Live Streaming Advice
Live streaming your church service
16 March 2020
With people self-isolating and non essential contact now advised against by the Government, many churches are considering live streaming their services. A number already do. It’s a brilliant way of harnessing technology to ensure those not there in person, for whatever reason, stay connected, spiritually-fed and informed. Live streaming options even allow for interaction from those watching remotely.
For churches now exploring this option, the best two live streaming services are Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Both are free, and relatively straightforward to set up.
Both Facebook and YouTube (Google) have pages which will talk you through how to start up your live stream, and how to work it.
Visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/799185466881268/?helpref=hc_fnav
YouTube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2474026?hl=en-GB
Copyright and permissions
Streaming or recording your service brings extra considerations and responsibilities. So before you begin…
You’re ready to go. A number of key considerations will enable your live stream to run as smoothly as possible, and reach those for whom it was intended!
16 March 2020
With people self-isolating and non essential contact now advised against by the Government, many churches are considering live streaming their services. A number already do. It’s a brilliant way of harnessing technology to ensure those not there in person, for whatever reason, stay connected, spiritually-fed and informed. Live streaming options even allow for interaction from those watching remotely.
For churches now exploring this option, the best two live streaming services are Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Both are free, and relatively straightforward to set up.
Both Facebook and YouTube (Google) have pages which will talk you through how to start up your live stream, and how to work it.
Visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/799185466881268/?helpref=hc_fnav
YouTube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2474026?hl=en-GB
Copyright and permissions
Streaming or recording your service brings extra considerations and responsibilities. So before you begin…
- Be aware of the need for sensitivity when sharing private and confidential information during a service (such as during prayer), which may not be appropriate to be more widely broadcast
- Make sure all those appearing in the broadcast are aware beforehand, and their permission to be seen and recorded online is sought. Written consent is needed, and no one under the age of 18 may be featured without written permission from a parent or guardian.
- Check your copyright: your church will hopefully hold a Church Copyright Licence (CCL), usually obtained for the projection or printing out of hymns and worship song words. In the UK the CCL also includes a Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) right which permits churches to record live music during their services. However, CCLI does not provide a licence for streaming or webcasting church services which include copyrighted content. Therefore worship songs should not be streamed unless permission has been granted from the copyright owners or the songs are in the public domain.
You’re ready to go. A number of key considerations will enable your live stream to run as smoothly as possible, and reach those for whom it was intended!
- Use a tripod, and not someone holding the phone. This will make sure that the frame is the same throughout the feed. When positioning the phone, it is purely down to the space you have. You don’t need to have it dead centre, or ensure a projection screen is in view. Just make sure some speakers are in view: the phone should hopefully pick up the sound adequately from the church’s speakers. Do use any practice time beforehand to test the sound quality. If possible, isolate an area around the phone in use. This will hopefully help you to not get any background chatter, so that those watching can hear the speaker better and more clearly.
- Remember to tell your entire congregation and your online followers when you’ll be going live. Aim to give them 24 hours notice before a scheduled live stream, allowing them to make sure they watching. A nice idea is to have your live stream reminder posts share a little but about what the stream and service will include.
- Make sure your signal is strong! Aim for Wifi, but if needs be you can use 4G, so long as the signal is strong enough. Do a test the day before on your own Facebook account – you can always delete this once you’ve finished.
- Think about your description. Write the post how you would any other update you’d share – give viewers an idea of what the stream is about, ask and question and encourage them to engage with you in the comments section. You’ll be able to see this interaction during the live stream, and can directly answer their questions while you’re live. Remember to mention the viewer by name when they ask a question and thank them for watching – this builds that community feel and makes the follower feel like a valued member of the community.
- Think about who and what can be seen – have all those who might appear been briefed, and what can be seen in the background? If you’re going to have a discussion, an attractive but simple background would work best. If you’re walking around, have you told all those people who might like to talk during the broadcast what you might ask them and how long you might talk to them? While you will want it to have a relaxed feel, live streams always work best when they’re planned.
- While the trend for videos is shorter the better, when going Live it’s better to stay on for longer. You can stream for up to four hours on Facebook, but research shows around 20 minutes is the ideal time. It is best to include any Bible readings, prayers and main sermon during this time.
- Those who are not able to follow a live stream for any reason, may appreciate a printed copy of the order of service, with the full sermon, or notes, if possible.
- Your live stream doesn’t have to be from your church building. If you have postponed using a meeting space, the stream can be done from your home. Just be aware of surroundings.