Top 5 Ways Your Church Can Use Google+ Hangouts

Google+ came onto the social media scene in 2011 demanding the attention of all users and businesses.  Hyped up to be the next best thing for social media (bigger than Facebook!), it soon became a target for critics and had a fairly low adoption rate.  Fast forward to today and regardless of how you feel about Google+ and its impact (or lack thereof) on social media, everyone seems to be in agreement that the multi-user video conferencing feature of Google+ Hangouts on Air is pretty awesome. 

 

Hangouts is an enhanced version of video chat (think of an improved Skype) with up to 10 people simultaneously participating in a video chat.  It has the capability to be broadcast live via YouTube to an unlimited number of people, sends an MP4 file that can be archived, edited or repurposed on other platforms, and offers seamless mobile device integration for participants on a laptop, desktop or mobile device.   

 

With 318 million monthly active users on Google+, churches have an immense opportunity to reach their congregation and continue to spread the word of God by using Hangouts.  Here are 5 ways your church can use Google Hangouts on Air:

 

Live-Stream Sunday Worship: Allow visitors and regular attendees the opportunity to connect even if they aren’t available to attend due to location or reason.  And let’s be honest, not every church environment fits everyone, so with Hangouts, potential new visitors can view the service and atmosphere before attending to decide if they’d like to physically join in the future.
Open Office Hours / Counseling Sessions: When the church doors are “closed” after service, church staff can hold open office hours online where anyone can find them to video chat in a private conversation. 
Small Groups / Bible Study: Your church can use small group and Bible study meetings for encouragement, accountability and relationship building.  Meeting times can also be scheduled during untraditional times such as before work, during lunch breaks or after school for a youth group where teens can connect with like-minded Christians.
Worship Music with Community Interaction: Hangouts offers a “Studio” kit that allows for higher quality audio to be streamed online.  A church’s worship band would have an opportunity to lead the community in worship together in an interactive format.
Podcasts: Using the MP4 file that’s produced from the Hangout, it may be submitted to iTunes like a podcast and distributed.  If a church staff member wanted to perform a broadcast on their own, they can record their broadcast using Hangouts and take the MP4 file that would be produced online and distribute it as a podcast.

 

These are just a few examples of how your church can use Google+ Hangouts to connect with the congregation.  If you have any other ways you think Google+ Hangouts might be useful for church, please share them below!

This post was written by Ashley Scolaro. Ashley is a Social Media Manager with Media Connect Partners.