Most churches just use Vimeo simply to post their messages—but it's also a great platform to find inspiration from others as well. Vimeo has a great "My Feed" feature that shows all the videos of the accounts you follow. I use this feature to quickly find lots of awesome videos from creative churches. Below are the top 10 accounts I suggest you follow and why.
1. Seacoast Church
Seacoast creates a lot of original content for kids. So, if your family ministry is looking for inspiration, check them out. I also like how purposeful they are with dynamic thumbnails. It makes me want to click them all. Here is a good example of that principle.
2. National Community Church
I’ve been a fanboy of Mark Batterson for a while, so I’ve probably been inspired by their Vimeo content a little too much. On the practical side they only seem to post promo and inspiration videos. Which is great because it means you don’t have to be sifting through message and service videos to get to the creative ones. On the creative side I really enjoyed this video called Dream because it is a simple but powerful concept. Sometimes it can feel intimidating watching videos from megachurches if you aren’t one because you don’t have their budget. But this video didn’t require a big budget. Just a great idea.
3. Free Chapel
The content on Free Chapel's Vimeo channel hasn’t been updated for a couple of years, but there is a strong back catalog with a lot of concert promos. So, if your church is throwing a big event soon you should check them out for some ideas. I enjoyed watching New Light, their opening element from the 2019 Forward Conference. I enjoyed it because it is intriguing from a producer's perspective on how elements work in an environment. And since they included cut away shots of the crowd it helped me understand how it landed and how I could modify something like it in my context.
4. Willow Creek Community Church
I am a little disappointed that Willow only has 30 videos in their library. Because they’ve put out so much incredible content from their services and conferences over the years. So, if you’re reading David Dummitt, then hook us up! One of my favorite things Willow has done for decades is live dramatic elements. They made dramas popular for churches in the 90s. Brought spoken word in the mainstream for churches during the aughts. And continue to bring a fresh approach to dramatic elements today. I love the integration of technology, production, scripting, performance, and endurance for this aptly titled piece called RUN.
5. Hillsong
It looks like Hillsong hasn’t updated their library in a couple of years, but they have over 900 videos on here. So if you like binge-watching then you’ve got weeks’ worth of content. It is hard to pick one video to highlight since they have so many, but I liked Paul’s Story. I liked it because it was a small and intimate story, even though Hillsong is known for doing big and bold events. It is a reminder to try to do both.
6. Gateway Church
Gateway doesn’t have a ton of videos but what they do have is great. I particularly enjoy how many stories they feature. A lot of churches emphasize their promotional videos. Which after a while can just feel like you're being sold event after event. Jamie’s Story is long-form video coming in at 10 minutes instead of the standard two to three minutes. This allows the story to breathe and gives it a couple of emotional beats. I encourage you to check it out to grow your long-form storytelling abilities. Just have some tissues ready.
7. Elevation Church
Elevation is bringing the heat like always with their Vimeo library. They don’t have a ton of videos, but it is current content and killer content. This Kingdom Clout video is a fresh take on the old sin of vanity. Love their ability to keep the message modern to reach the next generation.
8. Liquid Church
Liquid is a very creative church with over 2.5k videos on their site. So they are a great church to keep an eye on. I also had the privilege of working for them as the Creative Arts Pastor so I may be a little biased. They put everything up here. Message, series, stories, bumpers, training and countdowns. I like this because it really helps me see how the sausage is made. Water Tight Training–High School’23 is a training video for their high school leaders. I love how they have a young person delivering the content, and the quality of this video is good, even though it is just a training video.
9. Church of the Highlands
COTH doesn’t have a lot of content, but it is all good. This behind the scenes video shows how they captured a very dynamic one-shot promo for At The Movies. Fun to see the well-earned celebration at the end. Here is an event they put on for their volunteers called Dream Team Party Musical. A lot of production value and creativity here.
10. Mariners Church
Mariners include a lot of stories in their library. The reason I’ve included them in this list is because all the stories are triumphant. Some deal with hurt and healing. Often, we like to showcase stories about salvation, and how Jesus saved us. But we shy away from stories of redemption, and how Jesus continues to save us. Even during the dark and difficult times. Summer’s Story|Loss & Healing
is a good example of triumph over loss.
What are some accounts that you follow? Let me know so I can follow them as well. Also, if you’re looking for coaching on creating incredible videos beyond this article then visit benstapley.com/coach to schedule a free consultation. I would love to help you determine the obstacles you're facing and if I’m the best person to help you overcome them. I would enjoy helping you win. Have an awesome day.
