what is the best software to project bible verses quickly while the pastor is preaching?
It's always agreeable to see some folks still using PowerPoint to project vocal lyrics during worship.
I mean it's such a painfully inefficient way of doing things—especially when there are so many superior and complimentary church presentation software that have just a few clicks to setup and get going.
If yous want a PowerPoint alternative or simply desire to learn more virtually the all-time church presentation software available for costless to support your worship services, y'all should read this commodity.
A screen displaying lyrics and Bible texts is more than or less replacing printed textile at about places of worship. Depending on how it is used, the screen can exist a purposeful aid or an unfortunate distraction.
Choosing the right church software to run your slides is therefore an important decision to back up the worship surround.
If you're on a tight budget, here are a number of costless worship software in no particular order that offering a variety of features to accommodate your church presentation needs.
13 of the best free presentation software for easy worship in your church
1. OpenLP
One of the most popular open source worship presentation programme out there, OpenLP packs a ton of features for managing and displaying songs, Bible verses, images, videos (non video backgrounds though) and more.
It facilitates custom alerts, Bible import through CSV files, CCLI/SongSelect integration, PowerPoint file import etc.
Managing worship songs
- OpenLP can import songs from a wide diversity of sources like Easyslides, Opensong, Videopsalm, Zionworx, DreamBeam, MediaShout etc.
- You lot can tag poesy types, preset verse sequence, add formatting and manage songwriter information
- A quick song search is also available
Managing Bible verses
- Bibles can be imported from OSIS by the CrossWire Bible Society, whatever CSV file, OpenSong, Zefania etc.
- You lot tin even download a few selected verses from a Bible site, brandish verses in many custom formats, easily search verses past scripture reference (due east.thou. John three:16-17) or by a search phrase to add into your set list
Media
- OpenLP integrates with one of the most popular open source media actor of our times: VLC!
- This means you can use virtually any video / audio file format in OpenLP that is compatible with VLC
- Slides and templates
- OpenLP can be used to prepare custom liturgies/set lists as per your church's needs
- Announcements, alerts or custom slides are as well possible—custom slides tin also be looped if required
- OpenLP too integrates with PowerPoint, PowerPoint Viewer, LibreOffice Impress on Windows and LibreOffice Impress on Linux/FreeBSD. Imported presentations (sermon slides for example) can exist controlled from inside OpenLP
- Back up for video background is nether evolution. However, you tin can utilise a transparent theme as a workaround for now until this feature rolls out
Extra cool features
- OpenLP likewise has a FREE Android remote app to command the presentation from anywhere within your church building using an Android device—as far as I know, this is a get-go of its kind app!
- Congenital-in phase view accessible from any device with a web browser. Use any device on the local network as your phase monitor, meaning unlimited stage monitors without any extra hardware constraints.
- Ability to add backing tracks to songs
Platforms
- OpenLP is available for Windows, Linux, Mac or FreeBSD
OpenLP is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a costless and feature-packed church presentation software.
2. OpenSong
If yous need a super simple, gratis and piece of cake worship presentation software, and then look no further than OpenSong.
It may non have all kinds of bells and whistles when information technology comes to features, but it does just plenty to encounter the well-nigh important church building projection software requirements.
Managing worship songs
- OpenSong can easily double up equally a worship song management tool—you tin can blazon in songs yourself or import them from CCLI's SongSelect
- Or yous can always go to any site providing lyrics and chords for worship songs and just copy paste from there
- Songs tin can exist stored with chords, which of grade won't appear in presented slides. At that place's a quick song transpose option also if yous want to exercise a song in a different cardinal—information technology's extremely convenient for musicians
- OpenSong too provides many free song packs in various languages to assistance get you started
Managing Bible verses
- OpenSong's website hosts a wide variety of Bibles that you tin can download for free and import into your system.
- Zefania XML Bibles, NRSV, NIV, KJV and more are available and supported for import apart from Bibles in other languages (French, Filipino, Portuguese, High german etc.)
Media
- Whatever image file can be set as a groundwork for songs and Bible verses
- Fonts, colors etc. tin be custom formatted separately for song slides, scripture slides and alerts
- While video backgrounds are not natively supported, information technology's not completely impossible either if you can learn this workaround
Slides and templates
- With OpenSong, you can present songs, Bible verses and alerts specifying the order of slides, such every bit verse 1, and so chorus, so verse two, then bridge, and so chorus once more and then on
- You can also present a preset timed loop of defined slides, create custom set lists in only a few minutes, search and detect any Bible verse or song in seconds.
Platforms
- OpenSong can be installed on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.
