by Shawn West

Now is not the time to panic, but it is the time to prepare as the Corona Virus (COVID-19) is upon us. So I ask you this question, is LIVE STREAMING your church services a healthy prescription?

Leading health experts are unanimous in saying, “Distance yourself from the risk. (Dr. Anthony Fauci, Center for Disease Control, circa Fox News, March 8, 2020).  Schools are currently closed in 18 states.  And more closings are on the way.  Evangelical pastors are no longer shaking hands at the back of the sanctuary after the service.  Catholic parishes have stopped serving communion and the Holy water fonts are empty.  The U.S. Government just issued guidance saying that they may forcibly close many sectors of America.  Does that include churches? A church in Georgetown, Virginia was just closed due to one of its pastors shaking hands with a known Corona Virus victim. Two pastors of one of the nation’s largest churches [Lifechurch] are being quarantined by local health authorities after being exposed to the new coronavirus.

Let’s be proactive. But how do we protect ourselves in churches that are packed each Sunday morning, Sunday night and sometimes Wednesday? The so-called act of “social distancing” goes against our evangelical grains in encouraging others to “join us” each Sunday for worship services and Bible study.  Not to mention the multitude of revival meetings, church conferences and men’s and women’s retreats happening right now across the USA.  And don’t get me started on Vacation Bible School this summer.  What in the world are we going to do with our summer programs and campouts if the Corona Virus takes hold here in America as it is prognosticated to do?  Will our volunteer staff be infected, ill and otherwise unable to work?  Will our facilities be clean enough?  Will the community-at-large trust us with their children?

It’s hard enough to get church members to invite their family and friends to attend church once in a while (mostly at Christmas and Easter time).  But imagine how difficult it will be if there’s a growing group of infected church members in your congregation?

As we have heard, older folks (above the age of 50) are the most susceptible to catching the Virus. And we all know that these are the same folks that are the financial lifeblood of every church.  This age group is the adults who are in their highest money-earning years and most consistent in tithing the obligatory ten percent in support of the church.  It’s sad to think that pastors and elders are now having these conversations, but they are.   “What do we do if our congregants have to choose between unexpected medical costs and contributing their tithe to the church?”  Even a small “reflex” reaction from folks holding back their tithe, just in case, will have an immediate effect on every church budget.   And we all know; that downward trend becomes a sharp downward spiral very quickly.

Today, the Whitehouse just announced the canceling of their in-person meetings and all unnecessary travel.  They are encouraging video conferences and live streams as the alternative.  If the U.S. Government is shutting down its group gatherings, what does that mean for us out here in the hinterlands?

The most effective alternative to group gatherings is LIVE STREAMING.  By now, most church leaders have heard of or experienced first-hand a live-streamed church service. Some folks have said, “It’s the next best thing to being there.”  I agree.  Offering an alternative to walking into the church building is a smart and effective way to handling the fears of the Corona Virus outbreak.  For folks who are ill and for folks who are simply scared, the option of watching a church live stream on Sunday mornings, for now, may be the smartest thing a church can do.     

“This is a very serious medical problem. Don’t minimize it.” (Secretary Alex Azar, Health and Human Services, circa March 9, 2020)

I got a call from a pastor last weekend who said: “We have a small congregation of less than 100, and if anyone gets sick or the community gets scared that we have sick members and everyone stops coming, then our church will die.”  Another pastor said to me recently, “We’re going to close our doors temporarily and go 100% live streaming.  It’s the only way we can get through this.”

Minimize the risk.  “Face masks don’t work.” (The Guardian, March 2020).  Don’t be fooled by false claims that you can pass out face masks to your church staff and protect them.  It simply does not work.  Only “distancing” is an effective health safety measure.

So, how do churches prepare to start LIVE STREAMING? 

I’m going to walk you through the 3 simple steps to get it done quickly and easily.

STEP 1:  Check your internet connection in the sanctuary.  Go to www.speedtest.net and make sure you have at least 5 MBS of UPLOAD CAPACITY. You are going to need to use a minimum of one quarter of this amount of internet bandwidth for your live streaming audio and video.  If you need more bandwidth, call your internet service provider. They will be happy to make sure you have enough upload capacity to live stream.

STEP 2: Purchase an ENCODER APPLIANCE (a streaming box) which will be plugged into the internet and used to process your audio and video signal. They cost as little as $200.00 U.S. Dollars and up to $4,000.00 USD.  Alternatively, if you have a really powerful computer, you can purchase the popular Wirecast Encoder software from Telestream.net. NOTE: My company offers these appliances and software at a discounted rate.

STEP 3:  Choose an online live streaming provider.  There are many to choose from. Since you have read this article thus far, it’s a pretty good chance that you are a decision-maker at your church.  And most church leaders, when given a choice, would prefer to choose a Christian-owned & operated provider, rather than a secular company, whose values don’t align with the church.  Also, a big question to ask is, WILL THERE BE SOMEONE WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, WHEN I NEED THEM?  We do.

Does your church have a Technology Minister?  If not, now may be the time to locate the nearest 25 years old and get them ordained!  I’m only half-kidding.  Monitoring the live stream audience and helping them “learn to worship online” is an important new method for the future of the church.  An online confession of faith needs to be just as common and accepted as walking down the aisle.

So if you are feeling the pressure to come up with answers to the question of how is your church preparing for the pandemic of COVID-19, or whatever new virus it mutates into, then one good answer is live streaming.  Don’t be afraid that this change in the worship experience of your congregation will last forever.  Things will calm down.  The virus will either go away or a cure will be found.  But in the meantime, offer your church members an alternative that keeps them connected to the church.  Offer live streaming of your church services today.  It’s easy and affordable and quite possibly the cure for your church membership ills, in more ways than one.

Shawn West is a technology expert and church solutions provider and the President of www.worshipchannels.com