to class): There's ways you can raise money as the media director. And trust me, you do that and you've got the fast lane into the pastor's heart. He will adore you.

POTTER: Consultant Phil Cooke literally wrote the book on "Successful Christian Television."

Mr. COOKE: Most Christian television that you see is very low quality, it's not very good, and a lot of people have issues with it. And so we want to bring the best of the production world and the best of the media world in with it and help people do it more effectively and make more entertaining shows.

Reverend DRENDA KEESEE (Pastor, FaithLifeNow, appearing in DVD): You want to be successful. God wants you to be successful.

POTTER: This program, for example, doesn't look like your typical TV ministry, and that's deliberate. The pastors of Faith Life Church in New Albany, Ohio tape it in their living room.

Rev. D. KEESEE: We had someone approach us about doing Christian TV, and we were hesitant. We weren't sure we were "TV people," if you know what I'm saying. And we met people who said hey, you need to try this. Your message is important and people need this message.

GARY KEESEE (Pastor, Faith Life Church, New Albany, Ohio): If you're going to consider starting TV, it's going to take you a couple hundred thousand dollars the first year to get started. We were on the line personally for that money. But in the long run, after the first year we just finished our first year, actually the show is now paying for itself.