Top 8 Church Streaming Platforms To Live Stream Your Church Services

The pandemic has forced people to turn inwards to religion and God for succor which has pushed churches to adopt live streaming their services.

Even though church attendance has been declining, 44% of people say they prefer to worship alone. They still want a church, but they just don’t like being physically present there. Live streaming helps reach that 44%. They’ll still engage with you online and may even recommend you to friends and family. In fact, livestreaming solutions for churches is changing the way congregations practice their faith. More homes of worship are looking to streaming video to reach their congregations around the world.

Today’s article will explore benefits of live streaming Church Services, how to live stream a church service and also compare the top 8 video platforms to help take your religious streaming services online.

Benefits of Church Streaming Services:

Besides the sheer fact that you will be able to reach people who would not be able to attend community services, streaming and broadcasting your church services also offers other benefits, for example:

1. Allowing members who are otherwise unwell to attend your services
   Reaching people who are not part of your local community and are based much farther away

2. Helping members who are traveling or unable to make it to church still access services.

3. Allowing you to record live sessions so churchgoers can access the service in their own time.

4. Gaining access to younger people who spend a significant amount of time online.

How to Live Stream Church Services:

Getting your church online and streaming services live might seem daunting. Worry not, this 5-step guide will help you get you up and running.

Plan: What do you want to achieve and how

Before launching a new service, it is best to plan it to the minutest detail. Some things to think through are the kind of equipment you already have, what you would like to invest in, where you will be streaming from as well as what your budget is. This will help narrow down your streaming service.

Choose: The features and service provider for you

Some of the features to look for in a streaming service are easy of use, advanced video analytics, strong security features, white-label video solution, and budget fitment.

Prep: Take stock of equipment available and what is needed

List out what you need before starting. Use a camera that is suited for you and set it up with what you would want your audience to see. It is essential to choose a video encoder that will convert your video into data that can be streamed online. While most live broadcast software for churches carries this as part of their offering, it might be best to use a dedicated encoding software.

The last few things to make sure you have in place are good lighting for better video quality and a separate mix for audio so it can be mixed separately and integrated with your video.

Test: Trial run before going live

A test run is highly recommended so you have a chance to fix your little snags, make sure internet speed is adequate as well as the chance make sure you have the licenses for all software, music, etc. that you will be using while streaming.

Start: Get the show on the road

Finally, go ahead, start streaming and connecting with parishioners no matter where they may be!

Top 8 Church Live Streaming Solutions

To make things even simpler, here’s a round-up of the best Church streaming services in 2023.

1. VPlayed: All in one, feature-rich, customized for you!

With an extensive list of features like unlimited bandwidth, white-label video solutions, top-notch security, live linear streaming, private messaging, auto-archiving, and customizable video libraries, VPlayed offers everything that you would need to start streaming your services right out of the box. With a host of basic features and advanced ones, you will not go wrong with choosing VPlayed for religious streaming service and broadcasting your church services.

2. Dacast: Different models to suit your needs

Dacast offers you a free trial with 10 GB of free bandwidth. After the trial, their pricing starts at 39$/month going up to 188$/month. They also offer customized pricing plans based on your needs.

They offer a host of features like Live Streaming, Unlimited Viewers, a Customizable video player, Video Hosting as well as full 1080p HD broadcasting.

3. Streamingchurch.TV: All about Churches

Streamingchurch.tv claims to have not had a single minute of interruption over the past two years. An impressive feat considering the amount of data streamed online in recent times.
Some notable features they offer are an Integrated media vault, Multi-device streaming, customizable platforms, and an option to stream live to other social media platforms.

They also offer a 30-day free trial. Starting at 79$/month though, they are not as competitively priced.

4. BoxCast: Premium choice

With a maximum runtime of 8 hours for streaming events across all plans, BoxCast promises casting solutions for you no matter the size of your congregation.

They offer features like mobile app, video encoding services, automatic live captioning, and multi-site players.
They offer a trial period as well as advanced analytics as part of all their plans. They start at 99$/month all the way to 199$/month as well as custom plans.

5. ChristianWorldMedia: Basic but affordable

As the name suggests, ChristianWorldMedia is a streaming platform specifically geared towards churches and their services.
Some features they offer are up to 50 simultaneous viewers per event, 2 re-streaming channels, Social media integration as well as Online Bible Integration

They have very affordable plans starting at 35$/month going up to 89$/month.

6. Truthcasting: Reliability within your budget

Keeping their USP as reliability, Truthcasting keeps it simple. They focus on reliability and offer all-in-one plans starting at 39$/month but with limited support.

Some features they offer are phone recording, reliable content delivery, live recording, and ad-free streaming.
They also offer unlimited streaming and unlimited viewers.

7. MyChurchWebsite.com: Not just live streaming

Focussed on churches and increasing their reach, MyChurchWebsite.com started initially focussed on websites for churches. Over time, they expanded into other areas like live streaming and OTT app development for churches and offer social media integration.

Some features they offer are ad-free streaming, mobile compatibility, and social media integration.
They have various pricing options available on their website that allow you to a custom plan from all their offerings.

8. Vimeo Premium: Early Mover Advantage

Vimeo was one of the earliest providers of video streaming services. This gives them a lot of experience in this field. Having now entered church broadcasting services, they use their expertise to provide services across platforms. Some of these features are privacy controls, social distribution, review and approval, and private team projects.

While their video plans start at as little as 7$/month, be aware that their plans with live streaming solutions are actually premium plans that start at 75$/month.

Conclusion:

With the world preferring more to look and stay indoors, it is the ripe time to tap into the vast potential that live streaming and broadcasting offer for churches and their parishioners. This quick guide has hopefully answered a lot of your questions around why you must consider it for your church as well as the best platforms to consider. Do let us know if you have any more questions to be answered.