Facebook Watch Party Leader’s Guide
Thank you for helping others follow Jesus by hosting a Facebook Watch Party! Watch parties are a fantastic way to connect over God’s word, in a smaller group setting. We want to empower you to share the Gospel with your friends and family and do everything we can to equip you to host an online Cedar Ridge church service. Knowing what to say can be hard, so we’ve put together this guide to help you lead a watch party. The items below are merely suggestions. You know your friends and family best and we want you to personalize these suggestions as you see fit.
Inviting Participants When you create the watch party, it’ll show up on your Facebook timeline for anyone to join, but we encourage you to also explicitly invite people. You can do this in two ways:
1. Let people know ahead of time that you plan to host a watch party and at what time by either making a Facebook post earlier in the week or scheduling an Event on Facebook. 2. Once the watch party has started, use the Invite Participants link to send out invitations to specific people you think may be interested in joining you.
When Someone Joins Your Watch Party It’s important to make your guest feel welcome and let them know you’re glad they joined. We suggest you welcome each by name and get the conversation started.
“Hi Jim, I’m so glad you decided to join! Welcome to Cedar Ridge.”
“Hi, Betty! It’s good to see you. How are you and the kids doing?”
During Worship Feel free to talk during the service! You are not going to disturb anyone.
“This was one of my favorite songs growing up.”
“Man, I really needed this today!”
During the Sermon Encourage discussion when opportunities come up.
“I feel that same way sometimes! What do you guys think?”
“I can definitely relate. It’s been hard the past few weeks.”
When it’s Time for Giving Since you will be in a private chat room, the link to give will not show up automatically. Please share it with your participants. Be sure that first time guests do not feel any pressure to give. “I use the Church Center app to give, and to keep track of events. You can get download it at https://cedarridge.church/live/”
“The https://cedarridge.church/live/ page has details on ways you can give and connect.”
During Communion This is a great time to extend spiritual support, or to ask for it. We want to encourage you to have one- on-one conversations, be transparent and encourage one another.
“If you would like to talk or have someone to pray with you, let me know. I’d love to chat with you privately.”
“Guys, these last few weeks have really been a challenge for me, would you mind praying with me?”
Service is Ending We want to make sure everyone has the support they need, and no one is having to walk alone. You can help ensure your participants continue to grow in their faith, by providing them with next steps. If you have new guests, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to our church. If you plan to host another watch party next week, this is a great time to let your participants know.
“I’m so glad you decided to join today. I want you to know that if you would like prayer, I’m available. Feel free to private message or call me any time.”
“If you want to join me next week, I’ll be hosting another party. I hope we can worship together.”
“If you’d like to know more about Cedar Ridge, you can visit https://cedarridge.church/ “
Ending Your Watch Party It’s important to end your watch party when the service is over by clicking the “End Watch Party” link from the dropdown menu. This will prevent other videos from automatically playing. Feel free to continue your conversation on Facebook Messenger, or offline.
Please help us track attendance: Once your party is over, we ask leaders to report back and let us know how it went. https://cedarridge.churchcenter.com/people/forms/122969