YouTube is not an easy place to make it big online. It’s like the LA of the internet! Sure, YouTube houses countless one-hit-wonders, but if you do go viral on the video streaming site, it’s usually a one-time deal. The success of an entire YouTube channel is hard to come by. The Mormon Channel, however, ranks in the top 5,000 YouTube channels, outperforming brands like Apple, Microsoft, and Lego.[1] The Mormon Channel is owned and managed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith often inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church, and is able to draw in not only viewers but also subscribers by producing content that shares messages to touch the soul.
Mormon Channel Draws Subscribers
The key to the success of a YouTube channel is the number of subscribers in addition to the number of total views. As of October 2013, the total number of Mormon Channel subscribers was over 200,000, with the site boasting almost 60 million views. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ are likely the primary subscribers to the channel, and share videos they find inspiring. When these videos are shared via social media, countless others–both members and non-members of the Mormon faith–are exposed to these soul-reaching messages.
Several of the Mormon Channel videos have gone viral, with the videos having the greatest impact being, “I Am a Child of God” (a music video), “My New Life” (the above video of the story of Stephanie Nielson, airplane-crash survivor), and “What Matters Most” (words from Thomas S. Monson, the church president and prophet). These top-three videos account for only 5.3 percent of channel views, so the channel generates its remarkable traffic by producing continually outstanding content.
The Message of the Mormon Channel
The Mormon Channel has no ulterior motives to its message: its goal is simply to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of The Church of Jesus Christ is that Christ came to redeem us and that because of Him we have the opportunity to be cleansed from our sins and live with God and with our families forever. Every video on the Mormon Channel speaks to this end.
The Mormon Channel uses stories and examples of real people living real lives. The Church of Jesus Christ is well aware of the state of the world and its people. One of its most successful line of videos is “I’m a Mormon.” These videos highlight Mormons from all walks of life and backgrounds, showing that living the gospel of Jesus Christ truly is for everyone.
Mormon Channel is personal
The Mormon Channel is unique to other YouTube channels. Successful YouTube channels typically rely on clever or funny videos, ones that take you out of your world for a brief moment. Videos produced by the Mormon Channel help you to confront and change your world.
When I was engaged to my husband, we lived several states apart. He was starting his new engineering job and I was finishing up a magazine internship. This separation was very hard for me. All of a sudden doubts started creeping into my mind as I prepared for our marriage and planned the wedding. I was so afraid of making the wrong choice. In addition to this fear, I was also very lonely and missed my fiance terribly. Then I saw the video below on the Mormon Channel called “Good Things to Come” by Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and one of the general leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ.
When I watched this I felt peace–about everything. I felt a soft, yet strong conviction in my decision to marry my then-fiance. I felt comfort in my loneliness and gained perspective that this period in my life really would be a short time. This video gave me peace in my hardships and the strength to overcome them. I watched that video so many times during those months of separation, and its impact stayed the same. When I’d have time, I’d browse the related videos on the Mormon Channel and find even more sources of peace and comfort. The Mormon Channel was very important to me at this time in my life.
Relying on the Holy Ghost
The only way these videos can touch so many people is through the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead–the other two members are Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ–and testifies of the truth of the message of the Savior. The videos published by the Mormon Channel wouldn’t have the impact that they do without the power of the Holy Ghost manifesting the truth of their message.
These videos are able to touch so many people so personally because the gospel of Jesus Christ is personal. The message of the redemption offered by the Savior is for everyone, and the lessons taught in the Mormon Channel videos are universal to the human experience. The Mormon Channel on YouTube is unique because its message is for every person, and those who take the time to browse the channel and stream some of the content will find peace, hope, and truth.
Charlotte graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in editing. During her education she interned with the Neal A.Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU Publications, and the New Era magazine. Charlotte currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and son. She's a stay-at-home-mom and has been able to keep up her writing through maintaining a personal blog (smallandtrivial.blogspot.com).
