I was asked to write a short article explaining the rationale behind some of the recent changes online. If you have any questions please come and speak to the Pastors, or Tim Cross, directly. Our channel is a work in progress but we receive letters and emails on a regular basis, thanking us for this arm of our church’s ministry.
It was a Sunday lunchtime and one of our missionaries, who knows a thing or two about using technology, pointed out to some of us that our YouTube channel could do with updating.
Imagine our channel page like an old-fashioned shop front. Presentation and navigation matter because it is often the first experience many will have of the Heath—especially when searching for a place to worship or are new to Christianity. It is important, therefore, that we constantly adapt and update the channel front. It would be disastrous if the YouTube channel was merely a tool for church members. It is of course for all of you, but it is so much more than that…
While our ‘weekly’ live stream services may have been easier to find for the older generation (i.e. the same, familiar graphic appeared weekly on our screens), navigating past sermons, finding specific texts, or finding relevant material if you’re a newcomer could be difficult. Hundreds of services had the same thumbnail image; navigating this maze was proving difficult. We do hope, in time, that everyone will benefit from some small changes we’ve implemented.
The ministers and tech team, therefore, decided to include YouTube Titles, distinct Artworks for sermon series, and playlists. I will now go through these changes and explain the rationale.
YouTube Titles & Artworks
These methods are not new. From our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount to Edwards’ Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, sermons have been given titles for hundreds of years. Granted: this was usually done for memory’s sake but giving a title can be a light to those browsing moths. For example, I recently searched for titles used for Joseph sermons: Sinclair Ferguson’s series from First Presbyterian Church came up on Google.
‘From Prisoner to Prime Minister’ to ‘The Great Exchange’, these were more conventional, but then I noticed that culture is used too: ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘Time Past, Time Present, and Time Future’. The first is a Beatles song from the 1960s and the other a subtle reference to the poetry of T. S. Eliot.
Ferguson is not the first and will not be the last to use ‘culture’ as a springboard: the Apostle Paul quoted pagan poets; John Newton preached a whole series in conjunction with the performance of Handel’s Messiah; and the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist, David Jones Llangan, used Military Beach Parades and martial language when preaching the Gospel. More recently, Billy Graham and Alistair Begg used Television and Radio to scatter the seed successfully. Remember, these things were all called ‘worldly’ at the time. Yes, even Handel’s Messiah!
‘Clickbait’ titles—strange titles which may be unfamiliar to you are familiar to those outside our church. The clue is in the word: ‘click’ and ‘bait’. We are, after all, ‘fishers of men’. The ministers will sometimes use titles from the cultural oeuvre for the algorithms to pick them up.
For example, if a student living in Africa Gardens searched for a Beatles’ song called Nowhere Man. Let’s say, in the same session, he searched on Google for videos explaining the meaning of life. In a week or so, the intelligent technology in our computers may (but not always) bring that student into contact with Sinclair Ferguson’s sermon on Joseph entitled Nowhere Man?
Vigilance and Purpose
Now I am no technology expert, but surely most of you will notice that when you order nappies or lighting fixtures that your computer somehow remembers and then presents you with nappies on every page! It truly is remarkable. Sadly, the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are brilliant at this. When I search for Heath Church, I sometimes get adverts to the Church of Latter Day Saints at the top of the page! Do you see how important it is that we are vigilant in this area?
Important: We are not trusting in these titles or methods, but we are going to use the means we have at our disposal. These titles will sum up the gist of a sermon whether it’s in the exposition or an illustration used. But it may also be a way of attracting those curious, clicking individuals.
The Artworks will hopefully help all of us to distinguish between the myriad series. Many small churches are tuning into our channel because they do not have evening services. They want to be able to access series of sermons easily. Many of these churches do not have ministers and a series is something of a luxury.
Playlists
Because of our playlists, other churches, or Christians working out in gyms, or preparing food in the kitchen, can now access sermon series rather than having to trail through a myriad of little pictures all with the same ‘shop front’ as it were. This is not being worldly, it is being well organised.
Conclusion – A Thank You Card
If you still find it all a bit overwhelming, we completely understand. However, we have a brilliant technology team who are working ever so hard to spread the Gospel further than our four walls. Some of you may be discouraged by the numbers on a Sunday evening. Be assured that hundreds more are joining us weekly.
The day before I wrote this article, I was handed a thank you card addressed to our church which was such an encouragement. In it was this inscription:
“The Lord bless thee and keep thee… Thank you so much for your ministry online. Much blessing in all the propagation of the Gospel.”
The word that struck me was all.
Nathan Munday
