Steven Haney, Author at Louisiana Baptists

Save Your Facebook Live Videos!

Steven Haney — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:34:56 +0000

Every Sunday my Facebook Feed is filled with live streamed services from all over Louisiana and across the country. It is great to see so many churches using this platform to share the Gospel with their communities! And it is a great option for a lot of churches. Easy to use, great connection with people, and an affordable live stream option for churches.

While nothing is changing with the Facebook Live part of Facebook, there are some changes coming regarding storage of those Facebook Live recordings that may impact your church.

No need to panic though!

The New Policy:
Beginning on February 19th, any new live broadcast videos can be replayed, downloaded or shared from your Facebook Pages or profiles for 30 days, after which they will automatically be removed from Facebook. Previously these videos were stored indefinitely.

You will have 90 days to download your existing video content before it is removed. Facebook will notify accounts via email and the app when this starts.

Your Next Steps:
If your church has sermons and services from the past stored on Facebook, start downloading those as soon as possible. Facebook has provided a great walkthrough of how to download multiple videos here.

It would be a great idea for your church to create a YouTube account, so that those services can continue being available.
Creating a YouTube Account.

Another long term storage option for churches would be a Vimeo account. They have a free and several pain options, based on how much storage you’d need.
Creating a Vimeo account.

While this can be frustrating, I think it’s understandable. With so many accounts using Facebook Live and storing videos on this platform, it would be impossible for Facebook to continue that indefinitely. Facebook continues to be a great way to share the Gospel with your community. Hopefully this will help set your church up to continue in the future.

Getting Started with Social Media

Steven Haney — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:14:17 +0000

As our world becomes more digital, churches have the opportunity to reach more people with the Gospel and engage more with their congregation outside of the four walls of the building.

Jumping into the world of social media can be intimidating, but we are here to provide you with information and resources that can help your church get the ball rolling!

YOUR AUDIENCE

First and foremost, you need to figure out your audience. As a church, you have two main audiences. One is members of your church and the other is the people in your area and even around the world that are lost or don’t have a church home.

Having a grasp on WHO you want to reach will help you establish the right content to post.

As a church, you want to present your social media content in a way that the lowest common denominator of your audience can understand.

What does that mean?

It may be easy to think that everyone around you understands words and phrases like “sanctification,” “washed by the blood” or “tithing.” However, people who have not grown up in church or have never heard the Gospel don’t understand “church-speak.”

This doesn’t mean we should water down our messages, but we should be aware and intentional about how we word things so everyone can understand.

After all, the ultimate goal is to give people the opportunity to hear and understand the Gospel.

YOUR PLATFORM

A plethora of social media platforms exist that you can choose from when starting out. Some things to keep in mind when choosing are age ranges/demographics, format of content/posts, and where you feel comfortable leaving your church’s digital footprint.

To reach your complete audience, I would recommend using multiple platforms and adjusting your content to fit each one.

Keep in mind when looking at this list that there are more than just these four platforms. The four listed are just more prominent right now!

Facebook

Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform in the United States (according to Pew Research). This platform has a wide range of users, but it is generally used more by people ages 25 and up.

The platform gives users a variety of ways to interact with followers. Text posts, images, videos, and livestreams are all accepted on Facebook.

Facebook can also be connected to an Instagram account through Meta, which could make using both platforms simultaneously much easier.

Instagram

Instagram is the next most popular social media platform. Most of its users are between the ages of 18 and 35.

This platform is all about images and videos—Specifically Reels (short videos with trendy, engaging elements).

X (formerly Twitter)

X was once a booming platform of limited character text-posts, images and videos. However, the platform grows less and less popular as time passes.

Most users are between the ages of 18 and 35.

TikTok

TikTok is a video sharing platform that continues to grow in popularity with teenagers and young adults. According to Pew Research, 62% of people ages 18-29 are on TikTok.

YOUR CONTENT

No matter the platform, originality and consistency are the keys to success!

All social media platforms have an algorithm. All of them value original/authentic content and consistent posting.

What does this mean?

If you frequently post web links on Facebook without any images or videos, the internal algorithm will limit how many people see those posts.

Users want to see candid moments and engaging content.

Photos and videos of church events and other things will always have more engagement than generic graphics with words on them.

The next most important thing is to be consistent.

This doesn’t mean to post something every hour. Posting at least once a day or even every other day helps to keep your content fresh in your followers’ feeds.

