Churches and Ministries Need to Fix Their Livestream
Now… And It’s Not About Attracting Young People

Pews & Perspectives with Jerome Madigan offers a personal take on faith, real estate, and the communities they bring together. Through industry insights, firsthand experiences, and thoughtful observations, Jerome shares his unique perspective on the people, places, and opportunities shaping faith-based real estate.

Written by Jerome Madigan

If I were to tell you that your livestream and online presence are not tools to recruit Gen Z, but the primary lifeline to your most faithful, generous, and resourced supporters, would you believe me?

In my work supporting churches, ministries, and non-profits across the country, I essentially help raise funds for kingdom work and advise on property and institutional stewardship for a living. Time and time again, I see boards push livestreaming and digital communication to the very bottom of the priority list. When attendance slips and the budget gets tight, the natural reaction is: Why spend resources on video and tech to chase twenty-somethings who aren’t coming anyway, especially when our building needs repairs?

Yet I can tell you with all sincerity that this mindset completely misdiagnoses the reality.

First of all, you do not need to change your worship style or try to be something you are not. You don’t need haze machines, skinny jeans, or a megachurch budget. People across every generation are looking for your authentic community, your liturgy, your teaching, and your unique expression of faith right now. But without a clear way to see and hear you online, they simply won’t know to walk through the doors.

The first online impression is critical for all age groups. Hartford Institute data shows that over 70 percent of first-time visitors check out a church online first, and most will watch a livestream before ever setting foot in the building.

Furthermore, as church leader Karl Vaters frequently reminds us, about 85 to 90 percent of churches have fewer than 100 people on Sunday. Small is normal. But leaders often fail to realize they are ministering to far more people than the headcount in the room reflects.

Look at the data:

Ryan Burge consistently shows that the church is aging rapidly, with more than half of attenders in many historic traditions over age 60.

Pew Research Center’s latest Religious Landscape Study reveals that regular online service attendance peaks among adults 74 and older at over 30 percent, compared to just 14 percent for young adults.

We are living through the Great Wealth Transfer, with an estimated 84 trillion dollars passing from the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers. These older generations built our sanctuaries, carried missions worldwide, and have both the will and the financial capacity to leave bequests and faithful support.

When an aging member or seasoned supporter faces health challenges, mobility issues, or driving restrictions, a muffled stream or broken website breaks that sacred connection. When they cannot engage, out of sight becomes out of mind.

Your livestream is not production theater. It is pastoral care, and it is basic fiduciary stewardship. Keep your unique identity, make your digital front door clear and accessible, and let people find the community you’ve built.

Fix your livestream now.