Live streaming church services has become a great method of reaching people online. With online church services, you can have live videos coming straight to the viewer’s inbox. This can help attract more viewers and make them interested in what you have to say, which means they’ll probably love your sermons!
When it comes to live streaming church services, you need a computer that can keep up with the demands of your congregation.
You need something that can record and broadcast your sermons, as well as handle all the other tasks you perform in your office, like emailing members of the church or creating sermon notes.
Streaming church services online and providing them to an audience is a great way to reach out to people who don’t have access to traditional churches. This can help you grow your congregation and make new friends, as well as provide a way for people who are far away to feel like they’re part of a community.
Live streaming is also useful for those who want to record their sermon or other events, so they can watch them later—and share them with others.
Best Computer For Live Streaming Church Service
Live streaming is a great way to help your church grow and reach people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to join. Plus, it’s easy and accessible! Here’s what you’ll need for live streaming your church service:
Webcam
The webcam is the most important part of your streaming setup. Most people have a built-in webcam on their laptop, but if you’re not sure, check in your computer settings or call the manufacturer’s tech support line.
If you’re going to be using a standalone camera for live streaming services like Facebook Live and YouTube Live, there are many types of cameras to choose from.
High-quality webcams with built-in microphones can cost anywhere from $40 to $200 depending on where you buy them and which features they have (like autofocus). The best budget option is usually an external webcam with mic that costs around $100-$150.
Video Capture Card
A video capture card is a piece of hardware that you can plug into your computer to capture live video. Some cards will allow you to record both the webcam and the camera, but most will only record one or the other.
If you want to use your webcam for live streaming, then you’ll need a webcam with at least 720p resolution and 30 frames per second (fps). If you want to use the camera instead, then buy one with at least 1080p resolution and 30 fps.
As for what type of card should be used, it depends on how many sources you want your computer to record from simultaneously. If all three are being recorded from together then I recommend using an HDMI splitter as well as an HDMI patch cord so that each source goes into its own channel on this device before connecting them all together again at their respective outputs (this way only one cable needs connecting directly into each source rather than having multiple cables run between each).
Audio Interface
A good audio interface is required for live streaming your church service. An audio interface connects microphones to your computer via USB or FireWire. You can connect multiple microphones to one audio interface, which makes it easy to record multiple tracks at once in the same room.
A digital mixer is needed if you want more control over the sound quality of your live stream and in order to connect an external microphone (such as a wireless headset) that isn’t supported by your computer’s built-in microphone jack.
Tripod
A tripod is a must, as it will help you get the camera in the right area. It will also keep it steady, which is essential for live stream services. Look for one that is tall enough to hold your camera above the congregation and stable enough to hold up when you are moving. Make sure it has a mount for your camera too!
Laptop
We recommend the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop. The laptop comes with an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It also has a 15-inch display that supports 4K resolution and 3840 x 2160 pixels as well as HDMI port, USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity. The device also has a DVD drive if you want to play CDs or DVDs while streaming your service on it.
For live streaming church services, you’ll need a webcam, video capture card, audio interface, tripod and laptop.
You’ll need a webcam, a video capture card, an audio interface and tripod for live streaming your church service.
The webcam is the most important piece of equipment when it comes to live streaming because it’s what allows you to show your audience what’s going on in front of you. You can use any kind of webcam for this purpose; even the cheapest ones will do just fine.
Next up are the video capture cards (also called encoders). These devices can be connected directly to your computer or indirectly through another device like an HDMI cable or USB port (though some video cards don’t work that way). When plugged into these ports they will transfer images from whatever device they’re connected with onto your computer screen where they’ll be picked up by the live stream software so that other people can see them too!
Now let’s talk about audio interfaces: Just like their name suggests these devices allow us to play music into our recording software so we don’t have silence while we’re recording our messages! You might have noticed that many desktop computers come equipped with built-in microphones which aren’t always very good quality; if this sounds familiar then consider purchasing an external microphone instead since it’ll provide higher quality sound without costing too much money at all!
Best Desktop Computer For Live Streaming
Getting into the world of streaming can be a daunting task, so you’ll want to make sure you have the right equipment for the job. Seemingly you’ll want you PC to actually run games at a decent framerate and resolution, so that’ll be the graphic cards responsibility, but when it comes to streaming liver on Twitch or YouTube, you’ll need to give your CPU some attention. That’s right the GPU isn’t particularly involved when it comes down to live-streaming, but the better your CPU’s processing power, the more likely you are to hit a consistent 1080p full HD when live, as long as your internet is also playing ball.
