I remember the day quite clearly, because it’s hard to forget that I looked and felt like a fool in front of a room full of people. A friend had promoted me so enthusiastically before I gave a presentation to his youth group that I spent weeks preparing. I felt like I needed to impress and impress well. I came loaded with all sorts of edgy videos I’d made to help my message sound cooler (and perhaps feed my ego a bit in the process to be honest).
This was during the early days of using digital media, and the youth group’s computer was too slow to run what I’d brought. All the clips I was depending on to carry me through my talk were impossible to use, meaning I not only had large blocks of time to fill but also didn’t have any solid transitions to glue my thoughts together. Stepping onto the stage that night was one of the most insecure moments I’ve ever experienced in ministry, because I’d invested too much time developing the medium instead of the message.
Perhaps I should start differently about the best sites for video to use in your youth ministry, but given my experience then and in other situations, we need a context for what follows. Media is a compelling ally in breaking down someone’s spiritual defensiveness through what they see and hear whether a dramatic vignette or an imaginative backdrop behind worship lyrics. If we grow to depend on technology, though, we can begin to focus on creativity versus the Creator. Just as Jesus used visuals and stories to teach people eternal truths, videos help your students begin thinking more about God and His love for them, not how cool a clip is.
Developing great video for large and small gatherings takes time and resources. The good news is that much of the work already has been done for you through many sites.
One-Stop Shops
All these companies offer monthly freebies or discount codes, but you may need to sign up for their e-mail list to avoid missing out. Be smart about this gift: Save your downloads for strategic use throughout the year.
• Worshiphouse Media (WorshipHouseMedia.com): I always start my search for media here, because not only does WHM offer a wide range of videos but only accepts 30 to 50 percent of what’s submitted to maintain quality. The prices feel fair for what you’re buying, from backdrop motions—around $4 to $12 dollars—to mini-movies that range from $12 to $20 dollars. With more than 200 contributing producers, this truly is a valuable resource of “creative church media for the creative church pastor.” (Check out WorshipHouseKids.com for children’s ministry resources.)
Favorite Video: Love Words
• SermonSpice (SermonSpice.com): A little known fact about this well-known site is that a father and son started it to further the Kingdom of God through media. Since then, it has become one of the largest libraries of its kind with several videos that are exclusive to the site. The top end of the price range is slightly higher than competitors’, but you still can find many quality videos for as low as $5.
Favorite Video: The Plate
• The Work of the People (TheWorkOfThePeople.com): The creative offerings available from this site feel like alternative music to the mainstream flavor that other distributors provide. As founder Travis Reed shares, “Our content comes from somewhere and not for something…messy, but true, hopefully.” TWOTP videos reflect this drive for declaration over decoration, exposing truths in the Scripture and culture in ways that make you pay attention. All videos are $15 with membership options that provide an even greater savings over time.
Favorite Video: Come Awake
Original Producers
You’ll also find some additional free media directly from some of these quality creators:
• BluefishTV (BluefishTV.com): For more than 25 years, Bluefish created small-group Bible study materials and videos that usually arrived by mail. The site has become famous during the past several years because of its $1.99 media downloads that cover diverse themes in a variety of formats. From original illustrations that accentuate your message to full presentations by noted presenters such as Louie Giglio, Donald Miller and Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, this site has close to 1,000 options to assist every kind of ministry in the church, including yours.
Favorite Video: Facebook Girls
• Floodgate Productions (FloodgateProductions.com): Although its materials are available by the distributor sites, it’s worth visiting Floodgate Productions directly to experience the everyman edge of their videos. The company’s three primary producers are worship leaders, giving a flavor of media that doesn’t preach as much as it stirs. Somehow it all ends up speaking to the seasoned Christian and the skeptical visitor.
Favorite Video: God Speaks
• Muddy River Media (MuddyRiverMedia.org): When it comes to price, you can’t beat FREE! A video missionary heads this open-resource style community where decent videos are offered without cost (donations are accepted). This means updates to the site aren’t as frequent as others, but what is made available is done so in the hope that it will bless the church at large and assist congregations that might not have a media budget.
Favorite Video: Heavenly Myths
• Igniter Media (IgniterMedia.com): To save you valuable time, the producers at Igniter Media have created more than a terrific selection of “the usual” videos. This site offers a notable assortment of sermon series bumpers (add your own text), worship tracks (add your own praise leader), EasySlides (add your own presentation software), and multi-screen backdrops (add the appropriate number of screens). This site is run by the same people who originally launched WorshipHouse Media as a sister company, and the quality and pace reflect a desire to increase the possibilities of impact in your ministry.
Favorite Video: Retooning the Nativity
• Highway Video (HighwayVideo.com): Considered one of the pioneers of media for ministry, Highway Video creates solid films for “a post-modern, increasingly post-Christian, media-saturated culture.” The prices may feel prohibitive to some budgets, but you definitely get what you pay for.
Favorite Video: Erase
There are, of course, other ways to use video that don’t require any high-end equipment or presentation software. One easy option is to use popular Hollywood movie clips as discussion starters. Sites such as Ministry and Media (MinistryAndMedia.com) and The Source for Youth Ministry can help you strategically talk about what your students already are talking about.
Again, in all of this be intentional about not letting media become the foundation for your ministry, but only an illustrative component of it. One way these sites help is that you have more time to invest in kids relationally and spiritually because of all the impressive work others have put into creating videos. If you find yourself looking at a screen more than you do a kid’s face, it’s time to turn the electricity off and power up in the Word of God. After all, a movie can change an emotion, but only Jesus can change a life.
