Church via online video

Push the Facebook Live button from your church Facebook page.

1. To stream from your smartphone, open your “Facebook” app or “Facebook Pages Manager” app.
2. Go to your church Facebook page. (or set up a Facebook page if you haven’t already)
3. Click on “Post” icon.
4. Click on “Go Live” icon, and allow Facebook app to take pictures and record video, and allow to record audio. Click “Start Live Video.”
5. Position your phone where it will be at eye-level. Ideally, have a tripod that holds the phone, or use books, boxes, or other items to hold it up. (more advice)
6. Stream from your church’s Facebook Page (not personal account)
7. Insert call-to-action links in the description field under the title, and personally ask a few key people in advance to share video livestream as soon as your start.
8. Here are livestreaming tutorials: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 for Android
9. or iPhone

1. Record the video in advance, and present it as if it were live during normal church service times.
   1. Facebook Premiere if you’d rather record your service in advance, edit it, and then deliver it on Sunday morning as if it’s a live event. (1-min tutorial)This also allows you and your volunteers to still comment and reply during the livestream on your Facebook page. 
   2. To record each section of the sermon (hosts, musicians, pre-service offertory, and preacher)
      1. Someone can record each of them with similar lighting and sound quality.
      2. With experience, each group can record their parts from their own homes and send a copy of their recording to person editing the video. The can upload their part to Google Drive and share the link. Or they can deliver a USB drive to the video editor.
   3. Someone needs merge the various video portions together on a video editing software. (eg. Filmora, iMovie, FCPX, Movavi, Premiere) You can get free images from https://www.pexels.com
   4. When uploading, check the “Premiere” button (also available on Youtube). Insert call-to-action links in the description field under the title. Schedule the video to go live at a specific time, which will enable chat at the set time.
   5. Recruit a few online greeters on page to interact with your community. This includes welcoming, posting links to notes and giving options, ask or answer questions (eg “Where are you watching from?”), post lyrics to songs, lead people to take next steps (eg. enter Zoom chatroom), and tell all “goodbye” or “See you next week.”
   6. As you have time, you can take a free course on Facebook options.
2. Notify those on your church email list 1-12 hours before or text lists 10 minute before your online church services starts. If you use Facebook, you’ll be able to reach some (roughly ⅓) of your existing page followers via a notification that your church is “going live.” Texting and email reaches more.
3. Expand to other platforms
   1. Youtube Live – Log into a Youtube account (https://www.youtube.com) belonging to your church, click on the video camera icon in upper right. On a desktop, go to Creator Studio tools, then go to the ‘Live Streaming’ tab. On the YouTube app on mobile, create a live stream.Youtube is incentivized by 3rd party ad buyers to get your video seen by more viewers than Facebook. It takes at least 24 hours to get Streaming for Youtube for your organization’s account. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9227509?hl=en As you have time, you can take a free class by Youtube here.
   2. https://www.periscope.tv
   3. https://www.twitch.tv (If your congregation are mostly creatives or gamers.
   4. LinkedIn Livestream or a Youtube workaround. (If your congregation are mostly business people)
4. Video dialogue with others in multiple locations.
   1. This can be kept private or live-streamed publicly. These meetings can be for your entire church, dialogue between you and a missionary or evangelist at another location). There should be smaller group gatherings throughout the week, as well as online planning discussions and prayer meetings.
   2. List of options here

A church-focused online platform synchronizing to multiple live-streams

1. https://churchonlineplatform.com by Life.Church 1 Directions
   1. This does not have the distractions on Facebook pages such as notifications, chats, and ads. This may distract some people from engaging in your online service.
   2. It conveniently has features to allow viewers to read the Bible passage, sermon notes, request prayer, chat with friends, and give online.
   3. Its free, but you must still get a True Livestream service to synchronize from the platform to each livestream (eg. Facebook Live and Youtube Live) Livestream services include https://restream.io/pricing, TrueGOD.tv, ChurchStreaming.tv Boxcast.com
   4. Host workspace (easy to use platform for hosts, includes a host chat and extra
2. (or) Embed the following on your church’s custom page (eg www.Your Church.com/Online) (eg sample)
   1. Embed your video into your website.
   2. Embed a response form and links to notes below the media player. Use an embedable chat add on (eg Chatroll.com)
   3. Embed or paste in relevant verses
   4. Embed visitor contact card form
   5. Embed option to receive prayer
   6. Include all calls-to-action and giving options.
3. If you do prefer to just let viewers interact directly on social media, then here are two other options to allow streaming directly to those.
   1. https://obsproject.com – allows both lyrics and people on screen. Sample (start at 05:00)
   2. https://streamyard.com – compare to OBS  and https://be.live are similar platforms, but only online.
   3. Include all calls-to-action