Do you really need another way to reach your church audience? The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. The modern world is far too interconnected for you to limit your ministry to only the people in your pews, so live steaming your church services is an effective way to reach a broader network.
Whether you are looking to expand your outreach or simply want to reach congregation members remotely, learning how to live stream church services is easier than you think.
Why You Need to Live Stream Your Church Services
Put simply, live streaming is the key to moving your message from a single room to an unlimited number of people’s homes, making it an effective strategy for how to grow your church. Just like a phone call, anyone connected to your live stream will hear everything you say in real time, ensuring that you can be relevant and keep their attention in ways that pre-recorded videos can’t match.
There are three main benefits to live streaming your sermons:
- Create a global message. Don’t limit your outreach to the people in the pews! Live streaming church services makes your message reachable for anyone with an internet connection.
- Connect with those who can't come in person. Do you have church members who are too ill or distant to make it regularly? Do you have older teens and young adults who are now in college or in a new city but want to stay connected to their home church? Live streaming every service keeps them connected with their greater faith community.
- Keep in contact with your congregation. Do you want to speak with church members more informally? Live streaming a conversation is a great way to get a message out to everyone at once, and you can save the recording so members can listen to it again later.
How Do You Live Stream a Church Service?
Live streaming your service is less complicated than you think. By following these four tips, you’ll be setting yourself up for success.
- Choose the right service.The technique of live streaming your service will vary depending on what streaming service you use. Below are three eliable options that pastors can use.
- YouTube:great for reaching a large audience and easy to embed in your website and church apps.
- Meerkat:lets you create a live stream straight from a mobile device, but the videos can’t be saved.
- Google Hangout:allows you to broadcast a HD live stream on a variety of networks, and the stream is automatically saved to YouTube after.
- Use the highest quality camera you can. Whether you are live streaming a council meeting or an entire church service, the higher quality camera you use will make a significant difference in the end product. Try to avoid using a mobile phone in favor of an HD camera, and your viewers will be more likely to stick with you till the end
- Have a good internet connection:There’s no point in producing a stellar live stream if your internet connection is too poor for anyone to see it. Make sure you have the broadband at your venue to ensure your message is successfully streamed.
- Production quality matters.Before beginning your live stream, check the setting for good sound and lighting conditions. Experiment with positioning until everything looks good on camera, and you will present a more professional image to your viewers.
Getting Started with Live Streaming Your Church Services
Your ministry’s impact is not limited to the number of people you can fit in your sanctuary.
The world is getting more interconnected all the time, but work commitments, poor health, and even international mission work can keep your congregation from coming to your services. There are also thousands of people who are searching for God’s word and you now have a tool that you can effectively use to get the Word to them. Today’s technology has made live streaming your services easier than ever, and anyone with an internet connection can now listen to your sermons in real time. All that’s left is for you to do it.