Using film in digital discipleship

Film has the capacity to resource people in discipleship in the same way as books have done for centuries, but are we making the most of the opportunity?

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When did you last read a book?  When did you last watch a film or TV series?

Learning and entertainment have been transformed in recent years as people watch more and more and read less and less (at least in books).  To vicars and pastors with book-lined studies and a penchant for getting lost in print, that can seem like a challenge and a tragedy – but it is also a huge opportunity!

At the most basic level, film has the capacity to resource people in discipleship in the same way as books have done for centuries.  Unlike books though, most film resources are instantly available online, often for free – a bored congregation member could start watching a film series (or Instagram reel) while commuting home and then finish off while rocking a baby to sleep. 

“At the most basic level, film has the capacity to resource people in discipleship in the same way as books have done for centuries.”

1.Small groups and ministries

One area that has the potential to be transformed by the possibilities of film is the breadth of discipleship in small groups and ministries.  Whereas reading a book is an essentially individual activity, films can be watched corporately.  That means that they can be used in groups to explore things that would have been beyond the knowledge or capacity of all but the most committed and knowledgeable leaders a generation ago.  Let me give you two examples.  

I am working on our next Burning Heart film series (launching late May) – Deuteronomy: Wellness God’s Way.  Deuteronomy is a glorious book – Jesus quoted it more than any other, and it’s about how to live life God’s way, so that “it may go well with you” (a phrase repeated 10x).  Even so, it is also a very daunting book!  Most small group leaders (and possibly even some pastors) would be lost trying to work out how to teach and discuss Old Testament laws, and definitely wouldn’t want to be confronted by difficult questions about why God commanded the destruction of the Canaanites!  A film series changes all that– the only skills you now need are the ability to press play and read out the questions in the study guide.

2.Courses and film

The second example is the growing number of courses on different aspects of life that are now available on film.  The church has had great impact in this area with courses on everything from parenting to recovering from Bereavement.  In the past though it took a huge amount of effort and expertise to run a course – someone had to be found who had the right mix of experience, theological understanding, pastoral sensitivity and speaking skills to front it all.  That usually meant that most churches were only able to attempt one or two such courses, and lots of areas (particularly on less universal topics) were inevitably missed.  Now though, anyone can run a small ‘course’ at home with just a handful of people, and without huge expertise.  Even a small church might be able to manage multiple courses over the course of a year.

3.In Evangelism

A final opportunity to highlight is the potential of film in equipping people in evangelism – something pastors are always trying to encourage!  The most obvious example is the Alpha Film Series (and youth version), which have suddenly made it easy for anyone to run alpha at home, work, school – or even church!

There are lots of other ways that film can equip people in evangelism too though.  Most people these days are on social media, and an easy ‘first step’ in evangelism could be a willingness to share an easily accessible Christian clip to friends and followers – maybe a “60 second sermon” from @RevChris7 on Instagram, or just a funny film about Jesus from @JosephTheDreamer on TikTok.  Once conversations kick off with friends about faith, sharing online films or social media posts are then an easy way to continue the conversation.

“ an area of lack is fast becoming a huge opportunity for the church.”

Writing this article has reminded me though that the church still has a long way to go in this area.  In my last paragraph I was going to plug some great free apologetics film resources – but couldn’t think of any! (If you know some, please let me know).  There are far fewer great Christian teaching films than books – but thankfully that is changing.  Ministries like RightNowMedia(and of course, Burning Heart!!) are creating and curating a growing amount of excellent content that will resource and equip the church for years to come, and an area of lack is fast becoming a huge opportunity for the church.

For those interested in exploring this more, I have put together a handful of ‘recommended resources’ on the Burning Heart website here.