HomeSundaysWorship3 Compelling Reasons to Continue Live Streaming Church Services

3 Compelling Reasons to Continue Live Streaming Church Services

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Continue live streaming church services to reach more people, stay on mission, and encourage discipleship.

The last couple of years have brought dramatic change for churches. When physical doors closed, churches got creative as they swung open the digital doors to reach people where they were—on the phones, tablets, TVs, and computers they use daily. We’ve even heard stories like that of a teen who accepted Christ because of a church’s gospel presentation on TikTok.

Who would have thought . . .

We have more means to share the Word than ever before, and live streaming is one of them.

When you live stream church services, it can feel like you’re preaching to a camera. But what are you really doing? Reaching people, like those who:

  • Want to be in church but can’t
  • Won’t go to church because they’ve been scarred, or they’re scared
  • Are searching for a good church—or for hope

In the past, many pastors saw live streaming church services as optional—not a must-have, but something that might be nice. But it’s now become clear that live streaming is an essential part of twenty-first-century ministry.

I believe you should continue live streaming your church services. Why? In part, because it helps your church do the following timeless ministry imperatives.

Continue live streaming church services to reach more people, stay on mission, and encourage discipleship.

3 Compelling Reasons to Continue Live Streaming Church Services

1. Reach new people

Live streaming gives even the most reluctant or introverted a way to peek inside, see what you’re about, and hear the truth. It helps everyone feel welcome in your service, including those who’ve never been to church or haven’t been in years.

And there’s another aspect: church live streaming gives your members an excellent opportunity to invite others. Sharing a service on social media or sending a link just takes a second, and friends who’ve “visited” online can be more open to visiting in person.

There’s the opposite possibility, too—friends who won’t visit in person can be more open to visiting online. One pastor, referenced in the Economist, has seen that possibility become reality. He says:

“My friends from the gym don’t ever come to church with me, but I ran past one of them, and he said, ‘I’ve been watching all your services online’—that is amazing.”

Casual lurking is not only allowedit's encouraged.

Improve digital giving: 3 Creative Approaches to Church Giving Online to Learn from Amazon

Don't stop live streaming now that your church is back in person. Keep offering your service online to keep it easy for hesitant guests to casually lurk and for those who are home to continue worshiping with you. Click To Tweet

2. Keep mission top of mind

When you see the same faces week after week, it’s easy to start thinking that everyone in attendance knows the Lord. But opening the church’s digital doors to people everywhere helps bring evangelism to the forefront.

Here’s how one live-streaming pastor explained it in this Christianity Today article:

So when we started live streaming our services, we became very aware very quickly that people would drive by a church if they don't go to church, they have a preconceived idea about what church is. Where I live, it was extraordinarily negative. They had this very specific caricature of the worst possible version of a Christian.

But then when all of a sudden you show them your worship service, all of a sudden people are watching it 'cause one of their friends shared the service or whatever, they find themselves weeping during the worship time. . . 

And I meet people all the time and they're like, “So I started watching your services online. I really like your talk. I started crying during the music. Is that normal?” Like they have all these questions simply because we allowed them a view into our family.

Have you ever been intimidated to walk into an unknown environment? Imagine the comfort of getting a preview to ease your nerves. That's what online services can do for hesitant church goers and that's one reason why continuing live streaming church services is important to the execution of the mission.

3. Encourage discipleship and interaction

When your live streaming provider allows for live chat, people can ask questions like, “What’s the difference between grumbling and grieving?” or “Will you be having vacation Bible school this summer?”

As a result:

  • People who know the answer can jump into the conversation, contributing to a sense of community
  • The pastor and staff can answer, avoiding an influx of Monday-morning emails
  • Everyone who had the same question can see the answer

The chat provides an opportunity for viewers to minister to each other, too. As part of your live stream church service, you can ask for prayer requests or the names of people viewers are praying for. Then take a few moments to pause for prayer and allow people to pray together and offer support.

And there’s a third opportunity for engagement and interaction. Even if this is the first service of yours that viewers have ever watched, they can give with the click of a button, without having to navigate a website or be there when the offering plate gets passed. (Though we don’t recommend asking first-time visitors to give, of course.)

Look your best: 5 Live Streaming Tips For Better Presentations and Viewing Experiences

In summary, continuing to live stream church services will help you embrace every opportunity to reach people and share the gospel—by bringing the good news to the screens people look at every day. 

Want to learn more about church live streaming? Learn to create an excellent live stream setup on a budget, and even a simple equipment upgrade can expand your church’s reach.

What benefits have you seen from your time broadcasting a church live stream? Drop a comment and share what you've learned.

Mary Jahnke
Mary Jahnke
Mary Jahnke has a background in marketing, especially for Christian education, and serves as a content marketing specialist for Faithlife. She also has experience in church communications and is always looking for helpful knowledge to share.

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