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Online Worship Tips: CoronaChurch

I just watched my 37-minute Facebook Live broadcast worship and ran on here to give myself feedback from which you might also benefit!

We talk Hair!
We talk camera angle!
We talk song leading!
We talk about my favorite illustrator, Kay Nielsen (whose name is pronounced “KIE,” not “Kay” but I was flustered).

One thing I forgot to mention that was also nice and interactive: I asked those watching to hold up their “blessing hands” when I gave the online Benediction.

I also like that I stayed on camera for a few seconds after the “service” concluded to mention that we would be moving to Zoom Social Hour soon (keep your fingers crossed for next week!).

Blessings, friends. You’re doing great.


Command Central

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So, You’re On Camera!

My dear friend and colleague the Rev. Meg Riley is directing viewers here, so WELCOME!! You may be a long-time pigeon (my term of endearment for my readers, an homage to Zero Mostel’s character in “The Producers”) or perhaps you’re a first-time guest to this salon. The mission here at BTFM is to encourage clergy and all religious leaders to take their public image seriously and to understand that everything visual about us communicates something important. We can consciously communicate through our instrument (voice, body, apparel) or we will project who we are unconsciously.

The mission of this blog has always been to equip readers with the tools to analyze and craft that image. My background is in theatre, costuming and the academic study of the evolving clergy archetype.

But today you just want to know more about how to do on-camera ministry! So here’s what I hope will be a helpful introductory video. The archives here at BTFM are CHOCK-FULL of resources for you! Enjoy them!

I’ll be back in days to come, but now: Target run. Wish me luck. xoxo PB

Archive links to on-camera and other particularly relevant posts:

http://beautytipsforministers.com/2014/01/16/camera-angles/

Know Where The Camera Lens Is

Just a Fun Make-Up Video

Leading Worship in Street Clothes: What To Wear?

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Coronavirus And Ministry: Part 2, Online Worship

Hello from Quarantine.

I have not left my house for almost a week except to take the dog for a walk or drive him to the beach. I am cutting short my sabbatical and returning to work a month early, on April 10. Meanwhile, I consult with leaders and am grateful for the time to learn, process the enormity of this, continue to quarantine (I’m not even risking much social distancing — my feeling is that people who can essentially quarantine should do that).

I have been viewing some online worship services and I have these very unofficial observations to offer, with the caveat that you are all TROOPERS for getting whatever you got together over three days:

1. Zoom with lots of people on the screen at the same time doesn’t work for worship. I really don’t think it does. It may be a nice experience for the people actually on the call at the time, but it is visually confusing and alienating for those who watch after the live broadcast. How about keeping the worship service just the worship leaders and then going to a Zoom social hour or check-in?
Or, alternately, can you reveal the faces of all the (online) gathered during community sharing? I haven’t used Zoom yet, so I’m not sure how this works. Feel free to leave your tips in the comments, much appreciated.

2. Zoom reportedly works great for coffee hour break-out rooms. I do not know how to convene such a thing (yet) but colleagues are speaking with great enthusiasm about how it has worked for their folks.

3. Sound quality has been very bad for many of you, but you know that. An empty sanctuary has terrible acoustics. Please post comments with tips and tricks. Preachers, please warm up and speak from the diaphragm. Some of you sound very strained shouting into the emptiness and I’m concerned for your vocal health.

4. Short, close-up videos of clergy reading a prayer or speaking directly to parishioners has worked very nicely in several examples I viewed. PLEASE be aware of your camera angle and lighting — don’t make people look up your nose. This also goes for Facebook Live broadcasts.

5. When solo, do not subject your viewers to a solid hour of you talking. If you can’t have musical interludes or other players (which is fine), shorten the program.

6. If you are attempting a corporate worship experience online, it needs to have some dynamic quality. Sitting at a table and reading off a manuscript is very casual and relaxed and better suited for a community check-in than online public worship.

7. Bring in the focus from the wide-angle shot from the back of the sanctuary.
Consider shortening your service a lot and bringing the camera in much closer so that you’re not basically trying to fill all that empty space with your one body and voice.

8. Muted, sepia-toned color washes are depressing.
Please bring in some flowers and light if you possibly can. Some videos I’ve seen look like they were filmed inside a sanitarium. I know that lighting was not your big priority this past week but as you get better at these productions, do consider lighting.

9. Please watch the placement of props and camera angles.
One gentleman pastor looked like he had a container of flowers growing out of his crotch. Make sure to do “last looks” before you start taping.

10. One minister produced a blooper reel and it was so adorable. She posted a video compilation of about six outtakes of her and her staff muffing up little things and cracking up, and it was so charming and endearing! It showed how new this all is, how much warm, loving spirit she and her staff were bringing to this work, and that none of them had lost their senses of humor.

Now I am going to list some skills I need/want to acquire, and some questions I have about the production of online worship:

1. Posting slides for hymn lyrics or readings during a Facebook Live broadcast.
2. Adding the Facebook Live link to our website.
3. Making sure the Facebook Page is accessible to view by those who don’t have a FB account.
4. music! how? Confer with Music Director and pianist.
5. Video editing: getting clips from folks at home to edit together for a community check-in to share.
6. Zoom gatherings: what, when, how.
7 Easter? Outdoors? Beach? This could be beautiful… do together with other congregations?
8. Don’t freak out.
9. Don’t freak out.
10. You don’t have to learn all of this TODAY.

Peace, take care, be safe. Put the oxygen mask over your own face first. I love you.

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Coronavirus And Ministry, Episode One

Hey there.
Three days ago we were wondering if we should shake hands. Today we’re shutting down our churches. This pandemic is changing everything, disrupting everything and putting brand-new stresses on the clergy.


(I had a bottle of hand sanitizer with me on my walk and asked a teenager to use it before petting my dog. He said that was “fire,” which I think is good? We were both very good-natured about it)

I know that many of you are getting up in the morning to go to empty churches to record a Livestream or Facebook Live or Zoom worship. I see that some of you have pre-recorded services and have uploaded them to church websites. Good for you. We are all trying to figure this out. Good for you for just staying with it, addressing a steep techno learning curve, teaching others what you know, and in some cases keeping things analog. Any response is fine. If you’re showing up by phone or email to try to figure things out, you’re fine!

I watched a few seconds of one colleague sitting at his desk talking into the camera. He said he’d be doing a reading, giving a sermon, and leading a prayer. That’s FINE! It’s not dynamic and cinematic but it’s FINE! That minister will probably spend some of this week learning some tech skills and develop something else for next weekend. Or maybe he will decide to spend his time reaching out to health care workers or leaders in his parish, or do something else entirely. I only hope that he stays out of large gatherings and protects his own and others’ health as best he can.

The thing to *not* do right now is judge anyone else for their decisions, unless those decisions are a threat to public health. Any pastors who are pooh-poohing the public safety and health officials’ warnings and instructions to stay home, avoid large gatherings and practice social distancing are willfully ignorant and pose a serious threat to public health. I hope you will feel confident in your righteousness to speak to those pastors. “God will heal” is an asinine defense for their irresponsible behavior. Remember what Jesus said to Satan: “You shall not put your Lord God to the test!!!”

This is not time to go to the hair salon, manicurist or med spa for facials and injectables. And no, you shouldn’t risk going out to get your eyebrows waxed or threaded, sorry. Do what you can at home to do the beauty things that make you feel grounded and good. Get good sleep, stay hydrated, stay faithful in prayer.

I am with you in spirit from sabbatical. God help us all.