Media in a Small Church?

Recently, a small church approached me asking if I could help them out with some improvements to their sound system and to talk about adding Internet to their church. This request got me thinking about how it doesn't matter about the size or budget of a church when using technology. Of course, a hefty media budget can help in securing great equipment but it's not entirely necessary.

First, as with any church, determine what purpose media will serve in your ministry. Will it be used to enhance the service or will it be used as an outreach tool or a combination of both? Secondly, determine how much resources are you willing to devote to developing a media ministry. How much of the church budget will go for purchasing equipment and paying monthly fees? How many volunteers or staff members will be needed to run the equipment and/or maintain media sites?

You may have answered the questions mentioned above and now you're wondering where to begin. Start small before going all out with guns blazing. Starting out small will help you and your volunteers from being overwhelmed, and it is a great way to find out exactly what you want in a media ministry before committing a ton of money. No matter what your purpose or vision is start with using social media sites before anything else. If your church hasn't already done so, create a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a blog and/or podcast account, and a YouTube and/or Vimeo account. Using social media sites are great free resources to start building your media ministry.

With podcasts you can easily upload audio of your sermons and have your messages available to others to listen to. There are many podcast sites you can use that offer a free account with limited services, these are great because the sites allow you to try their site out and eventually as your listener base builds you can easily upgrade. My favorite site to use is Podbean.com, you can link it to your church's iTunes account and customize your podcast site to match your website.

Creating a blog is another great way to use media in church. Having a blog, whether it's written or in video form, creates a more interactive feel to your sermons. Expounding on a point from a sermon or giving a preview of an upcoming sermon series creates excitement and anticipation for how God is working in your church. Blogs also opens up a way to minister to others who may not be near your church who are looking for answers. Sites like Blogger and Wordpress are free and really easy to use and setup. Wordpress also offers websites, having a website is important as this is a tool to bring people to your church.

A lot of small churches can't afford the hosting fees to have a website but there are a lot of free options. Wordpress is a great resource in building a website and Facebook is a great alternative. Facebook allows you to create a business page that allows you to put information about the church, pictures, videos, and even audio.

There are a lot of ways to start small to get your church on the road to using media. I gave a few options that are great but as with anything, research all options as much as possible and decide which course is good for your church's ministry.