Whether you want to promote your church to a wider audience, engage more closely with your followers, or simply let current members tune in remotely, going live on Facebook is a great way to connect online.
Here’s how you can easily host your church’s Facebook live stream in four easy steps.
Step 1: Choose an event to stream on Facebook Live
The first step to a great Facebook Live stream is to decide what you actually want to stream!
Churches most commonly live stream their sermons. It’s a great way to share your church’s message with the community and members who couldn’t make it to church in-person.
But your regular sermons aren’t the only thing you can live stream. Here are just a few church events that would benefit from a Facebook Live stream:
- Guest sermons
- Special music performances
- Plays and skits
- Community outreach events
If you think the congregation would be interested in an activity, you can live stream it on Facebook!
Step 2: Schedule your live event
Once you know what you want to stream to Facebook Live, it’s time to schedule it. You can’t just go live and expect people to watch; you have to let them know it’s coming!
The best way to schedule your Facebook Live event is right through Facebook. From your Facebook feed, profile, or page, tap the Live Video button under where you can write a new status. Then, click “Create live video event.” This will create a new Facebook event page that you can customize with all the information about your church live stream.
Include all the essential information, including:
- What the live stream will be about
- Date and time
- Length of the live stream
You can also select the privacy options to choose who can watch your live stream. This is automatically set to “Guests can invite friends” by default.
Finally, choose a category that suits your event, and your live stream is scheduled and ready to go!
Step 3: Promote your live stream to all your followers
As soon as you schedule a live event, it automatically creates a Facebook event page for your Live stream. This is where you can invite, comment, and interact with others who might be interested in watching your Live stream.
And with your event page created, it’s time to do some promoting! Think of it like the home base for your live stream marketing. Anything you post to promote your Live stream should link back to your event page.
Start by inviting all your followers to save the date and RSVP to your live stream. You can easily do that right from your Live stream event page.
Next, create some promotional graphics that you can upload to your various social media feeds or distribute in person at the church. The best way to create professional graphics without needing professional graphic-making skills is with templates.
There are thousands of Facebook Live social media post templates available for free on websites like PosterMyWall. Simply choose the graphic that best fits your live event, customize the information using the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to post.
Start promoting your church’s Facebook Live event as soon as you have the details locked in. The longer the buildup, the more excited people will be to watch. Make regular posts up to the day of the event to really build a buzz!
Step 4: Start the Facebook Live stream
With your event scheduled and promotions complete, the only thing left to do is actually host your Facebook Live event!
On the big day, have your device ready. If you’re using a smartphone, simply have your camera pointing at whatever you want to film. If you’re using a computer, connect a webcam and have it ready to film.
When it’s time to stream, you can either start the Live stream directly from your event page, or select the Live Video button from your home page and click Go live manually. Make sure your camera is pointed in the right direction and have your audio enabled, and you’re streaming!
Your live stream will appear at the top of the feed for all your followers, making it easy to find. Depending on their notification settings, followers may even be alerted once you start the live video.
Continue filming until the end of the Live stream and then click end. That’s all it takes to host a Facebook Live stream for your church!
Extend your church event to a digital audience
Hosting a Facebook Live stream opens your church up well beyond the sanctuary. Anyone in the world with an internet connection can watch and engage with your mission.
If you want to spread the good word to the world, choose an activity, schedule your Facebook Live stream, promote the event, and film. That’s all it takes to share your church and its activities with anyone who might want to tune in.
