What does your church’s media team look like? One guy (or gal) in the sound booth? A full team of videographers, photographers, and sound techs? No matter what size your team is, there is great potential to build a strong group of skilled media specialists with a heart to serve the church.
Church media incorporates a lot of different areas. The most basic elements are sound and presentation. Most churches, regardless of size, have some sort of sound system and quite a few use a slide presentation in their services. Larger churches may have a dedicated team of photographers and videographers to capture digital media at events and other church functions. Your media team should be responsible for any of the digital aspects of your church’s ministry. Let’s explore how to create a strong media team that can accomplish its mission and serve the church effectively.
Your community’s skills are essential
The concept of every-member ministry is important for churches seeking to build teams of volunteers. Each member of the church is called to use their skills and abilities to serve the church in some way or another. When it comes to digital media, there are a number of skills that you’ll need. For example, even running a sound board requires special knowledge and competency. Therefore, connecting the people in your congregation with the skills that your ministry needs with the work that needs to be done is an important first step in building a strong team. Who is competent? Who is able to accomplish the required tasks? Finding people with the right skill-set may be as simple as making an announcement and creating a sign-up form.
Build a well-rounded team
A church media team doesn’t just need people with skills, they need people with a variety of different skills. Accordingly, you’ll want to develop a well-rounded media team that can be flexible. Cross-training your team members can help make this possible. Training and developing team members to learn various tasks and areas of responsibility will make managing your volunteers easier. The more people and skills you have, the more adaptable your team can be.
Grant responsibility
The Creative Pastor recognizes the importance of delegating responsibility rather than just tasks. Inviting your media team volunteers to take ownership of their service is a great way to show you trust them and respect their contribution. Let them know they’re not just warm bodies, they’re valued team members. Furthermore, granting responsibility also contributes to growth and improvement for your team. Your volunteers may have fresh perspectives that church leaders and staff members may be missing. Giving your team the freedom to take ownership of their service can lead to new and exciting innovations.
Encourage them!
Encouraging your team should be a priority. Any team thrives on encouragement, affirmation, and expressed appreciation. Your church media team is no exception. Like any other team of volunteers or staff in the church, they need to see the impact their work has on the ministry of the congregation. Reinforcing their influence and encouraging them in their work is an essential element in building a strong team.
Media and Ministry
The mission of your media team should be the same as the mission of your church: making disciples. Incorporating media into ministry can take time and undoubtedly takes wisdom, but it’s worth it. As a result, building a strong team, whether it’s a few volunteers or a full staff, is an essential step towards more effective ministry. Structuring your team should reflect this mission.
Combining media and ministry goes beyond building a team. For your website needs, Five More Talents has the solution! Our church website packages will help to provide a platform to share your church media, including photos and videos, online.
