Leveraging Today’s Media to Impact Your Community 

This article was guest written by David Almgren.

Movies have a unique ability to capture our hearts and minds, weaving stories that resonate across generations and cultures. From iconic lines like “I’ll be back” from The Terminator to the theme song from Back to the Future, films infiltrate our culture, leaving lasting impressions.

As a children’s and youth pastor for over 15 years in Portland, Oregon, and a marketing collaborator on 70 faith-based film projects since 2007, I’ve seen firsthand how movies can be powerful tools for ministry. With a surge of faith-based films hitting theaters this year and into 2026, churches have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage this medium to share the gospel, build community, and fulfill the Great Commission.

The Cultural Power of Film

Movies shape culture in profound ways. Just as a familiar song can trigger word-for-word recall years later, films embed themselves in our collective memory. They spark conversations, evoke emotions, and build bridges within communities.

According to Barna research, the average American attends 1.7 movies per year, but evangelicals attend 2.7—showing that people of faith actively engage with cinema. This presents a unique opportunity: the people in your pews are already going to theaters, eager for positive, family-friendly content.

However, media’s omnipresence has both positive and negative sides. It provides instant access to information and stories, but it can also become a distraction or even an addiction. The challenge for churches is to harness this medium intentionally—using films to share messages of hope, redemption, and faith, rather than letting Hollywood’s often-negative narratives dominate.

Consider the New Roman Road—a modern pathway to spread biblical truths using Hollywood’s global reach.

The Original Roman Road

In ancient Rome, an extensive road network spanning over 120,000 kilometers facilitated the empire’s growth, connecting diverse cultures and enabling the free movement of people, goods, and armies. The Via Appia, known as the “Queen of Roads,” was a marvel of engineering, cutting straight through landscapes to link Rome to distant cities. The Apostle Paul used these roads to spread the gospel, traveling to churches to teach, encourage, and correct.

Today, Hollywood has built its own “Roman Road”—a global system for distributing films that shape culture, often promoting values contrary to biblical truths. Yet this same system can be repurposed to share the gospel. When we support faith-based films like I Can Only Imagine, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, or The King of Kings, we export stories of faith to countries where traditional missionaries may not be welcome, fulfilling the Great Commission in a new way.

The Legacy of Faith-Based Films

The church has a rich history of using film to reach the world. In the 1920s, missionary groups founded Pinewood Studios in London, and the Salvation Army pioneered film production in Australia. Billy Graham’s Worldwide Pictures, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and the Kendrick Brothers’ films—like Facing the Giants (with a 38,451% ROI on a $100,000 budget) and Fireproof (11,319% ROI on $500,000)—have shown that faith-based films can be both impactful and profitable.

More recent examples include:

• The Erwin Brothers’ I Can Only Imagine ($85M gross),
• Pure Flix’s streaming platform, which continues to inspire and evangelize.

Case studies highlight the transformative power of these films:

• Courageous (2011): In Fresno, a “Give a Cop a Ticket” campaign raised funds for law enforcement officers to see the film, followed by Bible studies that transformed communities. In the Philippines, it inspired men to take on new responsibilities.
• October Baby (2011): This pro-life film prompted crisis pregnancy centers to start conversations about abortion, saving lives and changing minds.
• Breakthrough (2019): This resurrection story sparked faith discussions, with churches like one in Grand Rapids, Michigan, buying out 12 theaters for 2,500 tickets—leading 250 people to accept Christ.
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024): This film warmed the hearts of audiences and helped churches elevate the story of Christmas during celebrations of Jesus’ birth.
• The King of Kings (2025): This animated family film has achieved tremendous success, with pastors and churches purchasing over 6,000 showtimes. It has been praised by church leaders on social media as “the best presentation of the Gospel for children” (@SteveDeaceShow) and a “spectacular” film, earning a rare A+ CinemaScore.

Using Movies in Ministry

Churches can leverage films as evangelistic tools in several ways:

• Theatrical Releases: Take small groups to see films like Light of the World (September 5th, 2025) or Zero AD (December 19th, 2025), then discuss them in small groups, in the car, at home, or the following Sunday in Kids Church.
• Movie Nights: Organize family movie nights with films like Moms’ Night Out, The Star, Breakthrough, or The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to build community and spark faith conversations.
• Sermon Clips: Use clips from films like Miracles from Heaven to reinforce sermon themes and make cultural connections with your audience.
• Outreach Events: Host drive-in movie events to engage your community or organize volunteer appreciation nights.

Navigating Church Site Licenses

Showing films in public settings requires a church site license to comply with copyright laws. DVDs are typically for home use only, but a site license allows churches to show full films legally.

• When Needed: A license is required for public screenings of full films, but not for small groups in homes or short clips used in sermons.
• Options: Providers like Provident Films, Affirm Films, CVLI, MPLC, and Lifeway Films offer licenses—typically valid for one year with unlimited showings. Costs are based on church size, not audience size.
• Resources: Many studios provide free discussion guides and promotional materials to enhance your event.
• Where to Go: Visit starfishstories.tv, affirmfilms.com, or cvli.com for licensing solutions.

Seize the Opportunity

The New Roman Road is here—a global system of film distribution that churches can use to share the gospel. Just as Paul used Roman roads to spread Christ’s message, we can use films to inspire, teach, and transform lives.

With upcoming releases like Light of the World (9.8.25) and I Can Only Imagine 2 (2.20.26), the time is now to embrace this powerful medium. Plan movie nights at the theater, secure site licenses, and use these stories to build bridges to your community.

Let’s use the media of the day to reflect the creativity of our Creator and lead people to the ultimate story of salvation.

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