On November 1, 2019 Apple released their streaming platform, Apple TV+. It featured original programming highlighted by some big names such as Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon. It also costed just $4.99/month, which ranked near the cheapest streaming service around. While it was met with much fanfare, it also entered an already crowded streaming service field and without the backlog of content already available, many people were skeptical and believed that it would ultimately fail.
While it struggled to gain attention at first, that quickly changed with the premier of “The Morning Show” and “Ted Lasso”. In fact, over the past few years Apple TV+ has become home to critically-acclaimed content. Between September 2021 and September 2022, the streaming service won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, with Ted Lasso (as well as a number of other awards and nominations). It was also the first streaming service to win the Academy Award for Best Picture with CODA. These are MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS and many people started to take notice. All total, Apple TV+ has had hundreds of award wins with just few years it has been in existence.
Now, it is growing with more shows and movies while also acquiring more content and looks like a success.
So, how does this play into ministry? What can ministry leaders learn from this? Here are a few ideas:
Have a Vision, Stay on Mission. Apple had a vision and plan. Not many outside of the company saw it or thought that it would be successful, but Apple stuck to the plan and kept going. Even though they had a few step forward at first, many skeptics didn’t think major actors, actresses and directors would not work with them. However, they have had many well respected stars work with them and have great experiences. They stuck with their plan and it is paying off.
Similarly, people may be skeptical of your vision, especially if you are new to the ministry role and you are trying to change things up a little bit. The encouragement here is to keep casting vision, keep going after it and stay on mission. If you believe that God is directing you to this certain direction, then stay on mission and see where God leads.
Don’t be Deterred. When you make changes to your ministry or do something new, not everyone may be for it, no matter how many times you cast the vision. However, keep with it. As stated above, stick to the plan. You may encounter some bumps along the road but if this is truly the plan that God has for you to lead your ministry through, He will lead you through it. And He will lead you to where the ministry needs to go, not to where this person or that person believes it should be. If you are discouraged, here are some tips you can do that will help you deal with discouragement.
Keep Trying New Things. Trying new things and experimenting with different ideas will always throw people off. Apple did this with Apple TV+. People said it’s a hardware and software company, not an entertainment business. Apple could have chosen to believe what others thought and never tried streaming. The same is true with the iPhone. But, they wanted to try new things and experiment. Because of that, they built their company into the most profitable business in the world.
In the same way, Churches and ministries need to try new things. Years ago, few Churches tried digital and online ministry. Many Churches were skeptical, but they persisted as they felt like it was a great way to engage people and meet those who were not going to Church. Then, once the pandemic hit, everyone had to go online. Those Churches that were already online had a leg up as they had systems and processes in place. This is just an encouragement to keep trying new things as God leads you. Whether it is the metaverse or something else entirely, seek Him and let Him lead you to where you need to be. Keep trying new things.
Try new things everyday. Don't be afraid of failures. You will not lose anything. But your brain will be packed with experiences. - Akash Ryan Agarwal Click To TweetConclusion
Apple TV+ wasn’t supposed to win awards. It wasn’t supposed to win MAJOR awards. It wasn’t supposed to win Best Picture or Best Comedy. But, it did and it has been a success. People may try to tell you that your Church shouldn’t be doing this or that. However, if you stick the vision and mission, don’t be deterred by the critics and try new things as God guides you, He will lead you and your Church into a mission field rip for spiritual conversations that will hopefully change lives for eternity.
What do you think? What are some encouragement you have gotten from Apple TV+’s streaming history? Share your ideas below or on social media.
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