Now that churches are starting to re-open, if you have already started live streaming you might be wondering whether the accessibility of your services online will reduce the number of congregants attending your in-person services.
The short answer is: no. You might even find that the increasing numbers of people attending your online services will actually increase your in-church attendance once you are able to fully open your doors again. There are a few reasons for this…
It creates consistent attendance to your services.
The first step to getting your congregation to attend your church services is to create a regular habit. One of the benefits of live streaming your services is that when a congregant is unable to attend in person because they are sick or working or for any other reason, they are still able to continue attending services online.
And, for newer members of your congregation, they are able to figure out if your church is a good fit for them. It is a little less intimidating than going to a church in person for the first time, and eases them into the habit of regularly attending your services and engaging with your ministry until they are able to attend in-person services.
You can get your youth ministry involved with social media.
Once you have your live streaming covered, one of the benefits of having an online presence is being able to engage with your congregation at all times through social media and your website. One way to strengthen your church community while also helping you reach new members both online and for in-person services is by involving more tech-savvy youth in your ministry to contribute to your church’s social media presence. Not only will they be able to feel more involved and connected with their church, but it will help you reach new members through their families and friends.
Members can attend your services from anywhere in the world.
Depending on where your church is located, this helps to maintain existing members that might be home in a different state during the current pandemic, or college students that are only able to attend in-person during the semester.
It also allows your church to reach new members. These new online viewers might be family members of existing congregants who will be able to attend in-person when they are together. If you are active on social media and online, you’ll be able to stay connected to these members to increase both your online and in-person attendance.
Improve your church’s SEO.
Another benefit of starting to live stream and increasing your church’s online presence is the improvement to your search rank and SEO. By streaming your church services and updating your website and social media, you are showing Google and Facebook that you have regular traffic and they will continue to push traffic to your website and social media.
To add to that, the more content that your church publishes online, the easier it will be for people to find your church website and your church service live streams. This makes it easier for your congregants and for your ministry to share your church videos, church website, or donation links online to boost both online and in-person attendance.
These are just a few ways that live streaming can increase both online and in-person attendance to your church services. So, if you haven’t started live streaming and need a hand with getting set up, schedule a free demo with our team here.
