Live Streaming of Church Services
Executive Summary
With the current pandemic that faces the whole world, most of the countries have closed their places of worship, and people have to worship from their homes. Many religious leaders do not know how they can convey messages to their adherents, and they try to find different means of getting to them. However, technology has made it easier for most people to reach out to their people, and send the spiritual messages that they deem fit. A live stream is a technology that most people have embraced, and the world does not have to worry anymore. Many companies that have closed can adopt this technology, as it is a way of showing live performances. For instance, churches use this technology to hold their sermons, and they ask their adherents to watch them live on social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. For churches that have embraced this technology, their services go on as usual, and the members can watch these services from the comfort of their homes. The article is a white paper that addresses the external audience and informs them concerning the aspect of a live stream, which helps during this time of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Introduction
Churches and places of worship often bring people together because people have to meet during specific times. During hard times, people can always find salvation in such areas. Houses of worship and churches have always reached out to people through word-of-mouth. In recent times, modern technology has created new channels for the church services to get to the people who need them but cannot attend the services in person. Live streaming services bring out the potential for both religious services and churches. Live streaming is an online streaming media that is recorded and broadcasted concurrently in real-time. The world has moved to a trend of social isolation, and all the governments have asked their people to maintain social distance. The most important institution that has been hit by the aspect of social distance is the churches all over the world. The more COVID-19 persists, people are prohibited from gathering in large groups, and therefore this also the church services from being held. The good news is that through live streaming, having these services is possible despite the strict measures that are put in place. Churches that have embraced the live stream services allow their pastors to stream the sermon to the interested people, without them having to leave their homes. It is, therefore, crucial for people to learn how churches can embrace the platforms of online streaming and the benefits that it brings to the churches.
Previous Approaches
Live streaming is a solution and not a service. It is worth noting that live streams are not platforms that people can use to view all the live streams of various churches. These platforms are hosts for people who look for remote ways of streaming the services of their churches to their congregation (Golan, & Martini, 2019). Globally, all churches face the challenge of being unable to have the church services and sermons like they used to before (Campbell, 2020). Therefore, these platforms offer solutions to those problems that the churches face. The available platforms and solutions allow churches to stream their services live all over the world during this difficult time.
Broadcasting religious services has many benefits for different churches. When churches embrace the benefits of live streaming, they can do many things. They can reach as many members as possible during this challenging moment of the pandemic like COVID-19, which the world experiences. The second benefit is that they can allow their members who cannot make it to their services because of various circumstances beyond their control, to watch their services (Golan, & Martini, 2019). Besides, people will be able to view these services from wherever they are without having to be in a particular confined place. Live streams also help the people who travel to be part of the services that the churches wish to share with their members (Grayson, 2017). Churches can expand their reach beyond the local community, through the live streams, and help many people to connect physical contact. People do not have to meet. They can use live streams to communicate (Campbell, 2020). The other advantage is that live streams can be recorded and made available for later use by the people who had missed the church services. All the experiences of the events in the services will be locked in forever (Wood & Jones, 2019). Besides, the people who had missed the events will not have any worry because they will be able to spare some time and watch what they had initially lost (Hutchings, 2017). With the existence of the live streams, churches do not have any reason to worry because the social distancing concept that the world has embraced will not deter them from having their sermons.
New Findings
From the research carried out on the live streams, it is apparent that some of the churches initially used these platforms to reach out to many people who could not make it to church (Dyikuk, 2017). Most people were aware of this concept, but no one knew that it would be on-demand in this year. Moreover, many technicians or journalists who deal with live streams have had excellent opportunities to showcase what they have to offer (Wood & Jones, 2019). Before the outbreak of the coronavirus, no one ever knew that it would reach a point where churches would be closed. With everything that has happened for the last three months, things have taken a different twist, and all churches have embraced this technology (Campbell, 2020). Pastors have to preach from their homes, and people have to follow these services from their homes as well. Many people who are experts in the live streams have had a great opportunity because they make an extra income from the services that they provide every Sunday (Johnson et al. 2019). Bookings have to be made in advance for the churches to go live, and for the members to know what they should expect every Sunday. People still get the spiritual nourishment that they deserve, and engage with one another spiritually as they would want to do, without any problem (Hutchings, 2017). Therefore, the live stream has come in handy to solve the problem that the churches might experience. It is a technology that has completely solved the problem, and despite the duration which the churches will remain locked, sermons will go on as usual.
Streaming live promotes many features of the church, including the sermons, as well as the number of attendees who simulate the services. The Map feature portrays everyone who attends the service and groups these people into chats, where they can discuss various aspects of the sermon (Chen & Lin, 2018). People can also comment from wherever they are watching from, or whichever social media site that they use like Facebook or YouTube, and this shows that people are active (Chen & Lin, 2018). Live streams bring a big quorum, and people can discuss how the service went on, and the benefits that they got from the service. The teachings are also intact as long as people have their notes with them (Chen & Lin, 2018). Therefore, live streams help both the churches and the members of the church to keep in touch.
As much as the churches have been closed with the spread of the coronavirus, and the world encourages social distancing, the technology of live stream has helped to solve the challenge. Many people can access the services of their churches through their social media sites like Facebook and YouTube (Hutchings, 2017). Live streams have helped churches to carry on with their normal activities and engage their members in the church services.
People can still get their spiritual nourishment as they used to before, and social distancing is not a hindrance. Many churches conduct their services with the hope that there will be a better tomorrow, and this pandemic will come to an end. Despite the challenge that the world goes through, churches have not been stopped from offering their services. Besides, many people have had an opportunity as the demand for the live stream has increased, not only in churches but in other aspects of life as well. Therefore, it is evident that for any challenge, there has to be a solution.
References
Campbell, H. (2020). The Distanced Church: Reflections on Doing Church Online-mobile version.
Hutchings, T. (2017). Creating church online: Ritual, community, and new media. Taylor & Francis.
Chen, C. C., & Lin, Y. C. (2018). What drives live-stream usage intention? The perspectives of flow, entertainment, social interaction, and endorsement. Telematics and Informatics, 35(1), 293-303.
Johnson, C. D., Bauer, B. C., Ascencio, C. A., & Kuang, Y. (2019). Priming from the pulpit: Extending regulatory focus theory to church services. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 29(3), 437-447.
Wood, M. D., & Jones, S. D. (2019). U.S. Patent Application No. 16/111,627.
Golan, O., & Martini, M. (2019). Religious live-streaming: constructing the authentic in real-time. Information, Communication & Society, 22(3), 437-454.
Dyikuk, J. J. (2017). Christianity and the Digital Age: Sustaining the Online Church.
Grayson, P. L. (2017). The Spiritual Development of Online Church Attendees Compared with Traditional Church Attendees. Dallas Baptist University.