OpenSong is cracking for anyone switching from PowerPoint—its simplicity and ease-of-use (I've taught people to utilize it in like 10-xv minutes flat!) make information technology a standout choice!
3. Holyrics
Holyrics is a free Church presentation software developed with the objective of facilitating the presentation of lyrics and verses in worship and other events.
Managing worship songs
- Salvage song lyrics and utilise custom themes to brandish.
- Search and add a song quickly using the bachelor search options.
- Holyrics has an offline database with more than fifteen thousand songs!
- Nosotros can separate the song lyrics of dissimilar groups or singers using groups
- Allows to salvage the time and date of each song played
Managing Bible verses
- Supports display of Bible verses and transmission to other devices
- Facilitates access to any Bible verse with just 3 clicks
- Tin save lists of favorite verses to bring them upwardly quickly
- Visualize the Bible in different versions simultaneously
- Change the version of the verse on the fly in existent fourth dimension
Media
- Has stage view support—we tin can use return monitors with unique settings. Slides can likewise be customized for the Holyrics app
- Show messages and alerts but on return monitors
- Colors, images or videos as background with opacity control
- Can show warning messages at any fourth dimension, fifty-fifty during a presentation
Slides and templates
- Create various themes and use in any song lyrics and verse
- Schedule the songs that will exist played and the media that volition be performed in each service
Actress cool features
- Access program data and control presentations past mobile through the Holyrics mobile app
- We can annals our worship team members in the organization and create schedules for the services
- Play audio and video through the plan without dragging windows (needs VLC media role player to piece of work)
- Apply videos to create Themes with blithe background
- Mobile app tin can be used to remote control presentations of songs and verses
- Clock
- Inaugural
Platforms
- Windows, Mac and Linux machines
- The mobile app is bachelor for Android and iOS
Holyrics is a well-designed free church presentation software with fantabulous features and functionalities—highly recommend you to effort it out!
4. FreeWorship
FreeWorship can exist used to display worship songs, Bible passages, videos and more.
This church worship software supports themes, slide transitions, quick search, import of a variety of lyrics and Bibles etc.
FreeWorship is a solid free worship software that should encompass virtually of your church presentation needs.
Managing worship songs
- For quick setup, worship songs tin exist imported many, many sources!
- FreeWorship accepts songs from CCLI SongSelect, Easy Worship (2009 & 6), DreamBeam, Mission Praise, OpenLP, OpenLyrics, OpenSong, SongPro, SongShow Plus and Words of Worship
- So if you're switching from another software, FreeWorship makes it incredibly like shooting fish in a barrel to migrate your existing song base in no time
Managing Bible verses
- FreeWorship tin can import Zefania and OpenSong Bibles, which should have intendance of most of your scripture projection needs.
Media
- All popular image formats can be handled in FreeWorship
- Like OpenLP, FreeWorship also integrates with VLC for video playback—so any file format supported by VLC can be run hither!
- This free presentation software too handles PowerPoint files (versions 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016)
- The presentation slides can also be spanned beyond multiple projectors.
Slides and templates
- Songs, bible passages, images, videos, PPTs, webcams, clocks and timers tin can all be setup to display on screen only a few minutes
- There are flexible slide customization options besides with the ability to tinker with the fonts, colors and backgrounds
Actress absurd features
- In that location'due south a really absurd auto poetry characteristic, using which FreeWorship finds a related Bible poesy when you search for a song!
- Stage/foldback brandish to give your worship squad and speakers on phase more information nigh the electric current slide and what is coming up next
- You can employ a file synching service like Dropbox to edit songs on ane PC while presenting on another
Platforms
- FreeWorship is Windows merely at the moment
FreeWorship is feature-rich, provides terrific import options and flexible enough to fulfill even enervating church building presentation needs—this is a keeper!
5. EasySlides
EasiSlides is a free worship song project software designed for projecting lyrics and Bible texts—basically, it'south designed for church worship.
With over 80,000 downloads and counting, EasySlides is a very pop option for anyone looking for free church presentation software.
Managing worship songs
- EasiSlides installer (version 4 onwards) comes with born worship song lyric databases from the public domain in multiple languages apart from English
- If you want to drift your existing song base from some other church presentation program, you're out of luck though—you'll have to recreate your worship song data all over over again
- Similar to OpenSong, worship vocal lyrics can besides be stored with chords
Managing Bible verses
- Bible versions are express as at that place's no native ability to import Bibles from tertiary political party sources
- However, EasySlides offers 3 English translations and a few more in other languages. Plus, there is a 3rd political party tool to convert Bibles from Unbound and XML versions into a format that can be imported and used in EasySlides
Media
- EasySlide shines in media playback—it can play audio and video files including live video backgrounds through feeds from an attached camcorder
- The usual features to edit slide backgrounds, add gradients or usage of custom images are likewise available
Slides and templates
There'southward another third party transfer tool to work on one auto and so migrate the presentation including the underlying files to the church figurer that will be used for the actual projection.
