Because of the concern over COVID-19 many churches are looking for ways to stay connected during this time, when gathering publicly may not be wise or possible.
Sharing video online of a service, sermon or devotional is one of the alternatives many churches are utilizing. So, with that in mind we’ve developed a short tutorial on one of the simplest live video solutions using Facebook.
Facebook has made it very easy to share live video with people. So, if you can’t meet in person on Sunday or you just want to offer reassurance and encouragement to your congregation through the week, sharing a live video with your members might be a helpful tool. (You can also share prerecorded videos)
You could share a devotional, Scripture, sermon, the daily office and more, and people can watch from anywhere on their computers, tablets and smartphones.
Here’s all you need:
- A Facebook account (you can also live stream to your church’s Facebook page if you have one)
- A computer, tablet or smartphone with a camera or webcam
If your church has a Facebook page it probably makes the most sense to go live on it, rather than your own personal Facebook timeline. Both are very simple and pretty much the same process, but for now we’ll look specifically at how to go live to your church’s Facebook page:
Using your computer (5 easy steps)
- When you’re logged into Facebook navigate to your church’s Facebook page.
- You should see a box marked “Create” and in it a button marked “Live”. Click the Live button.
- A window should open with a preview of the view from your camera along with some options on the righthand side.
- At this point you can begin going live simply by clicking the button “Go Live” on the bottom right.
- When you’re done click “End Live Video” at the bottom right.
- People watching can also post written comments while you’re streaming.
- When you finish the video it will be saved to your Facebook page so people can watch it later as well.
Using your smartphone (5 easy steps)
- When you’re logged into the Facebook app navigate to your church’s Facebook page.
- You should see a box marked “Create a post” and in it a button marked “Live”. Tap the Live button.
- A window should open with a preview of the view from your camera along with some options along the bottom.
- At this point you can begin going live simply by tapping the button “Start Live Video”.
- When you’re done tap “Finish” at the bottom to stop live streaming.
- You can have the phone or tablet in either portrait or landscape.
- You can also switch between the front or back camera on your phone or tablet by tapping the camera icon at the top left.
- People watching can also post written comments while you’re streaming.
- When you end the video you will have the option to save the video to your device and to share it to your page so others can watch it later as well.
Tips:
- Be in a quiet location so there’s not lots of background noise.
- Don’t be too far from the device or computer so that its microphone can pick up your voice.
- If people have trouble hearing you, earbuds with a microphone or a bluetooth/usb headset with a microphone can help make your voice clearer.
- Be aware of your lighting. If possible try to avoid being backlit too much, so people can see more than your silhouette.
- Smartphone stands – if you’re using a smartphone to shoot your videos you may want to invest in a small stand or mini-tripod with a phone clip. There are lots of options out there and they don’t have to be expensive. Bishop Charlie uses one for his weekly video updates. You can find some at most electronic stores like BestBuy or on Amazon.
- If you’re using music and songs which need a CCLI license you need their Streaming License add-on for using the music in online video. You can learn more and purchase the license here: https://ca.ccli.com/copyright-license/
- Let your people know ahead of time when you’re going live on your Facebook page so they’re logged on and there to see it.
- People do not need a Facebook account to watch. They just need to navigate to your Facebook page.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn as you go. Yes, it may not be perfect the first time, but it just may be worth persevering!
Here are two other helpful articles on sharing video online:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/livestream-church-service-practical-guide/
https://adots.org/tools-for-live-or-recorded-video-for-churches/
Here’s one video demonstrating how you can setup to stream your service on Facebook Live.
How can I test it?
When you post to your church’s Facebook page everything is public. So, that can make discreetly testing a Live Video stream a bit tricky. The good news is you can easily test your setup simply by testing it on your own personal timeline. Here’s how:
Using your computer
- Go to the main Facebook news feed.
- In the “Create Post” box near the top click the three dots (…) to find the “Live Video” option and select it.
- On the right you should see a box which determines who can see your post. In most cases it will be set to “Friends” by default. Switch this to the option marked “Only me“.
- Now you can test going Live without anyone else seeing it.
When you finish the video will save to your personal timeline, where you can view it and see how it looks and sounds.
Using your smartphone
- Go to the main Facebook news feed. (the House icon)
- At the top tap on “Live“.
- At the top you should see some small text which determines who can see your post. In most cases it will be set to “Friends” by default. Tap on it and switch this to the option marked “Only me“.
- Now you can test going Live without anyone else seeing it.
When you finish the video you will have the options to save the video to your device and to post it to your personal timeline. Either way you can see how it sounds and looks.
You can also run a similar test while someone else is watching and interacting. Instead of selecting “Only me” simply select “Specific friends…” and select the person(s) you want to try the test with.
Troubleshooting
The Live Video screen looks different for me
So, it’s come to our attention that just today Facebook has begun rolling out a new look and layout for their Live Video feature while using your computer. You might not encounter it. But when you click the “Live” button in the “Create Post” a window may not open that looks a bit different than the one we’ve described above. If that does happen here’s what we’d recommend:
- Click the link at the top left marked “Switch to previous version“.
- A popup window will appear asking your reason for switching select the first option and continue.
- The previous version of their Live Video interface should load in.
- If you don’t see a preview of the view from your camera make sure that you’re on the “Camera” option at the top, rather than the “Connect” option.
- Now everything should work the same as the tutorial above.
If you have further questions you can contact our Communications Director Scott Hunt: scotthunt@anglicannetwork.ca
Looking for an alternative for one-on-one or small group conversation online? Take a look at our article on using Zoom Video Meetings