Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19–20; NKJV)

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. (James 1:27)

I was recently in a conversation when I encountered the statement, “$5000 is about right for a church camera.” Context is key, so I asked for clarification. The response I received included the sentiment that maybe some churches should go back to audio recordings of sermons and playlists of songs instead of live-streaming or video recording a lower quality product.

There are a lot of details that could be unpacked in those statements. I want to focus on the question of live-streaming and video recording services. I think the American church can learn from a bit more reflection in this area of ministry.

A lot of churches did not begin live-streaming or video ministries until the stay-at-home orders of 2020 severely restricted our abilities to hold live services and gatherings. Many churches have wondered if and how they should continue their live-streaming and video ministries. I would like to offer a defense for smaller churches with smaller budgets having live-streaming and video ministries, even if they cannot afford professional equipment and paid staff producers.

The beginning of the twenty-first century has witnessed an abrupt and dramatic shift toward digital communication. This is especially true for media consumption, where one study about podcasts reports that nearly 60% of participants preferred podcasts with video over those without.¹ According to another technology outlet, Gen Z is far more likely to watch video through social media, especially Instagram and YouTube, than consuming other kinds of media.²

This is an important cultural shift. These are our congregants and community members—those whom the church serves through ministry and mission. And there is a very strong preference toward audio with video over audio without.

The church has always carried the mission of going into the world and making disciples. It has also had a ministry to the least of these in our congregations and communities. One of the recent, and, in my opinion, more accurate, criticisms of the modern American church is we are too self-focused.³ The vast majority of our ministries and resources are committed inwardly, toward ourselves, and our outward ministries and missions suffers as a result. (Matt 28:18–20; Acts 6:1–7; Jas 1:27)

How does this specifically relate to live-streaming and video? Well, if our culture is becoming increasingly oriented toward consuming video through social media, then that is an area where the church can (and should?) pursue having a regular, positive presence for Christ.

What does this mean for local churches? How can the twenty-first century local church reach their own congregants and communities? One way is by cultivating a digital presence, especially through videos on social media. If we want to reach populations who are increasingly watching videos on social media—both congregants and community members—then there is good reason for local churches to desire to produce and share videos on social media.

How do churches do this? Larger, wealthier churches tend to have greater resources and more congregants to commit to these areas of ministry. But a recent study from Lifeway Research reports that 7 in 10 churches have less than 100 people.⁴ Having spent over 25 years serving in smaller- and medium-sized churches with modest budgets, I have seen firsthand how having the personnel and resources to engage in live-streaming/video ministry can be quite a challenge.

Every expenditure and event comes with opportunity costs. Spending, for example, $5000 on a camera, means those funds are unavailable for children’s ministry, community outreach, or overseas missions. Similarly, committing even one part-time staff member to audio-visual production means that staffer is not as available for other areas of ministry and the limited staff positions a church might be able to support has fewer staff available for other ministry areas.

This is where the value systems and visions of the church leadership team faces tough decisions. I think this is largely a concern between the local church leadership team, their congregants, and God. What I take issue with is when anyone, especially those with greater means, suggest certain areas of ministry require a certain level of investment of capital and/or personnel from any church to be carried out well, regardless of vision and context.

Please do not misunderstand my point. I am not saying churches should not pursue excellence in their ministry endeavors. I wholeheartedly believe our sincere faith response toward God moves us to give our best wherever and however we serve Him. This also means, as much as God gives opportunity and provision, we pursue training and resources to increasing what that ‘best’ is. (Rom 12:1–2; Col 3:17)

I am also not saying churches with greater means should not invest greater means toward their ministries. It only makes sense, in my mind, that ministry investment is relative to the resources and personnel God provides—where God has greatly given, He intends for us to greatly give. I think this is true not only personally but in community. And I do think this remains true in the area of live-streaming and video production.

Specifically, I am challenging when larger, wealthier churches suggest that church livestreams and videos are, first and foremost, a product requiring a minimum price of entry and minimum quality of production. This betrays a mindset that elevates production value over and against ministry and mission concerns. It also betrays a conviction that only a certain level of production is acceptable for God’s Kingdom and anything less is not good enough.

It is probably obvious that I disagree with both mindsets. I do not think these specific ways of thinking reflect our corporate call in Christ to prioritize serving one another’s needs and making disciples of the nations.

As I see it, the heart of the matter is whether church live-streaming and videos on social media is, first and foremost, a ministry or product. I do not think it has to be either-or. But I do think we must keep ministry and mission first and foremost in the ways we think about church live-streaming and video production. Such a ministry- and mission-first mindset keeps our local church calling and context at the forefront of our concerns. Then, the manners and means fall into place as we diligently commit God’s provision to the vision He has given us.

I think all churches do well to prayerfully consider if/how to utilize live-streaming/videos to reach their congregants and communities. Surely, God’s call in this area is not identical for every local church. We do well to carry out our perceived callings according to the contexts and means God provides. Of course, certain forms of production do require certain tools. For example, a camcorder capable of 1080p video is not up to par for a Netflix documentary.

But not all churches are called to make Netflix documentaries. And we do well to prayerfully consider how we, as the body of Christ, can work together more intentionally to building bridges, not barriers, for other local churches, supporting one another in ministry and mission, including in the live-streaming/video space.

Notes

1. “Survey Finds Podcasts Are Increasingly Becoming A Video Medium, Driven By New Listeners,” InsiderRadio, May 20, 2022, https://www.insideradio.com/podcastnewsdaily/survey-finds-podcasts-are-increasingly-becoming-a-video-medium-driven-by-new-listeners/article_2d22bb86-d85c-11ec-af4b-f75406cb8cc3.html.
2. Ryan Taylor, “How Gen Z and Millennials Watch Video Content & What That Means for Production Teams,” January 16, 2020, https://www.rev.com/blog/caption-blog/how-gen-z-and-millennials-consume-video-content-what-that-means-for-production-teams.
3. Troy Gibson, “Church budgets: shame on American evangelicals,” The Reformed Mind, August 22, 2011, https://thereformedmind.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/church-budgets-shame-on-american-evangelicals/.
4. Aaron Earls, “Small Churches Continue Growing—but in Number, not Size,” October 20, 2021, https://research.lifeway.com/2021/10/20/small-churches-continue-growing-but-in-number-not-size/.