Extra cool features
- Project lyrics in two dissimilar languages at the aforementioned time for multi-lingual services
- Generate worship vocal books to print customized praise and worship vocal books
- HTML Generator to output all the necessary files to publish worship song lyrics on your church building website
Platforms
- EasySlides is Windows only at the moment
EasySlides is an actively adult software with a huge user base—its aplenty prepare of features is sure to satisfy worship teams and Church tech enthusiasts.
6. Quelea
Quelea is an open source church building projection software with a dainty set of features to serve your church presentation needs.
Quelea's stated aim is to "incorporate the best features of existing solutions as well as leveraging new, useful technologies that existing solutions don't accept—providing it all under a costless, open up source license."
Managing worship songs
- In terms of importing existing worship songs from other software, Quelea stands tall with the all-time of them.
- Worship songs tin can be imported from just about anywhere—OpenSong, OpenLP, ZionWorx, Dominicus Plus, Kingsway Online, EasyWorship, EasySlides and more.
Managing Bible verses
- By supporting Zefania XML Bible formats, Quelea gives usa access to import and employ a vast list of Bible translations.
- So getting your favorite Bible translation into Quelea shouldn't be besides much of a hassle.
Media
- With Quelea, you can add images and video files as slide backgrounds
- All other regular customization and formatting options are also available
Unique features
- Quelea helps with the church projection setup providing many test patterns you tin use to ensure the screen is calibrated and positioned correctly.
- Quelea tin can push song lyrics to any mobile device with a browser—in real fourth dimension—and you can choose the display colors to best accommodate your viewing needs.
- It also supports a separate stage view, enabling display of worship song chords merely to the band onstage.
- Its interface is bachelor in English, German, Spanish, Swedish, Czech, Hungarian, Norwegian, Dutch, Lithuanian and Portuguese
Platforms
- Quelea is Windows only at the moment.
Quelea is a superb church presentation program with a remarkable set of functionalities that should delight any Church.
seven. VideoPsalm
If yous need a worship software choice with all kinds of features rivaling fifty-fifty paid alternatives, so VideoPsalm would exist your No. 1 choice.
Of all the church presentation software I've had the pleasure to try out, VideoPsalm is the most exceptional—you'll find but well-nigh any and every feature you might need!
Is it an like shooting fish in a barrel worship software? Maybe not, but in one case you spend some time to larn it, in that location's no looking back—you'll dear it.
Managing worship songs
- Like Quelea, VideoPsalm can import songbooks from several sources—EasySlides, EasyWorship 2009, MediaShout, OpenLP, OpenLyrics format, OpenSong (Chords get imported likewise), Psalmo and plainly text.
- Moreover, the VideoPsalm online library itself provides over 10,000 worship songs!
- Songs can also be stored with chords in ABC or Do-Ré-Mi note apart from ChordPro compatibility.
- Just like OpenSong, there'south a useful transpose feature here also.
Managing Bible verses
- How does 330+ Bible translations in 100+ languages sound? Yes, that's the number available!
- Autonomously from all the regular Bible verse display features, VideoPsalm also supports dual linguistic communication poetry project.
Media
- VideoPsalm displays video, sound, photo, countdown, alert, PPT files and more. Information technology's a truly all-in-one worship software that can manage whatsoever you throw at it.
- Slides can as well be edited on-the-fly right in the middle of a presentation.
- Media files can also be found apace with the born search part.
Slides and templates
- The slide setup features are vast and comprehensive. VideoPsalm provides granular control of every attribute of your slides and templates.
- Fonts, backgrounds, media, colors etc.—all of information technology is easily customizable and editable.
- Even during a alive presentation, background image/video can exist changed on-the-fly.
Extra cool features
- Autonomously from adding images and videos as slide backgrounds, VideoPsalm besides facilitates varying the background for each function of a song—the background for verse-one tin be different from that of verse-2 or chorus of bridge
- VideoPsalm is as well portable—the awarding can be run from a USB drive
- Screen resolution is not a dependency at all. Yous can create the presentation in a 4:3 system and and so project it on a 16:nine screen seamlessly
- Portable set up-list files to work and projection in different systems
- Bachelor in 40+ languages
- Single click live video background is as well possible
Platforms
- VideoPsalm is Windows only at the moment.
