Tag Archive for: live streaming

625 – Potluck: Online Education Ideas

Tune in to this week’s WELSTech for a ton of resources to support the new “normal” of online ministry. Professor Rachel Feld joins us to share ideas for teachers adjusting their classrooms to function from a distance, and Missionary Mike Hartman is with us as well, graciously sharing knowledge and experience around carrying out church online. Plus there’s more resource links than you can shake a stick at!

The discussion:

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Education from a distance for everyone – Martin Luther College’s Director of Academic Computing Professor Rachel Feld joins Martin and Sallie as we reflect on the past days and the immense shift to online education.

The interview:

A little help from a friend – Missionary Mike Hartman from the One Latin America Team shares lessons learned during work with Academia Cristo and advice on online ministry.

News in tech:

WELS now:

Postponed/canceled events …

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Resources from WELS and NPH – includes …

  • 80 hymns from Christian Worship
  • Digital access to March and April Forward in Christ magazine
  • 6 weeks of Christ Light Sunday School lessons
  • Kids Connection
  • Devotion options
  • WELS Connection

Community feedback:

Featured videos:

From Bread for Beggars – The Chosen–How to Watch for FREE and an Opportunity to Discuss

Watch the trailer …

From the Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School Echoes – Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled, a mix of individual singers recorded March 25, 2020 during “Safer At Home”

Get involved:

624 – Digital Ministry in a COVID-19 World

This special WELSTech episode is dedicated to sharing resources to assist congregations and schools as they adjust to COVID-19 challenges and opportunities.

The discussion:

Martin and Sallie discuss the impact of the changing COVID-19 restrictions on church and school and technology resources which can help.

Featured video:

How Will the Church Look During Coronavirus and WHY?

Get involved:

587 – Streaming

It’s WELSTech time, so get ready for your weekly dose of tech-in-ministry goodness. This week we share tips for setting up live streaming, and we celebrate the Chinese New Year with prayer. We also visit the Free Bible Images web site and share community feedback related to optimizing Facebook posts. Wait no longer for WELSTech!

The interview and discussion:

Get started streaming – Philip Wels, lay member of Peace in North Mankato, MN joins Martin and Sallie to share his expertise in live streaming worship.

News in tech:

Plans to integrate Facebook Messenger, What’s App and Instagram messages

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Free Bible Images

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Check out the live streaming and sermon video archive from Peace Lutheran Church (ELS) in North Mankato, MN, mentioned during the interview today as a congregation using Philip’s recommended setup. Watch the sermon video from Sunday, February 3, 2019.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 588 – Our “Let’s Build an Intranet” series continues with a practical look at how to build a church intranet using Google Sites.  Release date: Wednesday, February 13.

Get involved:

529 – 500 in 2017

WELSTech closes out 2017 with a look back at some of the best of this year of 500s! From ministry resources to synod convention to paper and online planning, with two very special celebration 500 celebrations, it’s been a great year for ministry and technology.

The discussion:

The best – Relive the highlights of 2017 as Martin and Sallie look back at the things we’ve learned this year!

Favorite 500 events

Favorite ministry resources

Favorite interviews

Picks of the year

Featured video:

We close out the year with Google – Year In Search 2017.

 Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 530 – Join us for a celebration of WELSTech’s 10th anniversary. Release date: Wednesday, January 3.

Get involved:

Getting Started with YouTube Live

Disclaimer: This is one of those Ministry Resources posts where we are going to learn together!

I’ve seen the option and heard of some who are using the live streaming feature on YouTube, but I had never tried it myself. This brought me to the logical (??) decision to give it a test run as a WELSTech Ministry Resource. If you are interested in kicking the tires a bit, my plan was for this post to give enough information to get started. You’ll have to let me know if I succeeded!

A bit of background regarding my live streaming experience to date … For our weekly WELSTech recordings we use Google Hangouts, also integrated into the YouTube live streaming arsenal. They are managed on the YouTube Live Streaming Events page at https://www.youtube.com/my_live_events. I am familiar with it and little has changed since the days when it was part of Google Plus. And I know enough to understand the two-way conversational Hangout experience is very different than traditional one-way live streaming.

As for live streaming, I’ve used the FinalWeb live streaming tool in the past. From that I had learned that live streaming isn’t handled in the browser alone. There is “encoder” software which is installed on the local computer to capture the video and send it to the streaming provider in the appropriate format. YouTube supplies live stream users with a list of potential encoding software solutions. For my test run, I chose to install Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), and had a great experience with it. Check out the video below to see me set up and stream with OBS for the first time.

