In Sermons, 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.
To create a new channel, go to the Sermons page and select New channel.
Follow the channel wizard to set up your channel's name, formats, and times.
Once you complete the channel setup, you are directed to the new channel's Settings tab, where you can add additional information.
Add channel information in the Settings tab.
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Select channel artwork. Upload images from your device, your saved library, or the Unsplash integration.
Notice
Use the Image Sizing Guide to upload the right size and file type.
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Edit the title of the channel.
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Select a section name to go to that part of the Settings page.
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Add a channel description.
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The Availability on Church Center section lets you publish or unpublish the channel on Church Center.
Update the settings to apply them to all episodes in the channel.
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Enable livestreamed videos on the channel. If Watch live is not enabled in the channel settings, those channel episodes will not show the Watch live option.
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Add episodes to your On-demand Library or add sermon audio to your podcast. If on-demand is not enabled in the channel settings, it can still be enabled for each episode.
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Check Sermon notes to make episode-specific notes that allow congregants to follow along with a sermon.
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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 chat. Anyone who is logged in can participate in the general chat.
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If your streaming provider allows you to use the same embed code for all streaming 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.
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Set the number of minutes you want a stream to start before the default start time.
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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 links to your channel that will be accessible when viewing an episode from that channel.
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Add a link. This can be an existing People Form, a Giving Fund, an external URL, or an Order of Service if you have a connected Services service type.
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Drag the dots to reorder the links. The link at the top will be the Featured link.
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Edit the link, select the default or custom icon, or delete the link.
Note
Newly added links will only show on episodes created after the links were added.
If you're already uploading audio files for your sermon episodes, 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 no way to pull audio from an existing Apple or Spotify podcast into your sermon channel.
View and configure your podcast settings in the Audio Podcast Settings section of the channel's Settings tab.
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Select artwork for your podcast feed. Upload images from your device, your saved library in Publishing, or the Unsplash integration.
Notice
Use the Image Sizing Guide to upload the right size and file type.
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Copy the auto-generated podcast feed URL, which you will need when setting up your podcast feed in Apple or Spotify.
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Paste your Apple or Spotify podcast directory feed URL once your podcast is set up there.
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Give your podcast a title.
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Select a category and sub-category for your podcast. This updates in Apple/Spotify.
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Set your podcast language and whether or not the podcast may contain explicit material. This also updates in Apple/Spotify.
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Enter the podcast author's name.
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Enter the podcast contact email.
To set up a new podcast feed, you must first ensure 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 Account settings, follow these steps to get your podcast started.
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Create a Spotify Podcasters and/or an Apple Podcasts Connect account.
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Follow the instructions to create a podcast episode on AppleConnect or Spotify.
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When asked for an RSS link, copy and paste the auto-generated Podcast feed URL listed in your channel settings.
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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 allows the podcast to be displayed in Church Center!
Important
If your sermon audio is connected to an Apple podcast, each listen on that podcast will count as one download toward 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 appropriate subscription level for your number of listeners.
If you want to create a sermon series to organize the episodes in your channel, go to the Series tab and select Add series.
Notice
After your channels are set up, create episodes for specific videos.
To edit a channel on the Sermons page, select the channel name.
In the header, edit the channel image and title or select the Actions menu to delete or convert the channel to a series.
Make any other needed changes in the Series or Settings tabs.