How to Live Stream Your Church Service

Every week, more churches around the world are live streaming their worship services — not because it’s a trend, but because it’s become an expectation. 

When you live stream your church services, you make it possible to reach new audiences and keep long-time congregation members connected, even when they can't make it in person. It allows your congregation to engage with your message in real time and even revisit a sermon if they miss it live. Live streaming is a powerful way to keep your community of faith connected through worship, music, and prayer — wherever they may be. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Why to live stream your church services

• What equipment is needed to start live streaming

• How to enhance your virtual worship service

Why should you live stream your church service?

There are many reasons to stream a church service — but mainly because it offers big benefits in terms of convenience, reach, and flexibility. Let’s explore those advantages in a little more detail.  

To foster community

Of course, in-person services aren’t going away, but about 27% of Americans regularly watch religious services on screens. In addition to reaching parishioners who attend online, virtual worship services also foster community for missionaries and church planters, sick members, new parents, and more.

To welcome visitors and new members

The best part about having an online church presence? The ability to connect with new people. According to Lifeway Research, around 3 in 4 pastors (74%) say they’ve had new people attend or connect with their church online in the past six months. This means that having a strong online presence can help houses of worship reach new members.

To allow everyone to join, anywhere, anytime 

A big advantage to live streaming your church service is availability. Churchgoers can tune in at their convenience or catch up with pre-recorded broadcasts if they miss a stream. This ensures that no one misses out, making it easier for your community to stay connected and engaged. 

To strengthen the community through visibility and engagement

Live streaming your church service not only increases the number of attendees — it allows the church to connect and engage directly with each person in attendance. That can mean resources for getting involved, challenges to serve, and direct requests for donations. Studies suggest that houses of worship that accept online tithes have increased their overall donations by 32%.

Now that we’ve covered the benefits, let’s dive into how to live stream your church services. 

What equipment is needed to live stream a church service?

Live streaming can seem like a daunting task, but it’s easier than you think! Many of the tools you need are simple and accessible. Here’s what you’ll need:

• iPhone or iPad

• Church streaming software

• Microphone(s)

• Soundboard or audio mixer

• Reliable Wi-Fi

Some optional (but recommended) gear includes additional iOS devices and tripods with mobile attachments. Let’s walk through each item on our list.

iPhone or iPad

The days of needing expensive video cameras to produce decent live streams are over — because now there’s a high-quality camera built into every iPhone and iPad.

Just take a look at the latest iPhone: Each one comes with at least two different lenses (a wide angle and ultrawide angle) plus an additional 2-3x optical-zoom lens on the pro editions. With these features, your iPhone camera is way more powerful than most webcams and nearly as advanced as DSLR and mirrorless cameras.

Using an iPhone or iPad is one of the most cost-effective approaches to live streaming a church service. Plus, since you can stream directly from your mobile device, there’s no need to worry about setting up a computer and capture card to get video onto a live stream from an external camera. 

Church streaming software

Next up: church streaming software. These platforms have the tools to help you broadcast services and events on the internet. 

Some of the features you’ll want to look out for include an easy-to-use interface, multistreaming destinations, multimedia elements, and advanced video analytics. Some streaming software for churches (like Switcher) can also help you manage your streams and host them directly on your church’s website. 

Just make sure you choose your streaming software carefully, because not all of them are created equal. Your perfect software may be different from another church’s but one thing is for certain — reliability can’t be compromised. 

Microphones

If your audience can’t hear what’s happening, they’re going to tune out. Adding music and external microphones to capture the service can make the experience more meaningful for virtual viewers. It’s a great way to help them feel connected to the community.

You’re probably already using microphones in your worship services to capture the sermon and music. When you’re live streaming your church service, it’s simply a matter of getting that audio mixed into your stream so that your online viewers can hear exactly what your in-person congregation hears. How do you do that? I’m glad you asked …

Soundboard or audio mixer

Is your church already using an audio interface like a soundboard for your services? Good news: You can connect your audio mixer directly to your main device (i.e., the iOS device on which you’re running your livestream). Using an audio mixer or soundboard with your device allows you to give your at-home or remote attendees the same audio experience as the people who attend your service in person.

