Sometimes I wish I could be in two places at once. Like picking up groceries from the store and getting my car fixed at the same time, or playing on a beach in Hawaii while also hiking in Yosemite during my vacation—if only!
We're willing to bet your church members feel the same way. We will all miss a Sunday here and there, whether it's for health reasons, trips out of town, nasty weather, or whatever life throws at us. In those instances it would be pretty nice, and helpful, to be in two places at once.
With your church website, you actually could be.
With a live stream feature, your members will be able to connect with your church family on Sundays while they're MIA. Granted, it won't be the same as actually being there, but for those inevitable times when some people will miss the service, this can be a great benefit. In addition to meeting the needs of your regular church members who are unable to make the service, having a live stream feature on your website can expand your audience to people who are always unable to make your service (for illness or their home is out of town) as well!
So how do you set it up? It's as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Is this part of your long-term goals?
Live streaming may seem like the "fancy" new thing some of the larger churches are doing. Naturally, your church may want to join in on the fun. But before you explore this option for live streaming, think about your church's goals. You should ask yourself why you want to explore this new option for your church website. "Because it's cool!" might not be the best answer.
Many churches aspire to do live streaming if they have a high population of their congregation who travel a lot or leave for the summer. If you have members who are bedridden, snowed-in, or spend their winter in their Florida condo, they may benefit from the opportunity to engage with their home church via a streamed service. Your congregation can still find that sense of community and family through this addition to your church website, and those who are absent for the weekend can still be a part of the mid-week group discussions. Nobody feels left out or forgotten, and everyone can still join in and celebrate Sundays together.
If your church is seeing some growth, or you know your members will benefit from it, it's time to go full-speed ahead with adding your live stream capabilities!
2. Find a third-party provider
While Ekklesia 360 isn't a live streaming provider, there are lots of easy ways to add it to your Ekklesia 360 church website. Many live streaming providers include the ability to place an "embed code" onto one of your site pages, and then we can step in and build custom pages using your live streaming service's API or embed code options. Easy peasy! A few of the most popular live streaming services include:
Each third-party provider has its pros and cons, including differences in pricing. Explore your options, and choose the one that will best serve your church. Once you've made your choice...
3. Ekklesia 360 will add it to your website
... or you can! As long as your provider gives you an embed code option, you can place it directly onto a website page—you can even have a "watch live" navigation item or call-to-action on your homepage that links directly to the live stream.
You can do a simple embed on a webpage, or you can use a custom Ekklesia 360 Ministry Focused Layout. This layout includes an interactive Twitter feed, a countdown timer, and designed sections for additional church information. Click here for more information and to see an example in action.
