The best streaming software for churches would be the one that’s right for your situation. You have several options, but not all are created equal. Some are better for bigger churches with resources to help them set up the right system. Others are ideal for smaller churches on a budget. How can you get it right?
Technology is rapidly changing the way churches are welcoming people to worship services and sermons.
“Whether you are joining us in person or online, we invite you to experience our services and be a part of the Lakewood family.” This is how the nondenominational Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, welcomes those who visit the church’s website. On March 15, 2020, 4.6 million worshippers accepted this invitation and followed the church’s live streaming service.
When the Covid-19 pandemic started wreaking havoc across the world at the beginning of 2020, church services had to be suspended in many parts of the world in compliance with government regulations. If this was a time to panic for many other businesses, the story was different for streaming platforms, businesses offering streaming software, and social media companies.
In this article, I focus on the 10 biggest live streaming churches. I will also look at the reasons the number of live streaming churches is growing. The article also identifies the software these churches use for video streaming of their Sunday service or any other services for that matter.
Benefits of Church Streaming Services
Broadcasting a religious service offers many benefits for churches like yours. When you stream and broadcast a church service with a streaming platform, you can reach people who could otherwise not make it to worship with the community.
This could be people who are homebound due to an illness or injury, or people who are too old to drive themselves. People with disabilities also benefit from streaming church services. This is also particularly helpful during global crises, like COVID-19, which we’re currently experiencing.
Some other benefits of live streaming church services include:
- Allow members who are sick or injured, too old to make it in person, or have a disability that makes it difficult to travel to watch your service.
- Helps members who are traveling and want to continue to participate in their own faith community
- Extends your reach beyond your local community and help people to connect with one another
- Create a live stream of your sermon or broadcast a private event for members of your congregation who cannot attend
- Record your live streams and make them available as video on demand. This is also a great way to lock in the experience of each event forever. It allows people who missed the live event to watch it later on in their own time.
It is also common to live stream church’s Christmas programs and other special events. This allows the congregation to attend from home.
Church Live Streaming Statistics
In the past few years, churches and other places of worship have been turning to over-the-top (OTT) live streaming technology to make services and events available over the internet. Here are a few 2021 streaming statistics and trends for why churches are opting to live stream virtual services:
- Many churches are building online communities that could very well transition into in-person attendance, and 33% of churchgoers have found their current churches online.
- About 20% report that they have opted to view the service online rather than in-person, but they’ve only done this one or two times. 16% of these people say that they’ve opted for the online service three to five times, and about 14% have done it six or more times.
- Live streaming has allowed worshipers to simply turn on service on their phones, and 44% of people have said that they prefer to be alone while they pray and worship. This allows users to experience the structure of religious service from wherever they’re most comfortable, as opposed to in the traditional church setting.
- People feel more comfortable making payments online, and reports show that over $2.2 billion worth of donations has been made in a single year’s time.
- When it comes to live streaming vs in-person worshipping, 47% of people did not abandon in-person services for virtual alternatives
Churches Have Always Embraced Technology
Even though sermons on platforms like YouTube, Facebook Live, and Zoom may be gaining traction because of Covid-19, churches have been embracing technology for some time now. Before churches could live stream, many recorded their sermons and distributed them either for free or for a fee. Others had their Sunday services aired by major broadcasters.
An article published by TheGuardian.com tells the story of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and how it was already embracing basic software by 2008.
The Guardian reports that, as far back as 2008, the church was already using software to track children in church and register them for Bible studies. Congregants could also “go online to request counseling on a variety of spiritual and personal matters.”
In 2009, Daniel Terdiman wrote an article for the technology website Cnet.com entitled “Technology and the megachurch.” He starts his article with a question: “If you’re in charge of what is thought to be one of the most powerful, influential and important megachurches in the United States, if not the world, how do you make sure that your message is reaching the largest possible audience?”
The answer to Terdiman’s question comes easily for Brady Boyd, the lead pastor at the New Life Church: “technology.”
In case a one-word answer was not sufficient for Terdiman, Boyd extends his answer: “Churches have to stay current. We’re in the communications business.” Adding, “The whole purpose of a church is to communicate a message of truth … We have to stay informed, and we have to realize that most of the world is rapidly advancing in their ability to communicate.”
Why Churches Are Resorting To Live Streaming
Churches have always been conscious that technologies like video streaming could assist them in reaching bigger audiences. This is a view also acknowledged by the Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic. According to Panasonic, “Producing an immersive, remote worship experience can also extend the reach of your church beyond the local community and give congregants the opportunity to view missed services through on-demand video.”
