Digital Worship Practicalities

Digital Worship Practicalities

This page is for those involved in leading worship online, bringing together guidance and questions to help you develop what is best for your context.

If you can't find the information you need here, please get in touch with Neil Harland or Sam Roberts who will put you in touch with someone who can help.

Invitation, welcome and accessibility

• Everybody Welcome Online from CPAS provides all manner of advice, including etiquette of interacting well with visitors
• How will you make your worship easy to find? sharing on multiple platforms? advance notice? regular pattern (with some space for evolution and spontaneity)? consistent branding?
• Most of our circuits/churches are putting their worship on a YouTube channel and/or their own websites, meaning that people can go back to it, or track it down easily if they are actively looking for it. Services on these platforms can then be promoted via social media and email.
• Recording direct to Facebook has been popular for short midweek devotions or prayers, either live or uploading a pre-recorded message.
• Encourage congregation members to comment on social media content and share with their online friends
• For those without internet you can pre-record worship accessible via a telephone?

Music, creativity and visual art

• We have created a Digital Resources Facebook group where we can share worship materials. You can join it here
• Have you the right copyright licences? It's really important that we are make sure we have the correct copyright permissions in place before we share worship online. Here's what you need to know and the all important links of where you purchase any additional licences needed.
• No additional licence is required to read songs as poetry in streamed services or share links to pre-existing YouTube clips of songs.
• No additional licence is required to reproduce the words of hymns and songs covered under the standard CCLI License on screen via Zoom.
• No additional licence required to include music you are singing/performing on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, as long as you don't have fancy branding overlaid on your video.
• To use professionally-recorded music (eg played off a CD) in your streamed worship, you would a CCLI Streaming Licence and a PRS Limited Online Music Licence (usually £175). There is a risk social media companies may detect this automatically and block your account pending investigation.
• To include any music in a streamed service embedded on your website you need need a CCLI Streaming Licence and a PRS Limited Online Music Licence

If you have any doubt as to whether a song you are looking to use is covered under the licences you have please do check the website links above.

• Popular free editing software people have found useful includes Inshot (for smartphones), iMovie (for mac), Audacity (sound recording and editing) For a small fee you can subscribe to Doodly which allows you to create aminations and also gives access to royalty free music.
• Epidemic Sound provide background music with copyright permission for a small monthly subscription.
• Audiohub provides royalty free music free of charge, you just need to display the copyright details.
• You can find free to use images on the following websites: Pixabay, Church Motion Graphics, Unsplash and Free Bible Images.
• Canva is a quick and easy way to create images tailored to a range of social media platforms.
• Stuart Forsyth and SpeakLife tips on how to increase impact of what you say when speaking to camera.

Prayer

• theworshipcloud.com offer pre-written local arrangement and home services sent by weekly email. Connexional home service sheets are also downloadable

All ages

• Messy Church at home resources, suitable for leading your own Messy Church via Zoom or sharing with families.

Other practicalities

• Accessible URC beginners guides have been produced covering WhatsApp, Twitter, Zoom, Instagram, filming worship, creating podcasts.