How quickly can you get started streaming church online with Altar Live?

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The answer is... immediately!  In fact, by reading this article, you’ve already taken the first step.  For the rest, we’ve compiled a list to help guide you through the setup process.

Create a free trial account

The first step is to get an Altar Live account here.  You can sign up with your Facebook, Gmail account, or use an email address.  Next, you’ll be prompted to input your church’s name to create a community.  For more information on community setup, check out our article “How to Set Up Your Community”.

Host a test event

Now that you’ve got an account and a community, you can hold a test event to get a feel for how Altar works  Just click on the “Add New Event” button, select meeting, and fill out the information (for more details instructions, check out “How to Create an Event").  Be sure to try out both the main event and lobby sections.

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Some of Altar’s features are best when used by multiple people.  You can invite a friend to join you in the event to get a feel for how the rows and lobby work.  Just click the “Copy URL” button at the top of the event screen, then send them the link.

Get your decision-makers on board

You’ve seen how Altar can benefit your community - now it’s time to share it!  There are many ways to approach this, but here are three ideas to introduce Altar to your community decision-makers:

1.  Show them what Altar has to offer with our video.
2.  Use this email template to introduce the idea.
3.  Invite them to a demo event or meeting so they can experience Altar first-hand.

Get your community on board

Of course, the decision-makers aren’t the only ones to share Altar with - your community is also crucial.  Realistically, transferring your community to Altar will take about 2-4 weeks.  During that time, you don’t have to stop using your previous streaming methods.  We recommend you provide links from your usual places to your new Altar events to make the transition smoother.

Communication is important, so it’ll probably take more than a couple of links to get your community on board.  Here are a few ways you can help them transition:

1. Share this video designed to help communities transition
2. Send out this email to introduce your community to Altar Live
3. Assign “Tech Deacons” to help individuals transition more smoothly
4. Contact our team (contact@altarlive.com) to host a live training session!  We would love to help you and your community get started.

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Every community is different, and so is communication within every community.  The important thing is to be clear and patient when introducing your community to Altar Live.

Start Live Streaming your Church Services

So you’re ready, your community is ready, and your leadership is ready. Now what?  It’s time to stream an event!  We recommend introducing Altar in parallel with whatever system you usually use to virtually engage your community to make the transition easier.

You can also consider having your first stream be a mid-week service or other smaller event.  This can allow both your decision-makers and a smaller portion of the community to grow trust in the platform before it is used by the entire community.

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Congratulations!  You’ve successfully started streaming church online with Altar Live! 

Want to learn more? Check out this video on How to Use Altar Live.