My Sunday morning service was briefly interrupted by a WhatsApp message from a colleague student minister, raising a concern that deserves attention. “Peace be with you, Papa Jerome,” wrote my colleague, whose I identity I prefer to keep anonymous in this piece.
“I have realised that most of our congregations, districts and Presbyteries have media teams to air their programmes, but I notice that these teams often share music and dance sessions while completely leaving out the message that was delivered. It is becoming too rampant.”
He continued: “The social media ministry must capture the hearts of people for Christ through hearing the Word, not merely by disseminating music and dances for views. Please, media teams must be trained to capture sermons in short clips that can minister to hearts and change lives for Christ.” I pondered over his message after church.
I identify with his opinion. Today, most congregations, districts and Presbyteries have embraced digital ministry. Services are recorded, photographs are taken, and social media platforms are constantly updated. Yet, in the midst of all this activity, an important question must be asked: Are we communicating the message of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Too often, some of church social media pages are dominated by photographs, musical performances, and other visually appealing moments. While there is nothing wrong with posting these aspects of church life, they should not overshadow the preaching of the Word. The sermon, after all, is central to our Church’s mission.
Scripture reminds us that “faith comes from hearing the message” (Romans 10:17). If our media ministries are to advance the Gospel, then sharing the Word of God through every available platform must be a priority. Our goal should not be attracting likes, shares, and views, but leading people to Christ, nurturing spiritual growth.
Admittedly, his feedback hit me. In fairness, some church media teams are doing decent work by publishing sermon summaries and text reports. However, there is still room for growth. We must be intentional in producing short sermon clips and more useful content that allows our audiences to engage directly with the Word of God.
Here is my personal observation too: The growing volume of photographs shared after church services or programmes. Some of our social media pages publish dozens of images from a single service, sometimes 50, 70 or even 100. While the intention may be right, such practices raise important concerns about privacy, consent, and data protection, particularly when children and vulnerable individuals are featured.
Our media teams must be careful of that practice. As emphasised at the seminar for Presbytery Public Relations Officers, we must be deliberate about responsible media practices. Congregations should consider displaying disclaimer notices informing congregants that photography, recording, and other media activities take place during services and these are published afterwards.
Such disclaimers promote transparency and may also function as safeguards against lawsuits. I am not against sharing photographs because like it or not, images are powerful tools for telling the story of God’s work. However, wisdom and moderation are necessary. Media content should reflect our church’s values of godly leadership and discipline.
We should not fill timelines and news feeds with large volumes of photos. Congregations must invest in training their media teams, while districts and Presbyteries prioritise media literacy and professionalism especially in this age where media development is at rapid pace. It is good to invest in modern technologies, but equal attention must be paid to how these technologies are used.
Let us know that our impact will not be seen by the volume of content we produce but by how well we use these technologies and our platforms to proclaim the truth of God’s Word and the hope found in Jesus Christ. The time has come for our media teams to refocus on what is central to our calling: the faithful proclamation of the Word of God.
By Jerome Otchere
