By Nikole Hahn
“The hard part isn’t finding proof before you begin. The hard part is beginning, knowing you might not succeed.” – Seth Godin
Post Covid, social media and websites are part of normal operations for most of the world. In January, I attended a webinar about AI with other techies. The question was, “How are churches using AI?”
When used ethically, AI will save churches and missionaries a lot of time. Recently, I introduced Opus to a pastor. When you are leading a church and running your own social media, a tool like Opus can help you craft videos in minutes rather than hours so you can focus on engagement and your other duties. A church can put the sermon link in, and Opus will come up with close to 30 or more shorter videos for social media with limited editing options from 1 to 3 minutes in length. And a church that meets weekly only needs 5-7 of them.
In a world that demands soundbites, a church can give them better soundbites than the current media. The church has the opportunity to share something greater—words that bring hope, truth, and life. While media often amplifies fear and division, we can offer the good news of Jesus, building bridges and inspiring hearts. The church has the best soundbites—Bible verses that open the door to a library of Scripture, sermon clips that invite people into a thriving community, and photos and videos of global ministry that point to God’s incredible mission of love and redemption. We, the church, have the most powerful soundbites of all—ones that lead people to Jesus!
Local Led Efforts
More than a year ago, I consulted with some Global Workers on their organization’s best uses of social media. Our Global Workers in that area struggled to make time for that plus their everyday work. As I said in the first paragraph, social media is part of today’s economics and social fabric. It’s not whether a person wants to use social media, but it’s part of the everyday operations of any organization or business, especially nonprofits. Just ask Amazon.
Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of “how we’ve always done it.” This is no less true in other countries. Recently, our workers communicated some happy news! They hired a national person to manage communications for their nonprofit. When you find the right social media person to manage your platforms who can perform creatively and professionally, they are a keeper! I continue to encourage these Global Workers as they use social media for their nonprofit and make the effort nationally led.
In the past to my partners, I’ve mentioned that my goal is to consult but not lead the digital efforts for Gospel Impact at the local church level. I want to train volunteers and let them go without actually doing the whole ministry myself. Currently, I am training a volunteer to stream on her own. A local-led effort is more powerful and is no different than what our missionaries do overseas, such as in Senegal, where ministries once led by American WorldVenture missionaries are now led by Senegalese people.
When I interviewed Briannan Byrd, a new missionary to Japan, she mentioned how missionaries went to Japan after World War 2, and Japanese people became believers, but the local believers never led the effort into the next generations. This created one of the world’s highest unreached people groups. Local people must take ownership of their Gospel Impact efforts, and this includes online ministry for the sake of the next generations.
Discussion Questions:
Please answer on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn (or your own social media with the link shared with your response).
- How have soundbites or short-form media influenced your perception of faith?
- How have you been inspired or challenged by a short, powerful message from a sermon or online Christian content?