1. Dell G5
Dell G5
Best Desktop Computer for Streaming
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 ● Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 ● Storage: 512GB SSD ● RAM: 16GB
The Dell G5 desktop is the perfect all-round gaming computer, built with everything you need to kick off (or continue) your video game streams. Kitted out with a powerful Intel Core i7, the G5 won’t break a sweat when streaming in full 1080p HD for hours at a time.
2. Alienware Aurora R10
Alienware Aurora R10
Best Desktop for Streaming with an AMD Processor
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X ● Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 ● Storage: 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD ● RAM: 16GB
If an AMD processor is more up your street, then look no further, and wouldn’t blame you either, as the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X can offer plenty of bang for your buck. Not only that, but you’re also getting an incredibly powerful graphics card and more than enough storage to fill your boots with.
3. CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme
CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme
On Amazon
Best RGB Desktop for Streaming
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K ● Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB ● Storage: 1TB SSD ● RAM: 16GB
Stream in full 1080p HD quality and look good while doing it. This CyberPower desktop certainly does what it says on the tin.
4. iBUYPOWER Element 9260
iBUYPOWER Element 9260
On Amazon
Best i7 Alternative
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700F ● Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB ● Storage: 240GB SSD + 1TB HDD ● RAM: 16GB
Power is the name of the game with the Element 9260, and you’re certainly going to be far from disappointed. Featuring an Intel i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, you can stream, game, and do just about anything else to your heart’s content.
5. HP Pavilion
HP Pavilion
On Amazon
Best Desktop for Streaming with an Intel i5 Processor
Processor: Intel i5-9400F ● Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6 ● Storage: 256GB SSD+1TB HDD ● RAM: 16GB
The Pavilion is a perfectly capable desktop with more than enough graphical power and storage to suit all your streaming needs. With an i5 you’ll be streaming at a slightly lower quality and with less efficiency, but it will keep the costs down a bit.
6. Lenovo ThinkCentre M715q
Lenovo ThinkCentre M715q
On Amazon
Best Ultracheap Desktop for Streaming
Processor: AMD A-Series A12-9800E ● Graphics Card: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM ● Storage: 128GB SSD ● RAM: 8GB RAM
These small form factor desktops are brilliant when it comes to boosting your streaming capabilities on a budget. Originally designed for business use, these desktops are simple but should be able to handle whatever you throw at it.
7. SkyTech Archangel
SkyTech Archangel
On Amazon
Best Budget Desktop for Streaming
Processor: AMD Ryzen 1200 ● Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ● Storage: 1TB HDD ● RAM: 8GB
It’s not the most powerful desktop out there, but you can efficiently stream to great effect, and won’t be breaking the bank at the same time.
We believe that live streaming your church services is a great way to spread the message of Jesus Christ and welcome people from around the world into your congregation. This list may seem daunting, but we are confident that any member of the community will be able to find what they need on our list of recommendations for equipment for live streaming church services. We know that this is an exciting time for you and your ministry, and hope that these tips help get you started on making it a reality!
Best Pc For Live Streaming Church
1. Dacast
Overview:
Dacast specializes in live streaming for churches with plans starting at $39 a month.
Set at a competitive price point, the Dacast streaming platform offers a feature-rich and comprehensive solution for small to larger congregations.
Smaller churches with smaller bandwidth needs may prefer the Starter Plan ($39/month). It includes the same great features as larger churches on the Event or Scale Plans. Please, note that not all online video platforms (OVPs) offer such a starting plan at lower rates.
Additionally, Dacast makes it easy to learn the ropes of broadcasting as you test, set up, and start streaming, which is helpful for first-time church broadcasters via 24/7 support, a knowledge base of articles to get you started, and video tutorials.
All Dacast plans include content delivery with top-tier CDNs. With the reliability of a content delivery network, your viewers can watch your stream from all over the world by connecting to a server closest to them.
Key Features:
Dacast offers many features to make the transition to live streaming easier. Dacast also offers features that will enhance your live streams, ensuring that you provide your viewers with quality content.
Live Streaming and Video on Demand (VOD) Packages
With Dacast, we support both live streams and video-on-demand with our plans. What that means for your church is that you can stream live services and create pre-recorded content to share with your church members.
Live Recording
When you host a live event, you will more than likely want to have that video to watch later! With live recording, not only can you live stream your church’s events, but you can also record them.
