Local Broadcasts on Gospel Stream

[ejkstewart]

Our Stake and Ward techs wanted to put forth some questions about putting Local Broadcasts on the Gospel Stream app and were hoping to get some good feedback and insight from all of you.

1. In a letter it was announced that anyone who wanted access to the Zoom broadcast had to get permission and the link from the Bishop. Now, if the meeting is Published on meet.churchofjesuschrist, then everyone in the ward/branch has access to the meeting. Right?

2. If we ask our Ward/Branch members who need to attend virtually to watch the meeting through the Gospel Stream app, how do we account for attendance? On Zoom, we can see who is logged in (also through zoom) watching and do an estimate on how many are "in attendance". Is there a way to see how many are watching on the Gospel Stream app?

3. Pre-existing scheduled webinars do not show up on the Manage Events list. It has to be a newly scheduled webinar. (Editing the existing webinar and updating it did not "trick the system" into showing the pre-existing webinar.)

[Hillshum]

1. In a letter it was announced that anyone who wanted access to the Zoom broadcast had to get permission and the link from the Bishop. Now, if the meeting is Published on meet.churchofjesuschrist, then everyone in the ward/branch has access to the meeting. Right?

Are you referring to a letter sent in your unit? My ward has previously made the Zoom link available for all, and this change will make that link distribution easier for us. If you wish to not make the broadcast available to all, then seems this change doesn't really affect you.

2. If we ask our Ward/Branch members who need to attend virtually to watch the meeting through the Gospel Stream app, how do we account for attendance? On Zoom, we can see who is logged in (also through zoom) watching and do an estimate on how many are "in attendance". Is there a way to see how many are watching on the Gospel Stream app?

I just did a test, and the Gospel Streams app just opens the meeting in the Zoom app, so all participants will be shown in Zoom in the usual spot.

3. Pre-existing scheduled webinars do not show up on the Manage Events list. It has to be a newly scheduled webinar. (Editing the existing webinar and updating it did not "trick the system" into showing the pre-existing webinar.)

I have also observed that, and hope to get some indication that said behavior is here to stay before I change the link that's already been established for sacrament meetings this year.

[brucejohnhansen]

In a letter it was announced that anyone who wanted access to the Zoom broadcast had to get permission and the link from the Bishop. Now, if the meeting is Published on meet.churchofjesuschrist, then everyone in the ward/branch has access to the meeting. Right?

That was a letter send by our stake president to the bishops in our stake. Our stake president did not want members who are able to make it to the chapel to choose "church from home" over of "church at church" So the bishops hand out the link. That was only for our stake.

[russellhltn]

Handbook 29.7 makes it pretty clear: "Streams and virtual meetings are not meant for the convenience of those who could reasonably attend in person."

However, the Handbook is silent on if this is a "teach correct principles", or if people needing the stream need to be approved by the bishop.

From what I know of the system (not using it myself), it seems like it's setup along the "teach correct principles" theory.

I have heard from a mother that used to have young children that it's quite a challenge for them. Not just rounding them up and getting them to church, but to keep them settled down and behaving in church. This may be part of a "great experiment" to see if the streams to what seems to be "fit" families will actually help them in the long run.

[sllim126]

3. Pre-existing scheduled webinars do not show up on the Manage Events list. It has to be a newly scheduled webinar. (Editing the existing webinar and updating it did not "trick the system" into showing the pre-existing webinar.)

Correct, however, you can create templates using your existing Webinar/Meetings. Then create a new webinar and all you need to do is adjust the time. It's a 3-minute process. then all the new occurrences shows up without issue in meet.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[shanebankhead]

3. Pre-existing scheduled webinars do not show up on the Manage Events list. It has to be a newly scheduled webinar. (Editing the existing webinar and updating it did not "trick the system" into showing the pre-existing webinar.)

OK this explains why all of our wards have been having so much trouble getting this set up, as this was not clear in the instructions. My concern is we have been using the same links for a very long time and they are published, distributed, and bookmarked in several places.

Before we do something this disruptive, I just want to confirm- are there really no other options to make it possible to use established webinar links? I could not tell if the statement above is confirmed, or just an observation from people trying to figure this out like me. Thanks for your help.

[brianpratt]

3. Pre-existing scheduled webinars do not show up on the Manage Events list. It has to be a newly scheduled webinar. (Editing the existing webinar and updating it did not "trick the system" into showing the pre-existing webinar.)

