Why Volunteer Photography Teams Are Essential

You might want to develop your church photography team. But you might be getting some pushback from your leadership. 

So, I wanted to provide a number of reasons why these teams are essential to accomplish the mission of the church. Hopefully, these reasons will motivate and empower you to lead to the next level. 

Also, if you’re looking for coaching on this topic 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. 

4 Reasons Photography Teams are Essential 

1 - Photos Tell A Story

Whenever people talk to me about a message from my past, they always talk about the story. People never remember my sermon structure. But they always remember my stories. And that is because people connect to the characters and the narrative. They see themselves in the story. These principles hold true with photography, as well. When you show the stories of what God is doing in and through your church through photos, people remember it.

Pro Tip: If you still don’t think people connect with stories through photos then do this, visit the social media accounts of a growing church you admire and notice how well and how often they use photos to tell a story.

2 - You Can Utilize Volunteers' Strengths

If you have a gifted photographer in your church, don’t put them on the parking team. Put them where their strength will shine. Put them behind a camera. Regardless if your church size is 100, 1,000, or 10,000 I guarantee you there is somebody in your congregation that is decent at photography. You might even be blessed with someone in your congregation who does it professionally. 

I once had a National Geographic wildlife photographer within my congregation. He was serving on the greeter team and having a miserable experience. He loved people but had a hard time connecting with them face-to-face. But put him behind the lens where he felt empowered and he excelled. Find your gifted and developing photographers and plug them into a team based on their God-given talents.

Pro Tip: If you’re struggling to find a volunteer, then connect with the parents of teens. Often they want to get their kids serving but don’t know how. The photo team is a great starting place for these budding photographers.

3 - Photos Show What is Expected

Going to a church for the first time can be a fearful thing for many people. By showing photos on your website and social accounts, people can see inside and have their fears eased. They can see a bit of what to expect. 

Photography allows people to visit your church before they visit your church. It also shows the culture of your church. Do people there look like me, dress like me, act like me? These are questions every visitor is asking when they visit your digital platforms. These are questions they want answered before they visit your physical campuses. So make sure to answer them through photography. Doing this helps those outside your church feel like they can connect with those inside your church before even coming to church

Pro Tip: There are places in which it might work to use stock photography but your website and social accounts are not those places. I would even go so far to say that amateur photos of your people are better than professional photos of an actor.

4 - You Can Do More As A Team

You can do more with a team of photographers than by yourself as an individual photographer. I know this is “Leadership 101,” but it needs to be stated. Serving teams are also great places for creatives to plug in. Some creatives do not want to join a life group. That would be the death of them. But they do want to get plugged in. Especially if they can use their gifts and skills. And these teams are great places for people looking for Jesus. It gives them a safe place to belong before they behave. So create a team and do more.

Pro Tip: If you haven’t started a photo team yet, then pump the breaks and find volunteer leadership. This will ensure you don’t get burnt out as a staff member and will help you do more!

Those are my four reasons to build a photo team. Hopefully, they help you develop a team that showcases what God is doing in and through you. Send an email to benstapley@gmail.com and let me know what I missed. I would love to hear from you and learn from you. I would also love to connect on social media, so look me up. Starting a photo team takes a little bit of effort but the impact it will have is huge. So start your team, or grow your team, today.