Why Your Church Should Live Stream to Your Website

Live streaming has quickly moved from a “nice to have” to a must-have for churches. Whether someone is sick at home, traveling for work, or just curious about visiting your church, live video makes it possible for them to join your service in real time.

Many churches get started by going live on Facebook or YouTube. Those are great tools for spreading your message, but they shouldn’t be the only way your congregation connects. When you rely only on social platforms, you’re depending on someone else’s system to reach your people.

With Switcher, you can live stream to your Tithely website, while also streaming to social media platforms. That means you’ll reach more people, while keeping your website as the primary hub for your church’s online presence.

The Problem with Streaming to Just One Platform

Streaming only to Facebook or YouTube comes with some major limitations:

• Algorithms limit your reach: Even if someone follows your church, there’s no guarantee your stream will appear in their feed. Social platforms prioritize other types of content, which can mean members miss your live service.
• Distractions are everywhere: A single notification, ad, or suggested video can pull someone’s attention away in seconds. Instead of focusing on worship, they’re one click away from unrelated content.
• Not everyone is on social media: Some of your members may not want or use social media accounts. So, if you only stream to Facebook, they’ll miss out completely. But if the service is on your church website, everyone can watch with a single click.
• Platform hiccups happen: Social platform streams can buffer, drop in quality, or get muted if copyrighted music is detected. Hosting on your site gives you a stable, consistent place to worship with your online community.

“Your message is too important to compete with notifications and suggested videos.”

The Benefit of Multi-Streaming

Multi-streaming lets you broadcast to multiple platforms at once, and for churches, that’s a big win:

• Reach more people: Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube, or your website, you meet people where they’re already spending time.
• Serve different audiences: Younger viewers might prefer YouTube, while longtime members stick with Facebook. Multi-streaming ensures everyone has access.
• Stay reliable: If one platform has a hiccup, your service continues without interruption on the others.

With Switcher, you don’t need multiple setups or complicated tech. You stream once, and Switcher sends it everywhere, keeping your service consistent and accessible no matter what.

Why Your Website Should Be Part of the Strategy

Picture this: A young couple moves to your city and Google's churches nearby. They land on your website, see last Sunday’s live stream on your homepage, and instantly feel connected. That’s the power of making your website your church’s digital front door. And the benefits continue:

• One central hub: Instead of sending people to multiple links, you can direct everyone to your website. From there, they can learn more about your ministries, watch the service, browse your content hub, give online, and stay connected throughout the week.
• No competing content: On social platforms, distractions are inevitable. On your website, the focus stays on worship.
• Easy access for everyone: People don’t need an account or password, they just click and watch. This makes your services more open and welcoming to visitors.
• Ministry-focused design: With Tithely, you can set up a church website built specifically for ministry, including livestreaming, online giving, and blog posts.
• Ownership and stability: Social platforms can change their rules or shut down your page. When your service is on your website, you’re in control.

Together, Switcher & Tithely Fuel Your Ministry

These two tools work hand-in-hand to make livestreaming easy for any church—no media team required:

• Switcher turns your iPhones and iPads into a volunteer-friendly live production studio. Add multiple camera angles, titles, lyrics, and pre-recorded segments for a polished service. Choose destinations like Facebook, YouTube, your website, and other RTMP endpoints, without juggling multiple setups.
• Tithely websites give you a modern, mobile-friendly website where your livestream, sermons archive, events, and giving all live in one place—easy to manage, easy to update.

Together, Switcher handles live video production and multi-streaming while Tithely makes it simple to embed the player directly on your site. Your congregation always knows where to watch live and stay engaged throughout the week.

How to Start Streaming on Your Website in 3 Steps

Here’s how your church can get started today:

1. Set up your Tithely website:

• Choose a template that fits your church’s style.
• Add core pages: Sermons, Giving, Events, and Ministries.
• Create a Watch Live page (and/or a homepage section) where your livestream will appear.
• Place a Give button and key links (Plan a Visit, Prayer Requests, Newsletter) near the player.

2. Set up Switcher:

• Install and open Switcher on your iPhone or iPad, then sign in.
• Add your cameras (additional iOS devices on the same network), titles/lyrics overlays, and any pre-service videos.
• In Destinations, select YouTube, Facebook, and any additional RTMP destinations you use.
• Get the stream’s embed code and paste it into your Tithely site’s video block/module on your Watch Live page.

3. Go live everywhere:

• Start the stream once in Switcher; it broadcasts to every destination you selected.
• Share your website link as the primary place to watch on social media to bring people to your church’s online home.
• Encourage visitors to explore your site while they’re there—sermons, events, and giving are one click away.

Build an Online Home For Your Church and Grow Your Impact 

Your church’s message deserves to reach as many people as possible, and it shouldn’t be limited to a single platform. By multi-streaming with Switcher and Tithely, you can expand your reach, ensure reliability, and, most importantly, live stream to your church’s website.

When your services live on your website, your church family and visitors know they always have a central place to worship with you. It’s distraction-free, accessible, and fully yours.

• Start your free 14-day trial with Switcher
• Build your church website with Tithely

Together, these tools make it easier than ever to strengthen your church’s digital presence and grow your community and impact.

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