Every church website should have a sermon library to archive their sermons. But that shouldn’t stop your church from sharing Sunday morning sermons live on your website too. This can be done through a variety of live streaming options. Live streaming your services has a number of advantages. It makes the Sunday morning service accessible to people who, for one reason or another, can’t attend the service at the church building. It also enables church members to stay in their rhythm even while they are out of town.
Live streaming can be done simply or with a more sophisticated setup. In this post we’ll examine some good livestream options for churches to start with. Then, we’ll conclude with some general tips for your church livestream.
Using Vimeo Livestream
Vimeo’s livestream option is a trusted platform for live streaming. Users do have to pay for the livestream service. They have the option of paying for the PRO Live or Business Live packages. The Vimeo service allows users to embed their livestream feeds on to websites, communicate with their audience through the livestream, and track performance with quality analytics. If your church has the budget for a more enhanced live streaming solution, Vimeo is certainly worth some thought. The finished product has the potential to be impressively professional and well-made if you have the right equipment. CrossPoint Modesto uses a custom solution from Vimeo Livestream for their service livestream.
Using Facebook Live
Facebook Live is another popular live streaming option. It is also free and simple. Facebook Live doesn’t require any special equipment. Anyone can stream live from a smartphone with the Facebook app. There are also options for a more sophisticated livestream from Facebook. The only consideration to make will be how professional your livestream will look.
Facebook is great for making live streaming very social as well. Audience members and viewers can interact with the livestream in real time. Facebook can be used for live streaming services but its structure is also well-suited for live streaming special events.
There are other options too
There are a number of other livestream options for churches. YouTube has a livestream solution that is similar to its rival Vimeo. The main differences are that YouTube’s streaming service is free and that the guidelines for what can be streamed are much more strict on YouTube. Copyrighted content is not allowed on YouTube livestreams and usage could result in being blocked from live streaming on the platform. If your church plans to live stream your worship service, this may be an obstacle.
Sermonaudio.com also offers a live streaming option. This option works well for streaming live audio. Emmanuel OPC, one of Five More Talents’ clients, uses this platform to stream their sermons. If you already upload your church’s sermons up to sermonaudio.com, just send them an email to get setup with live broadcasting.
Boxcast is another strong solution for live streaming needs. It allows you to embed your livestream straight into your website and offers support to get you set up. Boxcast isn’t a free software though. Their monthly cost starts at $75.
The First Step
Finding a livestream platform is just the first step of the process. Plotting out your livestream schedule, gathering your equipment, and marketing your livestream all remain to be done. The good news is that, with a strong livestream platform, the rest can be done with just a little know-how and equipment.
For more information on livestreaming needs and resources, reach out to the Five More Talents team. We can answer your questions or get you in touch with the people who can!
