Zoom
Video Conferencing
Zoom is an online video conferencing application. It allows groups of people to gather for meetings using a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. It even allows people to call in with any kind of phone and participate in gatherings.
A Zoom meeting needs to be hosted by someone, usually the meeting's organizer. Your pastor, or other church leaders, would sign up for an account and then schedule or start a meeting. They are the "host "and have some control over the meeting, like sending out invitations to join the meeting.
https://stbonaventure-org.zoom.us/
In an attempt to stay safe and keep others safe, we have all had to rethink what it means to “gather” each week. St. Bonaventure has worked to provide a variety of resources and training during this time.
We are excited to announce a new opportunity for our ministries and groups to utilize Zoom video-conferencing software. We have worked with Zoom to offer a Group Business License to St Bonaventure ministries leaders to be able to keep meeting virtually as long as the St. Bonaventure meeting spaces on campus are closed.
Some of you may have already signed up for Zoom during this time. If you take advantage of this offer, please do not cancel your "free" account, you will just need to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and give her your contact information for your ministry including ministry name, leader names and email address(es), in order for your Zoom account to be added to our St. Bonaventure Group Business License.
Quick Guide to Using Zoom
Click here for a printable PDF guide. - coming soon!
Joining A Zoom Meeting
There are several ways to join a Zoom meeting.
1) You can join using a link provided in an email. Click the link and your computer's browser will automatically prompt you to download the Zoom app. You must allow this to join the meeting. NOTE: in order to participate in a Zoom meeting, your computer must have a microphone and speakers. To allow others to see you, you will need a webcam, which most laptops have but not desktop computers. External webcams connected to a computer work fine as well. You don't need a camera to use Zoom and see what is on the screen. A camera only allows others to see you.
2) You can join with a smartphone. It is similar to joining with a computer; you need the Zoom app to join. The steps are similar to joining with a computer.
3) You can dial into the conversation with a phone. You simply dial the location number. Then when prompted, enter the Meeting ID number followed by the # sign. The Meeting ID is on the meeting invite.
- When entering as a phone participant, your video is off and your sound is usually on. It is helpful to know the control *6 which mutes and unmutes your phone. Just hit *6 to talk and *6 again to mute. Phones create a lot of background noise in a Zoom meeting so it's helpful to a meeting if phone users are muted when not speaking.
- An invite from Free basic Zoom account may not give a dial in number, but the local number does appear to work. It may be necessary to give users this number to call and the Meeting ID from your invite.
Let's look at joining a meeting on a computer:
Start by clicking the link in the meeting invitation. Your computer's default browser will automatically try to launch the Zoom software.
- If the software is not already on your computer, the browser will automatically download the app. Follow all the prompts to install it (just click where it tells you to click). If it asks you to "Run" a file, click yes or run. You will join the meeting as soon as the software installs. This should only take a few seconds.
- If the software is already on the computer, you will be asked to "launch" the Zoom app.
Before entering the meeting you will be asked to join audio. Click "Join with Computer Audio."
Meeting Controls on a Computer
At the bottom of your screen, you should see the control bar. If not, move your cursor on the screen and it should appear.
MUTE/UNMUTE: This toggles your computer's microphone on and off. If you have a red line through the button, it will read "unmute" meaning you are currently muted. It is very helpful to all if participants are muted at all times except when one needs to speak. We also recommend that users wear earbuds or earphone to hear the meeting as your microphone will pick up the sound from the your speakers and start feedback (that high-pitched annoying sound that interrupts the meeting).
START VIDEO/END VIDEO: This turns your computer's camera on or off. If you don't have a webcam, others will only see a generic icon representing you on the screen. But you can still participate through audio. You will need to hit START VIDEO to see all the participants.
INVITE: This allows you or the host to invite others to participate.
PARTICIPANTS: This brings up a list of those in the meeting on the right side of your screen.
SHARE: This allows the "host" or you to share what is on your screen. It gives you or the host the ability to share from other applications open on your computer. The host may shut this off for participants.
CHAT: This allows you to type a message either to the entire group or privately to an individual by clicking the recipient under "To:" in the message box.
About Zoom Accounts
Zoom has several pricing packages, but the basic account is free. Just visit zoom.us, sign up with an email and password and you can start hosting meetings. The basic account allows the host to run a 40-minute meeting with up to 100 participants. A warning will signal at 30 minutes. In order to have more time, you will need an upgraded account. See the plans here.
Zoom's online help center has lots of video tutorials that are simple to follow.
Zoom Meetings for Ministry
Download the Zoom Instructions - coming soon!
Below are some guidelines to help improve our experience of fellowship when using Zoom, and to avoid possible hacking of calls with inappropriate material. This is especially important for all St. Bonaventure leaders who may host a Zoom call for church … but also helpful for your family and workplace Zoom calls, too.
