Podcasts are in an incredibly popular way of listening to audio content. In this video and blog post, we will talk about why churches should consider starting their own podcasts. One of the best things about starting a podcast is that it’s incredibly affordable to get started. Most churches already have high-quality audio systems in place to amplify the voice their speakers inside the church. The churches audio system can easily be used to record services audio and upload it as a podcast.
For members and nonmembers of the church alike, listening to a podcast is convenient. Many people subscribe to the podcast they’re interested in on their smartphones which they can use to easily play audio in their car, on a jog or while they’re shopping in the grocery store. podcasting is a form of Internet radio that does benefit from having a host and a moderator. Popular religious podcasts that I listen to regularly include world religion news and Christian today. These podcasts talk about important issues happening outside the church to keep members informed on the world at large.
Churches can use podcasting to reach new members in a variety of ways. The easiest way for a church to get started is to simply record the Sunday service with an audio program such as Audacity. Audacity is a free audio recording software available on both Mac and PC computers. Churches simply need to plug in their digital audio mixers into their computer with a USB cable in order to record the audio. If your digital audio mixer does not include a USB 2.0 output you can purchase an inexpensive USB audio interface that cost only $35 from Behringer. This equipment can be used to record the entire sermon but also the intro and outro segments for a higher quality production podcast. You can use your USB audio interface to capture audio from your larger audio mixer but also to bring in an XLR microphone into your computer for podcasting. You can start and end your podcasts with custom segments and paste in various parts or the entire recorded service audio.