Live Stream Basics
Written by Rick Rust - BCPM
Live streaming is broadcasting your church services live online. Many fear the thought of getting started with online services. But there is no need to worry. Today you can do an excellent quality service, without spending thousands and having five people to run the system.
What do you need to get started?
Camera – Your camera does not need to be a large expense. You can use your smartphone or spend thousands on the top of the line equipment. But to get started, while getting good quality, a smartphone is all you need.
Microphone – If you are in a small environment and can set up the camera close to the pulpit, you do not need a microphone. Microphones, however, can add to the sound quality. If you wear a wireless mic for your sound system, you will probably want to use a camera mounted microphone.
Lighting – You do not need to have a movie studio lighting system. A well-lit room is all you need. If you record at your church facilities, the lighting should already be sufficient. If you are doing personal Livestream in your basement, you might need to step up your lighting.
Equipment – You will need a good tripod. Also, a rig to hold the phone onto the tripod. This rig can also hold an external mic.
The following links for equipment are just suggestions. You can spend much more or also find cheaper options.
Tripod example
Camera mounting rig example
Mounted Microphone example
Wireless Microphone example
Streaming Services – There are many services for streaming your services. There are even ways to Livestream over different platforms at once. However, for just getting started, we will share some of the primary and free online services.
All the links below are just samples we have found. We are not endorsing any products. Please remember on these links, we have no control over any of the ads that appear or the videos that follow what you watch.
Facebook – This is the most popular service for live-streaming your services. All you need to do is tap the “Live” button on your device. When you are finished broadcasting the live service, you can download the entire broadcast on your church's Facebook page and also embed it onto your church’s website.
Watch Party was designed to allow you to invite your friends to watch a pre-recorded video together. Each member watching the live service can post it to Watch Party. Everyone in the group can view and comment on the video, creating a shared experience.
If you want to pre-record your services and then put them on Facebook, you can use the Facebook Premiere feature. This allows you to post on a specific day and then schedule to post the service when your regular service time begins. People watching will see it as live.
Here are some random links we have found that can help you better understand how to get set up for Facebook Live.
How to Facebook Live for any sized church
How to go live
Tips for using Facebook Live
If you want to pre-record your service and then post it as live at a specific time
Some practical tips
YouTube – As of this writing, over five billion videos are watched per day on YouTube. YouTube also offers several advanced features such as highlight reels, multi-cameras, and chat. A YouTube channel is more detailed to get set up, however a powerful option.
With YouTube, they give you a long, complicated URL for your channel to share so others can go to your YouTube live stream. If you would like a custom URL, you need to have 100 subscribers to your channel. This can easily be done by posting on Facebook or sending emails and asking everyone you know to go to your channel and subscribe. Once you have 100 subscribers, you can create a custom URL that is easier for people to remember.
How to Livestream on YouTube
Live streaming is broadcasting your church services live online. Many fear the thought of getting started with online services. But there is no need to worry. Today you can do an excellent quality service, without spending thousands and having five people to run the system.
What do you need to get started?
Camera – Your camera does not need to be a large expense. You can use your smartphone or spend thousands on the top of the line equipment. But to get started, while getting good quality, a smartphone is all you need.
Microphone – If you are in a small environment and can set up the camera close to the pulpit, you do not need a microphone. Microphones, however, can add to the sound quality. If you wear a wireless mic for your sound system, you will probably want to use a camera mounted microphone.
Lighting – You do not need to have a movie studio lighting system. A well-lit room is all you need. If you record at your church facilities, the lighting should already be sufficient. If you are doing personal Livestream in your basement, you might need to step up your lighting.
Equipment – You will need a good tripod. Also, a rig to hold the phone onto the tripod. This rig can also hold an external mic.
The following links for equipment are just suggestions. You can spend much more or also find cheaper options.
Tripod example
Camera mounting rig example
Mounted Microphone example
Wireless Microphone example
Streaming Services – There are many services for streaming your services. There are even ways to Livestream over different platforms at once. However, for just getting started, we will share some of the primary and free online services.
All the links below are just samples we have found. We are not endorsing any products. Please remember on these links, we have no control over any of the ads that appear or the videos that follow what you watch.
Facebook – This is the most popular service for live-streaming your services. All you need to do is tap the “Live” button on your device. When you are finished broadcasting the live service, you can download the entire broadcast on your church's Facebook page and also embed it onto your church’s website.
Watch Party was designed to allow you to invite your friends to watch a pre-recorded video together. Each member watching the live service can post it to Watch Party. Everyone in the group can view and comment on the video, creating a shared experience.
If you want to pre-record your services and then put them on Facebook, you can use the Facebook Premiere feature. This allows you to post on a specific day and then schedule to post the service when your regular service time begins. People watching will see it as live.
Here are some random links we have found that can help you better understand how to get set up for Facebook Live.
How to Facebook Live for any sized church
How to go live
Tips for using Facebook Live
If you want to pre-record your service and then post it as live at a specific time
Some practical tips
YouTube – As of this writing, over five billion videos are watched per day on YouTube. YouTube also offers several advanced features such as highlight reels, multi-cameras, and chat. A YouTube channel is more detailed to get set up, however a powerful option.
With YouTube, they give you a long, complicated URL for your channel to share so others can go to your YouTube live stream. If you would like a custom URL, you need to have 100 subscribers to your channel. This can easily be done by posting on Facebook or sending emails and asking everyone you know to go to your channel and subscribe. Once you have 100 subscribers, you can create a custom URL that is easier for people to remember.
How to Livestream on YouTube