How To Stream Services

For parishes that wish to stream their services online, the Diocese of Southwest Florida can help you get online, and give you advice.

Below, basics of getting a Facebook stream up, as well as YouTube. There are three basic different ways you can stream, from easiest to hardest.

1. Streaming from social media, using an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone. This requires wifi, a reasonably new smartphone, and an account with one of the services. This is free.
2. Streaming through a casting box. Services such as Boxcast sell a transponder box, that you can connect a video camera too, as well as sound through your audio board at your church.
3. Streaming through a webcam. This requires a laptop and webcam. This can sometimes be tricky, as it requires matching different devices and companies.

Below are a few steps that you can take to make it easier.

• Lindsey Nickel, Communications Director, stands ready to help you if you need help. Email me at [email protected]

Streaming YouTube Live & Facebook Live

Needed/Ingredients

• Strong wifi in church, or decent cellphone signal
• iPhone or Android, fairly new
• Tripod or way of holding iPhone or Android, either floor or table (duct tape?)
• YouTube account, and downloaded YouTube app on your smartphone

 Steps for Streaming With  Facebook & YouTube

1. Register: Start with Facebook or YouTube as a way to begin streaming services. Register for a YouTube account, or Facebook account if you don’t have one. If you have a Facebook account, you can stream directly from your phone. Ditto with YouTube. You will need to stream from one platform or the other. It is easiest to register for an account if you don’t have one with a laptop. For YouTube, you will need to log in with a gmail password, so someone needs to have a google account. If you don’t, open an account for the parish. And don’t lose the password!
2. Download the App: You will need to have the YouTube app on your phone, and not go through a browser. This keeps things simple. Download the app you wish to use, and log in.
3. Find a place for the iPhone: You will be using sound from the phone, and video from the phone’s camera. So find a place to put your phone that shows where the action will be. And realize that you can’t easily move it during the service. Remember that the place for it needs to be where it can hear the ambient sound from the mic system, so the first row is good. Just make sure that folks near it aren’t talking. For services, you will want to have someone monitoring the feed, so the priest or lector does not have to pay attention. If you are doing a Bible study or small office devotional, you do not have to worry.
4. Login for YouTube: After you have logged into YouTube, you will see a small camera image at the top of the app. You will want to click on that camera image. That will then offer you to RECORD or GO LIVE. Try the GO LIVE in the office and see how it goes. Note that it takes 24 hours for YouTube to approve your account for live streaming, so make sure you have done this well before Sunday Services.
5. Login for Facebook: You need to login to Facebook. Go to your parish page (not your own). There will be a place to make a post, just like you make any other Facebook post. It will say CREATE POST (see photo at right). When you click on that, there is an option for LIVE. Press it, and then put your phone in the tripod or holder. Look for the numbers to see that the stream is going.
6. Get started with your stream. And don’t be anxious about it. It is trial and error, and each time you will get better at it.

Last Updated: 9-26-23