Is YouTube a front door for my church?
As restrictions ease and church services begin new rhythms, I’ve fielded questions around live streaming on YouTube and what the future holds. Questions like…
“We’re back meeting in person and we’re planning to continue live streaming. What is the purpose of our live stream now, is it a front door?”
Broadly speaking, YouTube for church services can serve three audiences. For each audience they would likely fit into one of the following:
- YouTube as a front door into community.
- YouTube as an online representation of your congregation.
- YouTube as a sampler to ‘try before they buy’.
Your strategy around your live stream depends on the audience you have on YouTube.
One question to ask is, are you getting views from the live stream or those watching the live stream after the event (aka catch up)?
If the majority of your audience is present during the live stream then it might make sense to have a ‘digital pastor’ or ‘digital welcome team’ chatting and helping integrate people, eg moving individuals from a consumer to a contributor.
If your views are coming after the service, it would be helpful for you to ensure those key integration and invitation links are available in the YouTube description, as part of your assimilation process.
Live vs catch-up can present you with slightly different audiences, broadly speaking…
‘Live’ wants to engage in a shared moment. They’re more likely to be familiar with your church and because of health, capacity at the venue, willingness to attend in person, or life stage, are unable to attend in person — but are committed to your church and your vision. Recognising this and adapting your welcome for these people helps to connect your congregation across digital and physical.
Those watching on ‘catch-up’ could have a range of reasons. Maybe they’ve overslept and missed your service, perhaps they have small children and want to watch the service when those children are not awake, they could be members of your church who are just wondering what a service looks like these days. You’re more likely to get those on the edge of community (in this moment) and it’s an opportunity to draw people in, reassure them and minister to them.
‘Try before you buy’ are those new to your church, who are dipping a toe in the water and want to see if it’s for them before they commit to in-person attendance or first contact with the church.
By identifying the ‘surge times’ on YouTube you can develop what the ‘front door’ looks like for your context — are you welcoming your committed, are you using the description to integrate people, have you tailored your welcome recognising the different groups joining you online?
Spending some time examining the data in your YouTube analytics can give you some helpful insights, so you can tailor your live stream to those watching.
I’ve also written a book on Church Comms, which you might find helpful. Buy from Amazon here.