A sample schedule to help visualize how to run a consistent, engaging social media accounts can be downloaded here

YOUR SCHEDULE

We know it seems stressful to keep up with social media while also planning and preparing for church and other events. But it doesn’t have to be!

There are plenty of social media scheduling sites that use an online calendar to help make scheduling your social media posts on multiple platforms a breeze. There are even some that offer free versions, like Buffer.com.

Check out some of these sites and see if any work for you:
Loomly
Hootsuite
Later
Pallyy

Using Boosted Facebook Ads

Steven Haney — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 18:35:27 +0000

Reach your Community

Boosted Facebook ads (and social media in general) have become important tools for churches and ministries. But for many people, getting started is the hardest part. We’ll fix that.

A Lesson in Boosted Facebook Ads

Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions on turning your Facebook post into a paid ad. You ‘ll also find a downloadable handout that provides the same information.

Happy posting!

Download Handout

Facebook Articles

Are you looking for more information about boosting your Facebook ads? Visit the links below to see what Facebook has to say about the subject.

7 Day Social Plan for Pastors

Steven Haney — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 15:16:46 +0000

Many churches and pastors have a love / hate relationship with social media. We know there is some potential to do good, but often the process can be frustrating and confusing. Knowing what platform to use, what to post, or how to create or find content feels like a lot to take on each week. The key to an engaging ministry on social media starts with a simple plan and consistency.

7-Day Social Media Plan to Engage with Your Church
Adapted from Re-Think Communication by Phil Bowdle.

Choose a platform

The first step in this process is to choose which platform(s) you will focus on. Two things to consider:

Go where your people are. Being on a platform where you already have an audience will lead to more engagement and will help you grow.
Don’t over stretch yourself. Focus on one or two social media platforms you feel people would engage with the most.

Schedule time

Having a social media plan will help you know what to post ahead of time, leaving more time to create and post content. Schedule some time, maybe 10-15 minutes each day, to work on your social media posts. You can also work ahead, by scheduling multiple posts at one time by using a third-party scheduling service such as Hootsuite or Buffer

Remember that social media is a two-way conversation. In addition to creating content, spend some time responding to comments or messages throughout the week.

The Plan

Day 1: Monday
Pray for your church

Start the week off in prayer for and with your church. Ask “How can I pray for you?” Encourage and lead your church to pray for something specific or share a testimony of how prayer has changed your life. Respond to comments and let them know you are praying for them today.

Day 2: Tuesday
Celebrate

Take a look back over the past week or so. What’s a win you and your church can celebrate? This could be a salvation or baptism. Maybe there is a ministry that is experiencing growth. Think about wins not everyone knows about and share them.

Day 3: Wednesday
Devotional Thought

Social Media allows you to share God’s Word with your church any time. Take time to share a quick verse and devotional thought. Share from your own experience of what God is teaching you. End your post encouraging others to share in the comments.

Day 4: Thursday
Sunday Preview

As you prepare for your message this Sunday, think about how you can build anticipation for the sermon. Maybe share a verse, ask a key question, or ask for feedback or stories on a specific topic.

Day 5: Friday
Honor a Volunteer

Take time to publicly appreciate someone serving at your church. Not only will this encourage that volunteer, but it is an opportunity to show how important and loved all your volunteers are.

Day 6: Saturday
Church Invite

Let your church know how much you are looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. Include details (times, directions), but don’t leave it there. Share why it’s going to be a great Sunday and encourage people to bring someone with them.

Day 7: Sunday
Sermon Recap

Take time Sunday Afternoon to share a video focusing on the application of your message. Give a quick overview for anyone who missed the sermon that morning. Share a story or verse you didn’t have time to include in the service. Encourage people to apply what they heard. If this is done as a live video, even better, as live videos get reach boost on most social platforms.

Try this schedule for a month and see what happens. The key to effective social media is discovering what works best with your audience. Make note of the things that worked and focus accordingly. Don’t worry if you miss a day or two. Just focus on connecting with people and being consistent. Over time you will see results.

Don’t Let Go

Steven Haney — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 16:14:36 +0000

While the stay-at-home orders have been challenging in many ways, many churches have done a wonderful job harnessing technology during the season. Many have reported seeing greater numbers online than they were seeing in their buildings pre-COVID. Here are a few stories of churches that have embraced digital ministry during this time.

Pastor Wes Faulk from First Baptist Vidalia shares that God opened opportunities to serve and share the Gospel in this time.

