The ChurchApps Podcast

Your church website's storage closet just got a lot bigger. Micheal and Kari cover the website and app side of B1. The headliner is storing your files in your church's own Dropbox. Then come three favorites: the member app's new home screen, event pages with photos, and household pre-fill on event registration. A lightning round of ten finishes it off.

WATCH ALONG ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/5fEnkq4skw4
See every click on screen: connecting Dropbox, the new app home screen, event pages, and a family registering for an event.

THE HEADLINER: STORE YOUR FILES IN YOUR OWN DROPBOX
- B1 includes 100 MB of free file storage for your website.
- Settings → File Storage → Edit → Provider: Dropbox → Connect Account → sign in to Dropbox → "Account connected" → Save
- New uploads (website files, sermon audio, group resources) are stored in your Dropbox and served from it, and the 100 MB limit no longer applies. Each file can be up to 25 MB.
- Files you already uploaded stay where they are. Website photos and gallery images stay on ChurchApps.
- ChurchApps doesn't charge for this. Dropbox has a free plan, and your church's own Dropbox limits apply.

FAVORITE #1: THE MEMBER APP'S NEW HOME SCREEN
- Members see photo tiles, "You're serving" (Accept / Decline), "Your groups," upcoming events with photos, and more.
- Make a tile: Mobile → Navigation → Edit a tab → Select Image (free Stock Photos included) → Save Tab
- Tile layout: Mobile → Member Portal → Home screen tiles → Grid, Scrolling row, or List
- Tip: the serving, groups and giving sections appear when your app uses the built-in tab types (Serving Plans, My Groups, Donation), not plain web links.

FAVORITE #2: EVENT PAGES WITH PHOTOS
- Calendars → open an event → Edit → Event photo → Add Photo → Save. The event gets its own page on your website with the photo, details and "Add to my calendar."
- Show events on your site: Website → Pages → Edit Content → add a Calendar element → Display: Upcoming events
- Tags: add tags to an event (for example, youth), then set "Only events tagged" on a page's Calendar element to show just those events.

FAVORITE #3: HOUSEHOLD PRE-FILL ON EVENT REGISTRATION
- Event → Manage Registrations → Edit settings → Enable Registration (capacity, waitlist, open/close dates, questions)
- The event page shows "Register for this Event." Signed-in members see "Your Household" and just check the family members who are coming.

LIGHTNING ROUND — TEN MORE
1. A sturdier website editor: one-step Undo, an accurate "All changes saved" status, animations that stay
2. Blog posts with as many images as you want (Insert Image in the post editor)
3. Your Appearance fonts on every site page and in the editor preview
4. "Disable Public Website" switch (Website → Pages). Visitors go to sign-in; members still see the site.
5. The AI page builder is back (Website → Pages → Add Page → AI)
6. Volunteers can decline an accepted assignment (leaders are notified) and re-accept it
7. The app shows when check-in opens and marks closed service times
8. Live stream chat uses members' real names and shows when chat opens
9. Settings → Giving: choose how many years of giving history members see, and add a giving note to their giving page and statements
10. B1 Admin's new look: profile picture → Theme Preferences → Default, Classic, or Custom (your church's app colors)

Try It This Week: Open your calendar, pick your next event, and give it a photo.

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

A first-time guest fills out a connect card, and at a lot of churches it sits on a desk until Wednesday. Micheal and Kari walk through one simple setup in B1, step by step: every new guest lands in your system within seconds, gets a welcome email automatically, and shows up on a real person's to-do list for a phone call. No tech skills needed.

WATCH ALONG ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/xZjpcYVNK7U
See every click on screen: building the connect card, the FreeShow QR code, the automatic welcome email, and the caller's view.

PART 1: THE CONNECT CARD
1. If you don't have one yet, create a group called "Newcomers" (People → Groups → Add Group).
2. Go to People → Forms → Add Form. Name it "Connect Card."
3. Set "Associate With" to Stand Alone. This gives the form its own page on your church website.
4. Check "Create a person record from submissions."
5. Under "Add submitters to a group," choose Newcomers.
6. Save, then add your questions: First Name, Last Name, Email (set the field type to Email), and Phone.
7. Share the form at church with a QR code (see below).

