Video is the most captivating form of communication today. In fact, video content receives the maximum engagement on social media. The statistics are mind-boggling indeed. More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube daily, and 500 million+ people watch videos on Facebook every day.

Well, the video trend looks like it’s only going to pick up pace. Studies show that by 2020, online videos will make up more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic.

Pastor, is your church harnessing the power of videos yet? If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to join the video club! Keep reading to learn six ways in which videos can help your church engage its congregation and city better.

1. SHARE SHORT CLIPS OF YOUR SERMON ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

With a plethora of content online, social media is a busy space filled with users who have a short attention span. Therefore, a 30-minute sermon is unlikely to hold a person’s attention on this platform.

Well, there’s a way to ensure that your audience watches your sermon videos. It’s simple – just clip your videos to 2–3 minutes to highlight the key point of your message. Remember that videos up to 2 minutes long get the most engagement.

Want to see how other churches are using short clips? Check out this video snippet from one of Steven Furtick’s sermons for inspiration:

You’ll never be satisfied drinking from the wrong well.https://t.co/5DgooFlWh4

— Steven Furtick (@stevenfurtick) April 5, 2016

Video clips are easy to make with the help of a video editing app. You can check out free apps such as HitFilm 3 Express and Windows Movie Maker to create impactful sermon video clips.

Is your church already sharing sermon clips on social media? If your church isn’t on social media yet, here are five good reasons to become “social” today. 

2. USE VIDEO TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS

How you present your church announcements matters more than you think! If your announcements are content-heavy and lengthy, it’s likely that your viewers would lose interest and forget all the information.

So, how can you catch and keep your viewers’ attention? The key is to use videos as people are more receptive to visual stimuli. In fact, studies reveal that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video. 

Why not switch to video announcements to keep your audience interested?

3. CREATE TRENDY CONTENT

It is not enough to just make videos. You need to go a step further to ensure that your church videos are relevant. Remember that people will only consume content that is interesting and in line with current trends. Here are a few ideas for creating eye-catching videos:

• GIF: This is one of the most trending formats on social media. An animated GIF would be ideal if you’re looking to post something light and humorous.
• Kinetic typography: This effective form of editing brings audio and text together in an interesting way. Take a look to see how this tool helped highlight text from Matt Chandler’s sermon.
• Dubsmash: This is another creative and entertaining way to engage with your congregation. Get your pastor or the church staff to ‘dubsmash’ together – it will not only give everyone a good laugh, but also show that church can be fun.

Are you making the most of these popular trends in your church communication?

4. GO LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Real-time videos are becoming very popular. Facebook LIVE is a great way to share live video feed from your church services or events. It not only reflects the culture at your church, but also allows viewers to participate from wherever they are!

Facebook LIVE takes a regular church event to people beyond the venue. So, the next time you have a Sunday school outing or a worship concert, don’t forget to go “live” on Facebook!

Pastor, has your church used Facebook LIVE yet?

5. SHARE KEY MOMENTS FROM EVENTS

Your church events are great opportunities for you to engage your church members as well as the entire community. What’s more, reliving the memories of these events can be equally special.

So, at your next church event, ask a volunteer to make video clips that highlight key moments. Then share the video snippets with your church members who were unable to attend or any others who would like to relive the fun moments. Don’t forget to share these videos on your social media channels and e-newsletters.

Are you ready to share a piece of your church’s culture with the community?

6. UPLOAD YOUR SERMONS ONLINE 

This is probably the most basic, yet most ignored video tip for churches. All your sermons should be available to watch online, either on your website, blog or YouTube channel. In fact, sermons are one of the 10 essential elements that all church websites should have. 

By making your sermons accessible online, you provide valuable resources for people who may be browsing for biblical teaching. You also cater to church members who may have missed a particular service or who may want to listen to certain messages later on.

Pastor, have you been using videos effectively for your church communications? If not, we hope that this blog post will help you leverage this medium of communication.

Before you go, we have a resource that can help you utilise your church website to its full potential – our 50 Common Mistakes on Church Websites e-book. Download this e-book to identify and fix errors that are stopping your website from performing at its best. Get your FREE copy below.