Recording your live streams allows people who could not watch or attend when the event was happening live to still view and participate in the event. You can use live recordings to create a video library of services, bible studies, and youth group meetings.
Branding Control
With your church’s videos, you don’t want to have a bunch of other businesses’ branding all over your content. With Dacast, we offer a white-label service, which means our brand isn’t anywhere to be found.
You can customize the video player with colors and branding that make sense for your church.
Ad-Free Experience
With Dacast, you can offer your viewers an advertisement-free experience. The only way advertisements will end up on your videos is if you choose to monetize your content by using an advertising network. Otherwise, your content will always be ad-free.
Immersive Video Galleries
Need help displaying your content? With Dacast’s immersive video galleries, you can create immersive video galleries for displaying your church’s archived content. For example, you could make immersive video galleries for different types of content, such as:
- Sunday church services
- Wednesday church services
- Bible study groups
- Youth groups
- Child ministry
You can give all your recorded live streams a home of their own with immersive video galleries.
24/7 Customer Support
At Dacast, we don’t expect you to be video experts, which is why we offer 24/7 support, so if you run into an issue, you can get the support you need in real-time.
A few additional noteworthy features that Dacast offers include:
- Top-tier content delivery networks (CDNs) help get your video files to your viewers quickly and efficiently.
- Multi-user access with our Scale and Custom plans, so the different church members who manage your video content can all have their own access.
- Video analytics dashboard so you can see how many people are watching and how long they are watching for, among other metrics. These analytics can help you shape how you promote and conduct your services.
- Privacy and security feature so you can keep your content secure and control who sees it and how it is shared.
- Zoom live streaming so that you can enjoy the accessibility of Zoom with all the extra features of Dacast.
Compatibility with all devices allows people to watch your church’s content on computers and mobile devices.
Pricing:
- Starter Plan: $39/month (includes 1,000 GB of bandwidth & 50 GB of storage)
- Event Plan: $63/month (includes 6 TB of bandwidth upfront and 50 GB of storage)
- Scale Plan: $188/month (includes 24 TB of bandwidth per year and 1 TB of storage)
For more details, please visit our pricing page.
User Experience:
Dacast offers a solid in terms of live stream church services of all kinds. If you’re not very tech-savvy, you can still use the platform to record and stream videos successfully. Dacast offers premium features and unparalleled service at comparable rates. Its adaptability across devices of all types and constant support means any issues you might run into will be handled quickly and without disrupting the service.
2. Streamingchurch.TV
Overview:
StreamingChurch.TV is a church streaming service designed for church-related streaming alone.
This platform offers many “church-specific” features, including sermon notes, a map of church attendees simulating a live service, and more.
The map feature shows everyone in attendance and also groups them into a moderated chat, where individuals can discuss aspects of the live stream church service sermon. The Integrated Sermon Notes let you follow along as the sermon takes place, ensuring you don’t miss a moment.
StreamingChurch.TV does offer both live and VOD streaming, but only on Premium plans and above. In addition, this OVP offers embedding options to stream live video.
One significant drawback for some congregations is that StreamingChurch.tv does not stream content over a CDN. This can lead to poor video quality when there is a large congregation of viewers watching your broadcast.
Features:
Live stream support
Want to share content live? StreamingChurch.TV has the tools to help you go live.
Ad-free streaming
You don’t have to worry about advertisements appearing during your live stream or church VOD content.
Unlimited Tech Support
StreamingChurch.TV offers unlimited tech support, allowing even beginner church members to get their streams up and running. They even have a dedicated Sunday morning support team to ensure your church service’s streaming goes off without a hitch.
Unlimited Bandwidth
All plans include unlimited streaming, allowing your ministry to grow without worrying about having enough bandwidth to support your live viewers.
Connect with Viewers
Church isn’t just about sitting and listening to someone talk; it is about the community. With StreamingChurch.TV, you can enjoy access to chat break-out groups. You can also send private chat messages to church members who are viewing online.
Plus, after you stream church service live, you can send automated follow-up emails after the service ends. This is a great way to get feedback on the experience, share news, or send a service summary.
Interactive map of attendance
You can see where people are attending the service live with an interactive map that allows viewers to pin their location, allowing you to see where everyone is at!
Integrated sermon notes
When you attend church live, you usually get a program to follow. That experience is duplicated with StreamingChurch.TV integrated sermon note feature, allowing you to add the program notes to the service.
