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With free tutorials and presenting tools, the communicators helped local churches begin to broadcast their worship services and improve their digital presence.
“Many local churches had never done live broadcasts of their services, and many of them relied only on a telephone set to be able to communicate with members,” explained Rev. Joana D'Arc Meirelles, secretary for Life and Mission of the Methodist Church of Brazil. “Other churches had limited or no presence on social media, which interfered with communication with their community in the context of closed churches.”
The communicators produced 16 videos with tutorials and free support materials for churches, allowing churches with few resources to learn. The content was published between March and April 2020, when lockdown measures began in Brazil.
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“Many churches were able to continue their activities using the tools we offered,” said Meirelles. “We had more than 170,000 views on YouTube and on the national site, and dozens of questions received and answered from churches that started the practice of digital communication.”
Because they made the content available for free, and to the public, they were able to help even more churches, not just Methodist congregations. “We received many registrations from communities that, thanks to the material, were able to broadcast their services and join or improve their social networks,” said Meirelles.
The effort underscored the importance of using a credible voice to help communities that don’t have access to training. “We want to share how we can all help communities participate in effective media literacy and digital communication,” said Meirelles.
Symposium on Social Justice in a Digital Age
Case study - Brazilian Methodist Church communicators provide lifeline for local churches to improve digital presence (Portuguese)
