“A Camera for Christ”: How Steve Cooper is turning media into ministry

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Steve Cooper, a Vicksburg native, has turned his passion for faith and media into a purpose-driven career—one rooted in service, creativity, and a deep commitment to God. Cooper currently serves as the Production Director at Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, but his journey to that role was one of faith, hard work, and divine direction.

Cooper says his spiritual foundation was laid early by his parents, who instilled Christian values in him. He officially gave his life to Christ at the age of 10.

While attending Belhaven University, Cooper majored in sports broadcasting and minored in political science. During his senior year, he interned at Broadmoor Baptist Church, working under Michael Bowen and Chris Clatterbuck. There, he was able to cut his teeth in live production and video editing, experiences that set the tone for his future in ministry media.

His next calling took him across the country to Las Vegas, where he became the Media & Youth Director at Champion Center of Las Vegas. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper helped expand the church to two campuses while building a thriving media team.

“We were actually meeting inside of a school on the Eastside of Vegas,” said Cooper. “But we were able to reach so many unsaved people looking for Christ.”

One of his most powerful memories from Las Vegas was a mass baptism held at a YMCA, where 25 young people ages 8 to 18 gave their lives to Christ.

“It was just amazing to see us keep the full message of Jesus Christ while being in what most people refer to as Sin City,” he said.

After his time in Las Vegas, Cooper returned to Mississippi to join Brown Missionary Baptist Church under Pastor Bartholomew Orr. For the past three years, he has led the church’s production team, overseeing live production, photography, video content, and A/V teams. He has also consulted other ministries across the nation to equip their teams to share the gospel through media. Brown’s online services now reach up to 4,000 live viewers on weekends, with more than 10,000 additional replays throughout the week.

“At Brown, we’ve seen firsthand how Digital Discipleship is transforming lives—not just in our local community, but across the globe,” Cooper said. “God has no limits to the platforms He can use to reach people for Him.”

Pastor Orr echoed Cooper’s impact.

“At Brown, we believe God can use any tool to reach people, and Steve has helped us use media and technology to do just that,” said Orr. “Because of him and our Production Team, more people are hearing the Gospel and growing in their faith—even if they’ve never walked through our doors.”

Now, Cooper is focused on developing the next generation of Digital Disciples.

“I’m coaching them to tell the story, and we want to amplify the messages for those in-person and online,” he said. “Our viewership all around the world makes my heart smile and joyful to see people connect to Christ through worship.”

Throughout his career in faith-based media, Cooper has directed live performances, including Todd Dulaney’s Promises album, and has worked with gospel stars Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee, Kierra Sheard, Melvin Crispell III, Jekalyn Carr, Myron Butler, Leandria Johnson, Kelontae Gavin, Erica Campbell, and Jonathan Nelson.

His mission work has taken him as far as Ghana, Africa, where he mentored ministry leaders and produced online classes for ministry leaders in Ghana to be taught by American teachers.

“It’s not about a job, it’s about serving for me,” he said. “You don’t know how many people are homebound, in prison, in college—people who can’t make it to church. I love to do it, and I love to serve the local church.”

Cooper is also embracing innovation through artificial intelligence and teases upcoming projects aimed at further expanding his ministry’s reach.

“We’re not trying to impress; we’re trying to invite,” he said. “Every lens is an open door to the Gospel. My calling is to build bridges between the church and the culture, using creativity as a tool for discipleship.”