A Demonstration Video for an Online Worship Service
The present crisis has forced our congregations to seek new methods of gathering. Most have begun the process of developing online worship services. Larger congregations or those with more robust staff and financial resources have many options for a weekly online worship service. Smaller congregations or those with fewer technical and financial resources may have fewer options. This demonstration video project was put together to demonstrate one way that a pastor could assemble an online service with the minimum of technical ability or equipment costs. This project page contains several videos, including:
- The finished demonstration video
- A commentary tutorial highlighting critical aspects of a quality online worship presentation
- A tutorial on the development of the PowerPoint used in the video
- A tutorial on the use of the Zoom environment for the service
The demonstration worship service was designed to include the following:
- A greeting
- Liturgical elements (portions were omitted for the sake of time) – Invocation, Confession And Absolution, The Lord’s Prayer, and Benediction
- Scripture
- Sermon
- Prayer
- Hymns (Free videos of Public Domain hymns are available here. These videos are utilizing thehymnalproject.com hymns. New hymns are being added daily.)
In order to replicate the constraints that might be present in a smaller congregation, only the following resources were used in the creation of the service:
- A laptop with a web camera
- Microsoft PowerPoint – Worship Service Template (PowerPoint file)
- A free Zoom account
- Internet access
It is our hope that, through the information shared in these resources, pastors and lay leaders may gain greater confidence and technical capacity to develop and improve their online worship services.
Video Synopsis
Demonstration Video – The Demonstration video contains a slightly edited version of the final worship service. The video is in the format that, other than the title credits, it would be if we were to upload it and share it with a congregation.
Commentary Video – The Commentary video uses portions of the Demonstration video to cover key aspects of the production of an online worship service. The District’s videographer, Jeff Heisner,k and Todd Jones discuss:
- Lighting
- Camera Placement
- Public speaking when communicating through a camera
- The use of media
- Formatting slides
- The use of music in the service
In addition to tips and tricks, the two answer critical questions for the planning and production of an online worship service including:
- Where should the online service be recorded?
- What should the pastor or presenter wear?
- How should the liturgy be conducted in an online service?
- What hymns should be included in the service?
Design Considerations – The Design Considerations video describes the process of setting up a PowerPoint presentation for use in a Zoom meeting. It includes a short tutorial on the use of embedded videos, such as hymn videos, in a PowerPoint presentation.
Setting up the Back-end – This video provides a tutorial over the Zoom interface and the steps needed to set up the Zoom environment to replicate the Demonstration Video. It includes suggestions for including community interaction in the service.