The gatekeepers are gone.
Just a couple decades ago, if you wanted to get your message to a massive audience, you had to work your way up a very hard, long ladder.
And every step on that ladder had a media gatekeeper who could stop your progress.
Publishers said “no” to book ideas and magazine articles. Station managers said “no” to TV and radio shows. Producers said “no” to a movie distribution deal. On and on it went.
There were very few media distribution channels and they were well guarded.
Not today.
Right now, there’s no one to stop you from creating great content and distributing it to millions of people.
It can be a TV show, a movie, a magazine, a radio show, a newscast or a book. Through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, WordPress, Blogger, Amazon, iBooks, and so many other venues, you can produce any content you want without asking for anyone’s approval.
You can record a podcast and publish it today. You can shoot a video or start a series of short films and put them on the internet immediately. You can write your thoughts and ideas and send them out through a blog within minutes. All at no or minimal cost.
You don’t even need a cameraman. Just a smart phone and a selfie stick.
The only person who can stop you is you.
(For some practical tips on how to do this better in a small church, check out my previous article, Free Apps And Websites Any Church Can Use.)
New Ways to Proclaim Eternal Truths
You are reading this blog post on the most powerful information-sharing device ever created. And it gets more powerful every day.
The average smart phone, tablet or laptop has a higher definition camera than George Lucas had when he filmed Star Wars. It has access to a better editing suite than he had, too.
The device you are holding has wider worldwide distribution capabilities than any TV network had on 9/11.
The era of needing approval from anyone but God and ourselves to produce and distribute the eternal truths of the Gospel in fresh, new ways to millions of people is long gone.
You don’t need a stadium to do it. Or a church building. Or denominational support. You don’t need a record contract, a movie offer, a TV network or a radio station.
All the technology you need to reach millions of people is literally at the tips of your fingers right now.
All on virtually no budget.
The Next Generation of Ministry Innovation
The world is changing at a mind-numbing pace.
We need to change too. Not our theology, but our methods.
We need to be innovators, discoverers, creators, producers and distributors of life-changing content.
There’s never been a better, easier, more cost-effective time to do that than right now.
What’s holding you back?
For more resources on leading a smaller congregation through uncertain times, check out SPARK Online at KarlVaters.com.
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(Photo by Oziel Gómez | Unsplash)
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.