Here we are going to focus on explaining why church announcement videos are the most effective church media solutions. As we move into April and say farewell to the Ides of March, we’re going to give churches a number of easy ways to kick start the new month, starting with the most vital of mediums in 2015…video. Having personally been witness to many houses of worship and their use of video announcements in working with them, the Green Screen Talent Now team is 100-percent comfortable in reporting the myriad of benefits this communication tool offers.
1. Incredible Focus for Churches Boasting Multiple Locations
When we here at GSTN put on our communications hats, we see that one of the largest challenges that a church with multiple locations faces is consistency of messaging throughout all congregations. Video announcements allow them to centrally communicate a message during all services and to all locations, effectively getting the data out.
2. Allows Service Hosts to Focus on Relationships
You really don’t want your pastor alone communicating dates, times and locations of events because often, announcements can degenerate to just the facts and figures; pairing a video announcement that does the “detail work” of communicating allows your pastors the ability to communicate the passion and purpose behind what you do. For example: The video host announces a new series, when it starts and other vital information, while your pastor gets to talk about their next door neighbor they are inviting.
3. Showing is Better Than Telling
Yes, we know what you’re thinking – the old “show and tell” theory. But the truth is we live in an increasingly visual culture, and by adding announcement videos as a platform for communication we are able to regularly “show, not just tell” what is happening at a church. Green Screen Talent Now, as experts in this area, use lots of “b-roll” and “cut-aways” to make sure people can see what your video spokesperson is referring to in the videos.
4. Extend Communication Into the Week
You can repost the video announcements through Facebook, Twitter and the church’s weekly email blast, as these tactics allow you to catch up with people who weren’t able to attend services over the weekend and let them know what’s happening at the church. Here’s what Green Screen Talent Now found after questioning several of our clients about the kind of feedback they’ve experienced using church announcement videos: When they post their video announcements and snippets of the messages on Facebook, people click on the announcements more. What does this boil down to? People want to know what is going on.
There are a plethora of benefits to using church video announcements in lieu of a congregational leader mentioning the material during a live sermon; for one, you will be sure all the important details are covered and nothing gets left out. You will also know ahead of time exactly how long your announcements are going to last each week – no more of your congregation enduring a sermon leader going off on a tangent and talking for most of the service.
Did you know that 55-percent of churches still use phone book ads?
Traditionally speaking, churches haven’t usually been on the cutting edge of technology – but times are changing, and if your church is sharing the greatest story of all time, it deserves to be heard. We understand that church media is something many houses of worship struggle with; there’s the cost, the time it consumes and the difficulty of creating something memorable and of high quality.
The average person aged 14 to 34 will spend 33-percent of their life on a computer. Digital media – including announcement videos – allows your church the opportunity to meet these people where they are, rather than them waiting to come to you.
The traditional approach to church media solutions normally required the following:
• Hiring Staff Members
• Investing Tens of Thousands of Dollars
• Working A LOT of Extra Hours
Yet considering the average North American church consists of 75 people, this approach isn’t feasible for most houses of worship. This is precisely why Multiverse Media Group launched Green Screen Talent Now…it can be considered a holistic approach to church communication and media, with video announcements just the beginning.
Effective Ways to Use Video in Your Church Services
Church announcement videos, if you haven’t already gotten our point, is the best form of church media to really grab the congregation’s attention. We love our videos, so church video can become a powerful tool that you should use.
1. Message Trailers
Thirty-to-90-second clips that introduce a message series can be played before your pastor begins the message; these are great for preparing your church and setting expectations for the sermon.
2. Baptism Videos
Testimonies are an integral part of any baptism, and baptism videos are useful for showcasing the unique life of each individual. By using a video, you eliminate the possibility of drawn-out testimonies while maximizing the moment – plus, each person who is baptized can have the video as a keepsake for the rest of their lives.
3. Testimony Videos
Similar to baptism videos, testimony videos are a great way to showcase specific individuals in your church; this takes the focus off of the church staff, who are seen each week, and puts it on the congregation. Trust us when we say people are edified by others’ testimonies, and your church community will grow stronger as a result.
4. Devotions
Keep your church engaged beyond Sunday mornings by posting devotions online throughout the week; have your pastor sit down and share a personal devotion, do a quick edit and throw it up on social media.
5. Preaching Intro
As your congregation can probably attest to, services can get long sometimes. Consider dicing it up by doing the introduction on video – a good way to accomplish this is to film the message illustration in a setting that is relevant to the content. For instance: You’re speaking on evangelism, so film the introduction on your city streets and really draw your church into the message.
6. Skits
Remember when church skits were really popular? We here at Green Screen Talent Now do. Perhaps your church still indulges in these, but how about having them filmed instead?
7. Church Ads
Does your house of worship have an online address…a website? How about an app or an upcoming event? Anything you want to promote can be made into a short video ad which you can then play during the announcements or on a loop before the service.
You have more than likely figured this out by now, but announcements are usually the least glamorous portion of any church service. We normally suggest injecting humor and personality into them, but the best way to accomplish this is through video announcements. GSTN’s church video announcements are fast-paced, engaging and beautifully designed.
There are some other ways to effectively utilize video in your church services, which include:
• Expectations Videos – Visiting a new church can be an anxiety-ridden experience for many virgin congregation members, so you want to reduce that discomfort as much as possible. Consider a series of expectations videos that essentially describe what one could expect when visiting the church for the first time, perhaps filming the pastor discussing worship, the message, parking, what to wear, children’s ministry, etc.
• Welcome Video – Throw this video on a loop before the service or play it at the very beginning; it is another way to help make visitors feel comfortable and to structure the service.
• Website Intro – Essentially a welcome video for your online portal, this will give visitors a familiar face to remember while giving you the opportunity to share a brief overview of the church.
• Funny Videos – A classic YouTube video can sometimes be appropriate; perhaps a video that went viral or carries a significance to your church would work. Or, maybe just use something that has been received as really, really funny.
• Film Clips – One of the easiest uses of church video is to simply insert a clip from a Hollywood film to illustrate a message.
• Curriculum – Video curriculum is a good way to provide instruction that will remain the same every time; if you have a course that you run regularly and you can find video curriculum that you really like, this will come in especially handy. Of course, if you don’t find what you like, you can always make your own.
• Motion Backgrounds – We saved the simplest church video application for last: If you’re just getting interested in church video, this is the best first step to take. In lieu of using still backgrounds during your worship sets, use motion backgrounds – you can buy them in bulk at any church video site. Our advice is to try and get variants that aren’t distracting.
Green Screen Talent Now creates beautiful, custom HD-quality video announcements that you can use every week in your services, throughout your facilities and across all of your social media and web platforms.