Watching worship videos
Every service on our Recent Worship page plays in the same video player. Here is how to use it, how to skip ahead to the start of worship, and how to find a moment in the service.
Before you startClear the way
When the page first opens, one or two boxes may sit on top of the video.
The basicsPlay, pause and the hidden buttons
- Tap the play button 1 to start.
- While the video plays, the buttons disappear. To bring them back, tap once in the middle of the picture.
- The buttons stay for only about two seconds, so tap the one you want right away. If they vanish, tap the picture again.
! Don't tap the title at the top of the video. It takes you to Vimeo's own website, which asks you to “Watch this in the app.” You don't need the app.
If you land there, tap your browser's back arrow. On an iPhone it is the ‹ at the bottom left of the screen, circled here. You'll be back on our page.
Most usefulSkip the countdown
Each video starts with a countdown that says how long until worship begins. It is usually about 15 minutes.
The easiest way: full screen
- Tap the picture, then tap the small arrow 3 at the right end. More buttons slide out.
- Tap full screen 10, the four corners. The video fills your screen and starts playing.
- Tap the picture to see the buttons. Put your finger on the bar at the bottom C and slide it to the right. The number on the left shows how far in you are. Stop a little past 0:15:00.
- Tap ✕ A at the top left to go back to the page.
The round arrows B jump back or ahead 10 seconds. The speaker D turns sound on or off.
Or tap the timeline
Tap the picture, then tap the timeline 2 about one-fifth of the way along. The time appears just above it. If it's not quite right, tap the picture and try again a little to the left or right. Then press play.
Small jumpsDouble-tap to skip 10 seconds
Tap twice quickly on the right side of the picture to go ahead 10 seconds, or on the left side to go back 10 seconds. Keep tapping to go further: four quick taps move 20 seconds.
The other buttonsWhat the arrow shows
Tap the picture, then the small arrow 3. These buttons slide out. Tap › to tuck them away again.
- 4Sound on or offFor louder or softer, use your phone's own volume buttons.
- 5Captions (CC)Shows the words on screen. Tap again to hide them.
- 6SettingsPicture quality and captions.
- 7TranscriptEvery word spoken, with times. See below.
- 8ChaptersA list of the parts of the service. Tap one to go there. See below.
- 9Send to a TVAirPlay, for an Apple TV or AirPlay TV.
- 10Full screenFills your screen. ✕ at the top left comes back.
Find a momentJump to a part of the service
Each service is divided into chapters named as in the worship guide: the Call to Worship, each reading and hymn, the Message, and so on.
- Tap the picture, the small arrow 3, then Chapters 8. The list covers the picture.
- Slide your finger up the list to find the part you want. The time below each name A is where it starts.
- Tap the name. The video goes there and plays.
- To close the list without choosing, tap ✕ B.
Chapters are added a day or two after each service. A chapter may start a few seconds early or late, especially during organ music.
Find a momentSearch what was said
- Tap the picture, the small arrow 3, then Transcript 7. A list of everything spoken covers the picture.
- Tap Search transcript and type a word you remember, such as a hymn title or the book of the Bible that was read.
- Tap the time beside a line. The video moves to that moment.
- Tap ✕ at the top right of the list to see the video again.
The transcript and captions are written automatically by computer, so names and some words may be spelled wrong.
If something goes wrongQuick fixes
- The buttons are gone.
- Tap once in the middle of the picture, then tap your button within two seconds.
- I ended up on Vimeo's website.
- Tap your browser's back arrow. You don't need the Vimeo app.
- There's no sound.
- Make sure the speaker button 4 doesn't have a line through it, then turn up your phone's volume.
- The picture is too small.
- Use full screen 10 and turn your phone sideways.
- Still stuck?
- Send us a message from our Contact page. Tell us which service you were watching and what happened, and we'll help.
The buttonsWhat everything does
Move your mouse over the video and the row of buttons appears along the bottom. It hides again when you move away.
- 1Play and pauseClicking anywhere on the picture also pauses and plays.
