Megachurch Staffer at NRB: Media Ministry First Is About Winning People to Christ
A member of the staff at a nationally influential megachurch in Texas stressed the importance of media ministries at a major annual gathering of churches and Christian media.
Bryan Bailey, director of Media and Production at First Baptist Church of Dallas, was involved in a moderated discussion on Friday morning as part of the National Religious Broadcaster's annual convention.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Bailey noted that the discussion "had a great group of people." with an audience that was appeared to be "absorbing the information."
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"I hope the attendees were able to get some ideas and guidelines for taking their first steps to creating or improving their media ministries," said Bailey.
"I also hope they understand that media ministry is first and foremost about winning people to Christ, and it all starts with organization and people. Technology follows shortly after."
Bailey's session was part of Proclaim 16, the annual NRB convention that began Tuesday at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to its website, the NRB's Proclaim 16 is a multiday convention that "connects, equips, and edifies thousands of Christian communicators – from broadcasters to producers, writers to publishers, managers to pastors, artists to consultants."
"You will hear outstanding internationally known speakers and artists, have the opportunity to attend numerous networking events, and receive helpful industry insights," reads the site.
Titled "Pursuing Excellence in Church Media," Bailey's talk was moderated by the Reverend Ron Lambros, president and executive director of Touching Lives, Inc.
"What does it take to start a media ministry? Your pastor has the vision; you have been charged with the assignment. How can you make the vision a reality?" noted the NRB's online description for the discussion.
"You will hear from communications specialists from two extremely successful church media ministries about their top 10 list of things you should know before getting started. Already started? Then join this session to learn what you can do to make your ministry even better!"
Bailey told CP that he believed one of the biggest challenges in starting a media ministry at a church is "knowing where to start."
"Buy-in isn't usually a problem – most pastors are all about getting their message out to the people in any way possible. But determining first steps and how much to spend can be quite daunting," said Bailey.
When asked by CP if he thought every church should have a media ministry, Bailey replied that "every church should strive to get the Gospel to the world in any means they are capable of."
"The most effective ways to do this usually involve some kind of technology, whether it's for the local congregation or for a global audience. So, yes, I suppose I do believe every church should have a media ministry, but it's all scalable."
