VIDEO: How Congregations Can Improve Virtual Presence During COVID-19 Restrictions

By Scott Thumma and Tracy Simmons

On March 18 SpokaneFāVS hosted a webinar on how congregations can digitize their services.

The guidelines and tips below are additional resources.

Video/Streaming Considerations

Before you begin streaming services, here are some aspects you should think about and plan for:

1. What to present
   • The whole service?
   • The sermon only?
   • Formal or informal? 
   • Casual or professional? 
   • How long? 
   • Copyright – both use and streaming license
2. What mode to use
   • Prerecorded Video
   • Livestreaming
     • Facebook Live
     • Zoom
     • Skype
     • GoToMeeting 
   • Does it need to be presented live? 
     • Pros and Cons
   • Wi-Fi considerations
     • If live and you don’t trust the stability of the available Wi-Fi, use a wired connection if possible
3. What platform to use
   • What do you currently use?
   • How technical are your people?
   • How to get the word out
     • Facebook
     • YouTube
     • Your website
     • Twitter
     • Email
   • Try to give the service/sermon a longer life – post it, send it out, make it available
4. What equipment to use
   • Camera
   • Phone
   • Current church system
   • Streaming setup
   • Tripod (don’t have one? Try these tricks)
   • Sound
     • Raw or mixed/edited
5. Think about the picture you are presenting
   • Proper camera placement
   • Phone/tablet horizontal recording
   • Record close to the subject
6. Keep the background simple
   • Interesting but uncluttered
7. Have good lighting
   • Have natural lighting if possible
   • Not overhead
   • Light sources in front
   • No backlighting
   • Make sure to see what the shot looks like before recording
8. Have quality sound
   • If possible, use an external microphone
   • Consider background noises, echoes, reverb
   • Listen to the sound before recording it “for real”
   • Have the speaker talk louder than normal
9. Improve your presentation
   • Don’t fidget
   • Directly address the camera
   • Rule of Thirds
10. If recording a video – EDIT IT! 
    • Remove dead air, pauses, mistakes, and unnecessary bits
    • Simple editing of a video is easy
      • Software recommendations include Camtasia, iMovie, wave.video, WeVideo
11. What other virtual ways can you deliver what the Sunday service would accomplish?
    • Greetings
    • Fellowship
    • Prayers and concerns
    • Hymns/music
    • Financial support
    • Christian education
    • Coffee hour
12. What other ways can you do the work of the church virtually? 
    • Spiritual support
    • Ministry
    • Pastoral care
    • Communication of news, events, information, and comfort
    • Interpersonal connections

Resource Recommendations

Group meetings

• Zoom (40 minutes, 100 participants)
• Facebook Live
• Private Facebook Group
• YouTube
• GoToMeeting
• Skype
• Google Chat
• churchstreaming.tv (serious setup and costly but currently offering 90 days free)

Recording Quality Video via Phone

• A Beginner’s Guide to Taking Great Video On Your Phone (New York Times)

Online Giving

Our FACT 2015 study showed that 31 percent of congregations use online giving and if the congregation uses it at all, giving is increased by an average $114 per person! If online giving is emphasized by the congregation a lot, per capita giving increases by an average of $300 person!

• 10 Ideas for Church Financial Leaders Amid the COVID-19 Crisis (UMC Discipleship Ministries)
• AgileGiving (Agile Technology)
• FaithStreet
• 5 of the Best Church Online Giving Platforms (Outreach Magazine)

Livestreaming Options

Recommended reading: COVID-19 Lockdown: Creating Live-streamed Worship in 3 Days

• Facebook Live
• Ustream.tv
• Churchstreaming.tv
• Livestream.com
• BoxCast
• SundayStreams
• StreamSpot

Other Resources

• How to Take Your Church Virtual (Fast): The Ultimate Guide to Church Live-Streaming During Crisis (information from a company, but a good concise resource)
• Getting Started With Church Online (an hour-long webinar about taking your congregation online with great tips and information)
• 8 Cardinal Rules of Running a Virtual Meeting (helpful tips on running online meetings; note: contrary to what the author recommends, you should encourage participants to mute themselves when not talking)
• Coronavirus and the Church (a nice collection of resources, link and information from the UCC)
• Resources for Christian Leaders During the Coronavirus Pandemic (a good collection of resources from a Mainline Protestant perspective)
• Spirituality in a Time of Quarantine (from a Catholic perspective with many good ministry tips)
• Coronavirus and the Church (from a conservative Christian perspective but with a number of good resources about using existing online platforms)

Inspirational and Informative Stories

• As COVID-19 Leads to Canceled Religious Gatherings, Faith Leaders Embrace the Digital (a nice summary story about going digital that serves as a reminder you are not alone!)
• Preparing for COVID-19: Add Caring for the Vulnerable to Your Coronavirus Checklist.

Please consider donating to FāVS if you found this content helpful!