Bible Study Goes Digital: Spencerville Church Aims to Reach New Viewers with YouTube Series

The Spencerville (Silver Spring, Md.) church has launched a new season of its popular “Biblical Perspectives” YouTube series. Led by senior pastor Chad Stuart and theologian Frank M. Hasel, the series discusses Biblical themes and practical applications from the Adult Sabbath School Quarterly.

The project was initially created during the pandemic when the church was unable to gather in person for Sabbath School. After completing two successful seasons, the Spencerville team initially decided not to produce a third season once in-person classes resumed. However, demand for the content remained strong, with requests continuing to come in.

“I felt like I spent every day answering emails asking, ‘When are you guys doing another one?’” says Jason Lombard, associate pastor for Media and Communication. “I’m like, ‘OK, we get it. I’m glad you like it. It’s a blessing. Let’s do it again.’”

While the latest season of “Biblical Perspectives” remains connected to the current Sabbath School quarterly’s overarching stewardship theme, the team has made a change in approach. Rather than being closely tied to a specific week’s lesson, the content has been designed to be broader in scope in order to be accessible to more people and stay relevant for a longer period of time.

“So now we’re trying to be a little more broad for people who aren’t Adventist or aren’t following along closely in the quarterly,” says Stuart. “The quarterly defines the topics, but then we dialogue with it how we want to.”

In addition to its spiritual benefits for members, the “Biblical Perspectives” series has also given the Spencerville church an opportunity to expand its media content and potentially attract a different type of viewer than would normally tune in for a sermon. The series has already reached viewers across the country and around the world. The church continues to explore new ways to connect with online viewers and help them take the next steps on their discipleship journey.

“We want to go where the people are, and right now, the eyeballs are on YouTube,” Lombard says. “We’ve decided we’re going to put our eggs in that basket and use whatever means we can to get the gospel out there.”