Correct, however, you can create templates using your existing Webinar/Meetings. Then create a new webinar and all you need to do is adjust the time. It's a 3-minute process. then all the new occurrences shows up without issue in meet.churchofjesuschrist.org.

Yes, thank you - this is helpful for creating a new recurring webinar that matches the days and times, but it unfortunately does NOT keep the same webinar ID, so the Zoom link will change.

Some of us have successfully kept the same link for a long time, which has been much easier for some members - especially those who aren't up on technology.

[awev]

I am just a branch clerk, not a STS nor WTS, so I have not receive the info on streaming to the Gospel Stream app, yet since I am a bit of a computer nerd I get tasked with a lot of the stuff for my branch. Take what I say below with a grain (or bag) of salt, yet it is based on my own obervations, so your milage will differ.

During COVID we had a family move into our branch, and view the Sunday Service only twice. After the stake directed everyone to discontinue streaming/broadcasting of the weekly service the family never showed up to our meetinghouse/chapel. COVID was a conveniant excuse for them to justify their becoming inactive. The update to the handbook just cemented it.

We had a case where a mother was out of town, the husband was still in town, and one of the children was to be the youth speaker. Their was no "official" stream, and their is to be no filming, recording, or transmitting, of services by people in attendance (so nothing unofficial). The husband had consulted with my branch president, and the first (youth) speaker's talk was shared - a wink and a gentleman's agreement if you will. All of this was after COVID and the update to the handbook.

Of course we have baptisms where two or three family members in attendance stream the event to extended family members thoughout the nation, this might be something to consider for using the Gospel Stream app to help make it easier for everyone interested to find. The program can be created a couple days in advance, and the parents (or person being baptized) can share the program with embeded links with others and have one special one time use link to view the event.

My stake presidency got changed earlier this year at our stake conference, so I can not speak about our new stake president, yet our prior one belived that stake conference takes place in the stake center only, in person only. The neigboring stake was the opisit - they would transmit the Sunday general session from the axuailery stake center to the main stake center and two other chapels to help those that lived more than an hour away from where the session was taking place. You still had to attend in person for the Saturday sessions (leadership before dinner, adult session after dinner) at the stake center, what was smaller than the axuailery center yet more centrally located.

Since my prior stake presidency directed that streaming/broadcasting of Sunday Services was to discontinue, the handbook later clairifited it, and the new stake presidency has not weighted in on it, you need to aproach your branch president or bishop to even have the stream option considered, and present a convincing case. And only then will it be considered for that one person/family, time constraints will be placed on it (maybe for one week only, or three months and you need to approach your local leader again, etc), the link will not be made available to everyone, and is not to be shared with anyone outside of your household.

For my stake it is more than just teach correct principals it helps build community and bonds between people. Even the bible teaches that we are to meet often as a church to help edify and strengthen each other - that is hard to do when people are just viewing a stream, not enteracting with each other, and have no idea as to who else might be viewing the stream (or even in attendance if the camera is focused only on the podium).

If another pandemic, or other condictions, force us to stream it is nice to know what can be done, and how to set it up. I do understand about those who are technology challenged, you will find a few even in a small branch such as mine.

[sbradshaw]

If we ask our Ward/Branch members who need to attend virtually to watch the meeting through the Gospel Stream app, how do we account for attendance?

When the meeting didn't take place in person at all – only virtual – it made sense to count virtual attendees as attending the meeting. But when the meeting takes place in person, should virtual attendees be counted? I haven't seen any specific guidelines one way or another, but I lean towards not counting them. The central part of the meeting is the sacrament, and virtual attendees aren't included in that part of the meeting. I'm curious what others' thoughts are on that. Did you count virtual audio attendees before video streaming was common?

[garystroble]

If we ask our Ward/Branch members who need to attend virtually to watch the meeting through the Gospel Stream app, how do we account for attendance?

When the meeting didn't take place in person at all – only virtual – it made sense to count virtual attendees as attending the meeting. But when the meeting takes place in person, should virtual attendees be counted? I haven't seen any specific guidelines one way or another, but I lean towards not counting them. The central part of the meeting is the sacrament, and virtual attendees aren't included in that part of the meeting. I'm curious what others' thoughts are on that. Did you count virtual audio attendees before video streaming was common?

General Handbook 33.5.1.1: Sacrament Meeting. Attendance at sacrament meeting is recorded each week by the ward clerk or an assistant ward clerk. The count is the number attending the meeting in-person or by streaming, including visitors. Ward members who are not present because they have another assignment or are attending another ward are counted in the ward they attend.