Because God worked through these online opportunities, we saw people connect to our church in ways that surprised us regularly. We have reached more people with the gospel during the stay at home orders that we did when we were meeting in our building.
Through the online ministry of our church we have seen people saved and baptized weekly. God provided the opportunities, and we got to be a part of it. Looking forward, I do think much of what we learned to do on the fly will become normal practice for our church. Early on, many will be slow to reenter the physical building of the church, and both online church as well as Sunday school will become normal. I do not think it is an ideal permanent solution but perhaps a long term gift for those who cannot attend.
Perhaps the greatest lasting effect is the way I have learned to talk pastorally with my people through the online medium. Not just about church announcements but about life.
I’m ready to gather again, but I am thankful for the gift of Facebook, iPads, and iPhones. Those technologies that I could not see the benefit of 15 years ago are the very tools God is using for His church today.
See Wes Faulk’s full article here.

Many have reported seeing their churches reach expand beyond their normal Sunday morning crowds. Pastor McArthur Greensberry, church planter in Baker, Louisiana (New Beginning Baptist Fellowship Church) shares how a small investment boosted facebook posts helped them to reach more people than ever.

Being a young church, we began looking for ways to reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We began live streaming our services through Facebook over a year ago. We did not see a significant increase in our views until we started boosting our messages.
Once we started boosting our messages, the views of services jumped from 44 to over 2000. We are very excited about the results we have received from using social media. Our Palm Sunday service we had 1400 views and the next week Our Easter Sunday service we had 2100 views. I would like to encourage pastors to continue using social media as a way to fulfill the great commission, reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that our experience would be encouragement to you.

Don’t just abandon these digital efforts when you’re given the green light to return to full capacity in your facility. The popular study “Experiencing God” challenges us to look at where God is working and join Him in what He is doing. If He has been moving in your remote meetings prayerfully consider how you can continue that approach as you regather.

You may be thinking “we can’t continue to do everything” and you’re right – you can’t and you shouldn’t.

So, be prayerful and intentional about what you add as you regather in your buildings. More than likely, there were certain ministries that were dying a slow death before the stay-at-home season. Unless God directs otherwise, don’t try to resurrect those. Stay with what’s been working and add ministries that build on your successes. Your ministry may look a little different as you return, but if it’s bearing fruit, it’s a look you want to nurture with the Spirit’s leadership.

Re-Entry

Steven Haney — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 03:11:47 +0000

Governor Edwards has extended the stay-at-home order until May 15. An update is expected on May 11. This post will be updated accordingly.

For now, prayerfully review the article and links below to help prepare your people and your buildings for when the order is lifted.

No doubt, we are all looking forward to the day that the “stay home” orders and restrictions are lifted and we can start getting back to our normal routines. This is especially true of our churches, as the Body of Christ longs for corporate worship and fellowship. As much as we would like to return to “business as usual” as soon as possible, there are a few things you should consider as restrictions lessen and we start to meet again.

This will be a gradual process.

Just as we saw these orders gradually become more strict over several weeks when this crisis started, we can expect a gradual “opening up”, especially with larger crowds.

Return, but stay safe.

It will be important to still keep certain protocols in place when we return. Physical distancing and more thorough cleaning and sanitation should be maintained. Keep hand sanitizers and wash stations available, and encourage contactless greetings (no hand shakes or hugs yet). Coffee stations or self-serve food areas may not be a good idea when we first return. Those that are sick or who have symptoms should stay home until they feel better. Special attention should be given to those who are more vulnerable to the virus.

Create spaces for smaller gatherings.

We may need to continue in this mode of creativity and innovation, and create some new worship options, keeping our meetings under the allowed crowd limits. If your congregation exceeds the group limits, you may consider creating some smaller worship “venues” around campus. Maybe provide more time options. If the weather is nice, an outdoor service may be a great idea.

Don’t abandon your digital ministry.

If streaming or posting videos to YouTube and Facebook was new to your church, it may be tempting to drop those tasks once we are able to start meeting again. Don’t stop yet! Continue to provide an option for those in your congregation who can’t attend or don’t feel like they should. Additionally, the online prayer times and video check-ins have been a part of your church’s “new normal” for a while now. Keep it going and see if this might turn in to a new ministry to those outside your Sunday morning crowd.

Continue to connect to individuals.

Even as things return to normal, many will still be struggling. So much has changed. Many have faced difficulties. People will be hurting, confused, and worried about what is next. As all of this begins to sink in, the need for hope will be greater than ever. Find time to connect with people one on one, by phone, video call, or as the restrictions lessen, in person.