Note that VOD, Ultra HD streaming, adaptive bitrate, and simulated live service features are available only on the Premium plan.
Pricing:
- Basic Unlimited Plan: $79/month
- Premium Unlimited Plan: $127/month
- Platinum Unlimited Plan: $179/month
After accessing the one-month free trial, all plans include a one-time $79 activation fee and unlimited bandwidth (except for 24/7 broadcast ministries).
User Experience:
A solid service designed specifically for churches and other religious institutions. It’s a no-frills, reliable platform with good video quality and scalability potential to stream live church service. One issue some users report is its lack of compatibility with CND. Its web page is also somewhat tricky to set up and operate.
3. BoxCast (Previously SundayStreams)
Overview:
BoxCast is a live streaming solution that was built upon SundayStreams, which was devoted to churches and sermons. SundayStreams was acquired by Boxcast, which expanded its set of features to include a fully adaptive player and Google Analytics integration to access real-time analytics.
BoxCast has a good reputation for responding within 24 hours of a customer reaching out for support via email. However, if you want the guarantee of 24/7 customer support, you’ll want to consider other live stream church services platforms for live streaming of church services.
This option does offer a 90-day money-back guarantee
The greatest strength of BoxCast is its simplicity and ability to reach novice broadcasters.
Features:
- Ad-free streaming
- Easy embedding (stream from your website)
- Phone and email support
- Facebook and Twitter compatible
- Broadcast 24/7
- Mobile compatibility and customizable phone apps
- Analytics dashboards
Price:
- Essential Plan: $99/month
- Growth Plan: $149/month
- Experience Plan: $199/month
Please check out the BoxCast pricing page for an in-depth comparison of the plans.
User Experience:
BoxCast is a good service with outstanding customer support for streaming live church services. Their analytics offer great insight and feedback. Some users have expressed that add-ons for applications such as FireTV and AppleTv were on the pricier side compared to other in-class services. Overall, a good option for church services streaming live to a large audience.
4. ChristianWorldMedia
Overview:
ChristianWorldMedia offers affordable church streaming software and a lot of flexibility, making it a good option to consider for churches and congregations. With three different pricing options, even small religious communities can afford live streaming of church services with this platform. The online Bible integration feature can be very useful as well.
However, one setback of this platform is support for a limited number of viewers and abnormally low video quality. Before you commit to this platform, make sure that this won’t be an issue for your live stream church service.
Features:
- 24/7 streaming
- 50 simultaneous viewers per live event
- 2 re-streaming channels (minimum)
- Roku compatible
- Online Bible integration
- Social media integration
- Live Recording (Pro Plan only)
- Phone and email support (Pro Plan only)
- Unlimited archiving (Pro Plan only)
- Adaptive live transcoding (Pro Plan only)
Pricing:
- Basic plan: $35/month for 50 simultaneous viewers per live event and 2 re-streaming channels
- Basic+ plan: $59/month for 200 simultaneous viewers per live event and 3 re-streaming channels
- Pro plan: $89/month for 500 simultaneous viewers per live event and 4 re-streaming channels
Please check out the ChristianWorldMedia pricing page for additional information.
User Experience:
This platform is new in the streaming live church services scene and is on the smaller side. Even though it offers good features, its scalability is limited, and so is the video quality. Making it less suitable for church service live streams looking to cater to a larger audience.
5. TruthCasting
Overview:
In terms of live streaming solutions for churches, TruthCasting offers many features for broadcasting all of your church-related events. The pricing stems from how many members you have on-site, rather than the features you need. No matter how many members, as long as you do not exceed your number limit, you have access to all of TruthCasting’s available features.
Unfortunately, TruthCasting only supports churches with less than 2000 members.
However, this OVP does offer good quality support. In addition, they host their services with Amazon’s Web Services. If you have questions about their CDN, check out our live streaming CDN comparison.
Features:
- Ad-free streaming
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Embed code to stream live video on your website
- Reliable content delivery
- Phone support
- Live recording
- Compatible with all platforms, including iPhones and iPads
Pricing:
TruthCasting has a very simple all-inclusive pricing plan for $39.95 per month to stream church services live, which includes:
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited viewers
- Phone and email support
- Unlimited streaming
There is an option to add Facebook Live or YouTube Live for $10 per month.
User Experience:
TrueCasting offers a virtual church service at a very affordable price point. Many of the features it offers are up to mark, with other platforms charging a much higher fee. Its easy-to-use interface means even people with limited skills can record and upload decent quality videos.