After doing that one-time installation and setup of encoder software, live streaming on YouTube is super simple. Just visit the live streaming page at https://www.youtube.com/live_dashboard, name your live stream and set security options, and start streaming in your encoder software. When you are done, you’ll stop your stream in the encoder software as well. Then YouTube will automatically add the recording of your stream to your YouTube videos listing at https://www.youtube.com/my_videos.

Boom! Just like that, you’re officially a live streamer!!

Application/audience

There are many possibilities for live streaming in church and school settings. Consider event streaming, including worship, Bible class, school sports and drama, meetings, etc. Live streaming is also a good way to share prepared lessons of any type – daily devotions, special speakers, etc.

Related resources

Of course, the world of live streaming offers many more options than those covered in this getting started overview. Check out these YouTube Help resources to learn about all the possibilities.

And finally, there’s my Getting Started with YouTube Live Streaming video where I demo the setup of my first live stream.

See All Ministry Resources

Church Copyright

Copyright law exists to protect and ensure those behind creative works are appropriately compensated when the work is reproduced or performed. For churches, regular Sunday worship typically includes a host of creative works which are reproduced and performed. The Bible text, sermon, hymns, liturgy, and choral works often pop to mind, but in this digital age, many forget that copyright law also protects projected lyrics, images, and video, streaming worship (live), and podcasting worship (archived), among other things. The complexities and variations are many and finding clear answers to copyright questions can be challenging.

Application

An article from Christian Copyright Solutions details 6 Myths About Copyright That Puts Your Church At Risk. The key to following copyright law is designating someone in your church to become educated on copyright and obtain proper licensing of the creative works you use. Unfortunately, this isn’t a “one time and done” activity. It requires reviewing and reporting individual music selections which are included in worship each week. Christian Copyright Solutions offers excellent, free copyright education resources for churches including an eight-page toolkit, 57-page eBook, webinar videos and fact sheets. They, along with other companies, also offer performance and streaming licensing for churches.

WELSTech doesn’t endorse one licensing solution over another, but additional insight into licensing options is available on WELSTech 329, Are You Legal. Kristine Laufer, Rights and Permissions Coordinator for Northwestern Publishing House, talks with Martin and Sallie about copyright issues including various use of Christian Worship and Christian Worship Supplement.

Related resources

See All Ministry Resources

484 – Social Media in Ministry: Facebook

It’s Valentine’s Day on WELSTech, and we’re talking about chocolate’s important place in technology along with a little discussion on the use of Facebook for church and school as part of a social media strategy. Martin pulls back the curtain on Google’s logs of his travels, and Sallie shares a ministry resource walkthrough of the Free Bible Images web site.

The discussion:

Facebook for ministry – Martin and Sallie answer the Why, What, Who and How questions regarding using Facebook to share the Good News of Jesus with the 1.2 billion daily users of the site. View the Facebook for Ministry infographic.

WELS now:

Registration is underway for the 54th LWMS Convention, happening June 22-25 in Orlando, FL

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Free Bible Images

Featured video:

Learn more about Sallie’s pick of the week in this new addition to the Product Demo playlist titled Word Swag Tutorial – Turn your iPhone or iPad into a Marketing Machine.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 485 – Martin and Sallie share the latest and greatest news from the WELSTech community. Release date: Wednesday, February 22.

Get involved:

475 – Wall To Wall Tech … And Ministry

It’s “Community Feedback” day on WELSTech, and there is something for everyone. Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the new, improved Google Sites, see Trello in action, and check out video camera recommendations. Plus, there’s DOS-prompt nostalgia, podcast recommendations, and smart light bulbs to light your way. See what everybody is talking about.

The discussion:

Last time in 2016 – Our WELSTech listeners come through again with feedback on all types of tech in ministry goodness.

News in tech:

Say goodbye to the MS-DOS command prompt

WELS now:

Christian Leadership Conference – January 6-8 in Orlando, FL

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Check out WELS Technology Projects on Trello, an example of a method of communicating project progress

Featured video:

Watch the December update from Academia Cristo and iGlesia Luterano Cristo, the newest addition on the WELSTech “Likes” list on Vimeo.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 476 – Celebrate Christmas week with a very special WELSTech episode featuring the new synod archivist, Susan Willems. Release date: Wednesday, December 21.

Get involved: