As we ease out of lockdown, many congregations are considering how best blend the best of physical and virtual gatherings. In Lockdown, many housebound worshippers have suddenly enjoyed parity with those who are able to access church buildings; many too have reported larger congregations as church becomes more accessible. There is therefore a keen desire to somehow maintain that accessibility while also returning to physically meeting together as safely as possible. We expect an era of invention and discovery as different approaches are experimented. There will be many variations adapted to the needs and capacities of different parishes/benefices and deaneries. There are a multitude of tools available to you to help you connect with your congregation and the wider community of your parish. The focus is around providing access to worship, being part of the community and supporting those who could do with a bit more help. You may already be digitally savvy as a church and have lots of these capabilities, if not we have collected a few free tools below for you to consider. Services and church gatheringsLive streaming options are available to reach your congregation with encouraging messages and sermons, which are helpful in times of not meeting, so you can keep sharing what you feel God is saying for your church. Here are some tips:
Useful LinksMany of the topics below are tackled by the CofE Digital team's webinars including topics such as 'Five ways to keep your church connected' and 'Livestream Question and answer session' Why stream?Streaming a service isn't just a reaction to the covid lockdowns, though these have certainly accelerated the use of online technology by churches. They very much enable many to take part in worship who are otherwise excluded, including the housebound, the sick, carers - read more here and enables others to take part in morning prayer or midweek services in busy schedules without the time required to travel or organise childcare. Streaming of morning prayer from Lichfield Cathedral has increased attendance tenfold compared to pre-pandemic numbers What to stream?There are similarites and differences when leading worship online compared to when gathered in a building - different ways to make contact with the congregation, read engagement and so on, in a parallel way to the difference between a story told in a theatre or on film.
How to stream?CopyrightCopyright is something of a particular worry to conscientious leaders, and there has been a lot of confusion about what can and can't be done on different platforms:
TechnologyThere are so many options at different levels of cost and complexity - here are some useful link:
Other issuesNot so related to streaming, but very pertinent at the moment, 'How to use AChurchNearYou during social distancing'). We're hoping to hear if they will be repeating some of the sessions soon. And Tom Pearson of the CofE's Life Events Diary team has passed on a useful link about using video conference software safely. Tips for using video in general:
However, as Fr John Stather at Tunstall says, there are significant numbers of people who don't or won't have a Facebook account, particularly among the oldest segments of our congregations. This has driven his decision to persevere with the slightly trickier OBS software alongside a simple webcam in order to be able to stream to Christ Church Tunstall's website using YouTube - it requires no account or login to be accessible. And one final thought: sound plays (more than) 50% of the substance in most of our liturgy - in the words of our liturgy, lyrics of our hymns and acoustics of our buildings. It is worth making the effort to incorporate a sound feed from a PA desk or obtain a separate quality microphone to put at the lectern. Please email our diocesan Creative Media Producer Simon Jones for help and advice. Thanks to Dioceses of Guildford & Blackburn, Tom Pearson and others for highlighting some of these resources |