No, the livestreamed announcement today was not to do with a new Netflix or HBO production. The Chosen Season Two is the next instalment of creator and director Dallas Jenkins’ crowdfunded online series about the life of Jesus Christ.

“This is what Season Two is about: how the relationships between the disciples start to develop,” said Jenkins as he introduced a clip that was filmed and edited during the past week and a half.

From the Texas set of The Chosen – and without announcing when Season Two will be available – Jenkins dropped a scene from Episode One. It featured Jesus’ newly formed band of disciples (from the end of Season One) and their sparring for prominence.

“In Episode One, there’s been a little bit of in-fighting between the disciples about who is in charge; who is supposed to be the leader. James and John have started to assert themselves as the leaders,” said Jenkins to his online audience.

As former tax collector Matthew (Paras Patel) admits to having “never performed hard labour”, his fellow disciples walk and talk through a marketplace and discuss Jesus’ plans to visit a leper colony and whether Jewish purity laws will be preserved.

The disciples wind up debating what is the best use of Jesus’ time – should he debate with rabbis or meet with local treasury officials?

“Let’s leave it the boss, hey? What do you think?” offers Simon (Shahar Isaac) before James and John command the group about what to get for a dinner party that evening.

Like the first season did, everyday interactions of biblical characters are at the fore, located during the first century period of Jesus Christ’s public ministry.

Not only is The Chosen the first multi-series television show dedicated to Jesus, it was the largest crowdfunded media project ever. The Chosen hauled in a record $10 million in crowdfunding for its first season and kickstarted a new way of independently sharing such content. The Chosen has a “pay it forward” system that invites viewers to watch episodes for free, and then pay an amount for other people to watch the show.

Season Two received a similar level of crowdfunding to Season One, and almost $1 million of the $15 million budget for Season Three already has been raised.

“What does this really mean for us?” – Amanda Jenkins

Along with interviewing several cast members on the livestream, Jenkins introduced new devotional material to help viewers “go deeper than where the show goes”.

An eight-part Bible study series, largely created by Jenkins’ wife Amanda and biblical scholar Douglas Huffman (who is the TV show’s principal expert), centres on “what does it mean to be chosen?”

Amanda Jenkins outlined how the materials include Old Testament context and details, their connection with the New Testament and then how that lands for people today.

“We have so many great points of application [in the show] because we see ourselves in these characters … but we aren’t actually on the ground with him … It was really put on my heart to answer the question: ‘What does this really mean for us?'” said Amanda Jenkins about the importance of Jesus in the real lives of viewers.