Call the church to action.

As we return, it would be a great time to call the church to action. Look for needs in your community your church could embrace. As appropriate, ask volunteers to help with worship service prep, or help with continued digital ministry. Some may be able to help check on others in your congregation. Check in with your normal volunteers and reach out to some new ones. Get them excited about being the hands and feet of Jesus during this time.

Consider these things over the next few weeks, and take time to come up with your own “re-entry” plan for your church. Looking for more? Check out these resources:

Should Your Church Live Stream?

Steven Haney — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 19:56:41 +0000

Chances are, your church has either started live streaming recently or has considered it at some point. With equipment improvements, lower entry costs, and availability through the web and social media, live streaming is becoming more common in the church. If you are considering adding a streamed service or posting videos for replay viewing to your ministry, here are a few things to keep in mind.

How are we going to do this? There are lots of options when it comes to equipment and hosting. This could look as simple as setting up your smartphone to live stream straight to Facebook, or a full video system, including cameras, switchers, and hosting. Don’t overstretch yourself. Find a setup that works for your team and your budget.
Does this have to be live? While it does sound great to say your services are being streamed live, all over Facebook or YouTube, a live stream may not be the best fit for every church or ministry. Consider other options like posting a replay later in the day, or creating a prerecorded version of the sermon, specifically for social media. This may save you money, and depending on your target audience, may connect better than a live stream.

Who are we trying to reach? Is this primarily for your church members who cannot attend this week? Are you trying to give guests a peek at what services are like at your church? Maybe you are trying to launch a full digital ministry through a live stream service. Your equipment, hosting, and strategy will differ, depending on your audience.
What will we show on our live stream or video replay? You have probably seen churches streaming services on your own Facebook feeds. The primary focus is usually the message (sermon), but many times it will include worship. Typically, people connect well with the sermon and is a great part to include. While including worship does give viewers a chance to see what happens through the whole service, it will often require more to maintain quality and connect with the audience.
What about copyright and keeping our stream legal? This is a big one. Please be sure you really look into church streaming copyright licensing and what is allowed and not allowed. Here is a quick break down…
- Preaching Only – Can be live-streamed and posted for replay without any copyright license needed, as long as the message does not include any copyrighted music or pre-recorded video content.
- Worship Included on Live Stream – Requires a streaming license for live performance of copyrighted music. No pre-recorded audio allowed (singing to tracks)
- Worship Included on Replay Video Post – Requires a streaming license to be uploaded to Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or similar site. No pre-recorded audio allowed (singing to tracks). If the streaming license ever expires, all videos including copyrighted material must be removed immediately.
- Prerecorded audio is not allowed with any streaming license. Permission must be obtained by contacting the copyright owner directly.

A note about copyright law and streaming licenses. You may still be flagged by Facebook or YouTube for copyrighted material, through their automated process. You can appeal this, citing the proper licenses, but it may take some time to resolve. You may also be required to allow ads to run on content including copyrighted music.

There are two common options for church streaming licenses. Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) and Christian Copyright Solutions (CCS) each have a blanket streaming license. You will not need both of these but would choose one based on your needs. The basic difference between the two is CCLI will cover only your worship services and will require the base CCLI license for lyrics, while CCS will cover other church events outside of your normal worship times, but will not include any licenses for lyric reproduction.

CCLI Website – https://us.ccli.com

CCS Website – https://christiancopyrightsolutions.com

There are lots of other things to consider, and if you are just getting into this, it can be confusing. Don’t let the number of options discourage or intimidate you. There are lots of great resources available online. Here are a few…

Facebook Live
https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/solutions/facebook-live

YouTube Live
https://support.google.com/youtube/topic/9257891?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2QflCUu88ExT3CHnVY9OT0WmvkqL9aUk-fgxv1ypynoEGJMdWULqeMaAukzEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Vimeo Video Storage
https://vimeo.com/upgrade

5 Reasons to Live Stream
https://www.boxcast.com/blog/top-5-reasons-your-church-should-be-live-streaming

4 Hurdles to Live Streaming
https://factsandtrends.net/2019/05/10/4-hurdles-to-clear-before-streaming-your-worship-services/

Live Streaming Equipment
https://www.joelwsmith.com/gear/the-budget-friendly-live-streaming-package/

Live Streaming is Overrated
https://prochurchtools.com/live-streaming-churches-overrated-ep-114/

Ultimately your church needs a digital presence to minister in this digital age. But don’t feel the pressure to do something just because other churches are doing it. Find something that fits your church and ministry, and do it well.

