Secular (commercial) films should be used in the service of the church for two major reasons: 1) a responsible church cannot ignore the fact that in our culture films play a determinative role in belief and value formation, and 2) a creative church will not want to ignore their great potential as an educational tool. If the church urges its congregation to see good movies, it will be exercising constructive sanctions on the industry, which is more helpful than censorship. The basis for film study should be group discussions on the issues raised by a film. Discussions of three films, "Cromwell,""The Learning Tree," and "I Never Sang for My Father" illustrate the points which discussion can raise. Ministers can urge parishioners to see specific films, use film incidents as examples, and use films as context and text for sermons. A film festival, prearranged long in advance with the local theater, can also be of use if it is well planned. (JK)