How to Outage-Proof Your Church Software and Tech Before Year-End Services

A couple of months ago, a major global outage brought down websites, disrupted streaming platforms, and stopped countless apps from working — all at once. Millions of people saw their everyday tools go dark without warning. 

Now imagine if that same outage happened on a Sunday. 

Your screens freeze. The livestream drops. The wi-fi disconnects. Everything your service depends on — from slides to giving to online worship — suddenly grinds to a halt. It’s a scenario no faith leader wants to experience, especially during the most highly attended services of the year. 

As we head into Christmas, New Year’s, and the First Sunday, you may be wondering: If an outage were to occur during one of our biggest services, would we be ready? 

You may not be able to prevent outages, but you can prepare for them. The good news is that strengthening your church software and tech doesn’t require a large budget, new equipment, or months of planning. 

With just a few simple steps — and a couple of days — you can create an outage-proof plan that keeps your worship, giving, and livestream running smoothly no matter what the day brings. 

These practical recommendations were developed with insight from Givelify’s technology experts, who work every day to help churches stay connected, secure, and supported. 

Here are six actions you can take this week to ensure your church software and tech continue running smoothly throughout your year-end services. 

1. Create backup internet in minutes 

Every church relies on the internet for slides, livestream, announcements, and digital giving. If your Wi-Fi goes down during service, everything gets disrupted in an instant.

But it doesn’t have to. You can create a backup internet connection in less than 10 minutes. 

All you need is: 

• A mobile hotspot through your phone, or 

• A dedicated hotspot device (you can buy one at most carriers, often the same day) 

Most carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile — let you activate a hotspot immediately. Your team can test it during rehearsal to ensure it provides enough speed for your most essential tasks. 

How to use a mobile hotspot during an outage: 

• Turn on your mobile hotspot on your Android or Apple device 

• Connect your presentation laptop to the hotspot 

• Allow your media team’s tablets or phones to use it for slides or service planning 

The key is not to run the whole service on backup internet — only the parts that keep worship going. It’s a simple and quick solution to prevent everything from grinding to a halt in the event of an internet outage.

2. Keep your router and modem running with a backup power supply 

When the power blinks — even for a second — your router shuts down. And once everything falls offline, it can take 5–10 minutes to restart. That can feel like an eternity during your worship service.

Fortunately, this is also an easy fix. 

A basic UPS backup power supply (often priced between $50 and $80) instantly keeps your router, modem, or soundboard running long enough to bridge a short power outage. You can buy one at Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart and have it installed within an hour. 

Once you have it set up, you can plug in your: 

• Router 

• Modem 

• Presentation computer 

• Soundboard (if your unit is small enough) 

That’s it. No electrician required. Just plug it in and test it. For many churches, this one step alone can prevent nearly all service interruptions caused by a power outage.

3. Choose church software that’s built for outages 

Not all church software is designed the same. Some systems fail completely when a single server goes down. Others — especially ones built with redundancy — continue running without anyone noticing a disruption.

When evaluating your core church software, ask yourself: “Does this platform have backup systems in place?”

For example, Givelify uses multiple layers of redundancy, ensuring that giving continues even when other systems fail. This means members can give from their phones, whether your Wi-Fi is down, a provider experiences an outage, or other church software or giving apps stop working.

You don’t need to overhaul your church software systems — just confirm the tools you rely on for giving, presentations, and livestreaming have built-in safeguards. Many platforms publish their system reliability online, making this a relatively straightforward 10-minute task.

4. Load everything offline so your service never depends on Wi-Fi 

One of the simplest ways to outage-proof your church service is to ensure that nothing essential depends on the internet in real-time. 

Before your service, have your team: 

• Download all slides 

• Download worship lyrics 

• Download sermon videos 

• Download pre-service announcements 

If it can be saved locally, save it. 

The difference is huge: When an outage occurs, churches with offline files continue to operate almost as if nothing happened. Churches relying on cloud-hosted files, on the other hand, often find themselves scrambling. 

This step takes less than an hour and can save you and your team a lot of stress.

5. Test your backup plan during rehearsal 

You don’t need a full disaster simulation. Just a quick, simple test. 

During your midweek rehearsal or tech run-through: 

1. Turn off your Wi-Fi for 1–2 minutes 

2. See what breaks 

3. Switch to your mobile hotspot 

4. Restart anything that needs it 

5. Make sure giving, slides, and music still work 

By testing your backup plan, you’ll uncover small issues long before the sanctuary fills. 

This entire test takes 10-15 minutes and gives your team the confidence and peace of mind to pivot calmly and quickly if something goes wrong.

6. Assign one tech point person — and a backup 

The moment something fails is not the moment to ask, “Who handles Wi-Fi?” Designate a single tech lead for year-end church services. 

This doesn’t require an IT expert — just someone organized, reliable, and familiar with your church’s software systems and tech. Then assign them a support person so they’re not troubleshooting alone. 

Set aside some time before your next service to:

• Walk them through the backup plan 

• Show them how to switch to the hotspot 

• Teach them where your UPS is plugged in 

• Securely share any necessary logins 

• Have them run the outage test during rehearsal 

Designating a point person to handle church tech issues should they arise will help prevent last-minute chaos.

Outage-proof your church software and tech for peace of mind 

Every pastor has lived through a Sunday where something goes wrong — a sound glitch, a frozen slide, a livestream that won’t start. Those moments feel even heavier during services like Christmas or First Sunday when attendance is high, and expectations feel even higher. 

But here’s the truth: 

• You don’t need to overhaul your entire church tech system to avoid disruptions. 

• You don’t need a large budget or a lot of time.

• You don’t need an IT specialist. 

Within just a few days, you can create an outage-proof environment where: 

• Your worship service continues without disruptions 

• Your congregation can give with confidence

• Your staff feels prepared to handle any obstacles

Most importantly, your service stays centered on what matters most: Gathering your community, sharing your message, and creating a meaningful worship experience for your congregation.