Create or Edit a Channel

In Sermons, you can create different channels for content you want to stream live or provide to watch at any time. For example, you might have separate channels for a Contemporary Service, a High School Service, or a Membership Class.

Notice

If you have set up channels to organize sermon episodes by topic, we recommend converting those channels to a series.

Create a Channel

To create a new channel, go to the Sermons page and click New channel.

Channel Description and Availability

Set up the channel information in the Settings tab.

1. Upload channel artwork.

   Notice

   Use the Image Sizing Guide to upload the right size and file type.

2. Add a title for the channel.

3. Navigate to a section of the Settings page by clicking on the desired section.

4. The Availability on Church Center section lets you publish or unpublish the channel on Church Center.

5. You can add a channel description in the Description section.

Update Channel Settings

Update the settings to apply to all episodes in the channel.

1. Enable livestreamed videos on the channel.

2. Enable chat during a live message for people logged in to Church Center. Members of groups can chat with each other if their group has enabled messaging. Anyone who is logged in can participate in the general chat.

3. Set the default times for the service. These default times can be edited in each episode.

4. If your streaming provider allows you to use the same embed code for all stream events, set that code as the default livestream link for all episodes in the channel. If not, leave this field blank and input a livestream embed code in each episode's settings.

5. Set the number of minutes you want a stream to start before the default start time.

6. Set the length of time from the episode's start time that the "Watch Now" link shows on the channel's public page.

Notice

To enable General or Group Chat during a live video, you must have a subscription to Planning Center Groups, even if your subscription is at the free level.

Add Default Links

Add links to your channel that will be accessible when viewing an episode in that channel.

1. Add a link. This can be an existing People Form, a Giving Fund, or an external URL.

2. Drag the dots to reorder the links. The link at the top will be the Featured link.

3. Edit or delete a link.

Note

Newly added links will only show on episodes created after the links were added. They will not show up on episodes that already existed before the links were created.

Set Up a Podcast Feed

If you're already uploading audio files for your sermon episodes, you can use those audio files to start a new podcast feed on Apple or Spotify. This is a great way to share your weekly sermons in a podcast, put out bible study episodes, and more!

Important

Currently, there is not a way to pull audio from an existing Apple or Spotify podcast into your sermon channel.

You can view and configure your podcast settings in the Podcast feed section of the channel settings tab.

1. Upload artwork for your podcast feed.

   Notice

   Use the Image Sizing Guide to upload the right size and file type.

2. Copy the auto-generated Podcast feed URL, which you will need when setting up your podcast feed in Apple or Spotify.

3. Paste your Apple or Spotify podcast directory feed URL once your podcast is set up there.

4. Give your podcast a title.

5. Select a category and sub-category for your podcast. This will update in Apple/Spotify whenever they are updated here.

6. Set your podcast language, and whether or not the podcast may contain explicit material. This will also update in Apple/Spotify when they are updated here.

7. Enter the podcast author name.

8. Enter the podcast contact email.

To set up a new podcast feed, you'll first need to make sure that a church email is entered under the Church Information page in Accounts.

Tip

Your church email address does not have to match your AppleConnect or Spotify account email, but it will be the email address listed in the Apple or Spotify podcast directory.

Once you've made sure you have a church email in Accounts, follow these steps to get your podcast started.

1. Create a Spotify Podcasters and/or an Apple Podcasts Connect account.

2. Follow the instructions to create a podcast episode on AppleConnect or Spotify.

3. When asked for an RSS link, copy and paste the auto-generated Podcast feed URL listed in your channel settings.

4. Once you have set up your podcast, copy the Spotify or Apple podcast feed URL and paste it into the applicable Third-party podcast directory field URLs field in your channel settings. This will allow the podcast to display in Church Center!

Important

If your sermon audio is connected to an Apple podcast, each listen on that podcast will count as 1 download towards your subscription's sermon download limit. Spotify listens will not count towards this limit.

Check out our pricing tiers to make sure you choose the subscription level appropriate for your amount of listeners.

Create a New Series

If you want to create sermon series to organize the episodes in your channel, go to the Series tab and click New series.

Notice

After your channels are set up, you can set up episodes for specific videos.

Edit a Channel

To edit a channel on the Sermons page, click the channel name.

In the header, edit the channel image and title or click the Actions menu to delete or convert the channel to a series.

Make any other needed changes in the Series or Settings tabs.

Rearrange Channels

Drag and drop channels to rearrange them.

The changes you make will be reflected on the Church Center channels page.