Online Worship Support

Update, September 2026

This workstream completed in July 2026. The Online Worship Toolkit is live, it stays live, and ownership has passed to the Digital Team, who will keep it current.

What was delivered

• a copyright guide for streamed worship, legally reviewed
• a copyright quick-reference
• the platform comparison; how-to guides
• frequently asked questions
• guidance on recording consent and accessibility

All of it is on the toolkit.

Three things described further down this page were not built:

• Centralised licensing. We looked at whether the Connexion could negotiate bulk licences covering CCLI, PRS, OneLicense and PPL, and decided not to pursue it.
• A library of copyright-free worship resources.
• A peer network connecting churches that already stream with those starting out.

The searchable copyright database was delivered as a static quick-reference rather than the growing, church-fed resource described below. We're looking at how we integrate this into the Resource Hub going forward.

Many churches began streaming services during Covid and have continued since, but with very little central guidance.

Churches are navigating copyright, choosing platforms, managing consent and sharing knowledge largely on their own and the cost and complexity of getting it right falls on individual congregations. You can contribute your own experience of this via our Online Worship Support survey.

We're developing an Online Worship Toolkit to provide practical, Connexion-wide support. This will include:

• Copyright guidance for streamed worship - a plain-English guide to what licences churches need and what they cover
• Platform comparison - an honest look at the options available for streaming and online worship, including cost, ease of use and accessibility
• Consent and accessibility guidance - templates and advice for obtaining consent before recording services, and making streamed worship accessible to all
• A searchable copyright database - a living resource showing the copyright status of materials commonly used in Methodist worship, growing over time with input from churches
• Investigation into centralised licensing - exploring whether the Connexion can negotiate bulk licences to reduce costs for individual churches
• Copyright-free worship resources - curating and developing materials that churches can use freely when streaming
• A peer network - connecting churches that stream successfully with those that want to start

Some of these resources can be produced quickly; others will require legal review, technical development and wider consultation. We'll publish resources as they're ready rather than waiting until everything is complete.