Is Live Really Necessary?
I’ve had sick kids at home. And when they’re little, you’re up and down all the time. It’s hard to watch a TV show on a DVR when your kid is sick, let alone a live stream of your church service.
Again, I suspect very few people actually do this. In fact, it is likely that it would be far more beneficial to said parents to be able to watch it on YouTube or Vimeo later in the day. They can pause, rewind and skip forward as it suits them. They could even do this later in the evening after the kids finally conk out. If the service was only live, chances are they missed it.
Live is hard; you need a solid internet connection, a good video feed and a great audio mix to make the experience one worth watching. It’s a lot easier to deliver a good experience after the fact. By recording the service, it’s possible to sweeten the audio, maybe add some graphics and upload it in a format that is easy to view.
Also, it’s important to ask if video is necessary. A lot of pastors want to video podcast their messages. I’m not sure I understand why. When I listen to sermon podcasts—and the key word is listen—I listen to them on my phone in the car or at the gym. I’ve never actually watched a sermon, except when doing research on lighting, number of cameras and set design. And even then, I watch 4-5 minutes. Sometimes audio is a much better option. And that’s easy to do well.
Advancing Your Mission Or Just Cool?
I always encourage technical artists to tie their ministry back to the mission of their church. In this case, I challenge church leaders to determine of live streaming really advances their mission or it’s just cool. A lot of churches do it, but that doesn’t mean you have to.
Does a live stream really help you reach your community? Do you have a way to engage with those watching at home? Do you have a marketing plan to let the world know you’re streaming? How do you follow up and make sure your audience is connected, serving and giving? Can’t answer those questions? Back to the drawing board.
Again, I’m not against streaming; I’m against doing things we haven’t thought through just because we can. And when I say, “we can” I mean the tech team has to somehow figure it out, often without appropriate resources, training and support. And we haven’t even touched on the quality aspect. But that’s another post (that you can read next time).
Mike Sessler recently joined CCI Solutions, serving as a project lead, based in Nashville. He has been involved in live production for more than 25 years and is the author of the blog Church Tech Arts.