Streamlined Sundays: How We Create Live and Sermon-Only Versions Each Week

There's a rhythm to Sunday. The service happens live, the stream goes out, and within minutes people are asking, "When will the sermon be up?" or "Can I watch just the message later?"

The truth is, this question comes up because most churches haven't built a simple, repeatable process for taking what happens live and turning it into clear, accessible content afterward.

This post walks through the exact process we use to create two clear versions of every Sunday service: a Live Stream Version that preserves the full experience, and a Sermon-Only Version that goes straight into the right series for on-demand viewing.

Why Two Versions Matter

Every church audience has people in different moments of engagement. Some want to relive worship, announcements, and every transition. Others want to catch the message on their lunch break or send it to a friend. Creating both versions honors both audiences.

The Process We Follow Every Week

Step 1 — Locate the most recent live stream in your Subsplash Dashboard under Media → Library → Live Stream Archive.

Step 2 — Create the "Live" version by duplicating the item, updating the Subtitle field to "Live," removing (not deleting) the Video and Audio sections, and saving as draft.

Step 3 — Trim the sermon from the full service. Open the original, scrub to the sermon start and end points, and trim.

Step 4 — Copy the trimmed video URL (the .mp4 link).

Step 5 — Move the sermon into the correct series and publish.

Step 6 — Link the trimmed video to the "Live" version by pasting the .mp4 URL and publishing.

Step 7 — Verify both versions are correctly placed and published.

Why This Process Works

This workflow removes guesswork and helps your volunteers or staff know exactly what to do. There's no manual uploading, no confusion about which file belongs where, and no risk of deleting content. When a system is this clear, it stops being a technical task and starts being a ministry rhythm.