How to make sermon clips
A repeatable, step-by-step workflow for turning a Sunday service into short vertical clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook. Works with any editing tool. No prior video experience required.
What's inside
A quick map of the full guide. Jump straight in, or read the highlights below first.
Start from a clean camera or livestream file. Pull YouTube service links locally.
Build a word-level transcript so you can search the sermon instead of scrubbing it.
Pick self-contained ideas: one story, one Scripture, one practical challenge.
Crop to 9:16 with the speaker centered. Never letterbox.
Burn in captions and place a short scroll-stopping line over the first few seconds.
Close every clip with your church's own outro and call to action.
Quick approval pass, then post consistently across platforms.
Key takeaways
- One 30 to 45 minute sermon typically produces 5 to 10 usable clips.
- Clean audio and a word-level transcript matter more than camera gear.
- 9:16 vertical, burned-in captions, and a hook in the first two seconds are non-negotiable.
- Batching a full week of clips at once is far more sustainable than editing daily.