Friends,

You are doing such a good job of taking care of God’s people, and it is an honor to be your partners in ministry.  I promised that we would be sending some resources, and below are some with which to begin.

I will continue to hold you all in prayer as we journey together as the church through this pandemic, following the Holy Spirit all the way!

Peace in the name of Christ,
Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence
Presbytery Transitional Co-Leader/Stated Clerk

“A theology of leadership during crisis?” by Presbyterian Outlook

“It appears to me that as the church wrestles with how to respond to COVID-19, that it is helpful for individuals and communities to develop and/or review our personal theologies of leadership during difficult times. Developing and having a personal theology of leadership is helpful because those who internalize their prayerful study have a foundation to direct their actions.”

A way for churches to accept online donations

Presbyterian Foundation has a way for churches to easily accept secure online donations through the Foundation’s online giving system.

“Preparedness for Pandemics” by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

“As media generates interest in the current outbreak of Coronavirus, presbyteries and congregations have an opportunity for a “teachable moment” about how to prepare for and respond to widespread contagious diseases. 

The PDA resource, Preparedness For Pandemics can help congregations plan a response for worship and ministry continuation should the need arise.”

“Pastoral response to the novel coronavirus” by Rev. Tom Trinidad

Rev. Dr. Tom Trinidad offers set of best practices for pastors and congregations on his blog.

Stay up to date with Center for Disease Control (CDC)

You can stay informed on all things related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) by visiting this page. Or click the button below to know how to be prepared for an emergency and how to respond.

Pastoral Statement on the Coronavirus

The PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship has drafted a statement that may be used in church newsletters or at the beginning of a worship service.

“The Gift of Cancellations” by Jan Edmiston

” Although I don’t believe that God has zapped us with a new virus to contend with, I do believe that God uses everything to bring some kind of good.  To reiterate: COVID 19 is not good.  But God takes what’s ugly, ordinary, scary and turns it into something beautiful, extraordinary, and comforting. “

One License offers gratis license until April 15

As the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak continues to unfold, ONE LICENSE—together with hundreds of our Member Publishers—is honored to assist worshipping communities worldwide during this extraordinary time. We are able to provide two different gratis license options valid through April 15, 2020. ”

Live streaming services options

In order to live stream, your church will need:

  • video(s) source
  • audio(s) source
  • access to internet (has to be fast enough to handle the stream)
  • laptop or desktop computer (sometimes tablet or smartphone will work)
  • application to connect your church’s live recording to an online streaming platform.

You can live stream through Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, and other third party online applications. Facebook and YouTube streaming are free. Other live streaming services has a subscription based model like Vimeo, DaCast, Boxcast, Streamspot, StreamingChurch.TV, SermonCast, or StreamingVideoProvider.

Keep in mind, when live streaming, broadcasting or recording your service, you need to comply with copyright laws even within a church context. Make sure you have the license and permission to play music on livestream too. Most songs are on OneLicense or CCLI.

Ultimate guide to live streaming services

An easy guide that gives an overall picture of what is needed and what needs to happen to livestream.


Do you want to do something super simple?

You can livestream doing something as basic as using your phone on Facebook Live. Learn how to do this here. The downside is that the video and audio quality is dependent on the smartphone and how much it picks up. You’ll want to make sure it’s plugged in so that it doesn’t die in the middle of the service!

Do you want something a little more advanced?

You can buy a software for your computer like vMix which connects your streaming content to livestreaming platform. It’s good to use if you want to be able to switch between different cameras, audio sources, show PowerPoint slides, videos, WHILE you’re livestreaming. It’s like having a production team.

Do you want to be able to caption your livesteam?

Ai-Media will do live captions to your livestream via YouTube, Zoom, Facebook or Livestream. It’s manually captioned by a person so it’s more likely to be 98.5% accurate. They charge by per minute.

Some of the subscription based live streaming platform has the capability to add automatic captions which means it is automatically transcribed. It’s not always very accurate but it can be enough to provide context. It depends on the sound quality, background noise, the type of voice, etc… Automatic captions tend to be free or cheaper than manual captions.

PDF Guideline on Live Streaming Services

“As the Covid-19/Coronavirus outbreak advances, congregations are struggling to respond. Some are turning to live-streaming video as a way to glorify God together, stay connected as the body of Christ, and seek the healing work of the Spirit. This may be particularly important for elderly members and those with compromised immune systems, or in regions where public gatherings are discouraged or restricted.”