Who's still watching YOUR church livestream in 2025?!? || Churchfront Podcast

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 Podcast Episode Notes: Church Live Streaming Reality Check

Episode Overview

Matt and Jake react to Pro Church Tools' recent discussion about the current state of online church, diving deep into questions about quality, purpose, and audience for church live streaming in 2025.

Key Topics Covered

The Quality vs. Accessibility Debate

• Pro Church Tools' Position: High-quality livestreams require dedicated mixing boards and professional expertise that most churches lack
• Matt & Jake's Pushback: 85-95% quality is achievable with proper fundamentals and doesn't require professional-level resources
• The Real Issue: Sometimes poor livestream quality stems from poor source material (musicianship, room acoustics)

The Hard Truth About Audio Quality

• Matt's Honest Take: "Your livestream mix is not good because your musicians are not good"
• The Growth Mindset: Every great musician started as a not-so-great musician
• Foundation First: Master musicianship, room acoustics, and basic mixing before investing in expensive gear

Who's Actually Watching Your Stream?

• Key Statistic: 35% of online church attenders are retirement age (12 points above average)
• Implications for Ministry: Need to consider accessibility, content relevance, and viewing habits
• Snowbird Effect: Many older viewers are traveling members staying connected to home church

The Purpose Question

What are we streaming for?

• Marketing tool for church visitors
• Connection for homebound members
• Seasonal/traveling member engagement
• Accessibility for those who can't attend in person

Production Philosophy

• Start with fundamentals: Musicianship, room acoustics, basic mixing skills, proper lighting
• Avoid the gear trap: Don't buy expensive equipment without mastering the basics
• Quality target: Aim for "good enough" that serves your actual audience, not "perfect" that impresses other tech people

Notable Quotes

Jake: "You can compress a jackhammer, but it's still going to sound like a jackhammer."

Matt: "If you're the sound guy trying to get an online mix that sounds good from a band that doesn't sound good in house, then good luck."

Jake: "There's something magical that happens when you're in person in the room at worship every Sunday."

Matt: "The top four pages on church websites are always: homepage, about us, staff, and livestream."

Action Items for Churches

1. Audit your fundamentals before investing in new gear
2. Understand your actual livestream audience (hint: it might be older than you think)
3. Optimize for accessibility - text size, audio levels, clear announcements
4. Invest in musical training for your team
5. Remember the goal: Complement, don't compete with, in-person worship

Tools & Resources Mentioned

• Waves Real Tune plugin for pitch correction
• Importance of proper room acoustics
• Front-of-house mixing consoles for dual-purpose mixing
• Website analytics for understanding visitor behavior

Discussion Questions

• Who is your church's livestream actually serving?
• Are you starting with the right foundational skills?
• How do you balance quality aspirations with realistic resource constraints?
• What role should livestreaming play in your overall ministry strategy?

Related Topics for Future Episodes

• Room acoustics basics for churches
• Building a volunteer tech team
• Church website optimization
• Generational differences in worship preferences
• Cost-effective lighting solutions for churches

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