Welcome to the Resource Page for Leveraging Online Technology
Week 1 - Training Resources
equipment list
Week 2 - Training Resources
the Online Ministry Clarity Blueprint
The Importance of Great Lighting
ATEM GIMBAL — BONUS VIDEO
Week 3 - Training Resources
Practicing Your Live Stream Skills
How to Create Amazing Thumbnails for Your Videos
Check out these videos from our Think Media YouTube channel:
VIDEO: How to Make YouTube Thumbnails on Your Phone (FREE Apps)
VIDEO: How to Make YouTube Thumbnails in Photoshop
VIDEO: How to Make Better YouTube Thumbnails
VIDEO: How to Make YouTube Thumbnails Using Your Phone (Instagram Hack)
Resources for your livestream
Canva - Image and Slideshow Editor - https://www.canva.com
Envato Elements - Stock Videos, Music, Photos, & Graphics - https://elements.envato.com
LenoFX - Plug-ins for Final Cut Pro - https://lenofx.com
Motion Array - Premiere Pro & After Effects Templates, Stock footage,, & Motion Graphics - https://motionarray.com
MotionFX - Plug-ins & Templates for Final Cut Pro - https://www.motionvfx.com
OBS - Open Broadcaster Software - https://obsproject.com
ProPresenter - https://renewedvision.com
Soundstripe - Royalty Free Images (Videos & SFX) - https://www.soundstripe.com
Unsplash - Royalty Free Images - https://unsplash.com
Wirecast - Streaming Software - https://www.telestream.net/wirecast/
YouTube Studio - built-in to your YouTube account
Week 4 - Training Resources
Training Slides
Leadership Pipeline Grid
Leadership Pipeline Competencies
Download 11 Week EXAMPLE Training
How to film and share your story
Week 5 - TRAINING Resources
Starters Guide
Where to start and what to consider.
Get Started Live Streaming on YouTube | YouTube Help Page - link
Get Started Live Streaming on Facebook | Facebook Learning Center - link
How to Schedule Your Facebook Live Event | Facebook Business Center - link
Planning Your Church’s Live Stream
So, how do you create an online experience that:
ministers to people?
fosters relationships with people in your community?
deepens existing relationships within your church body?
Here’s how to get started.1. Be consistent
2. Schedule your contentYou can use software (list below) to schedule your live/premiere or use a laptop/desktop and Facebook’s Live Producer Tool. You can learn how to schedule a Facebook premiere here.
3. Cultivate engagementPEOPLE WILL ENGAGE WITH YOU IF YOU ENGAGE WITH THEM.
4. Create thoughtful content5. Create a conversation out of every comment
Starter Equipment Guides
While relationship-building is the most important goal of any church service (online or otherwise!), you can’t live stream your service without using some kind of equipment. Here are some of our top recommendations when it comes to equipment:
The Live Stream Equipment Guide
Equipment List from Week 1 of our training | link
How to Get Started Video form Week 1 of our training | link
To start, use a phone or a tablet as your camera. You’ll want to get close to the camera and think through your lighting and audio environment. You’ll probably also want:
Some sort of attachment to mount your phone to a tripod (Amazon and B&H both have options).
A tripod.
Good natural light in front of you or a softbox.
Bonus 1: a directional, shotgun microphone. If you can’t get a microphone, eliminate background noise & get close.
Bonus 2: See if you can plug your streaming device directly into power and to your internet router.
Ask around- someone in your church might have this equipment!
Here is an amazing equipment wish list here with some tips to get you started.
And that’s it- you can go live natively on the platforms you’ll be using. If you want to use Livestreaming software, here are some options:
When Things Go Wrong
Technology glitches will happen and you need to be prepared.
You might also have a text message/email ready to go in case of a crash.
You can also let your hospitality/host team know of the backup plan.
Pro-Tip – Digital Tech Rehearsals
Set up a test Facebook Page and private test Facebook Group. Set-up a test YouTube account or learn how to make a video private. Put a few people from your team in the group. Then use these to test everything out before you go live.
Music and Licensing
When you start doing more live, digital, and social ministry you need to be prepared to navigate your music licenses. Here are some resources we’ve found really helpful.
CCLI
Many churches use CCLI to cover their in-person worship music. CCLI also has a live streaming add-on license that is worth checking into.
