According to a 2025 Pew Research Center Report, about 23% of U.S. adults watch religious services online or on TV at least monthly. Among Catholics, it's 21% — including 14% who watch weekly.

Of course, nothing replaces being physically present for Mass. But a dependable livestream helps keep sick, elderly, and homebound parishioners connected. It also gives parishioners a way to revisit the homily and readings or pray along with daily Mass when they can't attend.

Adults who say they watch religious services online or on TV

	Monthly or more often	Weekly or more often	Once or twice a month
All U.S. adults	23%	16%	7%
Catholic	21%	14%	7%

Source: Pew Research Center, 2025

If your parish already has eCatholic LIVE, you already have access to one of the most simplified live streaming solutions for churches. The hard part is developing a repeatable Sunday workflow that doesn't depend on one person remembering to push the right buttons at the right time.

This post isn't another "what is live streaming" primer. (You can find that in Live Streaming Basics.) Here we're going to cover how to get the full value from LIVE.

What Does a Healthy LIVE Setup Look Like?

If livestreaming becomes a stressful, volunteer-dependent event instead of a repeatable Sunday system, it will fall to the wayside.

A healthy LIVE setup usually has:

• Two trained operators (a primary point person and a backup)
• One "Watch Live" page on your website (your digital narthex)
• Recurring schedules
• Reliable on-demand archives so the stream doesn't just disappear
• A simple weekly checklist so volunteers don't have to improvise

Here's how to get started.

1. Make Streaming Truly Automatic

Streaming usually fails when people get burned out, get sick, travel, or simply have a rough Sunday. When that happens, streaming becomes inconsistent, and inconsistency teaches parishioners not to rely on it.

But with eCatholic LIVE, you can make streaming 100% automatic without relying on a person to hit record. To do this, you'll need to use the Magewell Encoder. Then, you can set up a recurring stream that starts and stops on its own — it even turns on the cameras!

Volunteers can access click-by-click how-tos on topics like how to schedule that recurring stream, creating archives, and integrating with Facebook through the eCatholic LIVE Help Center collection.

2. Make Your Website Home Base

Social platforms are great for reach, but your website is the only place where:

• the experience is distraction-free,
• the parish brand and trust cues are strongest, and
• the next step (giving, contact, registration, prayer requests) is one click away.

In other words, your website is where people go for the full parish experience without distractions.

To protect that experience:

• Create one Watch Live page with a stable URL you never change (e.g., /live).
• Add "Watch Live" to your main navigation and/or homepage hero. If someone lands on your homepage, it should be obvious where to click.
• Include an Archives section with recent Masses on-demand.

If you need a guided "start here" path for staff and volunteers to help set that up, we've created a Live Beginner's Guide to walk them through the basics.

3. Make Your Watch Page a Digital Narthex

Once you've got your Watch Live page, use the space around the player to help viewers take the next step instead of staying anonymous.

These eCatholic modules are a good place to start:

• Donations: With eCatholic Payments, you can embed a simple offertory form next to or below the player.
• Family Registration: Use the eCatholic ChMS to embed a parish registration form for families who have been watching online for weeks.
• Today's Readings: Your eCatholic website includes a module with the daily readings for each day so viewers can follow along.

This step will turn a passive experience into a true parish "front door" on Sunday mornings. For more tips on making your Watch Page a digital narthex, see our post on creating a remote worship experience.

4. Automate Sundays with Recurring Schedules

With eCatholic LIVE, you can schedule recurring weekly events like weekend Masses. If you want to make livestreaming easy, this is one of the most critical components.

Here are some practical rules to increase your odds of success:

1

Add a buffer.

Schedule the stream to start 10–15 minutes early. That gives you time for prelude music, a "Welcome" slide, and margin for minor issues. It also reduces the pressure to be perfect at the exact start time.

2

Standardize event names.

Use a naming convention your team can recognize instantly:

• Saturday Vigil Mass (5:00 PM)
• Sunday Mass (10:30 AM)

This sounds small, but it helps prevent mistakes.

3

Plan for time changes.

Daylight saving time and special liturgy weeks are where automation breaks. Put a calendar reminder for the operator to review schedules before time changes and major feasts.

4

Separate "special events" from the weekly system.

Treat weddings, funerals, confirmations, missions, and other events as one-offs with their own checklist, approvals, and communications plan. That way, the weekly routine always stays the same. That consistency will prevent confusion, and you'll be prepared for the nuances of other sacraments, liturgies, and events.

5

Share for Reach

Platforms like Facebook and YouTube can help new people discover you, and they're good for reminders. But your parish website is where people can actually take the next step.

Here's how to get the benefits of social media while minimizing the number of people who "attend" on social media and never connect to the parish.

• Stream to social for reach.
• In every description, add a link that sends people to the Watch Live page with a call-to-action such as, "For the full parish experience (bulletin, giving, prayer requests), watch here: [Watch Live page link]."
• Add a pinned comment to every stream that sends people to the Watch Live page.
• After Mass, post a short follow-up link back to your archive or Watch Live page. ("Want to see Father's homily again? Watch the replay here: [link].")

6

Make the Most of Your Archives

Remember to make the most of every stream. On-demand isn't just a nice feature. It serves parishioners like:

• caregivers and the homebound
• shift workers and travelers
• parents with unpredictable Sundays
• seekers who watch online for weeks before visiting

You can make past streams available on-demand shortly after a live broadcast.

Use archives intentionally:

• Keep recent Sundays available.
• Post special liturgies when appropriate (missions, confirmations, funerals as permitted).
• Re-run important content as simulated live events when needed (see How to create a simulated live broadcast).

7

Prepare for Problems

If you want volunteers to stay confident, you need a plan for the rare Sunday where something goes sideways.

Problem	Solution
Stream starts late	Recurring schedules, buffers, and preflight
Wrong link shared	One Watch Live page that never changes
No audio or bad audio	A quick Sunday check before you go live
The stream operator can’t make it	A backup operator who’s fully trained on the system, a printed checklist, and saved logins with a password manager
People complain on Facebook	A designated comms helper and a pinned comment pointing to the Watch Live page

If there's a problem you can't fix quickly, communicate immediately on the Watch Live page and social media.

Eliminate Sunday Streaming Friction with a Simple System

Without a tried and tested system, streams start late (or not at all), volunteers burn out, and your stream won't even be an afterthought for parishioners. But you can avoid all that by putting the right process in place.

The best practices we've covered today will make livestreaming a pain-free way to reach new parishioners and encourage them to join you in your mission. If you'd like to learn more about eCatholic LIVE, get in touch!