The congregation looks at the big screen. But the preacher and the singers face the other way. A stage screen — a TV, a laptop or a tablet placed in front of the stage — shows them what they need without turning around.

Habakkuk 2:2

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

King James Version

What appears on the stage screen

  • The current slide and the next one, so singers know the next verse before it comes.
  • A clock and a countdown timer for the sermon or for each part of the service.
  • Private messages from the operator, like “Pastor, 5 minutes remaining”.

Set it up

  1. While presenting, click Stage.
  2. Open the stage link on the device in front of the stage. Any modern browser works.
  3. Choose the layout: text size, colours, clock, timer, current and next slide.

Messages that help, quietly

The operator can send a short message: “Repeat the chorus”, “Announcements next”, “Please wrap up”. Urgent messages flash in red. These messages are never shown on the projector or on the live stream.

Good to know

  • You can make a new stage link at any time; the old one stops working at once.
  • If the stage device loses Wi-Fi, it reconnects and shows the right slide again.
  • Use large text: the stage screen is read from several metres away.

Agree with the preacher before the service on how long the sermon is, and start the timer when they begin.