8 Reasons Churches Can Use More Video

My friend Chuck Bryant is the CEO of Pinnacle Forum an organization that connects Christian business people across the US. He oversees 90 small groups connecting over Zoom. These Christian business leaders, scattered across the country, meet weekly online.

Chuck has more online small groups than most churches.

1. Churches need more online groups

People are more mobile than ever. Online groups make it possible for people to stay connected on a weekly basis, no matter where they travel.

2. Staff Accountability

It is not what you expect but what you inspect that counts. For six months I was the "Virtual Executive Pastor" of a large church 150 miles away. I served the staff until they were able to hire on onsite Executive Pastor. I met online each week with the staff, helping them set goals, using Google Docs and the Trello app to document the progress of each staff person.

When the new Executive Pastor was hired, he could see the progress of each staff person, as well as the resource and book assignments that had been given.

My point is that I was successful in keeping the staff moving forward through online Zoom calls. I think churches can benefit from online coaching that isn't limited to a geographical location.

3. Church Life

Every worship service is an opportunity to celebrate midweek church life. Any cell phone can capture church life during the week. Edit the content into a three minute video and show it on Sunday. Highlight a different small group each month with group members bragging on why the leader is the best in the world. Highlight what the mission team is doing monthly. Highlight special events like VBS, outreach dinners etc. Highlight the children's/youth ministry. By creating a three minute video of testimonies from new people and those getting baptized, the entire church can be encouraged by lives that are being changed.

4. All Church Communication

An online video from the pastor, the chairman of the Elder Board or the Finance Elder can be a great way to communicate with the entire church, without taking time in a church service. Upload the video to Youtube and send a link so that church members can watch it at their own convenience.

Consider providing updates on capital stewardship campaigns and church staffing processes as these videos can be far more effective than through written correspondence.

5. Answers to Prayer

Interview those who have experienced answers to prayer or recently got out of the hospital. Ask about how the body of Christ ministered to them during the time of crisis and need. Post these on the website and have them ready to use in a worship service on a moments notice.

6. Pastoral Coaching

I believe that every pastor needs a coach. Online coaching removes the boundaries for connecting with a seasoned coach with valuable experience. I've coached pastors and missionaries across the US, in Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.

I've conducted webinars, and made training videos that people can watch at their own convenience. Assigning people to watch a video saves me time in bringing the person up to speed on a topic, so that when we talk in person, we have common language and common perspective to get to the most strategic solutions.

7. Shared purpose and understanding

A vision/purpose video can be used multiple times with new staff hires and with anyone who is joining any ministry team.

Vision quickly leaks, so having an easily accessible online video is critical to reaching organizational goals. A video lets you pack lots of information into an easy-to-consume package. It also provides a quick refresher for those who needed to be reminded of the vision and mission of the organization. A well prepared video with visuals can cut through the fog of misinformation to leave little room for misinterpretation.

8 Becoming a Creative Training Center

Consider building a team of volunteers who are passionate about media. Phil Cooke details the potential for this.

Using video to communicate more effectively with the church body is an underutilized resource.

Consider resourcing your volunteers with a good vlogging camera - recommended by ThinkMedia - while purchasing a video editing tool like Snagit or Camtasia to prepare and post videos on Youtube.com