It seems like a neat idea to be able to publish your services in mp3 audio or even in video. Newcomers can get a feel for what being in church might be like, while those unable to attend on Sundays can catch up with what’s happening too. So I thought I’d add another post to this series suggesting how you might do it with WordPress.
Audio
You first need to record your services/sermons in MP3 format. It is usually best taking your source from the church’s sound system. There are many ways to do this but the cheapest by far is to buy an MP3 player that has a “line in” recording feature like the Creative MuVo N200 or Creative Zen Nano Plus
You can use the Upload section in the WP dashboard to upload the file to your blog (the same way you would upload an imag) and provide a download link in a post to the mp3 file. Or, better still download the PodPress plugin for WordPress.
Video
You can also use PodPress to publish videos of your services. Though perhaps an easier way would be to publish via YouTube or similar.
But there is nothing worse than listening or watching yourself online…
At our church we tried using a Creative MuVo to record our services but the sound quality was just too poor. I convinced the church to purchase a laptop for recording. We use Audacity to record and get much better results.
We use Podserve (http://podserve.biggu.com) to store our mp3s and handle the rss feeds. It’s free and has proven reliable thus far.
We’re going a step beyond podcasting the sermon. We’re experimenting with an Open Source Sermon, built from the ground up by a pool of contributors. If it works, I’ll preach it from the pulpit and release it on a Creative Commons license. Come check it out!