Here is an update from One License. I am unfamiliar with them, but it could be helpful looking for songs they can sing for their live streams.
Royalty-Free Music Libraries
Church On the Move Seeds Music Library
Paid Music Libraries
Ways to Worship Live Streaming
Have your worship team perform live. You just need to have the appropriate CCLI streaming license, perform an original song, or perform songs that are not covered via copyright.
One worship leader with an acoustic guitar close to your video/audio streaming device works great.
You can pre-record a worship song or worship set and use software like Ecamm to play it into your live stream. Again, just be sure you think through the licenses.
You can pre-record your entire service and set it up to run as a premiere on YouTube or Facebook at a certain time. Again, remember to think through your music licenses and the songs you use. If you use songs from the Facebook Sound Collection for your intro background, announcements background, etc then your stream will not get flagged, muted or taken down.
Kids Ministry Ideas
Live Stream Kids Ministry Ideas
Have your kids team lead a section of your live stream.
Create a live stream or digital experience just for kids.
Give families devotional and discussion prompts during your digital services.
Involve kids during your live streams.
Create a page on your church website with activities for kids, worship songs, skits, etc. that they can do doing a live stream service.
A downloadable craft, coloring page, or at-home scavenger hunt.
Provide instructions for parents to take photos of their kids’ final product and post on social with a specific hashtag.
Find kids’ curriculum that will allow you to include some of their elements in your digital services. We’ll list some curriculum ideas in this doc. Check with them on their digital licensing.
Here are some ideas for families to do together, and ministry ideas for weekdays to this doc.
Example Kids Services
Summit Park Church Kids Digital Experience / Landing Page
Eagle Creek Church Kids Digital Experience
Christ Fellowship Miami Kids Digital Experience / Landing Page
Youth Ministry Ideas
With all the uncertainty about school schedules, quarantine length, and what’s going on in the world, this is no time to put your student ministry on hold. Students need leadership and hope now more than ever! We’ve compiled this list of some of the best games, lessons, and mid-week ideas that we’ve come across.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, check out Download Youth Ministry. DYM is crowdsourcing Coronavirus student ministry ideas as well, such as video call games, lessons, blog articles, podcasts, ways to connect with students throughout the week, and more!
Generosity During a Pandemic
We want to help your church boost the level of generosity, digital giving, and recurring giving in your church. Here are a few resources to help. | link
Mindset: Lead With Hope, Not Fear
Practical Steps to Encourage Generosity
Wondering what you can actually do to put these principles into action?
Cultivate a consistent digital presence. This is just a good idea, period, because it makes you more available for ministry. It also makes it easier for you share stories of the work God is doing through your church and thank people for giving. Don’t *only* go online on Sundays or when you’re worried about money. Create reasons for engagement throughout the week.
Lead your people in what the Bible says about generosity, faith, and giving.
Make it easy for people to give!
Lean in heavily on recurring giving. If it’s hard to ask for people to set this up now, make a note to work on it once the crisis passes. But if you’re up for the challenge…
Every time you do an offering devotional during service, thank people who have set up recurring giving. What gets rewarded gets repeated.
Have everyone in leadership (pastors, small group leaders, elders, board members) set up recurring giving, even if it’s only $1 a month. If you’re going to ask people to use recurring giving, your leadership needs to be leading the way.
Online Giving Platforms
If your church is looking into online giving platforms, here are some popular options for you to explore:
Live Streaming Landing Page
Consider setting up a page on your website dedicated to all things Live / Digital Services. This could be something like yourchurch.com/live
This allows your team to direct anyone to /live if they have any questions, want to take a next step, or get more information about something mentioned during the live service.
Here are ideas of content that could be included in your live stream landing page:
Include direct links to your live or premiere
Dates and times when you will be live
Links to connect on social media
Helpful information on how to turn on the See First feature and live notifications
Embed your live service so people can watch who don’t have Facebook or YouTube
Links to your digital giving and instructions on your text to give
Sermon notes
Link to your church’s Facebook Group
Prayer/Praise request form
Kids service link
Kids activity sheet/curriculum downloads
The hashtag you are using
Ways to invite your friends and family to the digital services
Your on-demand service in case the stream crashes
Your announcements will calls to action for people who want to take a next step with that announcement.
