Pastors and Live Video Options

The new avenue of live video is not going to disappear. It is here to stay and it is only going to get better as apps and technology improve.

Video is not new to pastors and churches. They use video to video blog and share church services. It is easy to record, edit, and upload a video to YouTube or Vimeo, and then post the video to a blog, website, or Facebook page.

You can watch videos from pastors and churches on apps for your smart phone and tablet. TV is another area of video. However, the costs associated with putting a church service on TV probably exceed what an average church would want to spend in this area.

Why pay for it when there are so many different free options?

There is a lot of conversation going on about what platform people are going to use the most. The Live Stream wars are here! You may or may not be familiar with the following platforms:

• Twitch
• YouTube
• DLive
• Mixer
• Facebook

All of these platforms have potential and they all serve a purpose. They all offer a chance for the broadcaster to provide their content and communicate with their fans or followers.

I have been thinking about this new world of video and what benefits or drawbacks each of these platforms might have for pastors and churches who may want to use video to share their content.

I have enjoyed being a Periscope user, but when Katch announced that they were going to have to shut down, that ended the ability of capturing Periscope content and embedding the videos on your blog or Facebook page.

So I started thinking about how best to reach our community with video. I didn’t want to leave Periscope but here is the kicker—none of my church members were regularly on Periscope.

YouTube is one option because you can record a video, share it on your YouTube page, and then embed it wherever you want the video to be seen.

However, I have embraced live video because you don’t have to record anything. You don’t need fancy or expensive cameras. You don’t need expensive software or other types of equipment.

Start with what you have.

Your smart phone.

All of these platforms from Twitch to YouTube have apps. You can broadcast straight from your phone and then share a link or embed the video on your church’s website, your Facebook page or clip a portion of the video and post on your IGTV page.

You can use video on these platforms to reach potential visitors and possibly even explore new things.

Think about this:

• You could go a little deeper in the Scripture than time allows on Sunday.
• You could offer messages of encouragement and hope.
• You could share a little in to your personal or family life.
• You could share announcements and other events going on in the community or your local church.
• You could use this as a new way to explore online church.
• You could answer questions and pray for people.
• You can livestream events or special services at your church.
• You can livestream your thoughts on a conference while you are at the conference.
• You can do online Bible studies or book reviews.

I have been livestreaming since 2015.

My journey started with Periscope.

I moved to Facebook when they introduced Facebook Live. I used Facebook for a couple of years. I streamed all kinds of things until I received an email from Facebook that said they were reducing the audience reach for my videos unless I started paying them to gain my reach back.

So I moved to Twitch.

Twitch is owned by Amazon. Most people only know Twitch as a gaming platform but it is more than that. There is a wide range of categories including cooking and IRL or vlogging. I livestream on Twitch, and then share the link to various other social media platforms.

I was recently introduced to a new third party app called Prism Live Studio.

My favorite thing about this app is that you can broadcast live to Twitch in 1080p.

You may be hesitant or fearful, but you don’t have to be. Use notes if you want to. Use a monitor if you want to. Just push that “Go Live” button and share your message. You will never know whose life may be impacted because God led them to your video.

I am by no means a professional, but I continue to learn and grow to get better at live video.

I currently use Twitch for sermons, IRL videos, Bible studies, book studies and reviews, and streaming games with my boys.

If you would like to connect with me on Twitch, you can follow me at

twitch.tv/pastorjimmyproulx

You can also connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or by email.

I will do my best to answer your questions.

I look forward to seeing how God is going to use pastors and churches to reach more people with livestreaming video.