As a church planting pastor renting the public school for our Sunday church service and Wednesday night kids program, we were surprised when we were told we couldn’t meet due to Covid restrictions. I remember recording my first “church at home” video in my basement using my cell phone and a cheap selfie-stick I had in a drawer. Each week I tried to make better videos and tried different low-cost equipment. Not only did our church keep going, we also added viewers and contributors even though we couldn’t meet in person.
There was a time when gathering for worship in person wasn’t possible. As a church planting pastor renting space in a public school, I never expected to be locked out with just a few days’ notice. But in March 2020, due to COVID restrictions, that’s exactly what happened. No Sunday services. No Wednesday night kids program. No in-person connection. That’s when I was forced to learn video ministry. I still remember filming the first “church at home” message in my basement using an old selfie stick and my LG V60 phone. Week by week, I tried to improve, experimenting with lighting, editing, and low-cost gear. What started as a challenge turned into an opportunity. Even though we couldn’t meet in person, our church family stayed connected, and surprisingly, new viewers and supporters joined us online.
A church denomination leader was watching some of the videos and suggested I come work with them and to my surprise, I eventually did take his suggestion. One unexpected result was that a denominational leader who had been watching the videos later invited me to work with them, and that open door turned into a new chapter of ministry.
I only made one of these blooper videos out of the 65 message videos I had to make during that season. It shows what my basement setup looked like and then what the finished video looked like. It’s still a bit amateurish but not too bad for a LG V60 cell phone camera, a couple of LED lights, and a chromakey sheet on the wall.
Below is a playlist of the archived “Church at Home” video messages from that season. Most of them are still “unlisted” on YouTube, but available here for anyone who wants to revisit those meaningful and sometimes awkward early pandemic worship experiences.
Here is the finished video and the blooper clip that shows what that season looked like behind the scenes.
Here is the finished video.
You can now find our newer messages, shorts, and sermon clips at youtube.com/@christeien and youtube.com/@rockwellchurch218
