In the past, daily devotionals came mainly in the form of words on the page or sometimes a radio broadcast.
Today, devotionals also are available in video form, delivered to computer and cell phone screens wherever the user happens to be. And Christian Reformed providers are on the cutting edge.
30god.com and WalktheWay.net have introduced video devotionals to attract young people on the Internet.
WalktheWay.net is created by ReFrame Media, the English-language ministry of Back to God Ministries International, the CRC’s electronic media ministry.
ReFrame has produced nearly 800 daily videos since 2008. Each video lasts about two or three minutes.
“While most other . . . programs end with a nice clean takeaway, we decided to end Walk The Way with questions, forcing people to do their own thinking about the issues,” explained Mike Geertsma, producer for Walk The Way.
Walk The Way finds its largest audience between the ages of 18 and 24, but also has a significant number of viewers from ages 25 to 44.
“We managed to reach our target audience because we showed up where they were already hanging out online and started giving them content that they found interesting and engaging,” explained Geertsma.
30god.com is a website created by Rev. Coleman Moore, who currently attends Sunshine Community Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.
It launched in January this year and posts a daily video devotional that last only thirty seconds.
“It’s got to catch [their] attention right away; it’s got to be relevant, and it can’t be long,” explained Moore.
His website targets high school and college students, as well as 20- through 30-year-olds. “It’s a difficult sector of society to engage spiritually,” said Moore. “Most people of this age will only give a video fifteen seconds to grab their attention.”
30god.com hosts videos by a variety of people, including a track and field international gold medalist and a Nigerian seminary student.
Both websites have a comment field or a blog so that young people can respond to videos and to each other. “You don’t just become an observer, you become a participant,” said Moore.
About the Author
Ryan Struyk was a former Banner news correspondent for classes Grand Rapids South and Thornapple Valley.