5 Best Practices for Making Your Sermons Available Online

Let's face it, the tools for sermon production have changed quickly over the years. Twenty years ago, you could get away with a VHS player, a mic, and maybe a cassette deck to record your sermon notes on.

Today, everything is digital and the tools of the trade are constantly evolving. So, when you're trying to figure out how to take your sermons digital, it can be a challenge to know where to start.

Well, don't worry! We've got all the answers for you here! We've compiled our five best practices for making your sermons available online:

1.  Create content for social media

When churches create sermon content, they typically produce a video or audio recording of the service. That content can be repurposed in a variety of ways to reach new audiences on social media. 

One way to reuse sermon content is to create short video clips that feature your sermon's key points. These videos could be used as stand-alone posts on social media, or they could be used as teasers to encourage people to watch the full sermon online. 

Another way is to take a few quotes from the sermon and use them in visual content like memes or graphics that convey the message of the sermon in an interesting way. 

2. Record sermons as podcasts

Podcasting has changed the way that people consume their information. Gone are the days of just listening to music on your laptop.  

You can take your sermons and put them out into the world in a format that allows people to hear them when they want and how they want. You can even add keywords that will make your content discoverable to the exact people you want to engage with.  This will allow them to find your sermons much more easily.

For a step-by-step guide on how to start a church podcast, click here.        

3. Place the latest sermon on your church website

If you're looking to grow your church, there's a lot of value in recording sermons and posting them on your website.

For one thing, it gives people who aren't able to attend services the opportunity to listen in on what they've missed. It also allows people who want to hear the same sermon again. And if you've got keywords in mind for each sermon, it can help people find those sermons more easily too!

You've got a few options when it comes to posting your church's latest sermon. We recommend a podcast link if people want to listen to it on their own time. If they'd rather watch online, then a Youtube video is probably more convenient. If they want to watch it as it happens, then a live stream is probably the way to go!

Whatever format you choose, make sure it's easy for people to find and that the quality is good!

With Tithe.ly Sites, you can easily embed your live stream, share your sermons, and connect with your online community, without knowing how to code.

4. Convert your sermon notes into a blog post

What do you do with those wordy sermon notes? Sometimes it seems easier to toss them into a word document or simply keep them on your computer for later reference. But is it worth the effort to try and turn your notes into a blog post? 

The answer is yes! Blog posts are the perfect way to provide context, share inspiring stories, and add links that people can explore if they want to dig deeper. You can also add images, videos, and other links that will help people get the most out of your content.

Also, you may include a link to the full transcript of your sermons. This will make it easy for people to follow along and reference specific points and scripture later on. 

If you're looking for affordable and user-friendly transcription services, try using Otter.ai or Rev. Both companies offer great features that are sure to meet your needs.

5. Create an infographic based on one of your sermons

This is a great way to explain complex concepts that will be easy to digest for your audience. Visuals help everyone better process ideas, so turn your wordy message into something clear and expressive using an infographic

Also, with the increasing popularity of social media, infographics have become even more attractive since they tend to do really well on sites like Pinterest and Facebook. This way, your sermon can be easily shared on these networks, and you can add facts and details to help your audience understand it better. 

If you haven’t heard of Canva yet, and need a little help with creating those eye-catching infographics, check it out. This web-based program is extremely intuitive and gives you the ability to create a variety of infographics without graphic design experience.

Over to you

Keeping these best practices in mind will help you present your sermons in the most user-friendly and attractive ways possible. And remember, never feel confined by what we've listed here. Consider these suggestions as points for further exploration and see where they lead. 

We hope these practices have provided food for thought and have inspired you to look at your current sermon production as a creative space.