3 Easy Steps to Get Your Church Setup With Live Streaming by Easter

It’s no secret that Easter is one of the biggest Sundays of the whole year at your church. But, because of the long weekend, it’s often a weekend where families choose to travel or may not be able to make it to your actual church building due to weather, sickness, or other unforeseen reasons. So, instead of accepting that they won’t be able to engage with you on this important Sunday, what if you set up a church live stream so they could tune in wherever they are?

However, sometimes when we mention the words “church live stream”, people start to get a sinking feeling in their stomachs. Live streaming involves technology and video and that can be intimidating if you don’t necessarily consider yourself to be a tech guru. But, the good news about setting up a church live stream is that when you choose the right live streaming platform, it can actually be a very simple process! So, remove that sinking feeling in your stomach, put a smile on your face, and get ready to find out how you can get your church live stream setup in time for your Easter services!

Step One: Capture Your Video

With the right church live stream provider, capturing video is the important first step of setting up your church live stream, and the equipment you use falls secondary. This means, if your church already has cameras, switchers, or even a mobile device that captures video already, you can use it! Yep, that means you can use your iPhone if that’s what you have on hand!

Granted, having higher tech equipment is going to give you better picture and audio quality, but it’s not necessary to go out and spend thousands of dollars on a new camera if that’s not in the budget for your church at this time. Here are some cameras we recommend if you’re in the market though.

Camera: (Good Quality) Canon Vixia HF R800
Camera: (Better Quality) Canon VIXIA HF G40
Tripod: Magnus VT-4000 (to keep it steady)

For more tips and recommendations, visit ChurchStreaming.TV

In order to capture your video, make sure that your pastor, worship leader, and other staff members who may be participating in the service know that you’re going to be filming so there aren’t any surprises when they show up online. Also, pay attention to the lighting on your stage or platform, and make sure that it’s bright enough for the camera to see details when you’re live streaming. Lastly, make sure whatever hardware you choose to capture video is somewhere stable and that won’t be blocked by someone or something. This may be setting up a tripod in a set location, or configuring another setup that is safe and secure. The last thing you want is a church member standing right in front of your camera so the only thing you capture is the back of their head! Designate a staff member or volunteer to watch the camera throughout your service to make sure everything stays working and in place like it should.

Step Two: Encode and Deliver Your Video

One piece of equipment you will need to have to get your church live stream setup is an encoder. An encoder is simply a device that takes your content and converts it into a digital format to stream. There are tons of options out there, but the good news is that the right church live stream platform works with all of them!

Once you have an encoder, you simply need to deliver your video with streaming box, computer, or other device. Yes, that means if your church already has a computer (Mac or PC), then you probably already have what you need to deliver your video.

Even if you’re still feeling unsure about this equipment, there are people who can walk you through step by step how to connect your camera, encoder, and computer so you’re never alone in the process.

Step Three: Distribute Your Video

Distribute your video is basically a fancy way of saying that you’re ready to put your church live stream video in places where people can watch! One of the key places you’ll want your video is on your church website. Other places might include Facebook Live, Apple TV, Roku, Vimeo, YouTube, and/or Chromecast. You definitely don’t have to have your church live stream in all of these places, but the more locations, the more likely you are for people to find and watch your live stream.

Once you know where your video will be delivered, be sure to let people know! That way, your church members will know to tune in on Easter Sunday if they know that they won’t be able to be at your church that day. Also ask your church members to share the links with their friends on social media and invite them to tune in too.

Lastly, be sure you’re monitoring your live stream analytics so you will know how many viewers you have on Easter Sunday. Knowing this will help you set church live stream goals moving forward.

Next Steps

Setting up a church live stream at your church doesn’t have to be complicated, and it is possible to do in three easy steps. If you’re ready to give it a try at your church, be sure to check out the free 30 day trial of churchstreaming.tv. During the trial you will be able to live stream at full capacity for your Easter services (and beyond), and make sure that live streaming is right for your church. Plus, they are happy to answer any questions you may have about set up, equipment, and more! Give it a try today!