Like all other sectors of society, churches realize that the consumption of messages is mostly happening online. This is a reality noted by commentators like Matt Binder, who writes for the digital media platform Mashable.com. The headline of his article tells the whole story: “The live streaming boom isn’t slowing down anytime soon.”
Referring to the future of worship services after the pandemic, Binder quotes Eli Noam, a Columbia Business School professor. Noam asks some pertinent questions: “If a church, for example, continues to Livestream services after the pandemic, will the elderly, sick, and people with children just find it easier to attend virtually? Will people participate in more services because it’s easier to attend from the comfort of home?
Binder quotes Noam saying, “Maybe the churches will be emptier but people’s religious lives will actually be enriched.” Adding, “This [live video] is not temporary; the temporary situation [pandemic] is the accelerant .”
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Live Streaming Software For Churches
If the need for real-time church service broadcasting is growing, providers of church streaming software, streaming solutions, and technical support have not been left behind. Here are some of the live streaming service providers that make it possible for both large and small churches to live broadcast their sermons and services.
Boxcast: Live Streaming Software For All Worship House Sizes
If there is one video streaming service I see in every list of the best church streaming software, it’s Boxcast. Boxcast’s promise: “Whether your congregation has 1,000 members or 100, our features and plans have been crafted to meet the needs of both first-time broadcasters and seasoned streamers.”
You can live stream on the Boxcast free trial for 14 days before deciding whether the live streaming software is for you. If you decide that it is, pricing plans start at $99/month and go all the way to $999/month.
Wirecast: Best Church Streaming Software For Beginners
Describing the Wirecast video streaming service, the Director of Music Ministries at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, Don Doss, says, “Yes, it’s true that the ‘BIG’ churches have all the cool equipment, but it’s also true that some smaller churches with smaller budgets can now produce quality video with the help of Telestream’s Wirecast software.”
Wirecast comes with a free 30-day trial limited to two Rendezvous guests and does not permit ISO recording (an isolated recording of one camera in a multi-camera production). The service has two paid plans for both Mac and Windows: Wirecast Studio ($599) and Wirecast Pro ($799).
Propresenter: Best For Both Pros And Beginners
“Whether you’re a Photoshop expert or technology isn’t your friend, we’ve got you covered. Create beautiful graphics with our built-in editor.” This is how the developers of Propresenter market their software.
Among the several features, you’ll find on Propresenter is the ability to record your screen for further editing, switch video outputs, and capture and output audio. The service also presents live streaming tutorials on its website.
Propresenter has a free version, which is not designed to be used in front of an audience. The HoW (House of Worship) plan starts at $399 per year for a new account or $275 per year when renewing.
4. Ustream:
This streaming platform is generally preferred for hosting events happening at large scale anywhere in the world. It is flexible and provides turnkey solutions to produce sizzling reels. It has variety of pro and enterprise plans as follows:
- Silver plan @ $99/month with video storage of 50 GB;
- Gold plan @ $499/month with video storage of 250 GB;
- Platinum plan @ $999/month with video storage of 500 GB;
- Customized Enterprise plan tailored to the requirements of religious events.
5. Yourhost:
It helps in getting the word out for the church by providing unparalleled and robust features along with customer service support. It contributes in bringing preachers together without stepping into the church. With its four plans, yourhost is one of the ideal solutions but suffers from interface issues at times.
- Basic @ $49.99/month allowing for streaming of 5GB;
- Standard @ $99.99/month allowing for streaming of 150GB;
- Premium @ $199.99/month allowing for streaming of 400GB;
- Enterprise @ $299.99/month allowing for streaming of 1000GB;
6. StreamSpot:
With three easy steps of capturing the video, encoding it with the interface and transmitting it over a platform, streamspot helps in easy and quick live streaming. With its unmatched technical support, social media integration and impressive tools and features, it has successfully redefined definition of simplified streaming. With its three basic plans, you can simply get started:
- Lite @ $79/month with 100GB of storage;
- Pro @ $149/month with 250GB of storage;
- Premiere@ $249/month with 500GB of storage
7. SermonCast:
With online campus providing integrated ad-free features, SermonCast can help in providing apt media solutions to fit your church needs. User friendly interface and smart HTML players makes it easy to use it through any device. Here are the plans through which you can promote sharing of Christ’s gospel to larger group of audience.
- Free Monthly plan offering 2 GB;
- Monthly premium packs ranging from $15 to $100 for bandwidth of 15 to 100GB respectively;
- Bundles plan if your requirement is one-time.
Conclusion
You can’t blame churches for not streaming. It’s cheaper to do live streaming than it is to broadcast over the airwaves. And since you can stream just about any kind of content these days, there’s no shortage of alternatives either. However, with so many options one of them is bound to stand out as the best streaming software for churches.