What is a Media Ministry?

What does “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:29) mean in a time when people spend more time on their phones or screens than with their neighbors or family? What does it mean when even the most dedicated church members spend more time consuming media than in activities at their local church?

Given this reality, media ministry becomes not just relevant, but essential. It uses media tools such as audio, video, web, and more to reveal the truth about who God is, draw people to Jesus in spaces where they live, and lead them to a deeper relationship with Christ through discipleship, community, and their local congregation. That said, I feel an impulse to retreat from modern media, especially when outrage, division, and exploitation seem to dominate the space. The digital algorithms reward content that appeals to our sinful impulses: anger, division, lust, pride, envy, fear, outrage, and the craving to feel superior to others, morally or otherwise.

Should Christians cede this ground to those who wish to use it for sinful purposes and ill-gotten gain? The presence of sin in the media isn’t a reason for the church to back away; it’s the very reason why we must remain there. Just like the marketplace, temple, and tax collector’s house in Jesus’ day, we’re called to go to the places that need reform and bring the hope and light of the gospel.

This is not a new calling. In 1928, our supporting denomination, the CRCNA, called radio “a gift from God” to fulfill the great commission. Imagine what those who commissioned ReFrame Ministries (then called The Back to God Hour) would think of the incredible ways we can share God’s Word today—how easily we can communicate across the world and reach people once considered unreachable.

The opportunities to spread the Good News through media ministry continue to grow as the barrier to entry decreases with each technological advancement. For example, many churches in recent years have begun leveraging digital advancements to live streaming their worship services and ministries, connecting with their local communities in new ways. A media ministry like ReFrame Ministries neither detracts from nor competes with the media efforts of local congregations, but offers Christian media resources at scale, a global scale as a matter of fact, a focus that it is generally impractical for a local congregation to do in isolation. But it’s thanks to the collaborative support of gracious donors and churches that allow ReFrame, for example, to print and mail the Today Devotional at a scale that reaches hundreds of thousands of readers all over the globe every other month.

So whether it's the localized media ministry efforts of your church, or the large-scale efforts of a ministry like ReFrame Ministries, God calls us to use media ministry as an antidote to the current media landscape. In contrast to the exploiters and manipulators, we meet people's emotions and needs with love, unity, purity, humility, hope, and selflessness. We create content that inspires people to allow the Holy Spirit to reframe their lives around God’s gospel message of hope, rather than the hopelessness of modern media messages.

If you would like to know more about how to partner with ReFrame Ministries to leverage media ministry in reaching a large, international audience, use the form below to contact a representative who can answer any of your questions.