Protecting Your Churchs Worship Archives Best Practices for Live Video Backup

Introduction

For years, many churches relied on Facebook Live as both their streaming platform and their video archive. But as of February 2025, that’s no longer possible. Facebook has changed its policy:

New live videos are only available for 30 days after they are broadcast.

Older live videos are being removed in phases. Churches had a 90-day window after notification to download or transfer their content.

If your church used Facebook as your only archive, you may have already lost access to older services. It’s important for all churches to have a deliberate archiving strategy to make sure your worship services, sermons, and special events aren’t lost.

Why archiving matters

Historical Record: Preserves the story of your congregation.

Ministry Resources: Sermons and worship services can be reused for training, devotionals, or outreach.

Creative Content: Clips can be repurposed for social media, podcasts, or future productions.

Online options for archiving

These platforms make your videos accessible in the cloud, but not all of them should be considered permanent storage.

Free Options

YouTube and Vimeo (Basic) are two of the biggest video distribution platforms.

Both platforms allow you to upload and share videos at no cost, with options to make them public, unlisted, or private.

They reach very broad audiences, making them excellent for outreach and easy sharing with your congregation.

Important Note: Just like Facebook, these free services are controlled by the platform owners. Their retention, monetization, or storage policies can change at any time. Use them as distribution channels to make your services widely accessible, but do not rely on them as your permanent archive.

Dedicated Streaming/Hosting Services (Paid)

Platforms like Vimeo Premium, BoxCast, or Resi.io integrate streaming with archiving.

Paid tiers are more reliable, and their business models are built around content hosting.

Even so, you should maintain your own copy outside of these services.

Cloud Storage Providers (Permanent Archive)

Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Backblaze B2, AWS S3/Glacier, Azure Blob.

These are designed for long-term data storage and backup, with contracts/service-level agreements that make sudden deletion far less likely.

Best used for master files and long-term archives.

Offline / local archiving

No matter what cloud solution you use, always keep local copies.

External hard drives: Simple, inexpensive, portable. In 2025, a $150 external drive will hold thousands of hours of video footage.

NAS (Network Attached Storage): Central storage server for multiple years of services; more robust than external drives.

Offline/“air-gapped” media: A copy that is not connected to the internet - protects against ransomware or accidental deletion.

The 3-2-1 backup rule

The gold standard for protecting digital content:

3 copies of your files (the original + 2 backups).
2 different storage types (e.g., local drive + cloud).
1 copy offsite (so a disaster at church doesn’t destroy everything).

Example for a church:

Master recording saved to the livestreaming computer.

A weekly copy saved to an external drive or NAS.

Another copy uploaded to cloud storage (Backblaze, Google Drive, or AWS).

Practical tips for churches

Adopt a workflow: After each service, export the master video and back it up to both local and cloud storage.

Name files consistently: Include date, event type, name of the message, and speaker for easy searching; for example: “20250921 - Worship Early Service – Take Up Your Cross – Johnson.mp4”

Prioritize key events: If storage is limited, keep high-quality archives of major services (Christmas, Easter, baptisms, special sermons).

Review backups periodically: Test that files can be restored and that drives/cloud accounts are still accessible.

Don’t rely on social media for archiving: Use them for outreach but keep your own backups safe.

Backup & Archiving Options for Churches (with Cost Estimates)

Small church (50GB/year video)
- External HDD: $150
- Google Drive 2TB: $10/month
- Total: $270 first year, $120/year ongoing
Medium church (500GB/year video)
- Basic NAS + 2 HDDs: $800
- Backblaze B2: $30/month
- Total: $1,160 first year, $360/year ongoing
Large/multi-site church (5–10TB/year video)
- AWS Glacier: $20/month per 10TB
- Resi streaming/archiving: $500/month
- High end NAS + 5 HDDs: $2,000
- Total: $8,000 first year, $6,000/year ongoing.

Conclusion

With Facebook Live archives now limited to 30 days, churches can no longer assume that past services will remain online. The same could happen with other free platforms like YouTube or Vimeo’s basic tiers - today they may keep your content indefinitely, but those policies could change tomorrow.

That’s why churches need a deliberate archiving plan. By combining online storage, local backups, and the 3-2-1 strategy, your church can ensure that worship services and ministry history are preserved for the long term.

Use free platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, social media) for distribution and accessibility but always keep a permanent copy in your own hands - whether that’s on external drives, a NAS, or reliable cloud storage designed for archiving (like Backblaze, AWS, or Google Cloud).

Archiving isn’t just tech housekeeping. It’s stewardship: protecting the memory of how God has worked through your congregation and making sure those stories are safe for the future.

Resource appendix: Streaming, storage, and backup options

Streaming & Distribution Platforms

· YouTube

· Vimeo Basic

· Facebook Live (30-day archive limit now)

As the founder of 3NV7 Digital, Lane Denson specializes in web development, online media, and digital strategy. He previously held the role of Senior Manager of Web Development at United Methodist Communications. You can reach him at [email protected]

Protecting Your Church’s Worship Archives: Best Practices for Live Video Backup