Serving Etiquette: Video Announcement

I have the privilege of working with some of the most passionate, giving volunteers I have ever met. It truly is an honor to serve them and serve with them.

Every week in LifeLine we have over one hundred volunteers who invest their lives in building relationships with students with the ultimate goal of leading students closer to Christ. We know this relationship is crucial if we desire to impact a student's life, so everything we do as a ministry is designed around creating a context that is conducive to this relationship.

As with any student ministry, we realize that programming is a small piece of the bigger picture, but it is an important piece because it often sets the context that relationship occurs in. Every fall we implement programatic changes that we hope will improve this context. This fall, one of the changes we made was a move toward more video, specifically video announcements (and video teaching elements as the year progresses)

Why we made this change:

We want to get students to our events so we can continue to develop relationship with them, and we suspect that video is an incredibly effective way of conveying pertinent information.

So far:

Below is an example of what we have done so far and some things we have learned.

Learnings so far:

1. Video is memorable: I know this seems basic, but there is something powerful about putting an image with a message. Example: How many times have you heard a student quote a movie after only seeing it once.

2. Video can't replace the human element: It is important to maintain a host in the room. Someone who lives, breathes, and can react.

3. Humor goes a long way: As long as it's funny, it will be engaging, even if the video itself isn't well produced.

4. Humor needs to be explained: Just because it was funny in concept and you laughed your head off while you were shooting it, doesn't mean the students will get it. If they don't understand it, you're done.

5. Students don't need "all" the details: They just need to know where/what, and why they should be there. Their parents need all the details.

6. We have a lot to learn: We are on the beginning of this journey and we have a long way to go, but so far it has been worth the work to make it happen.