‘If others are blessed by it, then good’
Much to his surprise, Baptist minister-in-training Simon Clay has developed a following on TikTok
Simon has been posting two-minute videos for more than a year now, with each watched hundreds of times. More than 1500 users of the short form video streaming service have chosen to follow his account, accessing it from countries such as the USA, Canada and several in South East Asia.
Simon’s account is called BiteSize Bible Study, and it does exactly what it says on the tin: a short look at a couple of lines from the Bible (he is systematically working through the book of Acts), its context and how it relates to our lives today.
The videos began as a way of teaching his congregation at Whetstone Baptist Church in Leicestershire. Following the end of the Covid restrictions, the church prioritised bringing people back to the building, which meant its digital presence ‘just disappeared pretty much overnight’. Simon felt there was a gap, particularly as the church has grown through conversion, and biblical literacy levels would benefit from developing. “I wanted to do something that supports them in their discipleship,” he explains.
He began creating the BiteSize studies initially on YouTube, but found it unwieldy. “I’m a digital immigrant rather than a digital native, so I was looking for something where I could record on my phone and upload it automatically.”
He moved to TikTok, and from there it’s just ‘grown and grown’, with many liking and commenting on his posts. This has in turn led to online interactions with a variety of people, including atheists arguing against the Christian faith, Muslims questioning the deity of Christ, and people requesting prayer.
It means his key audience – members of the local congregation he pastors – are a ‘tiny fraction’ of the people accessing his content.
This wasn’t expected, and Simon is keen to stress how his call remains to those at Whetstone:
“I’m passionate about the local church and I love the church that I’m a part of,” he says. “I want them to love the Word of God. And particularly in our unchurched context, having an avenue into Acts is really useful, showing how to bring mission into the world.
“But if others are blessed by it, then good.
“I’ve had some really interesting, deeper conversations with people through direct messages. Some are in difficult situations and want prayer. Others are in circumstances where they can’t attend a church, and they’re really good at finding lots of different media to be able to keep them going.
“It’s mainly to boost biblical literacy for anybody who watches it. It’s an entry into Acts”
This is a small part of his ministry, and despite the interactions he’s had, he explains he is ‘not doing life’ with those online. Nevertheless, he is happy to continue being a Christian presence on a platform such as TikTok.
“I happen to think the Bible is the authentic revelation of God, and our nation needs it: there’s a spiritual hunger out there.
“And I think it’s provocative. When you’re willing to stand up to scrutiny, and say “this did happen, this is the Word of God, I believe it and I’m just a normal guy who’s been transformed by an extraordinary God”, it’s not a language most people speak in our country. It means people are intrigued, angered or inspired by it.
“So yes, my primary call is to my church. I’m certainly not pursuing a big audience outside of our church, and I am aware of the limitations of my access to the wider world.
“But we need to be alive to the communication styles of the world that we’re trying to communicate Christ to.”
Simon Clay is a Minister in Training based at Whetstone Baptist Church, after a move from teaching.
www.WhetstoneBaptistChurch.uk
TikTok: bitesizebiblestudy