Online worship Resources
Whether you are live-streaming or pre-recording services for your online worship it is crucial that you are making connections with your online attendees. Below are several resources to help you not only get started with online worship but also how to meaningfully engage with your worshipers. One of the most important aspects of online worship is learning who is attending your online services and how you can serve them. One great way to do this is to create an online connection card! See below for more on that!
It is important to remember that when streaming to sites like Facebook and YouTube you are not in control of the content after it is posted. This has led to videos being removed due to glitches in the systems or copyright issues. A best practice is to record your live streams and save them in another location that you have control over like your own website, storage device, or cloud storage.
Note: Inclusion of any vendor in this resource is for informational purposes and does not an imply an official endorsement by the Pacific Southwest District of the products and services they offer.​
Critical Step for All Churches
Getting Started
Useful links for those just starting online worship:
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Use Technology to Prepare Your Church for COVID-19
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How to Stream - Church Online Podcast
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How to Live-Stream (from Michigan District)
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Live-streaming for Churches (from Michigan District)
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As the church it is important we are operating above reproach this means it is important that we obey copyright laws and have the proper permission to use songs and images.
Below are a few Online Licensing Options:
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CCLI – Streaming License
Concordia Publishing House is offering a limited promotional license for Lutheran Service Builder so you can have temporary access to the Lutheran Service Builder for streaming your services. Start today at https://app.lutheranservicebuilder.com/signup. License Agreement & Terms
online giving resources
Online Giving
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GiveCloud from Lutheran Federal Credit Union - a comprehensive online giving solution
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5 of the Best Church Online Giving Platforms
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Online giving for congregations from Vanco - Setup instructions for Vanco mobile giving
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Church Giving Tools from Kindrid
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Giving by check, cash
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Communicate with your congregation to continue their stewardship as best they can.
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Ask congregants who do not want to use online giving options to drop off offerings at your office or mail them.
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Connecting with your Online Worshipers
It is crucial that you are tracking and learning about your online audience so you can begin to build connections and serve them. The first step to achieving this is simply learning who is attending your online worship. A simple way to start this is with an easy to use online connection card!
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A connection card allows you to have a true understanding of who is worshiping with you online and how you can connect with them and begin building relationships with new worshipers. Consider creating an online connection card and adding a link to it in the description of your online worship services, or in the chat at the start and end of your services.​
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Here is a script you can use as a guide to invite your online attendees to fill out your connection card during your service: Example Connection Card Script (You will be asked to make a copy when clicking this link)
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For a quick and easy way to get started with a connection card, Google Forms is a great solution:​
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Here is a link to a sample form you are welcome to customize and use: Customizable Google Form Connection Card
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After you have customized the form you will need to get the sharable link in order to post it on your video player or in the chat. See the resources below if you are unfamiliar with this process. ​
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If you are new to Google Forms below are some resources to help you get familiar with them:
Ready to move beyond facebook and youtube live?
While Facebook and YouTube are great ways to expand your audience, they are not designed for worship and you have little control over your worshiper's experience. There are several platforms out there that will allow you to create a branded customizable worship experience for your online attendees. One example of this is the Church Online Platform.
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If you are looking for a friendly platform to host your online worship, take a look at Church Online Platform. This is a free tool that allows you to have a page with your video (pre-recorded or live stream), a chat function, prayer request, and five custom links such as online giving, connection card, a link to your church website, etc...
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Use this link https://churchonlineplatform.com/ to access the Church Online webpage. You will find plenty of resources to help get you up and running quickly.
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Follow this link to view the many features of this online platform: https://churchonlineplatform.com/features
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To utilize a tool like the Church Online Platform you will need to have the proper equipment and software See the section below for software and equipment options.
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Software and Equipment
Some software options are:
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For equipment check out the sample packages from CCI. For purchasing or advice on equipment contact Mike Robertson at CCI mrobertson@ccisolutions.com or 800-426-8664 ext.2184. Please note these package can be customized to meet your needs and the equipment in each package is subject to change based on current availability. Video streaming equipment is in high demand and stock is very fluid on certain items. I encourage you to call and speak with a sales rep before purchasing any equipment to verify the equipment best meets your needs.
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Click here to see CCI's work at Christ Lutheran Church - Costa Mesa