What happens: when a guest submits the card, B1 creates their person record (marked Guest) and adds them to Newcomers. If they're already in your system, B1 matches them by email, so you don't get duplicates.

WRITE YOUR WELCOME EMAIL (one time)
1. Go to Settings → Email Templates → New Template.
2. Name it "Welcome Email" and write a subject and message.
3. Use the merge-field buttons (First Name, Church Name, and more) so each guest is greeted by name.
4. Click Preview to check it, then Save. It's now stored in your Email Templates list for any workflow to use.

GETTING SARAH TO THE CARD (at church)
- In People → Forms, copy your Connect Card's link from the URL column.
- FreeShow 1.6.6 and newer: edit your welcome slide → add a QR Code item → paste the link into its URL field. Guests scan it from their seats.
- For seat-back cards or the bulletin: turn the same link into a printable QR code with any free QR code generator.

PART 2: THE FOLLOW-UP BOARD
1. Go to Serving → Workflows → Add Workflow → choose the ready-made "New Visitor Follow-up."
2. Open the Triggers tab → Add Trigger.
- When this happens: Group · Member Joined
- Add Condition: Group is Newcomers
- Save
3. Click Edit on the "Send welcome email" column:
- Automated actions → Add Action → Send Email → choose your welcome email
- Automatic routing (on entry) → click + → Go to step: Personal phone call
- Save
4. Click Edit on the "Personal phone call" column → Assign → choose the person who makes the calls → Save.

What happens: when someone joins Newcomers, including through your connect card, B1 sends the welcome email and moves their card to "Personal phone call." The person you assigned gets a notification. If they have the B1 app on their phone with notifications on, it arrives right away, often while the guest is still in the building. They find the guest under Serving → My Work. The card shows the guest's phone number and email. After the call, they add a note on the card and change its Step to the next column.

GIVING YOUR CALLER ACCESS
- Your caller needs a B1 login: Settings → Roles → choose a role (for example, Church Staff) → Add → pick the person → Send Invite.
- That role needs the Tasks permission "View Workflows & Cards" so they can open their cards.

Note: the first time your church sends email from B1, there's a one-time approval to keep spammers out. If you see "Request Review," click it.

Try It This Week: Build the connect card (Part 1) and put its QR code on your welcome slide this Sunday. The board can wait until next week.

Helpful guides:
- Forms: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/forms/
- Workflows: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/serving/workflows
- Groups: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/groups/

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

Why does your church pay a license to sing? Micheal and Kari tell the story in two minutes — how a $3 million lawsuit over photocopied worship songs in 1984 led to a $75 blanket license that grew into CCLI, and how today the songs churches sing chart through a handful of megachurches and companies owned by the biggest music corporations on earth. Jonathan Allen Wright documented all of it in his series — and it's why the ChurchApps team built Worship Commons: a library of worship music that's freely given and freely shared. Over 1,200 songs in 19 languages, every one free for your church to sing, print, project, and stream. No renewal, no invoice — and writers can watch their songs reach churches.

WHAT YOUR CHURCH GETS (worshipcommons.org — no account needed to browse)
- Over 1,200 songs in 19 languages, starting with the great hymns of the church done properly
- Every song page: chords in any key, capo shapes, Nashville numbers, transposable sheet music, metronome, practice parts (soprano/alto/tenor/bass), print-ready charts, and a full download pack (chart, lead sheet, sheet music, MIDI)
- Lead Worship mode: the page becomes the screen — full-size lyrics, verse by verse, right from the browser. For a small gathering it can run the whole service.
- Service plans: build the set, share one link with the band (no accounts needed), export to FreeShow, PowerPoint, OpenLP, ProPresenter, or OnSong
- Their words: "Worship music does not belong on an invoice."
→ Browse: https://worshipcommons.org
→ The mission: https://worshipcommons.org/mission

