Digital Evangelism Issues

We often respond to visual images much better than pure words. On the high street, do you look for words or known shop logos? It’s the shape and color of ‘Subway’ or the ‘M’ of McDonalds we recognize, not the word itself. On our computer desktops, we look for the PowerPoint icon, not the word. Images say much more than words alone, and magnify their effectiveness. And moving images hold our attention. There is great potential for video clip outreach.

It may not be a coincidence that when James Choung, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, set out to help college students explain the gospel to their friends, he turned to the most beloved tool in an engineer’s arsenal: the napkin diagram. Choung, now serves as the divisional director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in San Diego. http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach/articles/4lawsto4circles.html.

It takes considerable time and experience to create a good 2-minute video clip. However there is a service that will take your own still pictures and graphics, add your text, and create a moving presentation with music: Animoto. Obviously this does have some limitations – there is no spoken soundtrack or ‘real’ video – it just manipulates your still pictures and graphics. However, the results can be very effective. (It’s free for clips under 30 seconds, you pay for longer ones.) Check out some of their samples, or see the video that Lisa created for Rest Ministries. This support ministry for those with chronic pain is very accessible to those with no faith. Helping people with a felt need is a compassionate, effective and biblical area of ministry, and many people start their spiritual journeys because of a felt need, as this previous post How people become Christians demonstrates.

Please use the ‘comment’ link below to share any Animoto clip you have made, either to promote your ministry, or for some direct evangelistic context.

Here’s another resource worth a look: Fliggo – allows you to create your own video site.

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