Feel free to contact me if you have other questions on starting a live stream at your church – Steven.Haney@LouisianaBaptists.org

From Zero to Hero: 3 Ingredients for Great Church Videos

Steven Haney — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 13:47:29 +0000

What if I told you the three ingredients that could take your church videos from “zero to hero”? In this digital age, church communication will continue to incorporate more and more video to share the on-going story of what God is doing in and through your church.

Here is a list of 3 key ingredients that a part of any great video.

1. Clear Audio

Often audio is an afterthought in video production but that is just not the case for your viewer. Commercial TV and Hollywood movies have an intimate clarity that is synonymous with a high level of quality. I often see videos that have huge audible barriers that prohibit the message from even having a chance to be received. Compare these two videos and determine which one is the most effective in conveying the message using clear audio.

Try to avoid an acoustical nightmare. Sure, stained concrete looks cool but will it be an audible barrier for your viewer? You have been tasked with conveying an important message through video. It can be rich in aesthetics but still fall short in accomplishing the goal due to poor audio. Preferably a room with tall ceilings and a rug underneath is desirable. Pack a rug or two with your gear when walking into a new situation where you aren’t sure of the acoustics.

A well-placed boom microphone such as the Rode NTG1 will do wonders for giving you a clear three dimensional sound. For years I played around with clip on lav mics only to discover their limitations at reproducing a natural environmental sound. If you don’t have an XLR connection then there are lots of options for external recorders. I personally prefer Tascam recorders because of an extremely low noise floor. (Ain’t nobody got time for hissy audio!)

A little compression can go a long way towards making your audio sound polished. Compression is an audio tool that is common in most video editing programs. Used judiciously, it can really help punch up the audio and give it a perceived loudness that we equate with good quality. The way it works is that it controls frequencies that go past a desired threshold that you get to decide on. Once those are controlled then you can turn up the overall volume without having to worry about the loud passages peaking your audio meters. A good setting to start with would be a 2:1 ratio. Then lower your threshold slowly until you see 3 to 6 db of volume being reduced. Too much compression is like too much salt. A little goes a long way.

2. Soft Light

With the rise of DSLR video in church communication, soft light is extremely important to the storyteller. DSLR cameras have a plethora of contrast built into them and aren’t very forgiving if you miss the mark with your settings. Paying attention to harsh light in your environment can really payoff in the finished product.

Grab a couple of softbox lights to get you started. Lowell makes some great starter kits. Turn off all of the lights in the room and begin to shape your light using the softboxes. This will provide maximum control to shape the light in a way that pleases the eye. As your budget grows consider getting a total of 3 lights for a standard 3 point lighting configuration.

Window light can be your friend. Most rooms have a window so it is best to try to use that light to your advantage. If for some reason your church can’t afford lighting at this time then move your subject towards the window and pay close attention that the light coming in from outside covers half of the face in order to create a cinematic falloff of shadows on the opposing side of the face. In most circumstances it will serve you well to turn off all of the lights in your room. There are no hard and fast rules so use your eye to discriminate between what works well and what doesn’t.

3. Great storytelling

Every story has a strong beginning, end, and some climatic moment in the middle. Make sure your story includes the same. When you are on location make sure that you work with the person you are interviewing to bring out those moments. Listen intently and learn to ask questions that provide opportunities for these 3 components to occur organically.

Ask questions that address the past:

“Why did you get started with this ministry?”
“How did you come to make this decision?”
“When did you start sensing the Lord’s calling in your life?”

Ask questions about the present:

“How is God changing your heart now for the people of India”,
“What are some recent things that your ministry has been doing,”
“So, what are you learning so far about the conference you are attending?”

Finally ask some questions about the future:

“What do you see your organization being involved with in the coming months?”
“Would you come back next year to this event?”
“Why do you think future college students would benefit from what this ministry is doing?”

Of course these are just generic questions so make sure the questions you ask are relevant. Don’t be afraid to ask the same question over to give the interviewee an opportunity to say it better. Make them feel comfortable and don’t forget to coach. Also, have a conversation about other things, joke with them, and this will go a long way to making them feel comfortable with you and the shooting experience.

Make sure to practice active listening so that you can draw the story out in the open during an interview. It is very difficult to do if you are fumbling around with equipment so you will find that the better you know your video gear the better at active listening you will become.