OBS setup guide for church live streaming

Streaming · software

OBS Studio is free, open-source, and powerful enough to run a professional church stream. It looks busy at first, but you only need a handful of pieces. Here's a church-focused walkthrough from install to on-air.

1. Install OBS

Download OBS Studio from the official site and install it. On first launch, the Auto-Configuration Wizard can set sensible defaults — choose "optimize for streaming."

2. Add your sources

In the Sources box, add:

• Video Capture Device — your webcam, or your camera via an HDMI capture device.
• Audio Input Capture — your clean desk feed, not the camera mic.
• Optionally an Image or Text source for your church logo or titles.

3. Build a few scenes

Scenes are saved layouts you switch between. Useful church scenes:

• Pre-service — a welcome graphic and music.
• Live — your camera full-frame.
• Lyrics / verse — camera with graphics over it.
• Holding — a "we'll be right back" card.

4. Set output quality

• Settings → Output → set bitrate (~2,500–4,000 kbps for 720p, ~4,500–6,000 for 1080p).
• Settings → Video → set resolution (1920×1080 or 1280×720) and 30 fps.
• Confirm your upload speed comfortably exceeds your bitrate.

5. Connect to your platform

Settings → Stream → choose YouTube or Facebook and paste the stream key. Then Start Streaming when you're ready.

6. Add automatic scripture lower-thirds

This is where OBS shines for churches. TajiCast outputs the detected verse as an NDI source or a browser/overlay you add to your Live scene — so when the preacher quotes a passage, the reference appears on screen automatically, no operator typing mid-sermon. See the full OBS integration guide.

Related: OBS + TajiCast integration · How to live stream a church service