A connect / contact card for visitors
Example COVID-19 Landing Pages
We’ve compiled a huge list of examples in this Google doc, but here are some of our favorites:
Outreach
As a church leader, you know that ministry doesn’t stop after Sunday! As people turn to social media to relieve their boredom, your church can be a beacon of the hope the Jesus offers the world! Here are our top ideas for ministry throughout the week:
Community Outreach
It’s crazy right now. But don’t make this about your church! Ask the question…
“What do the people we serve need right now?”
Here are some answers:
Supplies
Counseling
A Godly way to process what is taking place in the world
Healthy activities for their kids to do while isolated
A place with wifi so their kids can “go” to school
Prayer
Ways to connect in digital communities
Someone to talk to
And the list goes on. Find ways to serve your community! It just might look different right now.
The church was never about a building, so let’s be the church!
By the way…when you do that, the church advances like crazy. That is how it has always worked.
Ideas
For now, here are some of our favorites:
Brainstorm ways to provide supplies such as food and toiletries.
Be willing to listen and provide support. Pastors and counselors, you are especially needed as people deal with increased levels of stress and anxiety! If your church offers in-person counseling, consider moving that to digital/video.
Call or Skype with the kids in your life. While they’re talking to you, it gives their parents a break from trying to entertain them. If you’re not sure what to say, tell some jokes or play 20 questions.
Provide people with opportunities to connect digitally: in Facebook Groups, on posts, through zoom, Skype, or Google
Ask people how you can pray for them or have a digitally-based prayer meeting!
Use resources like this countdown video to encourage your church to pray or reach out!
Kid-Based Outreach
Being home from school and cooped up can be hard on kids- and parents! This means that it’s easy to be helpful and thoughtful toward families during this time. Here are our favorite ideas we’ve seen so far.
If schools cancel, create a digital Vacation Bible School.
Create activities, content, and resources for parents who are now homeschooling.
Provide meals for kids on reduced-price lunches during school cancelations.
Create a YouTube show for kids. Create a Kids YouTube Camp. Train kids on how to start their own YouTube channel. Cover the equipment needed, acting skills, internet safety and give them fun projects based on stories in the Bible for their channel.
Have your Kids Director or Student Leaders lead digital devotionals.
Create a podcast of Bible stories for kids, that families can listen to before bed.
Challenge families to memorize one Bible verse per day together.
Make a fast-paced worship playlist on Youtube or Spotify so families can have dance parties to get the wiggles out!
Follow-Up And Community
Digital Connect Cards
Looking for a way to “take” Live Stream attendance or to get people to fill out a Connect Card from a Facebook Live/YouTube? Here is what I’d recommend:
1. Start the LIVE and in a fun way, and also strongly encourage EVERYONE to leave a comment. That is your attendance/roll call.
2. Then encourage a next step of getting into a Facebook Group. As they request to join the Facebook Group, Facebook will allow you to ask people 3 questions. This is now your “Connect Card.” One idea would be to ask them their email and phone number and how long they’ve been attending the church.
That is the simple next step you ask people to take. It moves people to your digital community and it functions as your Connect Card.
3. Then use your Facebook Insights as your high-level metrics. Reach, views, etc.
4. Another option would be to encourage people to use keywords as comments during the live. Then use a chatbot or your hospitality team to follow up. For example, you could say, “If you are new just type connect in the comments. We’d love to reach out and get to know you.”
5. You can follow-up with anyone using keywords after the live and reply with a comment. Then look for the “message” option and send them a message from the page. You could thank them for attending and include a link to your digital connect card via Messenger.
Small Groups
Besides having a church-wide Facebook group, chances are your small groups want a chance to get together, too. Because they’re “small groups” there will be a temptation for them to continue meeting in person. Please provide leadership to your small group leaders on this topic!
There are vulnerable people in your congregation that are wanting to follow the advice of the CDC and not be in gatherings of 10 or more. Don’t let them be shamed by small group leaders and group members.
Over-communicate with your leaders. Let them know how to show people grace. Give them ideas on how to do group video chats.
Bottom line: when you don’t lead and communicate, bad things happen.
