Announcements Videos — Why I Love Them
I love announcements videos. I love writing them, filming them, editing them and displaying them. That probably makes me sound like a weirdo with a strange obsession…but the reason I love announcement videos is because they have completely reshaped what used to be one of the most boring, poorly executed segments in our church services.
Here’s a very brief rundown of why I love using video to communicate our church announcements:
They can be scripted
Too often, people step onto a church stage (often volunteers with little-to-no training or understanding in how to effectively communicate a verbal message) and inarticulately bumble their way through an announcement. Videos can be thoughtfully scripted, the accuracy of the details can be confirmed, and we can try it over and over again until we get it right.
They have a time limit
What should be a three-to-five minute segment on a Sunday morning can easily balloon out to 10–15 minutes if the task of delivering announcements falls into the wrong hands. By using video, I set myself a strict time limit.I can rework and sharpen the script to make it as concise as possible, I can coach the presenter to speak with momentum in their voice, and I can insert a soundtrack underneath the speaking to maintain pace and movement.
They can be reused
Every Monday I post the previous Sunday’s announcement video on our Facebook Page. Anyone who missed the service, (or anyone interested in our church) can remain as informed as those who were in attendance. No excuses for missing that meeting or event.
There are no surprises
There’s always one. That one person who approaches the pastor or service leader 10 minutes before church, asking if they can announce their event. There’s been no preparation, there are no supporting graphics, and the pastor isn’t even sure if they want that event promoted — but it’s too late! Someone has already said yes, and before you know it there’s a sweet old lady on stage reminding the entire church to please remember to clean their coffee mug when they’re finished with it at the Tuesday Craft Group. Announcement videos eliminate surprises on a Sunday morning. They allow churches to implement strict policies about which events can be promoted, and the amount of advanced notice needed.
Next week I’ll take you through the equipment we use to film our announcement videos. It’s not as scary as you think! Churches can get started making announcement videos with equipment they probably already have, and there are loads of low-cost workarounds to get you started without the huge financial investment.
Let us know if you can think of any other benefits to using announcements videos in church.
Originally published at gospelpowered.com.
