We live in a visual world where people often prefer watching a video or viewing pictures over reading long blocks of text. Furthermore, engaging multiple senses in your communication dramatically increases memory retention. Here are several effective ways to leverage media in your ministry to help people better remember your sermons, announcements, church culture, and more.

Tell me in the comments below how you use photography and videos in your church ministry.

Create Photos or Videos of Your Sermons

We’ll talk about using photos or videos for sermon illustrations later. In this method, we’re talking about using photos and videos to share your sermon message on your website or social media.

Many church media specialists will clip key moments from a recent message to share as engaging snippets on social media.

I enjoy listening to clips and the podcast from Josh Howerton. His church recently posted this clip on his church’s YouTube page.

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Take short clips and post them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. Those are the main places people watch videos online.

You can also share images. For instance, my son Michael serves as the Media Minister at Anthony Grove Baptist Church in Crouse, North Carolina. He regularly uses graphics to promote upcoming sermon series and highlight key takeaways from his pastor’s messages.

Share Your Activities on Social Media

Promote your church activities both before and after the event. I created a video for one of the churches in my association when they hosted a block party. I gave it to them to share with their church and community.

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You should also consider posting images from activities your church takes part in, like celebrations, picnics, youth events, senior adult events, and more.

Pictured above, members from Oakwoods Baptist Church recently gathered to pray for a local school at the start of the academic year, joining in a broader community-wide event. This inspiring moment highlights the church’s genuine dedication to loving and serving our community.

Create Sermon or Bible Study Illustrations

In a sermon on Proverbs 3:5-6, I created an image using ChatGPT to show how trusting in God helps because God will always guide you through obstacles.

You can find many video illustration sites, but they will charge you. If you have the time, video illustrations that you create will have more impact because your audience will connect with the people in the video. We don’t have time to go into the “how-to” of creation. You likely have some creative people in your church who can put things together. This will take time, so you may need to plan these kinds of illustrations weeks in advance.

AI video generation sites can also help here. Google’s Veo tool makes really nice videos. You tell it what you want, and it makes the video for you.

The video above came from Gemini (Google Veo) and was made with the prompt, “Create a video of a young person being led through obstacles by Jesus. Make it fast-paced and make the obstacles appear along a pathway.” I selected the Video Game option in the Videos menu along the left side of the Gemini window.

Create Video or Photo Announcements

Share photos and graphics that showcase your church’s past achievements and future vision. Creating professional-looking flyers is easier than ever with design platforms like Canva, alongside AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini.

I designed the flyer above using Canva. Although the initial AI-generated draft required a few tweaks, the final result was impressively close to what I wanted. Ultimately, the platform saved me time.

Like sermon videos and photos, you can create announcement videos and photos yourself or using AI.

Document Your Equipment for Insurance

Here’s one way to use video and photography that you might not think about. Take photos of valuable property for insurance purposes. It might be video or sound equipment, musical instruments, or even computers you rely on for your ministry.

If you loan things out, record video of the space or the item before handing it over. This simple habit protects you if disputes arise later.

While I lived near the North Carolina coast, a severe hurricane struck the area. From the front porch of the parsonage, I could actually watch the church steeple sway violently in the powerful winds. I captured the steeple waving on video and later submitted the footage to support our insurance claim.

Introduce Your People to One Another

Some churches post photos of new members after they join. This creative approach allows the congregation to connect more deeply.

You can also make regular videos showing members what their ministers and key leaders are like outside of church.

Create Video Testimonies

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The Instagram video above is from Anthony Grove Baptist Church, where my son Michael Purcell serves as Media Minister. The video includes the words of baptismal candidates, who shared them during the worship service to introduce their newest members.