A few years ago, I started wearing a GoPro camera when participating in our street evangelism ministry. This was and is a personal choice. Here are some reasons why:
1) Protect the Church
If you’re a Christian, you should be a part of a local church. You should desire to protect and care for your church. Using a camera during street evangelism provides evidence of the events that occur during the ministry. If an incident arises, having footage of the actual events can help protect your church from being wrongly accused and pushed into an unnecessary scandal.
2) Protect Self
I’ve witnessed people tell unbelievable lies. Some of these lies have included people projecting their own words and actions onto people from our team. Some unbelievers will run so far with lies that they’ll tell them to law enforcement. A camera helps to protect against false accusations toward self.
3) Accountability
When people are on camera they’re more accountable. People are sometimes less likely to act and say certain things when they know a camera is present.
4) Evaluate Self
Listening to conversations you’ve had with people is a great tool to self-evaluate. Like an instant replay in sports, it gives you the opportunity to examine your words and actions in a more detailed manner. This helps to personally grow in evangelism.
5) Equip the Saints and Spread the Gospel
Some videos can go online. Putting videos online is a great tool to equip other Christians and for unbelievers to hear the Gospel. Wisdom and discernment should be exercised as to what is posted. For example, if someone requests that a video not be posted online, we will usually respect their request. The last thing we want is for a camera to become a hindrance to someone hearing the Gospel or for a video to become a stumbling-block. We want to equip the saints, spread the Gospel, and love our neighbours. A camera can be used as a Gospel tool or a Gospel barrier. Therefore, cameras during street evangelism need to be stewarded well to maximize Gospel impact.