Zoom Meetings for Ministry
More and more of us are setting up our own Zoom accounts to connect during these days of social isolation. Zoom is a great platform not only for hearing from one another, but seeing them and their body language. It also allows us to extend our fellowship. Already in the past week we have partners in ministry join us from Arizona and from Germany for our calls!
For all users:
Earphones, earbuds, or a headset: The use of earphones, earbuds, or a headset is strongly encouraged. Sometimes audio coming from your computer or mobile device can be picked up by your microphone and looped back into the call, creating feedback.
Best Practices
The church has its own paid Zoom account. We’re glad to schedule a recurring or one-off meeting for your ministry team or fellowship group and send you the meeting login information. The following are some best practices for setting up Zoom calls. These are the settings we use on Zoom calls set up in the church account. It’s pretty easy to update these settings in your personal account, too. Read below for more information.
Establish Alternative Hosts (if possible): Zoom meetings work best when more than one person has the controls (the most important of which is to mute someone whose microphone is wonky). Whether in a meeting from your own account, or one set up by the church account, it’s a good idea to set up Alternative Hosts. But, this is not as easy as it should be. If you cannot do this step, just skip it and continue to the next step. Keep reading if you want to try.
Alternative Hosts that are linked to St. Bonaventure’s account *must* have a free, basic Zoom account. The email address associated with the Zoom account(s) of the co-host(s) is entered into the meeting details upon set up. This account essentially becomes a sub-account of St. Bonaventure’s paid account.
Unfortunately, if you have a personal paid Zoom account, we cannot link it to St. Bonaventure’s account without downgrading your account to Basic (this happened as I tried to link my personal paid account to St. Bonaventure’s account). I’m setting up a separate Zoom account with a different email address to be my co-host account for church meetings.
If you want the church to set up your meeting, let Adrienne know via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you want to be an Alternative Host for any of your related team or fellowship meetings, set up a free, basic Zoom account and send Adrienne (or, if hosted by someone else’s personal account, send the meeting host) the email address associated with your Zoom account. She will then add you to our account, and you will have to accept the “add” from St. Bonaventure before you can serve as an Alternative Host.
If you want to host meetings on your own account, you may want to ask among your fellow attendees who could be listed as an Alternative Host with you – if that is possible with your type of account.
Don’t make the host essential. If the host cannot join the meeting, there are ways that the meeting can still go on.
Set up the meeting on the zoom.us website, not on the desktop or mobile app. This gives you more ability to customize meeting settings and your account default settings.
When setting up the meeting in the web browser, scroll down to Meeting Options (see image below). Select “Enable join before host.” This allows people to start meeting even if the host hasn’t logged in.
Do not select “Enable wait room.” This puts attendees in a waiting room requiring action by the host to bring them into the call
Enter Alternative Hosts email address(s) so that more than one person can run the controls during the meeting, if needed. Remember, these email addresses need to be associated with an existing Zoom account if they are to have co-host access and controls.
Select "Mute Participants upon entry." This minimizes the background noise as you’re gathering. Participants can unmute themselves. The host can also mute and unmute participants.
Require password. (see image below) Some Zoom calls have been hacked recently with video screenshares of pornography and racist material. Setting up a password makes Zoom calls harder to hack. This does not make it harder for someone to enter the call, however. They can still click the provided link to get onto the call.
Set Video to "on" for Host and Participant. This is a video call, and some of our users are not too adept at managing their options. Setting the default to “on” requires less troubleshooting once you’re on the call to coach someone on how to turn on their video.
Hacking Safeguards
Due to hacking concerns, there is one more setting worth changing.
- Logged into your account in your web browser, under Personal (left side menu) navigate to account Settings (image at right).
- In Settings, scroll down the options to “In Meeting (Basic)”, or click on the “In Meeting (Basic)” link.
- Scroll down to “Screen Sharing.”
- Under “Who can share?” select “Host only” (see image below). This allows only the host and no other participants to share their screen. This is the most secure, as some hackers have gotten into calls and shared inappropriate material from their screens with the group.
- If you have a need for multiple people to share their screens in a meeting, this is where another option is helpful. I believe by selecting the “Disable desktop/screen share for users” (see below) the host can manage, within the call, who can share their screens and from which apps. However, it is probably best to simply give the host/hosts all the materials needed to be shared during any given Zoom call. In this case, the previous setting – “Host Only” to share – will suffice.
Blessings to you as we grow in our capacity to be a Christian community that gathers authentically and faithfully through digital means. If you have any additional questions about using Zoom or YouTube, or have insight into how we can improve our use of these technologies, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Meeting Rooms
We are working on getting Zoom meeting rooms available for use by all our community groups and any other ministries in the church. please schedule meetings with Adrienne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you need the password to the room you're meeting in, please contact your community group or ministry team leader. If you can't get ahold of them and still need the password or have other technical questions, please contact
If you need help, there is a brief video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIkCmbvAHQQ