How Churches Can Offer Online Sermons with WordPress (Easy)

Are you looking for an easy way to share your church‘s sermons online? Adding sermons to your church‘s website allows you to reach more people and grow your community.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through step-by-step how to record sermons, upload them, and share them through your WordPress site.

Why Put Sermons Online

There are many benefits to offering your sermons online:

• Attract new members who want to check out your church remotely first. In a Barna study, 48% of churches who stream services online reported that it helped them gain new people.

• Allow sick, elderly, or busy members to catch up on sermons they missed. Making sermons accessible means nobody has to miss out on your message.

• Let people re-listen to sermons and get more out of them. Many people find they understand concepts better or find new insights when revisiting a sermon.

• Increase website traffic and search engine rankings with fresh content. Google values sites that regularly add new, informative content.

You don‘t need an expensive production team to share great sermons online. With the right tools, you can do it yourself and make sermons accessible to your whole community.

Equipment You‘ll Need

The equipment you need depends on whether you want to record live sermons or prepare sermons ahead of time.

For Live Sermons

If your church already has a sound system set up, you may just need:

• Laptop or desktop computer (should have at least 8GB RAM and an i5 processor for smooth recording)
• Audio recording software like Audacity (free open source software)
• 3.5mm audio cable to connect soundboard to computer

Alternatively, you can use a portable audio recorder placed near the pulpit to capture sound. The Zoom H1n is a popular recorder under $100. Make sure to use a windscreen on any portable mic to reduce popping sounds.

For Pre-Recorded Sermons

For recording sermons on your own, you‘ll need:

• Microphone – USB mics like the Samson Q2U or Audio-Technica ATR2100x provide excellent quality for around $60-$100.

• Microphone stand – Look for one with a boom arm and pop filter like the InnoGear MSA001 ($20).

• Headphones – Sony MDR7506 are industry standard studio headphones under $100.

• Video camera (optional) – camcorders, DSLRs, or even a smartphone on a tripod like the Ordro Camcorder Tripod ($23).

Investing in decent gear will dramatically improve your audio quality over built-in laptop mics. Expect to spend around $300-$500 for a full high-quality setup.

Recording Your Sermons Step-by-Step

Once you have your gear, it‘s time to record. Follow these steps:

1. Set up your microphone and headphones. Position the mic just off to the side, about 6 inches away from your mouth. This prevents plosives and breathing sounds.

2. Open Audacity to a new project. Make sure the input is set to your mic.

3. Click the round red button to start recording. Speak clearly and steadily, keeping volume consistent.

4. When finished recording, stop the track. Edit out any mistakes by selecting sections and hitting delete.

5. Go to File > Export Audio and choose MP3 as the file format. Select a high quality encoder setting.

6. For optimal quality, use Levelator to normalize the volume and compressed dynamic range. This makes the audio clearer.

7. Upload the sermon audio to Podbean or your podcast host.

If creating video sermons, use a tripod to hold your camera steady. Get creative with camera angles, close-ups, graphics, and lighting to produce engaging videos.

Aim to minimize background noise. Record in a quiet room, speak close to the mic, and ask your congregation to hold applause until the end.

Here are some advanced tips for quality recordings:

• Set the microphone pickup pattern to cardioid, which only records what‘s directly in front.

• Record a short test clip to check levels. Your volume should peak around -12dB on the meter.

• Consider a mic pre-amp like the Cloudlifter CL-1 to boost gain.

• Use an audio interface like the Focusrite Scarlett for XLR mics.

• Apply an EQ filter to boost bass/treble frequencies for clearer sound.

Uploading Sermons Online

To avoid issues with storage space, don‘t upload large sermon files directly to your WordPress site. Instead, use a dedicated podcast or video hosting service.

For audio sermons, check out Podbean for unlimited storage and bandwidth. Podbean also includes premium features like:

• Hosting videos up to 500MB
• iTunes and Google Podcasts registration
• Detailed stats and promotion tools
• Apps to manage episodes from your phone

Basic hosting starts at just $5/month.

To host videos, upload to YouTube or Vimeo. YouTube offers unlimited free uploads for videos 15 minutes or less. Vimeo Pro ($20/month) gives you more control over privacy settings and player embeds.

Next, install the Sermon Manager plugin on your WordPress site. This allows you to easily create sermon posts that link out to your recordings.

Fill in all the details like title, preacher name, Bible verses, and more. This helps your sermons be discoverable in search engines.

The plugin also lets you create an RSS feed so members can subscribe to your sermons through apps like Apple Podcasts. Just go to Sermons » Settings to get your podcast feed up and running.

Live Streaming Sermons Step-by-Step

To reach the widest audience, live stream your sermons in addition to uploading recordings. This allows people to watch in real time.

Here‘s a step-by-step guide to live streaming:

1. Use a service like Restream to stream to multiple platforms simultaneously. A basic plan starts at $25/month.

2. Connect audio and video sources to a computer with a capture card. Or use a dedicated live streaming camera like the Mevo Start.

3. Create events on your calendar for upcoming streams. Publicize them on your website and social media pages.

4. Start the stream at least 15 minutes early. Play pre-recorded worship music and add an intro title while you wait for people to join.

5. When it‘s time for the sermon, cue up any graphics and make sure your camera angle looks good. Keep an eye on the live chat!

6. Once finished, immediately download the recording from your streaming platform. Edit if needed and upload to your sermon archive.

Promote when you‘ll be streaming on social media and your site. Share the live video while it‘s happening to boost viewers.

Spread the Word

Now that your sermons are online, focus on getting the word out. Here are some ideas:

• Email church members letting them know they can now access sermons online. Include handy links to find them easily.

• Prominently promote the latest sermons on your website homepage and in newsletters. Insert eye-catching sermon graphics.

• Share new sermons on social media. Ask members to like, comment, and share.

• Encourage members to leave online reviews highlighting your sermon archives. People often check reviews when choosing a new church.

• Ask the pastor to mention the online sermons from the pulpit. Or add slides about them to your pre-service announcement loop.

• Invest $10-$15 per sermon in targeted Facebook ads to reach people searching for churches in your local area.

With this guide, you have all the tools you need to begin sharing your church‘s sermons online. Not only will this benefit your members, but it can help you introduce your church to new people seeking a community.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow church leaders maximize their online potential.