- 2The timelineThe bar shows how far into the service you are. Click anywhere on it to go there.
- 3VolumeClick the speaker to mute or unmute. Point at it to get a slider.
- 4Captions (CC)Turns on-screen words on or off. The button turns blue when they are on.
- 5SettingsPicture quality, and which captions to show.
- 6TranscriptEvery word spoken in the service, with times. You can search it.
- 7ChaptersA list of the parts of the service, such as the Call to Worship or the Message. Click one to go there.
- 8Picture-in-picturePops the video into a small window that stays on top while you do other things.
- 9Full screenFills your screen. Press Esc or click the button again to come back.
Don't click the video's title at the top. It opens the video on Vimeo's own website.
Most usefulSkip the countdown and jump to any time
Each video starts with a countdown before worship begins. The countdown tells you how far to skip: on the October 11 video it reads 14:46 at the very start, so worship begins about 15 minutes in.
- Note the time on the countdown.
- Point at the timeline 2 without clicking. A small picture, the chapter name and a time A appear above it.
- Slide your pointer along the bar until the time shows a little past the countdown time.
- Click. The video jumps there. Press play if it is paused.
Find a momentJump to a part of the service
Each service is divided into chapters named as in the worship guide: the Call to Worship, each reading and hymn, the Message, and so on.
- Click the Chapters button 7. A list opens on the right.
- Scroll the list to the part you want. The time under each name is where it starts.
- Click the name. The video goes there and the list closes.
- Click Chapters again to close the list.
Chapters are added a day or two after each service. A chapter may start a few seconds early or late, especially during organ music.
Find a momentSearch the transcript
Looking for the sermon, a reading or a hymn? The transcript lists everything spoken, with the time beside each line.
- Click the Transcript button 6. A panel opens on the right.
- Click in the search box A and type a word you remember, such as a hymn title or the book of the Bible that was read.
- The box shows how many places it found, such as “1/5”. Use the small up and down arrows beside it to step through them.
- Click the time beside a line B. The video jumps to that moment.
- Click the ✕ at the top of the panel to close it.
The transcript and captions are written automatically by computer, so names and some words may be spelled wrong.
Sound and pictureVolume and settings
Volume 3
Point at the speaker and a slider stands up above it. Drag the slider up for louder, down for softer. If the speaker has a line through it, the sound is off; click it once.
Settings 5
Click the gear. Quality sets how sharp the picture is. If the video keeps stopping to load, choose a lower number such as 540p. CC/subtitles picks the captions.
If something goes wrongQuick fixes
- A box is covering the page.
- A “Sign Up for our Weekly Email” box can appear over the page. Click the ✕ in its corner to close it.
- I can't see any buttons.
- Move your mouse over the video.
- There's no sound.
- Check that the speaker button 3 doesn't have a line through it, then check your computer's own volume.
- The video keeps stopping.
- Open Settings 5, choose Quality, and pick a lower number.
- The screen is filled and I can't get out.
- Press Esc on your keyboard, or click the full-screen button 9 again.
- Still stuck?
- Send us a message from our Contact page. Tell us which service you were watching and what happened, and we'll help.
Two playersThe home page video is a little different
The video on our home page uses a different Vimeo player from the videos on the Recent Worship page. Most buttons are the same.
| Button | Home page | Recent Worship |
|---|---|---|
| Play, timeline, volume, captions (CC), settings, small window, full screen | Yes | Yes |
| Chapters: jump to a part of the service | Yes | Yes |
| Transcript: search what was said | No | Yes |
| Speed: play slower or faster | Yes | No |
Speed (home page only)
Click or tap the Speed button and choose a speed. 1x is normal. Pick 0.75x or 0.5x to slow it down, or 1.25x to 2x to speed it up.
Looking for the transcript?
The home page player has no Transcript button. To search the words of a service, open that service on the Recent Worship page.
Pictures show the October 11, 2026 service, “Which Jesus?”. The player looks the same on every video on the Recent Worship page; the home page player is described above. Phone pictures are from an iPhone; other phones may look a little different.