Recommendations for Online Worship
We only have one shot to hit the bullseye…DON’T MISS!
- Excellent camera placement and operation is a MUST!!!
- The visual of looking up someone’s nose is a turn off
- ‘Fuzzy’ is not cool
- If there is a transition between shots, please make it a smooth transition
- Handheld cameras need to be operated by people who have steady hands
- Inspirational music MUST be done with excellence!
- Hymnsing with everyone’s mic on…NO!
- Soloists need to be able to ‘bring it’ (i.e. elicit tears, joy, emotions)
- Ensembles should have rehearsed BEFORE the Sunday morning worship
- Preaching MUST be relevant, hope-filled & inspirational!
- Visual cues should be rehearsed with musicians/liturgist/preacher BEFORE the worship experience!
- People on camera MUST dress for the audience they want…not the audience they have, so avoid:
- Wrinkled shirts/tee shirts/jeans and sneakers coupled with a clerical top
- An unshaven or ‘just rolled out of bed’ appearance
- Eliminate distracting movements behind the liturgist/preacher.
- People should not be entering/departing the choir stand and/or pulpit while the liturgist/preacher is standing and speaking
- Prior to start of worship running a video loop of community presence and opportunities to serve is a ‘hook.’ Please avoid using just announcements intended for ‘insiders’ to grow your audience.
- Provide more than one option for giving (i.e. snail mail, church app, website, bill pay, cash app, recurring giving thru bank, etc.)
- Publicity of online worship opportunities is key!
- How we get the word out key determinant in who/how many engage. Remember to use a multi-platform approach; announcements issued on one platform are useless, a waste of your time and ineffective!
- Have enough bandwidth to prevent ‘hiccups’ in the video feed. The bandwidth in your house/apartment/condo may not be equal to what is present in the church house. Pick a location with near flawless reception.
- Be heard! Sound technicians must ensure there is NO distortion on the mics…very distracting
- Provide more than one platform for viewing/experiencing the worship. Aim for as many as possible, including Facebook, Vimeo, your church webpage, YouTube, etc.