Below is a list of technology options in alphabetical order, including cost, pros, and cons. If you have any questions about these or would like to discuss virtual ministry options further, contact us.
Facebook Live (live streaming video through Facebook)
Cost: Free
Group size: Unlimited
Pros: Limitless, wide audience, real-time feedback/interaction, good way to gather info and answer questions, up to 2 presenters and can have more than 2 presenters with use of a 3rd party software (Zoom, Ecamm, BeLive, etc.)
Cons: Group interaction can derail process, often a blocked website for children and youth, livestream is a one-way broadcast, information shared becomes public domain
Facebook Watch Party (group video watching through Facebook by invitation)
Cost: Free
Group size: Unlimited
Pros: Pre-record the video, invite particular people to watch with you, chat in real time while video is playing, queue up a series of videos to watch in a single watch party, as the host you can fast forward or rewind
Cons: Loss of spontaneity and interaction compared to live streaming, can’t have multiple presenters (could declare who presenters are though), requires a Facebook account to watch compared to YouTube Premieres which has no account required
Google Hangouts Meet (virtual, video meeting experience)
Cost: Free with Google Suite
Group size: Up to 250 participants or 100,000 livestream viewers
Pros: Easy to join meetings; for Google users, it is Google’s Zoom
Cons: Requires high bandwidth
Instagram Live (live streaming video)
Cost: Free
Group Size: Unlimited
Pros: Stays in your post for 24 hours, two people can lead live at a time
Cons: Meetings automatically end at 60 minutes
Marco Polo (video-based messaging system)
Cost: Free
Group size: up to 200
Pros: Leave video at any time, respond to video at any time
Cons: No time limit on videos, some users report that it eats a lot of data (use wifi when possible)
Microsoft Teams (cloud based team meetings)
Cost: Currently offering a free trial period
Group size: Up to 250, or 10,000 online viewers
Pros: Files, search, and backup are excellent, good for business purposes
Cons: File structure can be confusing, uses a large amount of storage
TikTok (video and music messaging)
Cost: Free
Group size: Unlimited
Pros: Encourages creativity, create and share music, dance, and activities, “the karaoke of technology
Cons: Parental supervision suggested, has had recent criticism for bullying
WhatsApp (text, voice, video calls)
Cost: Free
Group size: Up to 256 and up to 5 groups
Pros: Encrypted calls, alternative to Facetime to include android users, reduces data usage for calls and texts, can delete “sent” messages, delivery status feature, great for international communication
Cons: File size limit, requires Internet connection
YouTube Live (live video streaming)
Cost: Free
Group size: Unlimited
Pros: Live chat that can be moderated, up to 10 broadcasters can simultaneously, event scheduling, preschedule live events with invitation, finding videos is easier than on Facebook Live, disable/hide chat comments after broadcast if desired
Cons: Information shared belongs to public domain, often blocked for children and youth
YouTube Premieres (scheduled group video watching through YouTube)
Cost: Free
Group size: Unlimited
Pros: Pre-record the video, provides a URL that you can share with potential viewers, chat comments provide a sense of community and immediacy, chat comments can be moderated, chat comments are retained but can be disabled after showing, video is saved permanently after showing, doesn’t require a Google account to watch (but must be signed in to comment)
Cons: Loss of spontaneity vs. live streaming, can’t have multiple presenters (could declare who presenters are though), can’t queue up a series of videos to watch in a single watch party as with Facebook Watch Party
Zoom (virtual video meeting format)
Cost: Free option (with 40 minute limit), upgraded versions ($15/month/host or $20/month/host)
Group size: Up to 100 with free Zoom
Pros: Live chats, recorded meetings, allows on-screen sharing
Cons: Free option cuts off at 40 minutes, can’t record in breakout rooms
