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Even before 2020, live streaming church services was already becoming more and more common among congregations around the world. But the COVID-19 pandemic solidified live streaming as an essential part of how churches communicate and engage their audiences. It revealed just how much people want to connect with their community in real time, to see familiar faces, and to worship together even when separated by distance.
This year church live stream viewership has grown beyond what anyone could have anticipated, primarily due to quarantine mandates and social distancing guidelines. In fact, the number of adult Christians watching church services online climbed from 37% to 80% between March and August 2020!
But was this spike in live streaming services just a fad, or will it continue to be an integral part of how churches reach their communities? Here are some important considerations to make when asking if your church should continue live streaming into the future.
People build real relationships on digital platforms every day as they connect with others through social media, phone calls, video calls, and email. With Americans sending each other over 6.5 trillion text messages every year, and over 1.7 billion people using Facebook every day, it’s obvious that instant and frequent communication is the new normal!
Blending virtual connections and in-person relationships has created a new sense of online community never seen before in history. This is why churches who continue to offer live streams create a space for their community to experience real connections—even from a distance.
The world seems to be getting smaller as the adoption of technology grows. Many people are now able to participate with church communities in other cities, states, or countries—sometimes even attending multiple church services every week! This provides an exciting opportunity for churches to expand their reach well beyond their physical location, accelerating their mission.
Live streaming sermons also provides an engaging platform to reach the broadest audience. The best live streaming platforms for churches, like Subsplash Live, syndicate your live broadcasts to your church’s website, custom mobile app, Facebook Live, and YouTube to reach as many people as possible with the gospel!
Live-streamed church services can even cross national borders. Your church members living abroad, such as deployed military, expats, and missionaries, love to interact and participate in your live church services as part of staying connected with their church family.
Many people will first encounter your church through your website, social media pages, or custom church app long before they ever walk through your doors. Church online streaming allows your guests to experience a live church service online, giving potential visitors a great opportunity to get to know your church.
Above all, live streaming your church services demonstrates that you’re committed to connecting with people where they’re at. Remember that people joining you online are not just your church members: Technology enables you to connect with other Christians, unchurched people, and others from all walks of life!
Another long-term benefit of live streaming is that it allows you to repurpose your live content for on-demand video viewing. By converting your live streams to on-demand videos and podcasts, your live streaming efforts have exponentially greater impact without any extra effort!
You also have the option to live stream your pre-recorded videos. This “simulated live stream” option allows you time to edit your videos as well as interact with your live viewers in real time, creating a more manageable workflow for your team without compromising on the authentic live stream experience.
Unfortunately, our lives are still being impacted by the pandemic on a daily basis. Some members may be at risk and choose to stay home, while others may be limited by local restrictions on public gatherings. But being able to watch services online in real time allows everyone to remain engaged and feel connected to their church community. This is especially important for those who are quarantined, in nursing homes, or not able to attend in-person for any reason whatsoever.
Because it offers so many benefits, live streaming is here to stay for churches. In order to help your community get the most out of your live streaming experience, make sure your streaming platform offers powerful features like simulated live, instant on-demand, online giving integration, and syndication to other platforms.
Subsplash Live offers all of this and more as part of The Ultimate Engagement Platform™, including all the engagement tools your church needs—custom mobile apps, church websites, media storage and delivery, instant messaging, and online giving. This all-in-one solution streamlines your processes and gives you more tools to share the gospel, engage your community, and Fuel Your Mission™.
Already using the Subsplash Platform? Log in to your Subsplash Dashboard today to discover more about Subsplash Live, or schedule a call with your Client Success Manager!
To find out more about leveraging Subsplash Live to connect with your community, or to speak with one of our ministry consultants, [.blog-contact-cta]let’s chat![.blog-contact-cta]
