Thinking about beginning live streaming at your church during the start of the school year? Here are 6 reasons why now just might be the perfect time. Back to school season is a busy time, for sure, but it’s also one of the most strategic times to begin a live video streaming ministry at your church. Here are a handful of perks to rolling out live video this fall.
#1 – Movers & Homebuyers
It’s no secret that summer is the hottest time for both renters and home buyers to pack up and move their families. Beyond the benefits of loading and unloading heavy boxes in nice weather, the primary reason for this high transition time has to do with the desire for families to settle into a new city and school district before the start of the educational year.
Now that the literal heavy lifting is over and the first school bell has rung, many of the new families in your area are looking for a church to plug into. Embedded live video content on your website not only improves your SEO performance so that these folks can find you better, the video itself will help them get a more tangible idea of what your church body is actually like, which will encourage them to actually visit you in person.
#2 – Parental Conviction
As kids in unchurched families grow old enough to start going to school, it’s common for their parents to feel a sense of conviction regarding church attendance. Perhaps they want to try to instill a positive and consistent influence in the lives of their kids, or perhaps they grew up in church and want the same for their children.
Regardless of the motivation, your online presence during this time of year is vital to reaching and connecting with those seeking to find a new church. God is working in the hearts of parents all over your community. How are you thoughtfully leveraging things like technology and live video to offer them as warm a welcome as possible?
#3 – There’s No Place Like Home
You don’t have to put on glittery red shoes and click your heels together to remember the feeling you had the first time that you spent a significant amount of time away from home. For those in your church who are now away at college, it’s likely that many of them may often feel a sense of loneliness and homesickness while they’re away at school.
Outside of these emotions, college is an incredibly formative time for young people and many of those who grew up in churches fall away from regular church attendance while at school. Live video streaming is a fantastic tool to not only bring home to those who are away at university, but also to bring them the things of God in the new (and often secular) place that they now call home.
#4 – Volunteers Miss Out
Sunday morning is arguably the busiest time of the week for churches. Much of the work that it takes to pull an average Sunday morning off is done by volunteers. Though it is a joy to serve, one of the downsides of volunteering on Sunday is that it often means missing out on sitting in on morning worship on a regular basis.
One of the greatest benefits of live video streaming is the archive that’s made available immediately after the stream is over. Every church should stream for this specific reason alone, so that their volunteers get to have a chance to be blessed by the service, even if they had to miss it live because they so often faithfully serve and bless others.
#5 – Teachers Need the Church
A few of my closest friends are teachers. They’ve accounted on multiple occasions how people often joke with them about how easy their jobs are with summer vacations, long holidays, and “short work hours.” The reality of their work schedules, however, often include long nights and weekends during the school year.
Teachers often work on weekends during the school year. When they’re overloaded with work, something like live streaming is a huge blessing to them so that they don’t have to choose between completing their professional responsibilities and benefiting from the ministry of the church.
#6 – Germs, Germs, Germs!
Ah yes, I saved the best for last. Kids get other kids sick at school; it’s pretty much as simple as that. During the school year, faithful church-going parents often have to stay at home to take care of their contagious little one(s) so that the rest of your congregation doesn’t wind up getting infected. Since they do you this huge favor, why not offer them the opportunity to tune in live from home so that they’ll still get to partake in worship in the midst of all of the antibiotics, tissues, and ginger ale?
BONUS #7 – We’re Here to Help
If you’re considering live streaming, but you’re not sure what you need to do to get up and going, we’d be happy to help. Feel free to check out our ministry-customized streaming offering or even set up a 1-on-1 consultation to talk through things. Whatever you might need, we’re always here for you. Thanks for reading and happy streaming!
