Why Churches Need An Official Online Ministry
By: Keegan Divant
Tags: Live Streaming, Church Online, Church, Corona, Church Livestream

This year has been rough for all of us, especially churches who are grounded in weekly gatherings of its congregation. With corporate worship being challenged on so many levels, live streaming has become a necessity for every church.

Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash

It’s tempting to view this as just a short-lived fad that will disappear once the pandemic is over. Even before the wild ride of 2020 began, live-streaming was already becoming an important strategy of churches looking to grow. Many of our elderly brothers and sisters have finally joined Facebook and that’s a clear sign that the digital ministry is here to stay.

The Great Commission (Virtually)

Jesus declares in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples of all nations. By implementing an online strategy we can share the message of Jesus Christ to anyone around the globe instantaneously. This doesn’t mean we give up mission trips or traditional outreach. It’s about going to where people spend most of their time (the internet) and fulfilling the great commission.

Let’s look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:20–22 when he talks about becoming like those he hopes to save. To the Jews, he became like a Jew, and to gentiles, he became like a gentile. To the weak he became weak, to win the weak. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that we should become like digital denizens to win digital denizens.

It May Be The Only Way To Reach Some

You probably know a few people who have been cut off from the world because of self-distancing and quarantines. If you can’t visit them in person then you may reach out by calling them. You may even do that often. But, is that enough?

Sometimes, seeing other people, even if it’s on a screen can make someone feel more connected. An online ministry can be so much more than just a live stream. It can be a way to interact with others when visiting them in person is not possible.

Limited budgets and inexperienced make for an uphill climb for those just now streaming however, it’s not as difficult as you might think.

Many larger churches adopted live streaming years ago and it can be discouraging to compare your online service to their big-budget productions. But, with just the very basics you can offer a polished and professional online service that will attract new visitors. Here are just a few tips to start your online ministry this Sunday.

Platform

Before we start talking about actually streaming your service, let’s start of with where people will see it. Remember, the ultimate goal is to genuinely connect with people. Your metric of success is not how many views you receive each week but how you engage with your online congregation. Facebook is actually a great place to start because it provides a robust way to communicate.

When you post a live video on Facebook, viewers have the option to chat with each other during the feed. What works best here is to have a designated person, maybe an elder or associate pastore, to be involved in that chat.

When you have someone representing your service it adds that layer of human interaction. This helps everyone feel more connected to each other, especially those who are limited in leaving their house.

Your churches website also works well however, you need to make sure there’s a way for people to engage. The real time aspect becomes a little more challenging unless you sign up for a service like Church Online.

Video and Audio

Yes, you can invest an insane amount of money into streaming equipment. But, unless you have a member who knows streaming well, it’s best to start of small. Ultimiately, you can start off simply with just an iPhone.

To get the best out of your iPhone you will need a tripod and a strong internet connection. Using a tripod is probably obvious, just know that you don’t need one that’s top of the line. Even a small $20 Joby tripod will work.

Audio is a huge area that will determine if your live stream comes off as professional. Again, if you want to dip your toes in online streaming, just put the phone in a spot where the audio is clear. If it’s far away from a speaker then your audience won’t be able to hear. On the flip side though, being too close to a speaker will make it sound all distorted.

If you’re ready to invest in audio but still not comfortable moving away from your phone, there are plenty of inexpensive external mics you can hook up to your phone. Your soundboard may even have an audio out port that you can hook up directly to your phone.

Be careful with streaming the worship segment of your service. The vocals and instruments tend to be too loud to come across clean. It’s actually better to skip this part than to stream anyways. If someone is watching for the first time and hears poor quality during worship then they’re likely to not stick around for the sermon.

Lighting

When it comes to looking professional on screen, lighting is the single most important factor. After all, a camera just simply captures light reflecting back off of objects. Just like audio, lighting can be to soft or not bright enough. The right light for your camera is usually different than what’s right for people there in person.

Before you start trying to find the perfect compromise to light your pastor for both in person and online audiences, look for the best place to position the camera. A simple approach is to do a test run and record video from different spots. Make sure there is someone standing where the pastor usually stands to make sure the lighting is consistent with what you’re seeing.

Usually, a best-practice is to make sure there are no lights pointing directly at the camera. It will automatically lower the exposure to dim the light which in turn will make the main subject look like they’re in the dark. There may also be glares (foreheads tend to produce glares) which you can try to eliminate by moving the camera. If the speaker is open to it, you can use just a bit of powder to help. This may seem petty but, the goal is to look as professional as possible.

Reach The World

Hopefully you feel comfortable enough to take your online ministry to the next level. The reality is digital evangelism is here to stay. It may not be how we want things to be but, we don’t have a choice anymore. Let’s reach the world both in person and virtually.