Case Study: Riverside Church achieves wider reach and congregation growth with Vimeo Livestream

How Livestreaming Church Services Can Grow Your Congregation

Riverside Church, a historic interdenominational congregation in Manhattan, wanted to extend its worship and social‑justice programming beyond its stained‑glass walls. To amplify services and reach members who couldn’t attend in person, the church began livestreaming two years ago using Vimeo’s Livestream platform after experimenting with on‑demand recordings.

Using Vimeo’s Livestream—particularly its Simulcast feature—the church broadcasts Sunday services and special events simultaneously to its Livestream and Facebook pages, embeds videos across channels, and tracks audience growth with built‑in analytics. The approach has driven measurable engagement (over 70,800 total Livestream views in 2017 and more than 12,500 social followers), and Vimeo’s tools have enabled Riverside Church to expand online programming and reach thousands more viewers.

Riverside Church

Jim Keat

Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement