Do you ever wish getting everything ready on Sunday morning was easier? Or that you had help switching cameras during the service because there just aren’t enough video volunteers—or the one person you do have picks the weirdest moments to cut? In the age of automation, MIDI, RossTalk, and other protocols, it can feel overwhelming to ask how to automate parts of production. But there’s a gift that can help: Bitfocus Companion.
Companion is a free control software that can easily control almost anything electronic within a church building. In this article, we’ll talk about why automation can be helpful and, very practically, what Companion can do in your church setup.
Start with the “why” and the hardware
Before you dive into configuration, decide what problems you want Companion to solve first. For most churches, that’s either “our startup/shutdown routine is chaotic” or “we’re asking volunteers to juggle too many steps during worship.” Clarifying this will keep you from trying to automate everything at once and getting overwhelmed. First, Companion should help make things more efficient; then it can help expand what’s possible on Sunday morning.
Companion transforms the Stream Deck into a flexible interface for managing cues, transitions, and production tasks.
On the hardware side, you’ll need a computer on your network to run Companion and, ideally, an Elgato Stream Deck as the hands-on control surface. Companion can also present a virtual button interface in a browser, so you’re not stuck if you can’t buy hardware right away. The goal is simple: one place your volunteers can look, and one set of buttons they can press to run a service.
Build a power-on and power-off sequence
A great first project is using Companion to manage power for your core systems. There are two main ways to do this.
First, you can use almost any smart plug to turn simple things on and off—lights, cameras randomly placed on stage, and miscellaneous gear in the sound booth or anywhere else in the building.
Second, there are companies like Shelly that make multiple styles of smart breaker controls. These can tie into your network and also be controlled by Companion. A quick search (or a question to your favorite AI assistant) will help you confirm that anything you purchase will work with Companion. Once configured, Companion can turn these devices on and off at the push of a button. You can even program timed sequences so things shut down properly in the right order.
Think of Companion as an invisible team member handling repeatable technical tasks.
Another good example: many projectors already have modules or templates pre-built within Companion and can be powered on and off by simply running a network cable to them.
Once everything is connected for startup and shutdown, you can create a “Sunday On” button that turns on power to your audio rack, then your video switcher and computers, then your lighting. The reverse—“Sunday Off”—can shut things down at the end of the day. This alone can remove a lot of stress from volunteers. Instead of memorizing which breaker or power conditioner comes first, they press a clearly labeled button and watch the room wake to life.
This isn’t only true for the auditorium, but for anywhere in the building. If you have TVs in lobbies, hallways, or kids’ rooms, treat them as part of the same ecosystem. Many newer TVs are network-controllable; you can extend that same “Sunday On” button to power TVs throughout the building. Suddenly, you’re not running around with a handful of remotes ten minutes before service. For context, in the church I serve, getting the building “on” went from 45 minutes to about 5 minutes.
Let Companion serve as a volunteer on Sundays
If your church is like mine, you’re trying to accomplish more than ever with the same—or fewer—people than you had ten years ago. The goal here is not to replace people with technology, but to understand how technology can support ministry when teams aren’t necessarily full. As teams grow, automation can be dialed back or reconfigured to serve people better.
A natural next step with Companion is using your presentation software to help control video switching. A common combination in churches is ProPresenter feeding a Blackmagic ATEM, with Companion acting as the translator between them. Companion can be set up to receive RossTalk (a video switching protocol) or MIDI and can switch cameras, turn lower thirds on and off, execute macros, and just about anything else you might want it to do.
A single ‘Sunday On’ button can power up your production systems in the right order.
For example, in our church, when worship is over, the operator clicks a slide in ProPresenter. That one action puts a slide on the screen, switches the camera, and turns off the lower thirds keyer, all thanks to Companion.
Automation works best when it solves a specific problem, not when you try to automate everything.
One approach is to have ProPresenter send out MIDI notes as specific slides advance—verse, chorus, instrumental, teaching points—and let Companion listen for those notes. When Companion receives a certain note, it tells your switcher to take a particular camera: a wide shot for the verse, a close-up of the worship leader on the chorus, maybe a keys or guitar shot on an instrumental. You’re effectively baking your camera-calling decisions into the song flow, so the video feels musical and intentional without requiring a seasoned director every service.
In the other direction, Companion can also trigger ProPresenter actions. Map Stream Deck buttons to ProPresenter macros for “Pre-Service,” “Message,” or “End of Service.” When a volunteer hits “Pre-Service,” the macro can start a countdown, set the right look, and route content to the correct screens—all from one button. Instead of training people on the internal logic of your presentation software, you train them on a small grid of clearly labeled actions.
Keep the mission in focus
The technical wins with Bitfocus Companion are easy to measure: fewer misfires, cleaner transitions, and more consistent video and lighting. The deeper win is what it gives back to your team and congregation. When startup is a single button instead of a checklist, your volunteers arrive less frazzled. When camera cuts follow the flow of worship instead of fighting it, your online and in-room experiences feel more pastoral and less mechanical.
Think of Companion as an invisible team member whose job is to handle the repeatable tasks so your human team can stay present with people. If you build your integrations with that in mind, you’ll end up with a system that serves both your tech crew and your church.
