Blog Posts

This post covers the top three conferences for tech pastors. It'a part of our series on church conferences.

The job of a tech director or creative pastor is not easy. You work endlessly but are rarely recognized for all that you do to prepare for each church service. In fact, it may feel like you only get attention when something goes wrong.

Many people with this role have found solace in conferences designed specifically to meet their needs and cover topics of interest. Below, we’ve listed three well-regarded conferences that are bound to leave you feeling refreshed and empowered in your important role:

Customer: City of Lindsborg, KS

What they Stream: City Council meetings

Live Streaming Goals: Keeping residents informed

The Setup: One camera in the back of the room plugged into the BoxCaster

Destinations: BoxCast Player, YouTube Live, Facebook Live*

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Cassie Johnson, the Executive Assistant to the City Administrator in Lindsborg, about how Lindsborg uses BoxCast to stream their meetings.

This talks about the steps to makes sure that you have a successful stream each time you broadcast. It breaks down different things to consider when beginning to look at your budget. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

If you are trying to increase the production quality of your broadcast instead, check out this guide. Otherwise, read on to learn about the checklist you should create to ensure that your broadcast goes off without a hitch.

Below are eight ways that you can really take your stream to the next level.  

This post covers four can't-miss church conferences for worship leaders in 2018. It's the main piece in our series on church conferences.

To be an engaging worship leader requires a special soul, one that, as Sovereign Grace Churches’ Bob Kaufin beautifully articulates, “magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ [ ... ] by skillfully combining God's Word with music [ to ] cherish God's presence and to live for God's glory.”

It’s clear that this is no easy task. Many worship leaders find great strength in attending worship conferences to rejuvenate themselves as they continue to motivate the gathered church to sing God’s praise. Below is a chronological list of our top 4 worship conferences for 2017.

Customer: City of Hardeeville, SC

What they Stream: City Council and Committee meetings

Live Streaming Goals: Government transparency

The Setup: Three HD wall-mounted cameras and a mic system into a Newtek Tricaster Mini into the BoxCaster

Destinations: Embedded Website Player, Facebook Live

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Raven Favor, Web Content and Media Specialist, and Ben Smerglia, Media Technician, about how the City of Hardeeville uses BoxCast to stream its public meetings.

This post considers the reasons why church choirs are on the decline. It's the part of our series on church engagement.

Church choirs are on the decline, according to the most recent study on the matter.

A 2014 National Congregations Study found that fewer white Protestant churches of all denominations have choirs, though they continued to be prevalent in black Protestant congregations and Catholic churches.

Only 40% of conservative white evangelicals said there is a choir at service, down from 63% 14 years ago. For moderate or liberal Protestant congregations, the decline was from 78% in 1998 to 50% in 2012.

This post covers four can't-miss church conferences for 2018. It's the main piece in our series on church conferences.

Church conferences have a unique ability to tap into our souls and leave us feeling recharged. There’s something innately special about being surrounded by thousands of fellow believers, all of whom work tirelessly every day to bring people closer to God’s Word.  

With hundreds of conferences each year, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for you. Below are the top four conferences we think pastors will find most worthwhile in 2017.

Customer: Rockdale County, GA

What they Stream: Board of Commissioners Meetings

Live Streaming Goals: Public Meeting Transparency, Workplace Productivity

The Setup: 3 Remote Cameras into a Wirecast Switcher into the BoxCaster

Destinations: Embedded Website Player (bottom of page), Facebook Live

We recently had the opportunity to speak with James Breedlove, the Audio-Video Coordinator for Rockdale County, Georgia about how Rockdale County uses BoxCast to stream their meetings.

This post addresses the state of government video and makes the case that your government needs to be streaming in high definition. It's part of our series on local government live streaming.

In the past few years, the ease of producing high definition video has increased dramatically. Standard definition video is no longer the 'standard.' Due to the massive increase in HD video, viewers quality expectations have changed as well.

Nobody has ever liked watching bad quality video. But, thanks to major television networks and online platforms like Netflix, we’ve all come to deem anything less than crisp video unacceptable.

If your stream is in standard definition, you are losing viewers and presenting your municipality in a poor light. People will watch a high definition stream much longer than a standard definition stream because it is simply nicer to watch and more engaging. You feel like you are actually there. You can see the people who are speaking.

Additionally, if you have a standard definition stream these days, you’re not giving off the best perception of your city to your residents. It’s important that your city looks like it was built for the twenty-first century. If I’m a potential resident looking on your city’s website and see a standard definition stream, I would likely internalize the idea that your city is behind the times. Learn more about what civic engagement looks like in the digital age.