As Filling Stations prepare to meet again physically, we encourage your meeting to consider whether livestreaming is right for you.

Livestreaming should be a “bonus” to our live (and in-person meetings), rather than an option for folks to stay at home!

When considering Livestreaming your meetings you may want ask if:

• Will you broadcast your whole Filling Station meeting? 
  (worship, teaching, ministry)
• Will you choose to broadcast only part of the meeting?
  (eg teaching only)
• Will you allow the meeting to be viewed by anyone afterwards?
  (eg on your Filling Station’s Facebook page)
• Will you limit who can view your live broadcast?
  (eg providing a private link via Zoom)
• Will you mix up technology?
  (eg livestream the meeting via Facebook or YouTube, but encourage community by emailing a private Zoom link beforehand for anyone who wants prayer ministry or a chat?)

Advantages of livestreaming:

• Evangelistic: People who are “seeking” can join.
• Encourage those who might not come otherwise (such as those self-isolating, those not quite ready to gather)
• Extended geographical reach: many meetings have had guests joining who live outside their region.
• Ability to “Watch Again” if not able to attend.
• Wider reach: more people can access the same material.
• You can include options for donations.

Disadvantages:

• Old habits of the last 18 months: Perhaps easier to stay at home with a glass of wine, than come to a physical meeting!
• The sound isn’t always as good, particularly via Zoom.
• You need to have a good internet connection!
• Reduces building your monthly community.
• You may need to think how you can offer Prayer Ministry if you have people tuning in online (eg Lossiemouth Filling Station offers a central phone number in the livestream “Comments” for prayer).
• You may need to monitor (or interact with) any comments (although you can turn them on or off on Facebook and YouTube), if anyone can join. Someone in the team may be need to be dedicated to this and possibly trained up on how to do this well.

What we recommend, if you want to livestream:

Basic: Carry on using Zoom while you meet!

Intermediate: Try “Going Live” on Facebook!

Slightly more advanced: Try Livestreaming via your Filling Station YouTube account.

Seriously expert: Stream via multiple channels using a streaming service such as Restream or StreamYard. (eg This allows you to do things such as add pre-recorded videos to your live stream or stream a pre-recorded video).

Facebook: How to livestream your meeting via Facebook

• This two-minute video will give you an idea on how to Livestream your meeting via Facebook. Watch here.

• You can do this on a phone or a laptop with a built-in camera.

• You don’t have to be so concerned with your audience: this broadcast will be available to those who like your Filling Station Facebook page.

• Don’t forget that your Filling Station will need a Facebook account. Contact Amanda for help on setting one up for your meeting.

What next?

Getting your meeting back up and running again may be all you want to do for now!

Do tune into other Filling Stations to see what they are doing: for example, Lossiemouth’s September Filling Station, and Arbroath’s October Filling Station.

Q&A for Livestreaming

Q) Is there a time limit on doing a Facebook stream?
A) There is no time limit on Facebook livestream.

Q) Is there a link I can email to people in advance to go straight to the Facebook streaming?

A) Yes – the livestream can be set up in advance as an EVENT and ready to go. The link can then be emailed to your guests. Don’t forget that you can also use Facebook to invite people individually (or on a wholesale fashion) from your own personal Facebook friends list or from your Filling Station page followers.

Q) Do people need a Facebook account to view the stream?
A) Yes. However, the livestream can be downloaded after the event and saved as a video and sent out to anyone who couldn’t view it. Please note though that the joy of livestream is the LIVE element of watching at the time and interacting with you as a host on the “chat” and even asking for prayer ministry etc at the end.

Q) Can I livestream via Zoom using an iPhone? I’m used to Zoom (and so are our Filling Station guests) but we like the idea of Facebook to attract more viewers but worried about congregation being able to access via Facebook.

A) Zoom has become a platform of choice for many but it is ostensibly a private meeting and is terrible at crushing the quality of a LIVE broadcast. You could try to do both on two different devices – one broadcasting LIVE over Facebook, and the other hosting a private meeting on Zoom. Your bandwidth needs to very good for this though!