Expanding the Reach of Your Church with Live Streaming
The camera and the microphone matter less than most volunteer church teams expect. A congregation can buy good gear and still put out a stuttering service, because the building’s single internet line cannot hold the steady upload speed a live video feed eats.
Speedify keeps the stream up when the venue internet does not
Speedify is an app that carries one stream over two or more internet connections at the same time, the church Wi-Fi plus a phone’s 4G/5G cellular connection for instance, so a sagging line does not end the broadcast. On a single connection, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and cannot stop that connection from dropping. This guide walks through the hardware, the streaming software and the practices that keep a Sunday service watchable from home. To live stream a church service, you need:
- a stable internet connection
- webcam / camera
- microphone
- laptop / smartphone
- streaming software
For a closer look at apps, see church live streaming software options.
Hardware for Live Streaming Church Services
The basic hardware setup for live streaming church services can be as simple as an iPhone (or another smartphone) connected to a charger, with a wireless microphone. That is close to the setup the Speedify team used for its Speedify LIVE IRL streams.
Going one step further, you can choose to live stream your church service using a computer (desktop or laptop), a dedicated camera with a tripod, a microphone and some lighting. Here’s how Rev. Jason Ferris from Philadelphia does his live streaming.
If you really want to be at the professional level when live streaming church services, consider multiple cameras and multiple microphones. Add audio-video switchers and a dedicated audio interface. Whatever gear you pick, add reliable internet to your church streaming setup. Restream has on their blog a good selection of hardware recommendations for live streaming.
Live Streaming Software Equipment for Church
First of all, you need the streaming software. If you will be live streaming your church service to only one social platform, without any added elements during the live stream (overlays, recorded videos, etc.), the native apps are your best option. Just get the YouTube, Facebook, Twitch etc. app on your laptop or smartphone and start broadcasting.
If you want to stream to multiple destinations / social platforms and want to be able to display overlays or switch between multiple cameras, you will need a dedicated streaming software. OBS, Ecamm Live, MelonApp, Restream, Streamlabs, StreamYard and vMix are examples of such software, each with their own pros and cons.
Do not forget a way to combine internet connections for your live streaming. Speedify does this in software: for as little as $4.99 a month on a 3-year plan (or the free tier of 5 GB per month with a free account), you can combine multiple internet connections at once directly on the laptop or smartphone you use to live stream your church’s services.
Best Practices when Live Streaming Church Services
Whatever live streaming equipment setup for church you opt for, you have to focus on the quality of the audio and video. Even if it’s from a single camera, it has to make people watching feel as close as possible to being in the actual church.
Make sure you invest in live streaming gear that can do the job. And it’s not just the hardware itself, but also the internet connection. Poor connectivity results in low quality audio and video, so make sure you get a reliable internet connection. Sometimes not even a wired Ethernet connection in the church is reliable enough, so an extra connection used in parallel is always welcome. Many live streamers praise Speedify for the way it enhances the connectivity for live streaming.
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