Countdown timers before the service
A countdown tells everyone when the service begins: the band, the welcome team, the livestream and the family still looking for seats. A good one is simple, clear and on time.
From the library, playing live
Why five minutes
Five minutes is long enough for people to finish a conversation, find a seat and settle, and short enough that the numbers still mean something. BeforePreach countdowns run exactly five minutes.
Start it five minutes before your service time so it reaches zero on the hour. Before that, play a calm loop or your announcements.
Why digits only, and silent
Our countdowns show only the numbers. With no words they work in any language and any church, and they do not repeat what your announcements already say. Large digits read clearly from the back row and on a phone watching the stream.
They are silent as well, so your pre-service music keeps playing through the sound desk without a clash.
How to play one
Import the MP4 into your presentation software and set it to play once, not loop, so it stops at zero instead of jumping back to 5:00. Have the next item ready: a welcome slide or the first song's background.
Some programs start it by hand, others from a timed pre-service section. Our guides for ProPresenter, EasyWorship, Proclaim, OpenLP, PowerPoint and Keynote show the exact steps.
Branded countdowns are coming
The Studio, coming soon, will make countdowns that show your church's name and service time, in your colors, typeface, logo and language. Until then, the library's digit countdowns work in any service, in any language.
Questions
- Should the countdown loop?
- No. Set it to play once. A looping countdown jumps back to 5:00 at zero, which confuses everyone in the room.
- What if the service starts late?
- Let the countdown reach zero, then hold on a calm loop or a welcome slide until you are ready. Restarting it halfway looks like a mistake.
- Do you have ten-minute countdowns?
- Our countdowns are five minutes. For a longer run-in, play a calm loop or announcements first, then the countdown for the last five minutes.
- Can we use the countdown on our livestream?
- Yes. The license covers livestreams and recordings, and you can download the countdown in the shape your stream uses.
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