SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (BP)—The videos cover a lot of ground. In one, Sean Wegener goes over the basics of reading the Bible. In another, he explains the background of the Cooperative Program. In yet one more, he’s running alongside Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the lava planet Mustafar in a heated lightsaber duel.

All can be found in the Two Minute Doctrine videos Wegener, pastor of First Baptist Church, and video producer Stephen Peppers have been producing for about two years. The videos are actually two minutes-ish, but serve effectively in addressing matters of doctrine and informing church members about the Southern Baptist Convention.

As many churches shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wegener became determined to maintain contact with church members, students in particular, through video. Peppers had proven his skill level as a videographer and, together, they thought of producing something for the church along the lines of “Some Good News,” a video series at that time by actor John Krasinski.

“It failed miserably,” Wegener said, laughing.

“Nobody watched it because it was way too long,” Peppers said of the 30-minute run time.

They sought an audience with students and the feedback was clear. The videos needed to be funny. They needed to be short and to the point.

“We decided succinct and entertaining at the same time was key,” said Wegener.

Peppers, a student at Chattooga High School whose father, Barry, directs the Chattooga Baptist Association, already knew that was important. But it crystallized the direction the two should take.

They eviscerated videos to a run time of two minutes. (Typically, they now go a little longer to include elements like outtakes.) Each begins with Scripture and a doctrinal principle explained by Wegener and includes a quote by a theologian. A similar sense of humor and shared knowledge of pop culture references between the two have helped in writing and inserting jokes.

The results can be found on the Summerville First Baptist Instagram account (@summervillefirst), YouTube and Facebook pages. Two seasons of up to 46 episodes of Two Minute Doctrine are also available on the ACTS2 platform.

In addition to Two Minute Doctrine, videos have updated First Baptist members on mission teams and VBS. The church sent six messengers to the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, where Wegener and others spoke on daily updates created by Peppers.

Videos from annual meetings have also included appearances by Southern Baptist leaders after an impromptu invitation from Wegener.

In Anaheim, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam Greenway and others from the school took part in one video titled “What is the Purpose of Seminary?” Last year in Nashville, Wegener caught Southern Seminary President Al Mohler in the hall for a similar set of questions.

“He was walking by with a group of people and took time to talk to us. He was kind, clear and concise and at the end asked if we were sure we had everything we needed and if we didn’t, we could shoot the video again,” Wegener said.

“People don’t realize that these entity heads are just Christian guys wanting to tell you about what Christ is doing in the mission they are leading. We asked [International Mission Board President] Paul Chitwood about the IMB without calling or emailing him and basically interrupted his day. But he was so kind and accommodating to give us his time to talk to us.”

Personal backgrounds for Wegener and Peppers have been key to their work.

Shortly after Wegener arrived at First Summerville in 2017, he spotted the skinny, 13-year-old Peppers while looking for someone to disciple. Wegener had witnessed the impact of intentional discipleship in the youth ministry at First Baptist Church in McKinney, Texas, under his student minister, Grant Byrd. He had also learned the importance of finding a student’s interest, then engaging with that student through the interest in a discipling relationship.

Byrd also gave advice that, at the time, Wegener had no way of knowing would pay dividends today.

“I had felt called into the ministry. But he urged me to look for training in a skill not directly associated with that when I went to college,” he said.

Wegener hoped his 10.85 in the 100 meters would be enough to make the Oklahoma State University track team. On looking at the competition, it became clear to him it wouldn’t. So he went with in another direction – theater.

“I had a little background in that and done some monologues in theater competitions,” he said. That same day he auditioned for a theater scholarship and won it.

Those skills have helped him in presenting sermons as a pastor as well as the videos. He has also greatly benefitted from the Ph.D. in Systematic Theology he earned at Southwestern Seminary this spring.

Peppers’ background includes online training in video production that led to his current part-time staff position at First Baptist. In taking note of Peppers’ talent, a deacon at First Baptist recently contracted him to make videos for Motorola. That job, designed to coincide with the hurricane season, will require Peppers to travel to locations and create videos highlighting Motorola’s communication capabilities before and after a storm hits.

