We filmed our church’s annual Christmas television spot this week. Our new videographer is much more creative than I am, so the spot required two actors. Since our production budget was exactly $0, we asked my son, Joshua, to fill one of the roles.
When I asked him if he would do it, he told me he would need to think about it. Then he asked where this commercial would be seen. I explained to him that we had purchased a run that would show on a number of cable networks for viewers in our area. I told him it would be seen by thousands. His reply, “So, it’s not going to be on YouTube?”
I told him we would also put it on YouTube, but more people would see it on cable. Then he asked me how many subscribers our YouTube channel had. I told him and he was not impressed. He told me that PewDiePie has 32 million. I imagine you might not know who PewDiePie is. You should Google him.
In my generation, video killed the radio star. For Joshua’s generation, I am still not sure what is going to kill what. But things are happening. Lots of things. If the Church wants to share the message of the Gospel and hand down the legacy of faith, we really need to pay attention.
Joshua is far smarter than most TV executives. While there might not be as many people who are subscribers to your channel, the potential YouTube audience is far greater than the potential TV audience. It’s important for churches to realize this because YouTube is where searchers go – both figuratively and literally. I’m glad to see this church embrace the technology of the audience that needs to hear the Good News.
Thanks Van! You are right. Given the audience potential of YouTube and the low startup costs associated with getting content online, I hope to see a lot more churches getting on board.