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.
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“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.
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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.
