Livestream 2.0 Report
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HIGHLANDS UNITED CHURCH: LIVESTREAM 2.0 REPORT Table of Contents 2 Table of Contents 3 Summary of project to date & initial project goals 4 Reflection and review of current Livestream Broadcast program 6 What do we mean when we talk about “church online”? (goal ‘a’) 10 Livestream Superstars 12 The Host with the Most (goal ‘b’) 13 Putting a Face On It (goal ‘c’) 15 Celebrating the Sacraments Online (goal ‘d’) 17 Constructive Connecting (goal ‘e’) 19 The Wider Church (goal ‘f’) 21 How-To (goal ‘g’) Website Workshop (goal ‘h’) 22 Technological/Platform Research (goals ‘I’ and ‘j’) 23 Recommendations/ Proposed Next Steps (goal ‘k’) 25 Conclusion 2 HIGHLANDS UNITED CHURCH: LIVESTREAM 2.0 REPORT October, 2017 In April, 2017, Highlands United Church was approved by the United Church of Canada’s Embracing the Spirit fund and Vancouver Burrard’s ProVision fund as a recipient of money to begin a 6 month research and development project focused on looking at what it would take to nurture and cultivate a more authentic online worship congregation. The goals of this initial first-phase were to: a) Research, explore and visit (if possible) the best practices of churches and organizations that are currently using livestream and building virtual communities or have recently church planted b) To provide a livestream ‘host’ each Sunday who will welcome and orient the livestream congregation, facilitate chat features, invite prayer requests and opportunities to donate c) To create several pre-recorded videos to be used to make the viewing experience more personal d) To explore the theology of the sacraments and inclusion as they pertain to virtual communities e) To connect with (online, in person, or by phone) those who currently worship with us online to explore how their needs are/are not being met through this media f) To initiate and invite potential partners g) To teach those unfamiliar with online tech how to access and participate in Sunday worship h) To offer a virtual workshop i) To source and prioritize technical equipment needed to take a further step j) Provide comprehensive training to all AV staff and volunteers at HUC in the use of equipment k) To make recommendations re: technical and pastoral requirements for the online community Over the past 6 months several of these goals have been met successfully, others are well underway and still others are a work in progress and waiting for aspects of development. This report to the Highlands United Church community will present not only a summary of findings in relation to the goals above, but a series of recommendations for moving forward with the implementation of what we (for the sake of this report) call “phase 2” of our Livestream project. At the 2017 Annual General Meeting, Highlands unanimously voted in favor for the exploration and expansion of our online community and it has been my experience over the past 6 months that while the congregation is very much in favor of this move to reach farther online, what it means to do so and what it will require is still very much a mystery. This report will demystify that curiosity and educate our current leadership team in what it looks like to truly create a church outside of our physical walls but just as much a part of the family. It has been my privilege to have begun this research on behalf of Highlands United Church and I hope this report proves both valuable and practical in the stages of development to come. Submitted by Andria Irwin 3 HIGHLANDS UNITED CHURCH: LIVESTREAM 2.0 REPORT Reflection on and review of current Livestream Broadcast System Thanks to the work that was done back in 2013 by a team of knowledgeable and keen volunteers, the Highlands Livestream system was put into place along with an update of technological equipment needed to run the broadcast to its best ‘beginner-level’ ability close to four years ago. The initial intent of Highlands Livestream was to create a space where those people in our Edgemont Village congregation who found they were unable to attend a service for any reason could tune in and see what they had missed. From choir anthems to sermons, children’s times to community announcements, baptisms to funerals, having this system in place meant that someone no longer needed to be disconnected simply because they couldn’t get to church. In tough winter conditions, in times of sickness, or in extended periods of travel people were able to remain close to the community that both cared for them and inspired them to care for others. With this purpose in mind, our livestream broadcasts have been extremely successful. Many members of our Edgemont congregation have attended church this way and have suggested it is a valuable service to the congregation members we have. One family writes: “having access to livestream worship services allows our family to stay connected to our church family on those weeks when life circumstances or schedules prevent us from getting to church on Sunday morning. Our typical livestream experience involves our children pointing out people they know from the congregation and dancing along to the hymns and choir anthems.” Another family shares their story of using livestream while traveling: “Highlands Livestream was such an important thing for my family while we were abroad in Australia for a year. It really helped me still feel connected even being on the other side of the world. This was especially true when we tuned in on Christmas day to the Christmas eve pageant. We were in 40 degree heat and the children were completely out of sorts with a hot Christmas and being away from all their family and friends. They were so happy that a little piece of ‘normal Christmas’ was accessible to them.” The ability to be present with the congregation even when scattered enables people to go deeper in their faith and relationships — relaxing their grip on the notion that church is something we only do on Sunday mornings, in a certain place, at a certain time. Over the past 3 years, however, we have come to see an increase in the number of people worshipping with Highlands United online and we have been surprised to discover that these visitors are not only members of our Edgemont church, but are also people who have no connection to Highlands United at all and are attending as community outsiders. These people include past congregation members who no longer live in North Vancouver (and instead 4 HIGHLANDS UNITED CHURCH: LIVESTREAM 2.0 REPORT worship with us all the way from Ontario or the UK!), church seekers, strictly online worshippers, and other communities of faith and church leaders looking to use our services as a resource. These statistics, coupled with the ever-increasing prominence of technology and online advancement in the world, have led to my asking of the questions: is the current representation of Highlands United Church online a faithful representation of the community we know and love in person? Is the community of online worshippers being faithfully led, encouraged, connected, nourished and cared for? Is the online community being educated in the discipleship, outreach and mission practices of Highlands United Church? If the only Highlands United Church someone knew was online, would it be an authentic representation of the community our Edgemont congregation has described in its vision statement as being “a community that gathers and takes risks,” one that “engage[s] a diversity of people,” and “celebrate[s] life-giving worship”? One that encourages people to “learn pray and grow together,” and who “share time, ministries and money?” These questions have proved difficult to answer from the perspective of our current Livestream congregation. Our broadcasting platform does not enable us to contact those who visit our online space — an indication that there is so much more to do in the realm of building community — and therefore the feedback we have received is skewed. The feedback I have been able to gather comes from online worshippers who also (if not primarily) attend Highlands United in Edgemont. Several comments that reflect the nature of the Highlands community vision as it is currently portrayed online can be seen here: “For someone like me, who is “challenged” by being in large groups, the online enables me to feel like I am an integral part of the Highlands Church Family.” “The special welcome each Sunday acknowledging that there are others “out there” brings me to church in a meaningful way, and makes me feel included.” “When Sandi Parker mentioned us in her welcoming address at the start of the service all the children started to cry with joy!” It has been made clear in my initial period of research that our Edgemont congregation is appreciative, supportive and invested in the infrastructure of our worship broadcast platform. They have been constructive, caring and detailed in giving feedback (all of which is taken into consideration later in this report) but overall think the platform is doing its job as a resource for the existing community. Where the task becomes more difficult is in answering these questions from the perspective of an outsider. It is in that place this research begins. 5 HIGHLANDS UNITED CHURCH: LIVESTREAM 2.0 REPORT What do we mean when we talk about “church online”? A reflection on goal ‘a’ Research, explore and visit (if possible) the best practices of churches and organizations that are currently using livestream and building virtual communities or have recently church planted When Highlands first developed its livestreaming program the intention was for the online space to be an extension of the physical space.