Video clips of sermons are an effective way to engage with church members and attract new followers.
Churches should consider creating short-form videos to reach more people, raise awareness and drive further engagement with full-length sermon content.
Short form videos are easy to digest and can be shared quickly across multiple platforms. Additionally, these videos serve as a great way to introduce topics and gain interest before a longer sermon.
This not only increases views but also allows viewers to be introduced to other video content that's available from the church on various topics that meet their felt needs.
Interactivity is also an important aspect of video content production. By creating polls and surveys, you can gain a better understanding of your target audience's needs, preferences, and interests. This not only allows you to tailor content to fit the audience but also improves the user experience because viewers are able to engage with content that is relevant to them. Additionally, this interactivity opens up other opportunities, such as giving church members a chance to contribute suggestions or ideas for future sermons or activities.
You can experience some tangible benefits of creating video clips from sermons quickly once you start.
7 Reasons Why Churches Should Create Video Clips from Full-Length Sermons
- Increased engagement: By creating shorter video clips, churches can break up long sermons and make them more accessible to a wide range of viewers. This allows church members to quickly access and watch the most important points without having to sit through the entire sermon.
- Expand your reach: Creating video clips makes it easier for churches to share their message with people who may not be able to attend regular services in person or live-streamed services online. Video clips allow for easy distribution on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube which gives churches the opportunity to reach audiences beyond their current following.
- Boosts sermon reviews: Short video clips of sermons provide church members with glimpses into each week’s sermon topics before they attend service or decide to watch the full recording later. This helps increase interest and encourages people to listen more actively during services.
- Engage with your congregation: Video clips of sermons give congregants a platform to stay engaged after leaving service by giving them space for discussion, reflection and further investigation into topics covered during each week's sermon.
- Increases donations: Churches looking to increase donations can use short video clips as part of their fundraising campaigns since visual content is often found more engaging than plain text messages or emails when asking for support from donors and members alike.
- Strengthen relationships within the community: By creating video snippets from sermons, churches can strengthen ties between members who may not be able to attend services regularly due to various reasons like distance or health issues, which serves as a further reminder that everyone has a part in the church regardless of location or physical condition.
- Easier accessibility for everyone: Last but not least, shorter video clips make it easier for all viewers – including those with disabilities – access sermon topics at any time since they no longer have to wait until Sunday morning when knowing what will be discussed ahead of time can be beneficial in so many ways.
HOW TO CREATE SERMON VIDEO CLIPS
Churches have several options when it comes to producing video clips from sermons. You can hire an in-house editor, outsource to a freelancer, involve volunteers, or use online services that are specifically designed for this purpose, such as SermonShots.com.
Hiring an editor on staff is a great long-term solution since it eliminates the need for third-party services and allows you to maintain full creative control over their content. Outsourcing to a freelancer is also an option however it can be more expensive and less reliable than having an in-house team member. If you don't have the budget for an FTE or even PT staff member, freelancers can be a very flexible option that many budgets can accommodate.
Involving volunteers is another great way to produce video clips, as it builds community within the church and encourages members of the congregation to participate in creating video content, especially if this type of creative outlet is one of their own giftings.
Lastly, using online services such as SermonShots.com is fast and efficient with competitive pricing structures, which makes it a viable choice for the majority of churches. It also provides the most flexibility and cost containment.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With so many tangible opportunities available, there’s no doubt that creating shorter videos from sermon recordings should be part of every church's communications strategy moving forward. In the next article, I'll share the optimal way to slice and dice long-form sermon content so that you can create a pathway back to your long-form sermon video as well as your website and eventually off-line engagement.
