It shouldn’t be surprising that houses of worship (HoW) are making the most out of live-streaming.

Synagogues, churches, megachurches, and mosques are all places where thousands of people consistently gather to honor and practice their faith. In recent years, megachurches have particularly taken hold of technology to bring these spaces even closer to their following.

In the U.S., there are approximately 1,750 megachurches with a regular weekly attendance of 2,000 people or more. About a third of these churches have an attendance of over 4,000, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s 2020 megachurch report.

Even though most of these megachurches often have more than one physical site to gather such a large amount of people, they now have an alternative to keep growing that doesn’t require new buildings.

As life after the Covid-19 pandemic is still posing some restrictions for massive gatherings –especially for the most vulnerable, including the elderly, the sick, and children–, online congregations are not going to slow down soon. 

On-demand video can help deliver an immersive, remote worship experience basically without attendance restrictions. The key is having a reliable streaming service and a solid infrastructure. HoW present a series of interesting traits that require it:

• HoW attendees are expecting uninterrupted viewing and participation.

• These congregations are growing continuously, which require an initial investment in live production equipment so they can fit larger-scale productions if needed.

• By streaming online on free platforms like YouTube, they appeal to a younger demographic

• Online streaming also allows for an opportunity to strengthen their community through different engagement tools