Dear Congregations,
I’m writing to inform you of a significant upcoming change to Facebook’s live video storage policy and to offer guidance on preserving your valuable digital content. Effective February 19, 2025, Facebook will automatically delete live videos after 30 days. This necessitates immediate action to safeguard your church’s digital archive.
Understanding the Impact:
This policy change will affect any live streams your congregation has conducted on Facebook, including worship services, Bible studies, special events, and other ministry content. It is crucial to take steps now to ensure these videos are not lost.
Recommended Actions for Your Congregation:
- Inventory Your Content:
- Conduct a thorough review of your church’s Facebook page to identify all live video content.
- Prioritize videos essential for your church’s history and ministry, such as sermons, special services, and educational programs.
- Download and Archive Essential Videos:
- Utilize the provided resource to learn how to download videos from Facebook: How to Download a Video from Facebook on Any Device – HelloTech
- Establish a secure storage system for your downloaded videos. Consider using external hard drives, cloud storage services, or your church’s website.
- Develop a straightforward naming convention and organizational structure for your video files to ensure easy retrieval.
- Explore Alternative Hosting Options:
- Evaluate alternative platforms for hosting your video content, such as your church’s website, YouTube, Vimeo, or other video hosting services.
- Consider the long-term accessibility, storage capacity, and cost of each platform.
- If possible, enhance your church website to host your video archives, providing a central and permanent location for your content.
- Remember, it is essential to own your content. Nothing is preventing another platform from changing its rules.
- Communicate with Your Congregation:
- Inform your members about the upcoming changes and the steps your church is taking to preserve its video archive.
- Encourage members to identify any specific videos they would like to see preserved.
- Provide clear instructions on accessing your archived videos on your new hosting platform.
- Develop a Long-Term Video Strategy:
- Create a plan for managing and archiving future live streams and video content.
- Consider implementing a multi-platform streaming strategy to ensure your content is accessible to a broader audience.
Resources:
- Facebook’s announcement: Updating Our Facebook Live Video Storage Policy
I’m committed to supporting our congregations. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me (neal@scsynod.com).
I pray for your continued ministry and stewardship of your digital resources.
Grace and peace,
Neal F. Fischer
Director of Communications, ELCA South Carolina Synod
