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How to Live Stream a Church Service – Viral Believer
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How to Live Stream a Church Service

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Your leadership team decided it would be a great idea to stream your church services live. Problem is that you and your leadership don’t know where to start. Both of you don’t know how live stream church services.

Don’t worry. It happened to me too. However, the one who came up with the brilliant idea to live stream the church service was me. I managed to survive the whole thing even though I knew nothing about streaming the church service.

Let me share what I have learned and how to live stream church services.

hot to live stream church services featured image

Learn How to Live Stream a Church Service

You can live stream your worship services easily. There are some steps you should take, but it is not difficult.

While smartphones make it easy to live stream from your smartphone, audio and video quality is not great. You need something better than a smartphone mounted on a tripod if you plan to live stream a service at a church.

Live Streaming Equipment for Church

To complete your task, you will need to have a few things. These items are…

  • Camcorder or video camera with an HDMI video output.
  • A connection to your church’s sound system or an external microphone
  • A sufficient computer is required to stream the video feed over the internet.
  • A proper internet connection.
  • Video editing and streaming software.
  • A few accessories.

Cameras Or Camcorders

I have written several articles about live-streaming camcorders for church services. If you are looking for a camera to stream live, I highly recommend them. You will need an HDMI output and an HDMI-to-USB converter to connect your camcorder to your computer.

External Microphone

Your camcorder’s microphone won’t likely be sufficient to properly record your services. You will need an external microphone or a connection to your church’s sound system for live streaming.

Live Streaming Church Services on Computers

A separate article has been written about computers that can be used for live streaming and multimedia presentations during worship services. If you don’t have one, I recommend you to read it. One can be had for as low as $500.00

Internet Connectivity

This is likely the most expensive ongoing cost of live streaming your church. It is necessary to be able to access the internet at the church from the modern world. Connecting via a smartphone with a 3G or 4G internet won’t be possible.

It would be ideal to have a dedicated internet connection. Still, it is possible to get by with a DSL or Cable modem connection so long as not too many people are using it simultaneously.

Live Streaming Software

You have many choices regarding the software or service you use to live stream church services. We use Vmix as our live streaming software because it offers churches a free option. Other software and services…

Live streaming accessories such as cables and tripods are also necessary.

Set up Your Church Live Stream

Now that you have your live streaming equipment and services set up, it’s time to start your first live stream.

Positioning the Equipment

I wrote an article about where to place your cameras. You should read this article. If you only have one camera, the best position for your camera is at the back of the room and the middle point between the two. This will allow you to live stream with the most flexibility.

You should position your computer as close to the camera as possible or near the church’s sound system. This will reduce the amount of cabling required to connect the equipment.

Connecting the Equipment

Begin with the camera, and then work your way to the computer system.

  1. Connect the external microphone and the camcorder.
  2. Connect the camcorder and the HDMI to USB converter/capture card.
  3. For live streaming, connect the HDMI to USB converter with the computer.
  4. If you don’t have an external microphone, connect the church sound system with the computer.
  5. Connect your computer and internet access.
  6. Start your live streaming software.
  7. Connect your live streaming software with your live streaming service, Facebook Live, YouTube, Google Hangouts, or other live streaming services.
  8. Happy Live Streaming
Pastor Duke Taber
Pastor Duke Taber

Pastor Duke Taber

All articles have been written or reviewed by Pastor Duke Taber.
Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of Life Pacific University and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.
Today he is the owner and managing editor of 3 successful Christian websites that support missionaries around the world.
He is currently starting a brand new church in Mesquite NV called Mesquite Worship Center, a Non-Denominational Spirit Filled Christian church in Mesquite Nevada.