Missions and Technology: Video

Missions and Technology: Video

As technology has improved, so has the ease of making and getting videos. Missionaries should use the ease of making quick and simple videos to help get their message out, but also to show what their ministry is all about. Churches can use videos to keep their people informed about missionaries and mission fields. Let’s look below at different types of videos that can be used.

• Ministry Video— Every missionary should put together a short 3-5 minute ministry video that they can send and show in churches. Keep in short and sweet, but also make sure it looks good. Don’t just use all pictures, get lots of videos. Even if you do not have personal videos, find them online and use them. Make sure they look first class and the audio is good as well. This is a way for you to show churches the field you will be going to. This is also a way churches can show the need all around the world in their churches by showing the videos to their congregation. 
• Live videos— Either on the field or on deputation, missionaries should take advantage of the live video feature on many social media platforms. Use this to give people short updates. Use it to preach and share the need around the world. If you are on the field, you can use it to give people a closer look at what goes on in your life while on the mission field! Live videos are a great way to connect with people, encourage people to pray and motivate people to give their lives to go! 
• Video calling— Churches should use this to their advantage. This allows you to call a missionary through video and have them give a live update. You can do this for all the missionaries your church currently supports and have them give on-the-field updates! You could also use this to have a missionary who is on deputation, who you want to support but cannot get in to your church because of their schedule, present their burden to your people. This is a great resource and churches should be using it, but some things to make sure of first.
  • Test, test and retest to make sure it will work before doing it. Nothing like having something go wrong during the actual call.
  • Make sure the audio is good and can be heard.
  • If the video quality is poor, just put up a picture of the missionary and use the audio.
  • Let the missionary know the time frame they have and what you would like them to say.
  • Have questions prepared to ask the missionary.
  • Get your people excited about it!

As technology continues to advance, so will our video abilities. We, as missionaries and churches, should be using video as a way to communicate. We need to use it to share the need all around the world, but also to stay in contact even when we are on the field!