I’ve lost track of exactly how far into the COVID-19 pandemic that we currently are, however, we are going to take a look at what churches have learned about social distancing.
Furthermore, we will tackle some of the stumbling blocks that have presented themselves for many churches across the board, regardless of their denomination or the size of their church. So get yourself your favorite soft drink or coffee, roll up your sleeves, and let’s dig into this ongoing topic.
Let’s be straight, most churches were entirely caught off guard about how to continue delivering the Gospel message throughout this pandemic. Even to this day, I meet with and discuss with various media ministry leaders and pastors to talk about what they can do to better deliver their message to their congregants.
Many churches at one point in time or another have tinkered with the idea of live streaming their services. However, very few were actually doing it on a regular basis.
Furthermore, many were not even sure where to start and what equipment and other resources were going to be needed in order to ensure a successful streaming process for both those who were in charge of capturing it, as well as those who would be consuming it.
It certainly should come as no surprise that Facebook Live is the most commonly accessed method of delivering a live stream to their viewing audience.
However, it does come with its share of challenges along the way. Keep in mind, during this pandemic, more and more churches are reaching out to live streaming as a way to deliver their message. But guess what? Churches are not the only ones doing this. Think of all the businesses, or other groups who are also relying upon this platform to delivering the communications.
I think one of the greatest things churches have learned about social distancing is they really didn’t know how-in-demand their services would become. In addition, who would have ever thought that nearly every church across the globe would be accessing one social network or another to deliver their online content?
Like I said, Facebook, certainly is one of the easiest networks to live stream to. But wait! There’s one little faction that nearly all churches have failed to capture and realize and that is that not everyone has a Facebook account. This certainly would be the given with the older congregants who just may not want to indulge on that platform. Thus, leaving many tech teams scrambling for creative ways to reach those who were not able to get their content via Facebook.
So, exactly where does that take everyone too?
Anyone can access YouTube, whether they have a Gmail account or not. Thus making it more accessible to those without a Facebook account.
However, what if you decided that the majority of your congregation was already using Facebook and not leave everyone else out.
This is where things begin to take a turn and get interesting and present the tech teams of various churches with some stumbling blocks.
While there is a variety of streaming software that permits you to stream live to one platform or another, what they don’t usually do is permit you to stream to multiple social networks simultaneously. This is where going to the next level of acquiring a service such as Restream.io would almost become a necessity.
This by far has been one of the most challenging issues that has faced many churches. While you certainly go all out on some top-name equipment, even if you don’t have anything other than a smart phone, as long as you have a solid network connect (preferably WiFi or a strong direct connection) you can be up and running in no time.
It doesn’t always have to be about the final production! It’s about being able to get your message to your audience, regardless of the platform.
Take a quick peek at the video below on how to get started streaming your church services to your audience during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Jake Gosselin does an amazing job at helping churches to get started with their live streaming issues.
While there are certainly a multitude of directions to stream your services to, having a starting point for directing people to your streams is paramount.
Certainly having a well thought out church or ministry website is a great way to begin. You want to make it easy for your people to find your streams.
Keep in mind, at the very minimum, most people have a smart phone. However, you don’t want to make it difficult or challenging for them to find your streams. With so many people feeling the effects of the entire social distancing process, and feeling disconnected from their church family, many do not know much in the way of searching the various platforms to find you.
Create a solid road map for them to be able to follow you.
You may need to develop a team to help pass the word along on how to get to your streams. Let’s keep in mind that not everyone we go to church with is tech savvy.
There is a wealth of knowledge on the Internet to assist those who are looking for creative ways to take their church into the next era of communications. However, it is going to take rolling up your sleeves and being prepared to learn is going to be essential.
The great news is that you are not in this alone. There are people, just like myself, who are more than willing to answer your questions or to help you find and discover workable solutions that will work for what is best for your congregation.
Let us know how you are coping and dealing with delivering your morning worship services, or Bible studies to your audience. We always love to hear how others are dealing with this situation and to be able to jump in and help if needed.
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