Sermon clips that keep the point of the message
The sermon is usually the part of the service built to stand on its own, and inside it are a few lines people would share: the main point, a story, a sentence of application. Reeltopus reads the transcript, finds those moments with their setup intact, frames the preacher in 9:16 and captions every word, so your media team can post through the week without spending Monday in an editor.
What makes sermons hard to clip
AI can pick the joke instead of the point
A sermon's funniest moment and its most important line are often different. Every pick comes with a one-line reason, so you can see why it was chosen. If it picked the illustration and you wanted the application, find the line in the transcript and adjust the clip, or ask in plain words: “end on the line about forgiveness”.
Wide shots from the back of the room
A single fixed camera at the back gives you a small figure in a large frame. Cropping to 9:16 enlarges that, and exports can't exceed the source resolution. If your switcher can record the tight camera on its own, upload that feed. Speaker tracking follows the preacher across the stage on a smooth camera path.
Worship music and copyright
A church streaming licence is written for streamed services. Whether it covers a short clip posted on its own is a question for your licence terms, and platforms' automatic audio matching can still flag worship songs. Keep sermon clips to speech, and trim the worship set before uploading.
Scripture references and names
Book names, place names and Greek or Hebrew words are where transcripts slip. Reeltopus flags words it's unsure of. Fix “Habakkuk” once and every clip updates. Bilingual and interpreted services are transcribed too, including speech that switches languages mid-sentence.
Moments worth clipping
The scripture reading
A well-read passage stands on its own. Clip it with the reference spoken or in the post, so viewers can look it up.
The big idea in one sentence
The line the whole sermon builds to. If someone only sees one clip this week, it should be this one.
The illustration
A personal story that makes the point concrete. Keep the setup and the turn, and check it doesn't end on the laugh before the lesson.
The application
“This week, try…” A practical next step people can act on, which works well midweek.
A hard question, answered
When the preacher names a doubt people actually have and answers it directly. These clips speak to people who aren't in the building yet.
How it works
- 1
Upload the sermon
Trim the service recording to the sermon before uploading. It saves upload hours and keeps the worship set out of your clips.
- 2
Read each pick out of context
Each clip comes with a one-line reason. Check that it says what the preacher meant when heard alone; a line that's fine in the flow of a sermon can read differently in a 40-second clip.
- 3
Fix references and tighten
Correct flagged names and book titles, remove filler words and long pauses, and set the length in plain words: “make it 60 seconds and start at the question”.
- 4
Export and spread through the week
Download MP4s for Reels, Facebook and Shorts, or open them in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro to add your church's branding. Posting to each platform is rolling out platform by platform; download and post manually works everywhere.
Recommended setup
| Setting | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clip length | 30 to 90 seconds; up to 3 minutes for a full illustration on YouTube Shorts | Illustrations need their setup. YouTube's help pages allow Shorts up to three minutes; keep Reels and Facebook clips shorter. |
| Captions | A large, plain, high-contrast style with emphasis on key words | Clear captions help everyone follow, including viewers with hearing loss and people watching with the sound off. |
| Layout | Speaker tracking on the preacher; split-screen for interviews or dialogue sermons | Tracking keeps a preacher who walks the stage in frame. Split-screen suits a two-person conversation. |
| Where to post | Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts; TikTok to reach younger people | Facebook and Instagram are where many congregations already follow their church. Shorts sits beside your full-service uploads on YouTube. |
| Export | 1080p MP4; a timeline when a volunteer adds branding | MP4s are ready to post. The timeline export lets a volunteer add an intro or lower third without redoing the cut. |
Free tools for this job
Caption generator
Paste a transcript or script and get short-form caption lines for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, with a live animated preview and free SRT and VTT downloads. No sign-in.
Hook line generator
Paste a paragraph from your video or script and get 5 opening hook lines for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, written by AI. Free, no sign-in.
Hashtag suggester
Describe your video and get relevant hashtags grouped for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or LinkedIn, with no spam tags. Free AI tool, no sign-in.
Video length and reading-speed calculator
Find out how long your script runs at your speaking pace, how many words fit a 15, 30 or 60-second clip, and whether your captions are too fast to read.
Questions
Can we post clips of the worship set?
Be careful. Worship songs are copyrighted, and a streaming licence for your services may not cover clips posted on their own. Check your licence terms first. Speech-only sermon clips avoid the question.
What about people in the congregation?
Clips frame the preacher, but wide shots can include people in the room, children among them. Follow your church's photo and video policy, and skip shots where people can be identified without their consent.
What would clipping a weekly sermon cost?
Reeltopus bills by upload hours. Four 40-minute sermons is under three hours a month. At the planned launch pricing, Free covers 2 hours with a small watermark, and Creator's 10 hours leaves room for midweek services. Reeltopus is pre-launch, so join the waitlist for early access.
Does it work for sermons in other languages, or with an interpreter?
Yes. Transcription covers 100+ languages, including speech that mixes languages. With an interpreter, both voices are transcribed. Check flagged words, especially names and scripture references, before you export.
Can it clip our sermon automatically every Sunday?
Not yet. Autopilot, which picks up new videos from your channel or feed and queues clips automatically, is planned. For now, you upload each sermon.
Turn your sermons into clips.
Join the waitlist for early access. The free plan includes 2 upload hours a month.