Video Builds Bridges
Here at Stream Monkey, we LOVE pouring into people. From volunteer opportunities like working with our local churches to hiring interns to teach and help us out with development projects, we especially love hearing from the next generation. The young lady that wrote this blog approached our team about an interview, and we asked her if we could publish her final copy here as well. We hope you enjoy it.
Mindy Worley, Stream Monkey
There are many beneficial ways video can be used in churches. From streaming worship services to testimonial videos and everything in between, video should be implemented and prioritized. Most people are visual learners — 65% of the population — so videos are remembered more than text or spoken announcements. Marcus Rhoads, the senior video producer at Northland Church, agrees: “The way most people connect to important ideas about God and others is through visuals.”
People are more likely to share videos on their social media feeds than long articles. By sharing videos, the church’s message and the gospel reaches a broader audience. As of 2017, 81% of Americans had at least one social media platform — and this number continues to grow. “Video also captures attentions longer,” says Jonathan Howe, Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources.
Costs should not stop churches from adding a video component to their worship service, social media, or website. There are many video-making programs that offer affordable softwares to users, without lowering the quality of the software itself. iMovie is a good example of a free, easy-to-use program that lets users create professional videos. Lumen5 is another easy-to-use software, offering free, pro, and business options. Lumen5 is best known for letting users turn blog posts into short videos, which are easily shared on social media.
Worship Videos
Song lyric videos are also valuable additions to church services. Marcus explains that “a big part of my job is making motion graphics to enhance worship… since most people are visual learners, they connect well to a concrete or abstract visual that draws them into the lyric or thought that is being communicated.” By incorporating different elements into these motion graphics, such as concrete visuals like a cross, candles, or clouds, or abstract visuals, like light particles, rays, or lighting effects, congregants and viewers are invited to respond and think in a way just plain text can’t always evoke. These design elements support the lyric or word that is being communicated. Fernanda Salviano, Associate Video Director at Northland Church, explains that song videos are a way to create an “immersive worship experience” to help people forget their troubles and focus solely on God. The video team at Northland aims to create an environment free of distractions. With a goal like that, countless hours go into video production each week.
Every little thing is thought through, and all details are explored and executed in a way that will lead the worshiper — in the sanctuary and online — to have a connection with God. I don’t think of myself as a videographer, but as a bridge builder. I build bridges starting on people who need to hear the Word, leading all the way to Him. And that deserves all the time I have available! We consider that during a song, the most important thing is to deliver the message of the song, not to display our band. Therefore we highlight the words on the side walls, to make sure everybody can read the lyrics from wherever they are seated in the house.
- Fernanda Salviano, Northland Church
Informational Videos
Informational videos, like promotional and announcement videos, are great ways to inform church attendees and online traffic about upcoming events and opportunities. By using video, churches are given the ability to get creative in ways they otherwise couldn’t by solely relying on in-person announcements. People are also more likely to engage with a video.
For example, Church On The Move, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, uses announcement videos to creatively pique people’s interest before the service even starts. By playing these videos before service, congregants are encouraged to be on time, thus conserving valuable preaching and worship time.
Another good example is Flatirons, a megachurch with five locations in the Denver, Colorado area. Flatirons uses an introduction video to “give context to what church attendees are about to hear and welcome any guests,” says Korrie Bartels, Communications Director at Flatirons.
Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois uses a countdown video which, according to Dallas Thiele, the Creative Services Director, “not only reminds people service is about to begun, but [to] also show the life of our church with footage we capture through the year in service and at our many events. A first-time visitor may not realize the church is more than a Sunday service…with the announcements as a countdown video we are doing what we can to build a healthy community of like-minded believers.”
Streaming Videos
Streaming church services broadens the spread of the gospel and allows attendees to worship with the church, even if they cannot leave their homes. Streaming platforms, such as Church Online Platform, allow online worshipers the immersive experience of attending a church service without leaving their homes. These online worshipers are often greeted by name in the physical worship service. By doing so, online attendees feel connected and a part of the service. Helen Galvin, an online congregant from Connecticut at Northland Church, began watching online in 2015, after attending the Longwood, Florida campus while visiting family. Galvin reveals her reason for watching: “Because I can’t be there.” She enjoys the whole service, mentioning the singing, praying, and meet and greet parts of the service as her favorite parts. Ms. Galvin loves any part of the service that shows the congregation, as she is always hoping to catch a glimpse of her family in the service. Peter Brinckerhoff, Emmy award winning TV director, states, “Shots of people entering the church or worshiping can be powerful images. They can give a viewer who might be isolated a sense of being a part of a community.”
Ms. Galvin also loves it when whoever is greeting the online community greets her by name and she can hear her family cheering. Moments like these are one of the reasons Geoff Hensley loves his job. He leads user experience at Stream Monkey, a video streaming company. Hensley says the “why” behind streaming church services is “to equip churches to share the message of the gospel around the world.” Church Online strives to engage the online audience as though they are really in the church building. Features include chat, allowing virtual congregants to connect to a pastor, the ability to take notes, and an on-screen Bible.
Most churches that live stream and others that only record their services post their previous worship services online, either on YouTube, Vimeo, or their own websites. By doing that, people who missed a service, who just want to see it again, or people interested in the church have an easy and accessible way to view them.
Addressing controversy surrounding using video in churches
Some people claim that video in church services is distracting and expensive and that it takes away from the traditional ways of worship. While some individuals may find motion graphics a distraction, when made intentionally these videos are not distractions, but important additions to a worship service. As mentioned earlier, by using cost effective programs, video can be made affordably.
In a 1998 TED Talk, Reverend Billy Graham made key points on why, when used diligently, technology can be extremely beneficial in church. Josiah Way at Church Production Magazine summarized Graham’s thoughts this way:
When our productions are used to serve God’s people, creating a way for them to commune with him, only then are we using the tools God provides for their designed purpose. This is how we use church tech to serve the way Christ intended. If we are not using the technology God charges us with to lead others to his Son, our efforts are falling short. This is even more relevant today, as technology has advanced and given churches more opportunities to be diligent with the resources available.
Whether streamed, viewed live, or watched later, video can be implemented in churches, yielding many benefits. Congregants feel more engaged, a part of the church community, and connected to God. Video team members at churches across the country diligently serve God and their communities throughout the week, preparing to share the gospel through video every weekend. Since most people are wired visually, “[video] allows [people] to really engage in the stories without having to fly across the world or meet the people in the videos themselves,” points out Korrie Bartels of Flatirons. Video builds bridges that bring people to God.
Stream Monkey is an online video company focused on simplifying the way users share, connect, and engage with their audience.
