You should know there's a new slj site! Check it out

Grabbing the attention of your audience isn’t always easy. But Caryn Young, campus volunteer staff at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas, has found a way. "It’s a way to get people interested in things they weren’t interested in before," says Caryn. So what’s the trick? Using videos in ministry.

Consider this example. You could try to explain to your friends using plain words that we often approach God not really wanting to listen to what he says, but wanting to do what we want. Or you could have Steve Martin do it for you, through this clip from The Man With Two Brains: his girlfriend has died and he tries to speak to her at a shrine he built in her honor. "Give me a sign about our relationship," he begs. Her picture spins around and around, and the wind whips up into a frenzy. Then it all stops, and everything is silent again. "Really, I’m just looking for some kind of a sign," says Martin.

Which method would you pick?

Caryn has used video clips and even entire videos in settings such as leaders’ meetings, chapter large-group meetings, Bible studies, discipleship conferences and evangelistic conversations with friends. Her own love of movies got her started down this path. As she talked to others about the powerful messages in entertainment, they found themselves taking a deeper look at media and realizing things they hadn’t seen before.

Sometimes Caryn would show the upbeat message in Hoosiers, a basketball story full of lessons on discipleship and building a team. At other times a group would explore the view of abortion and a woman’s right to choose in Aliens 3.

The process of using videos effectively starts by helping others analyze what the producers or characters are really saying. Use basic questions like "What are the characters really like?" "What is the plot?" and "What do you think the real message behind the film is?" The next step can involve looking at portions of Scripture that appear to support or deny the film’s message. Then step back and watch a discussion as heartfelt as a good review by Siskel and Ebert.
 

Story:
Movie Night at
Stanford U.

Example:
Grace in
The Mission

Also, determine what movies find a strong response from student audiences. In 1998, Titanic is one of those. Themes that may be reaching students are the wide gaps between upper and lower classes, and the glimpses of both honesty and hypocrisy in relationships among the different groups. (See "Two Thumbs Up" for specific ideas of movies to use in ministry.)

Cautions and Considerations
There are a few things to keep in mind as you delve into the area of movies and ministry. "How much can a group handle?" is an important question to keep in mind. Caryn cuts inappropriate segments out of movies used in meetings. She feels that she needs to exercise that responsibility on behalf of people who will view material that would possibly be too graphic in nature.

Those choices are ones to make well in advance of a showing. Despite its popularity and strong messages, Caryn has decided not to use Pulp Fiction because it is so intense. And she warns people about the subject matter. Before a showing of Dead Man Walking, she pointed out that the crime of rape would be portrayed and some people might want to avoid that segment. "I know what I can handle and what I can’t," says Caryn. "I need to be sensitive to others."

A less controversial, but still important issue about using videos has to do with copyright permission. Caryn checked with the college communications department for some guidelines. She rents the movies to be shown, rather than using homemade copies that haven’t been paid for. Also, because they don’t charge for any showings and the groups are usually small and for educational purposes, copyright issues have not been a problem.

If you’ll take the time to consider your audience and prepare well, you’ll have a powerful way to raise issues related to the gospel with those on campus. Why use movies to do it? Jesus spoke to crowds in the language of their time. Today, when more people want to write a script for Hollywood than write the great American novel, movies are that language. "The language of film is ‘in’ now," said Caryn. "I wish more people would use it!"