At the price of free, VideoPsalm—with its massive feature-set—is a fantabulous option for your church building presentation requirements. I doubt you'll find a better option than this.
viii. Praisenter
Praisenter is a gratis Church presentation software to project worship songs, Bible verses and custom slides with images, sound/video etc.
If y'all're looking for a reliable gratuitous option for your worship software requirements, you should take a serious look at Praisenter.
Managing worship songs
- Calculation songs to Praisenter is not rocket science. Information technology comes with an import facility, which facilitates bulk import of songs, provided they are in ChurchView or OpenLyrics format
- Song parts (poetry, chorus, bridge etc.) can be tagged easily—in fact, nosotros can add unlimited number of parts to a vocal!
- There's a Quick Send console to present songs immediately too (with hot key back up)
- A fast vocal search feature is as well available
Managing Bible verses
- Similar songs, importing a Bible is besides a piece of cake. Praisenter supports import of Bible translations from The Unbound Bible, which should take care of most scripture projection needs
- Search for Bible phrases, words, verse locations, present them on the fly
- Relieve lists of scripture verses for afterward reference/written report
Media
- Praisenter is an audio / video presentation program. Images, videos, audio and video files tin be added to whatever kind of slide (songs, Bible verses or custom slides)
- Videos and images can exist used equally slide backgrounds or as floating components. And aye, videos can exist looped!
- With respect to format, Praisenter has you covered by using the Xuggler library
Slides and templates
- With Praisenter, custom slide templates can be created separately for Bible verses, Songs and other content
- Slide transition effects, notifications (over again, with customizable templates) and more circular off the wide array of features
Extra cool features
- Praisenter tin can brandish up to two translations at the same time—great for multilingual services!
- You tin can create slides and templates in a machine, export them and then import them into some other machine including attached media. So we tin can work on one figurer and utilise another computer for the final presentation
Platforms
- Praisenter tin can be installed on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.
Praisenter is a beautifully designed, classy church building presentation software that'due south sure to thrill any worship ministry.
Other free church building presentation software—honorable mentions
nine. Datasoul
Datasoul is an open up source church presentation software to display lyrics, scripture and other text in worship services.
It has a flexible template organisation to preset how the slide content is formatted. It tin can be used to present slides with image and video backgrounds (including live feeds from an fastened video camera).
Alerts, back up for any display resolution, launch of other files like PPT, Open up Function, remote display over network etc. are other useful features of Datasoul.
Presentations can also be exported every bit PDF files.
10. Songview
Songview is a gratis worship song projection software for churches that can handle projection of songs and Bible passages with image or video backgrounds.
Songview supports PowerPoint files, addition of guitar chords to songs with phase display for bands, alerts, slide editing during live presentation and more.
Like to VideoPsalm, Songview can as well be installed and run from a USB drive likewise.
11. EpicWorship
EpicWorship is a free, open source church projection and presentation software focusing on simplicity. It comes with merely the most important list of features without complicating anything.
EpicWorship facilitates slide projection with paradigm and video backgrounds (MP4 H.264-encoded just), import of OpenSong Bible formats and playback of audio files (MP3 or AAC).
Like OpenSong, information technology'southward unproblematic and piece of cake to install and use.
12. LyricsPro
LyricsPro is an Android church building presentation app.
Using a schedule interface, LyricsPro can be used to present lyrics, videos, images and PPT slides. Font formatting and setting upwardly image and video backgrounds are as well possible. Songs can be imported from SongSelect besides.
This tin can exist best used in modest grouping worship or band rehearsal sessions I recollect.
I will be watching this project to see how it develops in hereafter.
12. Praise Base Presenter
Praise Base Presenter is an open source church presentation software to project worship lyrics, photos (JPG only) and Bible passages.
Apart from a elementary song editor, it can as well import Zefania XML Bibles and display lyrics in 2 languages.
xiii. Church Presenter
If the above options have not been able to convince you to ditch PowerPoint, and then you should consider using Church building Presenter.
This is a free plugin for PowerPoint 2007 that adds quite a bit of church friendly muscle to PowerPoint.
The add-in enables using PowerPoint for presentation, while facilitating quick vocal search by number, theme, alphabetical alphabetize, and keyword.
The layout of lyrics and Bible verses tin can be customized past using editable templates. Also supports export of songs to regular PowerPoint files with embedded fonts. Windows only.
Take I missed anything in this list? What is your favorite worship presentation software? Exercise share in the comments.
Paradigm: Environmental Projection
Source: https://spreadworship.com/blog/free-church-presentation-software/