All this as he gets ready for his senior year of high school.

“It’s really cool for me to be in a church full people who say ‘yes’ if there’s an idea you have,” Peppers said. “If you have a passion for something that works to forward the Gospel, they’ll support you.

“Last year it was great getting to make videos and be discipled by Sean. This year the church recognized how many hours I was putting into that and voted to pay me for the work. That meant a lot.”

First Baptist is a typical county seat church. Summerville is experiencing growth, but in many ways remains a small town. The setting, however, has nothing to do with the capability of churches discipling young people, Wegener said.

“I’d like for more teenagers to see that whatever God has given them a passion for, they can use to glorify Christ,” he said. “If you want to be a doctor or lawyer, don’t just be those things. Look for how you can glorify Christ through them. Your church already has someone involved or interested in those things who can lead you in learning more about that area and how Scripture guides them.”

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

LA GRANGE, Ky. (BP)—Tony Rose says it’s unlikely he would have dialed 988, the new national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline he commends today, had it been around when he began battling depression as a young pastor 30 years ago.

“As most Christians and especially pastors going through depression, I still would have been very hesitant to call it,” he told Baptist Press days after the new number was activated nationwide July 16. “But knowing what I know now, I would be extremely grateful for it.

“I know the life-threatening nature of the suffocating darkness of depression,” said Rose, a retired pastor who counsels and coaches pastors as a Send Relief relational leadership trainer.

Jeremiah Johnston, associate pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, commends the new 988 number for its ease of use. He knows the importance of quick memory in crisis situations, augmented by the night he called 911 and couldn’t remember his home address.

“Abel, our firstborn triplet, was having trouble breathing. We got on the phone with our pediatrician. It was the middle of the night. We were worried he had COVID. He couldn’t breathe. We put him in the shower,” Johnston recalled. “And even with that intervention he still was unable to breathe. I pick up the phone. I dial 911. And they ask me for my address, even though I’m calling from my cellphone, and I was blanking. What is my home address? And I’ve lived here for five years.

“It was in the middle of the night. These crises happen,” Johnston said. “And when someone is in immediate danger of hurting themselves or harming themselves, we need a 911. I could remember 911 when I was having a challenge with my little guy — I think he was 5 years old – but I couldn’t remember my home address.”

Dialing or texting 988 automatically connects callers to the National Suicide Prevention lifeline network of services with greater ease than dialing the traditional 1-800-273-8255, which still works. Callers are connected with a Lifeline counselor at the crisis center geographically closest among a network of 200, according to 988lifeline.org.

Both Rose and Johnston encourage pastors to be familiar with the 988 number and the services it provides in locations across the nation. The number should be the first reference before calling police, who are not always trained in handling mental health emergencies, Rose said.

“Though, most of the time they do a great job, they’re not trained for this,” he said of police officers. “Now that we have this, [people in crisis] will get directly connected to somebody equipped to deal with it on the phone. And as is often the case in mental illness and crises, a telephone call and a contact can be the difference in life and death.”

988 is a government-driven initiative that Johnston affirms as an example of the government working properly. He encourages the number’s widespread use.

“I want to encourage believers; we should all save this number in our contacts as the 988 suicide prevention line. We should literally have it saved in our contacts of our phone,” Johnston said. “It’s so helpful to me because I’m out there, and I speak on the frontlines as an apologist, as a pastor and Christian thinker. And so many people don’t even know who to call for help. And so they get paralyzed with silence or a question.”

Johnston has called the number to familiarize himself with the service, and encourages others to do the same.

“These individuals on the other ends of the phones are saints,” he said, “and they would love to simply advise you” on the services available when someone needs to be referred.

Rose encourages pastors not to hesitate in using the service for personal edification. The 63-year-old was 32 when he first sought help, he told Baptist Press, and has long advocated for mental healthcare.

“I mean, who does the pastor really want to talk to about his own depression? That’s one of the dilemmas we still face, is the taboos that go with it,” he said. “And I thought once I went through it, it would be over with. It’s been my constant off-and-on companion since then. It’s been the harshest thing I’ve been through, but sometimes God’s harshest teachers are His best teachers.”