Skype Video Calls

A few years ago, our church sent out a young family to plant churches in Glasgow, Scotland. Their departure left a void in the gatherings, but sending people out has been a natural part of who we are. Since then, they’ve kept up with emails, newsletters, and on our church’s online forum. Nevertheless, it can be hard to keep up. They get busy with their life, we get busy with ours. New people have since joined us that have never met our missionaries. Last Sunday, this couple joined us for worship- without ever leaving their apartment in Glasgow. We spoke to them via Skype video call.

Most of you are already familiar with Skype, the free software that allows you to chat, talk, and make video calls for free over the internet. All you need is a computer with internet access, a projector, and something to amplify the audio. Why not incorporate a video call with a missionary into your worship time?

First, be sure both parties (you and the missionary) have Skype installed. Next, insure that both locations have a relatively stable internet connection. Don’t forget to arrange the call beforehand. 11:00 Sunday morning your time could be 4:00 in the morning in Eastern Europe!

We recommend that you set parameters for the conversation. How long do you want to chat?(Missionaries are notoriously long-winded.) What do you want your church to learn? Do you want the missionary to share needs (and maybe ask for financial support?) It would be helpful to establish these things in advance.

Some churches use these calls to keep up with missionaries they’ve sent out. Others have enjoyed using video calls to connect with new missionaries and people groups around the world. Either way, be sure your church hears about what God is doing in another part of the world, and spend some time in Skype-prayer for those involved in the work and for the unreached. This can be a great way to encourage missionaries, educate and involve your church members, and speak into strategy on the mission field.

Here are some variations on the idea:

• Find a national believer online. Ask them to allow you to interview them in front of your church.
• If timing is difficult, connections are unreliable, or you’ve got multiple worship services, you can pre-record the Skype call using a  free recorder plugin for Skype.
• For a more personal and interactive experience, allow participants to ask questions. One at a time, though!
• You may want to include several different missionaries from multiple regions of the world in a sort of missions conference call. This would be a great way to compare and contrast the different approaches to missions.
• Rather than just hanging up after the call, offer missionaries the option of staying on the line throughout the worship time. For many overseas workers this can be a refreshing experience.
• If your church (or any of its members) is planning an international trip, Skype calls can be a great way for your team to prepare. Missionaries on the ground can be excellent sources of travel tips, cultural insight, and spiritual orientation.
• Don’t forget to follow through- most missionaries return to the States every once in a while; why not have them visit you in person to help make the relationship personal?

If you’re a church looking for a missionary to Skype into your worship service, please post what you’d be looking for in the comment stream. If your a missionary or believer overseas and you’d be interested in a Skype call to a church, feel free to post your contact info/place of service below.If your church has done something like this, we’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, ideas on how to make the most of a Skype video call.