Group Video Chat Options
So, how should they go about doing a group video chat? The answer depends on a lot of factors- like the size of your small groups, their existing communication channels, and the culture of their group. Here are some guiding principles to get you started:
You need to have regular time that everyone can get together. Encourage your groups to think outside the “Saturday morning Bible Study” mentality. They can meet together later at night for prayer and be in contact throughout the day.
With that in mind, choose a platform that makes it easy to meet but also facilitates running conversations.
Don’t miss the concept: It’s not about replacing an hour of Bible study. As a leader, you’ll need to be thinking, “How can I keep these people connected to God and to each other?”
With those principles in mind, these are a few options you can check out:
Just think: if we can get this right, our churches will come out of this pandemic stronger than they’ve ever been! As John-Erik Moseler says, What do you think is gonna happen when all of those strong online communities can get together for the first time?
One word: Revival!
Texting Systems
Right now, when it comes to communicating with the various groups in your congregation, you don’t just need to communicate- you need to overcommunicate. People are frazzled and scared, so you need to be prepared to communicate with them via multiple channels. A snarky, “It’s been in the bulletin for weeks,” (or, more likely, “It was in the email I sent!”) isn’t going to cut it right now. Your church needs a way to be in a closer, more personal contact with people so you can minister to them and meet their needs during isolation.
Texting is THE BEST way to communicate with your congregation and follow up with new visitors. The vast majority of people text and have smartphones, which means you’ll be able to reach most of the people you need to contact. Plus, open and response rates for texts are better than for any other communication tool.
In order to effectively leverage texting at your church, you’ll need a tool that allows you to automatically send texts to people, in order to start conversations. At Mission Church, we use TEXT IN CHURCH.
Text In Church is responding to this crisis in the following ways:
If you’re not yet a Text In Church member, you can access Text In Church FREE for 60 days. No fine print, no contracts, no gimmicks. As long as you cancel before day 61, you will not be charged a penny. Here’s a link to claim your free 60-day trial.
Ministering to All Generations
Reaching Older Generations
It is important that everyone feels connected during a crisis. So take time with your team to make sure you are effectively ministering to all generations in your church.
Record helpful tutorial videos on how to join the church’s digital service, watch online, give online, host or join a small group, etc.
Be sure you embed your digital service on your website and email your church a link on where to watch. Also, text message your stream link a few minutes before you go live.
We’d recommend you find personal ways to reach out to your congregation and thoughtfully make sure they are staying connected. Help answer any questions that they have, see what needs they have, and pray for them.
Put the audio from your service online or distribute it via a podcast.
Provide a phone number people can text or call if they need help getting connected.
Make a video to address the fear and unknown of social ministry
Create a team of tech people to help those who feel technologically challenged
Use the Join.me app to share your screen in order to help people get set up for digital ministry
Bonus Concepts:
Spotify and YouTube playlists
Create worship playlists so that those who rely on sung congregational worship are able to engage in a similar way. Discuss this with your worship leader and use your social media channels to share playlists with your church.
The aim here is to equip people with songs to listen to and sing along to, that help them in their worship and could play a useful part in their rhythm of worship.
Useful links:
Pastoral Visits
Using FaceTime, Skype, Facebook and WhatsApp video calls you can connect, pastorally, with those who need face-to-face connection during this time, especially for those vulnerable or at risk from COVID-19, those living alone, those in isolation or who have self-isolated.
You only need a smartphone or a computer to make this possible, without cost and without leaving your home.
Useful links:
FACEBOOK VIDEO CALL USING MESSENGER
FACEBOOK VIDEO CALLING FROM A GROUP
FACETIME — IPHONE, IPAD OR ITOUCH
Small Groups
Google Hangouts, Zoom and group chats on Facebook can mean that Small Groups can still meet, talk together and see each other using their smartphone or computer. Community is so important at these times, especially where larger gatherings are not possible, so do encourage your Small Groups to make use of technology to continue connecting with their Small Group community.
This can be especially useful if one or more of the Small Group has self-isolated, or if your group would be happier connecting digitally.
Discussions, prayer, encouragement and fun can still happen during this time and are all the more important.
Useful links:
Closing Encouragement
Now is not the time for churches to shrink back from outreach.
So if your services, events, missions trips, etc. are at risk of being canceled…Let’s not shrink back in fear, but let’s see this as the perfect time to share our message of hope and faith to people who aren’t believers yet, and who may be isolated during an outbreak like this.