Most Church leaders had a vision of where they were going pre-COVID. The pandemic did not only slow our progress, but drastically shifted our direction.
Unfortunately, many Churches are letting their staff go due to lack of funds. Church planters who were preparing for launch are reevaluating their budgets and ministry needs. Churches, especially those with smaller teams, are running around just to get their buildings open again.
If your staff is finding themselves overwhelmed by the work now necessary to run two Churches (the physical Church and its digital footprint), read on.
1. Video Post-Production
Most of us have been running video-only Church for the last few months now. Whether streaming live to Facebook or YouTube, or engaging in Zoom meetings, most pastors now know what it’s like to speak the camera hole at the top of their laptops.
To continue incorporating video into the way Churches operate, many pastors will decide to produce videos outside of live service streaming. If that’s the case, I would like to introduce you to the Video Post-Production freelancer.
This freelancer is well-versed in video editing tools, knows how to mix music and cut film so that your videos look polished and professional. I know you have this one youth pastor who can edit videos, but you may soon have to ask yourself if that’s the best use of his time. Those teens aren’t stuck at home anymore and it’s summer…
These freelancers can help with things like sermon bumpers (those cool minute-long intros before the pastor starts talking) and the Church news videos that play while the worship team is setting up. They can also make worship videos, seasonal videos for Christmas or Easter and montage videos of all the amazing stuff happening in your Church that make visitors want to join you.
2. Graphic Design
For a lot of Churches, graphic design is already interwoven into the Church experience. These Churches have images displayed on a screen throughout service, they have custom graphics in the sermon bumpers, and matching graphics to promote Sunday service on Instagram.
Achieving that sort of seamless, visual Church experience may be less complicated than you thought. Meet the Graphic Design freelancer.
This freelancer knows what each Adobe product does (Lightroom, InDesign, Photoshop) and how to use it. She can create logos, social media banners, sermon title images and graphics for presentations. Need visual content for social media? She can probably crank those out by the dozen in her sleep.
3. Website Design
This one is a biggie, we know. Web builds or revamps are usually expensive, so sometimes Churches try to skimp by having the one staffer who can navigate WordPress fix it. That may not be in your best interest.
A well-designed, easy to navigate website is going to make a huge impression on your visitors. Because the web is such a rapidly innovating place, the cutting edge of web design is pretty sharp. If you’re going to put in the time and money to have this project done, you should probably get to know the Web Design freelancer, also known as the Website Building freelancer.
This freelancer can usually be found squinting at screens into the wee hours of the night putting the finishing touches on the perfect website. He is up to date with the latest design trends and can create a custom website without a Squarespace tutorial. You tell him what he needs to know about your Church and he’ll wow you with what he comes up with. Sometimes, this freelancer has even more skills like app development.
4. Social Media Management
Most Churches have a larger social media presence than they did a few months ago. I’ve seen more than a few Facebook pages recently rise from the dead.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter… There are a lot of places your Church’s content may be going. Creating and posting content can take up an enormous amount of time. Furthermore, if you don’t know much about social media strategy, not many people are seeing what you’re posting. Enter the Social Media Manager freelancer.
This freelancer understands how to post to each social media platform appropriately and might even have some marketing background. She may be able to simply manage the content you give her or she may be able to create everything herself. This freelancer may also be an expert in marketing strategy or public relations (or both).
5. Podcast Production
This is a relatively recent niche in Church media, but it is definitely growing. Some pastors have independent podcasts and others use podcasting as an additional way to broadcast their sermons.
Audio editing and production, like video, can be very time consuming. If this project is eating into your extra time, you may want to look at the Podcast Production freelancer.
This freelancer can quickly and expertly compose your podcasts, then drop them into your sharing platform with a description and show notes without breaking a sweat. In addition to his knowledge of audio software, he may even be able to give you some pointers to help you sound your best.
Freelance, remote work may be the future of the Church.
There are many positions that require in-person interactions and those will not change. However, the digital reality that most Churches are now engaging in has proven that we can reach people for Christ online. Few Churches will be willing to completely step out of digital platforms and that means more work.
While congregations are struggling to keep their doors open and we walk together into the uncertainty of the “reopened” Church, we need to consider all of our possibilities. Let’s see what creative solutions we come up with as our feet carry Good News farther than we once thought possible.
If all this sounds like a lot to manage on your own, check out Share’s new Squad Service — think of it like a Creative Team in-a-box. You can find more information about how we’re supporting churches at ShareTalent.co.
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