Setting Up Your Church Live Stream
Houses of worship and technology may seem like strange bedfellows at first, but live streaming has now become an integral offering for many religious institutions and services.
Overall attendance in many countries for many religions was on the decline before the pandemic, and after lockdowns, social distancing, and masks, pews are emptier than ever.
On top of unavoidable changes like COVID, many people were simply turning away from events at their church. That's why live streaming has become a benefit for houses of worship. A well-produced live stream of your religious service could reach a far wider audience. And you even have the option to save your streams for playback later in case any of your members missed the live show.
The benefits offered to houses of worship by live streaming are many, but it can be a difficult process to undertake. Even if executed properly, there are still other factors like viewer numbers and stream popularity to consider.
Let's dive into some of the most important parts of producing a religious live broadcast, and all the tools and know-how you'll need to create a live stream worth watching. Learn how to set up live streaming for your church
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Church Live Streaming Equipment
Your equipment determines a lot about your stream — the type of events you’re broadcasting, the internet connectivity that’s available, and what the filming environment’s audio is like. It’s pretty clear to churches and the staff who oversee them that choosing the right gear is overwhelming. You don't want to overcommit and buy equipment you can't properly use, but you also want to stay relevant with modern hardware. Budgets are tight, and often ministry needs, maintenance, and overhead come first.
But here’s some good news: While choosing the right streaming equipment might seem daunting at first, if you’ve got a knowledgeable guide to walk you through the process, you’ll quickly pick up on the specific needs of your house of worship — from the levels of equipment appropriate for your team and budget to video production terminology. A little research with teaching from the pros goes a long way, and that overwhelming feeling will soon subside.
Luckily, BoxCast has a bevy of resources for video production and church streaming software. Discover the best video equipment for each level of expertise, and get the most out of your live broadcasts. See the best live streaming equipment for your church
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Production Elements for Church Live Streaming
Church live streams require a lot of technical know-how to get your services out to your audience. Your production team (or maybe it’s just you!) have so much to consider before, during, and after a successful broadcast. How does lighting affect the viewer experience at home? What kind of church live streaming software solution is the best to consistently stream services with quality? What cameras, microphones, stands, and rigs are the best for your physical setup?
It’d be great if viewers could casually ignore shoddy microphone audio or inadequate lighting while watching worship services on their TVs or home computers. Unfortunately, they don’t. The inability to properly see or hear a sermon and music drastically reduces a viewer’s participation in a service. Tech issues shouldn’t come between church attendees and their worship experience.
With the right lighting, software, and hardware, you can create a seamless experience so people can participate in church wherever they are. Learn how your service can reach a far wider user base and present a much more professional-looking and sounding broadcast. Understand how to fix church lighting and tech issues
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Best Camera Shots for Churches
Enthusiastic speakers who sound great aren't enough to engage digital audiences. It’s one thing to have a dynamic presenter in person. But the viewer at home has a completely different experience: The best sermon from the most emphatic pastor will quickly come across as lifeless and dull if your audience can only see them in a static wide angle from the back of the church sanctuary.
You need to include multiple camera shots to truly bring your broadcast to life. Close-ups, medium shots, and cutting between different views allow home churchgoers to truly feel as if they’re in the front pew.
Your goal as a broadcaster should be to create an immersive streaming experience that rivals or surpasses the in-person event. Though that may seem daunting, you’ve got plenty of tools and tips to help you accomplish that. You can level up your cameras, angles, and shots without too much hassle if you know where to look. Learn about all the ways to dynamically improve your stream with different camera angles. See the best camera shots to film church services
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Benefits of Live Streaming: How to Make a Business Case for Your Church
Live streaming is more popular than ever, and your church can reap the rewards. Regardless of your level of video expertise or your media production budget, your church will benefit from live streaming. Having church online isn’t just a cool, extra thing to do anymore — it’s vital to your mission, your outreach, and your development.
Your church can extend its reach with live streaming. Streaming ensures your message is heard by more people than could ever walk through the sanctuary doors. With some basic tools that don’t break the bank (or are even free) you can communicate to the masses.
Your growth is essential (see below) — not only for sharing your faith but also for maintaining your church’s development. Church live streaming solutions empower you to do more with technology, grow your membership, and increase your bottom line. Discover how streaming your church can improve attendance, increase donations, and strengthen your community. Here are the top reasons your church should stream live
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Growing Your Church Stream
It’s no secret church attendance is on the decline in houses of worship everywhere. Whether it’s their fast-paced lifestyle, inability to travel or meet in person, or perhaps they’re feeling too busy, discouraged, or disengaged — people are leaving the pews. Especially young people, who are the future of the church.
Today’s challenge for faith leaders is to reach people (especially the younger generations) and authentically preach a message that encourages, converts, and spreads. Technology can help reach people where they are and provide access to the church regardless of location. A great live stream makes your service more accessible, and with the right production, you can grow your audience and draw in followers from across the world. Read how to grow your church's reach with young people
Additional Resources:
- 5 Ways to Attract New Members to Your Church
- 3 Easy Ways to Grow Your Church
- The Unconventional Way This Church is Attracting Its Youth
- Research Shows This is Why People Switch Churches
- What Can Your Church Do to Attract Young Adults
- Why is Church Extra Important for Elderly Members?
- How to Extend Your Reach with Hybrid Worship
How BoxCast Helps Churches Stream Services
Whatever your setup or skill level, our live video streaming platform makes broadcasting your worship services and religious events a breeze. BoxCast’s flexible tech gives you automated software and hardware options that work to help you extend your church’s reach beyond the walls of your sanctuary.
If you’re not ready to invest in hardware and want to go live quickly, we recommend starting with software. Producer lets you create and present professional-looking streams directly from your web browser. All you need is a webcam and internet! If you prefer to use your iOS device, download our Broadcaster app to stream your events from anywhere with a cellular connection. Both Producer and the Broadcaster app are free to use with any BoxCast streaming plan.
Because our platform is so flexible, you can also broadcast live video via real-time messaging protocol (RTMP), Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), or other streaming software options if you like.
Maybe you’re ready to incorporate hardware into your workflow. If that’s the case, feel free to connect your video source to our BoxCaster, BoxCaster Pro, or another RTMP-supported encoder.
No matter what workflow you choose, if you stream with BoxCast, your broadcasts will be secure, stable, and supported by leading-edge technology. That includes features like advanced compression, transfer and transcoding, monitoring, and diagnostics. Not to mention BoxCast Flow, our patented, super-reliable streaming protocol. See how BoxCast helps your church stream services
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Start streaming today for free
Whatever your needs are, we’ve got a plan for you. Book a meeting with a streaming coach to try our Experience plan free for 14 days to see all our platform has to offer, then choose what works best for you. No commitment or credit card required.