Reliable Wi-Fi

The only other thing you absolutely must have to live stream your church service? A good internet connection. If your internet upload speed is inadequate, your live stream could buffer, slow down, freeze, or possibly stop altogether. You can check your network’s speed by running a quick speed test. The upload speed is the number to notice: You’ll need at least 3 Mbps to send out an HD (720p) stream, and double that if you want to stream in Full HD (1080p).

Do a test stream before you go live to check your video and audio quality. Nothing’s worse than promising a great virtual experience, but not delivering because you didn’t make a few checks.

How to enhance your virtual church service

Live streaming your service is one thing, but creating an unforgettable streamed worship experience? That’s a whole other level. Good thing we have the tips you need to enhance the virtual experience! Here are some strategies to help you attract and retain your audience for your online services. 

Utilize multiple camera angles

Why not capture every angle of your sermon or event? Multiple angles keep online viewers engaged with the message and immersed in the experience, bringing them closer to the feeling of being there in person — which is the ultimate goal of church live streams. For a truly outstanding viewing experience that will keep your online congregation coming back every week, we recommend connecting additional cameras to create a seriously immersive live event. 

If you have multiple iPhones or iPads at your disposal, use Switcher to connect up to 9 iOS devices to create a dynamic worship live stream. Place devices throughout the worship space to capture different perspectives of the service. During your stream, you can switch between angles, and even display multiple angles at the same time using our built-in multiview templates.

Add graphics, text, photos, and more

Once you have crystal clear audio and immersive video, you can enhance your church live stream even more with additional visuals. Support your message with inspirational images. Display referenced passages or key themes. Even add worship lyrics or calls to action so your at-home congregation can be fully engaged.

Switcher makes it easy to customize and add visual components. We have dozens of premade graphics templates that are easy to edit by changing the text, photos, colors, and fonts. Choose from full-screen title cards, lower thirds, and even animated text. Then, add the graphic to your production, live, with just a tap. You can also upload your own graphics, photos, and even prerecorded video

Invite guest speakers

To make your sermons more dynamic and diverse, consider inviting guest speakers.

Whether it’s a renowned pastor, community leader, or author, having different voices can bring fresh perspectives and new energy to your congregation.

By streaming these speakers, you can give those who can’t attend in person the chance to benefit from these experiences. 

And with Switcher, bringing in a guest speaker is easier than ever. Your speaker doesn’t even need to be physically present — with our remote guest feature, they can join your service from anywhere in the world. All they need is a device with a camera and they can join the stream without the hassle of a complicated setup. 

Promote on social media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can provide powerful ways to reach and engage with your community and new members. By promoting your church services on your social media accounts, you’re not only keeping your congregation informed, you’re also expanding your reach.  

Announce streams and online events so your followers can join in. Just be sure to announce them early enough so that your audience has plenty of time to add them to their schedules. Want to ensure your social media followers attend your service? Meet them where they are with multistreaming. Switcher has built-in multistreaming functionality, allowing you to broadcast to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and your church’s website with just one stream. No additional software or bandwidth required!

Collect donations and tithes

By offering a way to donate while streaming, you make it easier than ever for your community to continue supporting your mission — no matter where they are. And an interactive element like a donation link or QR code can keep viewers more engaged during your stream. Switcher’s embeddable or standalone Catalog and Collections allow you to integrate online platforms seamlessly, allowing your congregation to donate securely straight from the live stream with just a few taps.

Start streaming your church live stream today!

Your congregation — in-person and online — deserves the best your church has to offer. It’s easy to get started, and Switcher is proud to partner with houses of worship on this journey. 

For more tips and tricks on creating great video, check out our blog. Or, to get started now, try Switcher free for 14 days.