5 Videos to Help Your Teaching Come Alive
There’s a reason why the movie theatre is recession proof. There’s a reason why production companies pay so much money for commercial trailers (Does Captain Marvel really not come out until March!). There’s a reason why most living rooms have all their furniture pointed towards a television. The reason: Video is powerful, captivating, and engaging.
These words describe what we want every one of our lessons to be in student ministry. If a video can help you set up a message from God’s Word, connect a point visually, or give you an eye-opening finish, then go for it. Below are some recent examples of videos that provide that “extra” needed to make for memorable teaching.
Clever presentation with creative graphics throughout. It has some humor that may get a chuckle or two in the room, but the moral of the story is worth the price of admission. There is some cost ($20), but would be a worthy investment.
Another one from the Skit Guys. Honestly, the Skit Guys should be one of the first places you look for videos that can intro, provide a spark, or help land the plane of a lesson. This video is no different. It provides some laughs, but the ending is serious and spot on. If you need a video for a series on devotions, overview of the Bible, or a survey class, this should be near the top of your list.
Grab the tissues for this one. No matter how many times you watch this powerful story, tears will fill your eyes every time. A story of rescue, redemption, and love. The sky is the limit for context of this video. It could work for Mother’s Day, salvation, or hope are just a few examples. This truly is a plug and play video for most occasions. When discussing the Gospel, what better picture that a baby being rescued from the trash and brought into a family? Lost and broken in our sin, God rescued us from the filth and adopted us into his family. Talk about a powerful lesson of salvation. Thankful for the story of Eddie that provides a glimpse of the Father’s love for us.
A promo video for the book “Dug Down Deep” by Joshua Harris provides a creative promo for a series on theology. That’s right, a student ministry series on theology. It may seem like a risk, but teenagers need a foundation to their beliefs. Theology is a great place to start to build a proper worldview and Biblical foundation. This video will promote the necessity of theology, and destroy the myth that theology is just for professors wearing Mr. Rogers’ sweaters at religious institutions.
In this video, which looked more like a “What Would You Do?” episode on ABC, James MacDonald allows his church to put their money where their mouth is. Loving the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) is something that needs to be promoted with this generation. There are multiple ways of using this video. Taking your teens to serve the homeless for the first time? Feeling like your students only want to be served? Struggling with an attitude of “better than thou” within your youth ministry? Use this video to introduce your lesson or provide a compelling illustration of real love.
With the amount of video sharing websites and church media resources out there, it is rare that you cannot find a video for your lesson. Start your youth group time out with a funny YouTube as students are walking in. Use a dramatic story for reflection as student break up for small groups. Plug in a video at the beginning of your lesson to introduce a new series. Grab that inspirational video that will provide that extra oomph to your lesson. Who knows if that video may just be the spark needed for a student to make a life changing decision.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the YS Blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of YS.