Ready to reach more people with your online church services?
How to Stream Church Services Online
Your Guide to Streaming Platforms, Pros and Cons of Each, and How to Choose
✅ Streaming Platform Options
✅ Benefits / Downsides of Each
✅ How to Choose a Platform
Popular Church Streaming Platforms
Facebook Live*
Many churches stream on Facebook because it’s free, convenient, and set up to help you connect with your congregation where they already are spending time. The comments foster community and notifications can alert people when you go live.
Benefits
- Free
- Easy to Use
- Accessible to Most People
- Built-in Notifications
- Comments for community
Downsides
- Difficult to get support
- Don’t own your content
- Takedowns and Muted Audio
- Unreliable/outages
- Ads on your stream
- Can shut down account
- Not built for discipleship – built to keep people on Facebook
- Livestreams Auto-Delete after 30 days
YouTube*
YouTube is known for high-quality video and a massive global audience. It’s a great platform for long-form content, sermon archives, and reaching new people searching for answers. It’s free and easy to embed, so many churches choose this platform.
Benefits
- Free
- Easy to Use
- Accessible to Most People
- Great for long-form content
- Well-organized archive
Downsides
- Difficult to get support
- Takedowns and Muted Audio
- Don’t own your content
- Unreliable/outages
- Ads on your stream
- Hard to stand out
- Difficult Live chat moderation
Social Embed
Social Embed allows you to put your church’s Facebook or YouTube Livestream on your website, without distractions that come with a social platform. You’ll unlock a permanent embed code, church-based analytics, support, and more.
Benefits
- Traffic stays on your website
- Works with YouTube and Facebook
- Remove distractions
- One-time embed code
- Church-based analytics
- Custom designs
- Safety and security
- Low cost (try for free)
*Upgrade your Facebook Live or YouTube experience with Social Embed, a low-cost option designed to put your church’s Livestream directly on your website. With Social Embed, you won’t lose viewers to distractions, you’ll keep your website traffic high, and you’ll unlock custom designs, support, and more. Try Social Embed for free today (no credit card required)
Facebook Live Updates 🔔
As of February 19, 2025: Facebook now automatically deletes Live Videos after 30 days.
This means that, if you choose to use Facebook Live as your streaming platform, you will not have a built-in sermon archive.
You will need to download each video, upload it to another platform, and pay for separate storage. If you choose Facebook Live as your streaming option, keep this in mind – this is affecting many churches!
Already streaming on Facebook? Tired of sending your viewers to get lost in the chaos on the social sites? Do you wish there was a clean, custom, church based option for your viewers? Tired of changing embed codes every week? Try Social Embed for free today – save yourself time while increasing your congregational engagement.
Less Popular Church Streaming Platforms
Twitch
Originally built for gamers, Twitch offers strong live-streaming capabilities, reliable uptime, and real-time chat options.
Benefits
- Great streaming infrastructure
- Real-time chat
- Free and accessible
Downsides
- Mostly gamer audience
- Low discoverability
- Difficult moderation
Instagram Live
Instagram Live is casual and accessible, great for reaching younger audiences. It’s easy to go live quickly and get engagement.
Benefits
- Free and accessible
- Younger audience
- Spontaneous/short-form
Downsides
- Mobile-only live option
- Low video quality
- Not good for full-length
- Minimal archive options
Zoom/Google Meet
Video conferencing tools can double as makeshift live streams, especially for small groups or midweek devotionals.
Benefits
- Easy to schedule
- Easy to control access
- Familiar in a Work From Home culture
Downsides
- Difficult to make public
- Limited reach
- Awkward for large groups
- Manually set all settings
How to Choose a Streaming Platform
When choosing a streaming platform for your church, free platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram Live, Zoom, or Google Meet may feel like the obvious choice.
They’re easy to access, familiar to many people, and free.
However, as your ministry grows, you’ll quickly feel the limitations of these platforms. They have:
- Distracting ads
- Algorithm changes
- Copyright flags
- Lack of tools to connect with viewers
- Difficult support
- Aren’t designed with ministry in mind.
Choosing the right platform is more than just finding a free option – it’s about finding the best fit for your ministry.
The right platform will support your message, not compete with it.
Make sure you weigh the pros and cons when choosing the best option for your church live streaming.
It's time for a better option...
Social Embed is built specifically for churches. That means no distractions, no ads, and no algorithm to compete with or keep up with. You get tools for follow-up, customization, recording, archive vault, editing, moderation, teaching notes, attendee mapping, and more. Everything is focused on ministry, not media. It’s more than streaming; it’s digital discipleship.
Social Embed
Social Embed is built specifically for churches. That means no distractions, no ads, and no algorithm to compete with or keep up with. You get tools for follow-up, customization, recording, archive vault, editing, moderation, teaching notes, attendee mapping, and more. Everything is focused on ministry, not media. It’s more than streaming; it’s digital discipleship.
*no credit card required
Which Features Does Your Church Need? 👇
As you choose a streaming platform for your church, it’s important to think beyond just what’s free or familiar. Consider which features actually support your mission.
Do you need a distraction-free environment? Do you want to embed the stream on your website? Is real customer support important to your team?
Not every platform offers the same level of control, customization, or ministry-focused tools. Take time to consider which features matter most to your church, and choose a platform that helps you not just stream a service, but actually engage and disciple your online congregation.
Which Streaming Platform is Right for You?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to streaming your church services. The best platform for your church depends on your goals, your audience, and the experience you want to create.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow your digital ministry, it’s worth exploring tools that are built with churches in mind.
If you’re looking for a platform that’s distraction-free, customizable, and designed specifically for ministry, Social Embed is a great fit for your church.
Start your free trial today – no credit card required!
*no credit card required