In February of 2013, millions of online viewers tuned in as a retiring pope streamed his entire final day in office. As a weekly matter-of-course, Northland, a Church Distributed, in Longwood, Fla., streams services to 4,000 worshippers and builds its online library of hundreds of archived worship services and uplifting media. Twice a year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints live-streams 14 hours of a worldwide general conference to its nearly 29,000 international congregations. Clearly, as one of the many paths to meaningful worship, the Christian world is unafraid to embrace online streaming media.
The entire rising generation has grown up on a steady diet of this technology. As Shawn West, president of Worship Channels, nationwide, points out, “Watching a live-streamed church service is a natural, comfortable extension of their worship.”
West elaborates, “A young couple who has just moved into a new area of town will watch a church's live stream an average of six times before deciding whether or not to set foot inside that church.”
CPM has examined some of the effective strategies for reaching that young couple, along with every member of your congregation who may benefit from a streaming-specific ministry.
Before you begin
Form follows function—but both must follow purpose. Whether your church is just getting started or if your streaming ministry is already underway, you need to ask: what outcome are we ultimately striving to achieve through streaming media? Mapping out a strategy beforehand for how you will introduce streaming to your congregation is as important as deciding what types of physical equipment to purchase and where to invest your educational capital.
Understanding the spiritual needs of your audience is paramount, followed by deciding on the types of messages you are going to share. Be as specific as possible when it comes to the needs of your audience and the messages they require; the clearer and more precise your vision for streaming, the easier all your decisions will be when it comes to choosing cameras, computers, and other equipment.
Plan for a multitude of devices
When you imagine your online congregation, keep in mind that current popular technology and services like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video have done a great deal to educate the members of your congregation on how to access video online. While there is a better than average chance they will be watching on a computer, they are increasingly likely to use mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, or Android smartphones and tablets. Still other viewers are accustomed to consuming Internet video, including worship services, on their traditional televisions using web-enabled set-top video players, such as Roku boxes and home theater PCs.
“A YOUNG COUPLE WHO HAS JUST MOVED INTO A NEW AREA OF TOWN WILL WATCH A CHURCH’S LIVE STREAM AN AVERAGE OF SIX TIMES BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO SET FOOT INSIDE THAT CHURCH.”
Shawn West
President, Worship Channels
Following the Netflix model, a particularly tech-savvy congregation may very well expect to be able to watch the first few minutes of a worship service on one device, such as their phone, pause the video, and pick up where they left off watching on another device, like their tablet or Internet-connected television. Find out if your streaming service provider is capable of this by asking if they use a “federated ID system” for viewers—this type of system gives viewers one login and password across a multitude of devices, and allows a service provider to know who is using the service and what device they are currently using.
The spirit is willing, but the tech is weak
Nearly every congregation has a few members who don't perceive the value of using technology in a religious setting. If your strategy for reaching your congregation in as many ways as possible involves a streaming media aspect, one way to gradually introduce the idea of streaming worship to these members is to make use of communication technology that is personal and can be organized around smaller, more intimate groups, where opportunities for face-to-face interaction are unforced, but inherently part of the experience. Most are familiar with the concept of video conferencing using popular consumer services like Skype, Apple's FaceTime, or Google Hangouts.
Google Hangouts is a relatively new, free video chat program similar to the well-known Skype, which allows multiple users with cameras to see and hear each other at the same time on a single screen. Hangouts are limited to 10 video conference participants, and have no time limit. The service can also be used to broadcast a group meeting to many more people, but there is always a limit of 10 active participants. A similar, paid service, Skype Premium ($4.99/month), will connect up to 25 callers simultaneously with each other.
One effective idea for church leaders who are gradually introducing the idea of streaming worship services to their congregations is to use one of these low-cost or no-cost video conferencing technologies, and conduct a live stream Q&A with the pastor after the Sunday service.
There are several other practical applications of this free and easy-to-use technology. Churches can use video chats to help geographically separated prayer groups or scripture study groups, to help far-flung missionaries connect with each other and the congregation which loves and supports them, or to fellowship with members who have limited mobility due to their physical health, disability, age, or severely inclement weather.
First things first: capture the audio properly
Smart streaming ministries don't rely solely on the audio captured by the microphone on their video camera. Camera microphones pick up all kinds of unwanted sounds, including ambient congregational noise, mechanical clatter, and audio artifacts passed on by loudspeaker systems.
Make sure you capture the most important audio first—the pastor or worship leader's message. Isolate the audio feed from the minister's microphone and take that feed directly to your mixing board or streaming computer. Once you have the worship leader's voice, you can supplement that by placing other microphones and adding audio feeds for the music sources and other speakers.
Keeping the audio signal separate is an important failsafe, as well. Depending on the technology used, if a video system fails to stream properly on the Internet it may be possible to still stream the audio signal by itself.
A word on connection speed
The faster your church's Internet speed, the cleaner and quicker the video will be. You should know what your connection speed is, particularly your upload speed, because that will ultimately provide the ceiling for your video quality. A general feel for the connection speeds of your online congregation would be helpful, as well, so you know what they are capable of receiving in terms of video.
A handy, free, online tool for gauging one's download and upload speeds can be found at www.speedtest.net.
For your worship services, it's recommended to broadcast at a minimum speed of at least 360-500 Kbps—and your online congregation will generally need to be capable of the same speeds. Naturally, a higher Internet speed will provide higher-quality video. As a rule of thumb, the slowest Internet connection capable of carrying an enjoyable video and audio signal for an extended period of time is 250 Kbps—and a connection blazing along at 1.2 Mbps will get you full HD broadcast power.
Sharing the connection
If you provide free wireless Internet for your congregation, and if you plan to broadcast your service over that same connection, keep in mind that you will be competing with your members for bandwidth. A single smart phone uploading an all-text email probably won't make a measurable impact, but a thousand congregants updating their Facebook status with a cameraphone video clip of their favorite minister's latest words of wisdom will easily choke out that fancy 1.2 Mbps connection of yours.
You may need a practical method for limiting the congregation's access to the Internet during the portion of the service you wish to broadcast. While there are many expensive, highly complicated, and technical systems that will provide the ability to selectively limit your congregants' access to the Internet, thankfully, the most reliable way is free: simply find the wireless router that broadcasts the free WiFi, and remove its antenna—it should screw right off. If it is a model that doesn't have an external antenna, you can bet it still has a power cord—simply unplug it. The wireless network will automatically come back on when the antenna is re-attached or when the router is powered up again.
Nothing like a simple, practical step to reserve your outgoing bandwidth for your message—and help your flock focus on the gospel.
