You’re disappointed because you’ve been called away on business and will miss the worship service. An unexpected illness or injury has you facing a season of recuperation, and it’s unlikely you’ll be getting out much. Maybe you’ve even been called away to military service, but would love to stay connected to your home church as much as possible. Whatever the reason, the ability to catch the live stream of your church service may be the next best
thing to being there.

Live streaming technology, or the broadcasting of real-time video and audio over the internet to your computer, tablet, or smartphone, has now made “being there” – at least virtually – more achievable than ever.

Why Live Stream?
As mentioned, the ability to leverage live-streaming technology for the benefit of those who must be away for a time can be a valuable tool for a ministry. In addition, special events, guest speakers, and conference over-flow rooms may also be occasions when the convenience and intimacy of a live stream broadcast is a desirable option. (Keeping an archived version of the live-stream in your online library also allows later viewing for those who
might have missed, or for re-watching at a later date).

But there’s another great reason to consider streaming, and it has to do with recognizing how our culture relies on technology to gain knowledge before making an important investment of time. Consider the potential newcomer to your church. Streaming provides a way for them to hear a sermon from a distance, and gain a sense of your community before ever stepping through the church door. In other words, streaming allows for a less intimidating “first look” at the church and a consideration of its message from what feels for them to be a “safer place,” such as the comfort of their own home.

Finally, churches and organizations who take the plunge into live streaming routinely report a spike in traffic to their website – which in turn causes their ranking in Google to improve. This means that someone who performs a Google search for a church in your area will actually have a better chance of finding your site.

In our next post, we’ll examine how to begin live streaming.