JUST LAUNCHED (September 24, 2026 — these numbers are from launch week; the library only grows)
- 97 signups in the first week of promotion
- 16 songwriters have already submitted songs — that's 1 in 6 signups showing up to give
- 10 churches have saved songs for their Sunday sets
- Hear the newest songs as they're added: https://worshipcommons.org/listen/

THE SONGWRITER DEAL (deliberately one-sided — in the writer's favor)
- One-page grant: churches can sing, print, project, arrange, translate, and stream — no asking, no paying, forever
- The writer keeps everything else: album sales, streaming royalties, film/TV licensing, radio, concerts, sheet music sales — and the copyright, always
- Writers see their songs travel: every song page counts downloads and saves
- The call for songs is open: https://worshipcommons.org/call-for-songs
- The license in plain language: https://worshipcommons.org/license

QUALITY CONTROL
- Every submission is reviewed by a real person before it publishes — they listen to the song, check the chart against the melody, and screen for duplicates and copyright conflicts
- "Sunday-ready" is a badge a human awards, not an algorithm

THE SERIES MICHEAL MENTIONED
- "The Untold History of CCM" by Jonathan Allen Wright — a ten-part independent series on how church music went from Luther's penny hymn sheets to today's worship industry. His finale features Worship Commons and challenges songwriters to register their songs.
→ Watch: https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLY_PdECK59Bo?sbp=KgtER3MyeXA4T3ZKc0AB

Try It This Week: Go to worshipcommons.org, open any song, and change the key — watch the chart, sheet music, and piano preview follow you. Then check what it costs.

PART OF THE CHURCHAPPS FAMILY
- Worship Commons songs work alongside B1, FreeShow, and FreePlay — and it's all free
- New to B1? Create a free account at b1.church

Resources:
- Worship Commons: worshipcommons.org
- Release a song: worshipcommons.org/call-for-songs
- Hear the newest songs: worshipcommons.org/listen/
- The Untold History of CCM (Jonathan Allen Wright): https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLY_PdECK59Bo?sbp=KgtER3MyeXA4T3ZKc0AB
- FreeShow (free presentation software): freeshow.app
- Create a free B1 account: b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

324 updates shipped across ChurchApps in the last few weeks. Micheal and Kari pick the one that changes every day you spend in the software — the new global search — plus three favorites (your sermon library is now a podcast, duplicate person detection, and a refund button for donations) and a lightning round of ten more, all linked below. The theme running through all of it: more power, less clutter.

THE HEADLINER: GLOBAL SEARCH (Command Palette)
- A search bar now sits at the top of every B1 Admin page — click it, press Cmd+K (Ctrl+K on Windows), or just tap the / key
- "Do" actions: add a person, start check-in — straight from the palette
- "Jump" to any section: People, Groups, Donations, Plans, Attendance, Site, Sermons, Calendars
- Type a member's name and jump straight to their profile — no menus
- More on finding people: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/people/searching-people

FAVORITE #2: YOUR SERMONS ARE NOW A PODCAST
- Sermons page → new "Podcast Feed" panel → copy your church's feed URL and submit it once to Apple Podcasts / Spotify
- Sermons now accept an audio file; only sermons with an audio or direct video file are included in the feed (embeds alone won't work — keep your recordings!)
- New Podcast element in the website builder displays episodes on your own site
- Sermon library docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/
- Full sermon setup guide: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/guides/sermon-library

FAVORITE #3: DUPLICATE PERSON DETECTION
- Adding a new person quietly checks your database first — a match on email, phone number, or name + birthdate pops a "Possible Duplicate" dialog showing who it found
- "Use Existing" takes you straight to the record already in your system; "Create Anyway" is there for legitimate cases (like family members sharing an email)
- A matching name alone doesn't trigger it — two real Bob Johnsons are safe
- Adding people docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/people/adding-people

FAVORITE #4: REFUND BUTTON ON DONATIONS
- Open an online donation in its batch → a Refund button now sits next to Delete
- One confirmation refunds the gift in full through your payment gateway; the donation shows a "Refunded" badge, the amount is struck through, and batch totals update
- Applies to online gifts (ones with a card transaction); requires giving edit permissions
- Recording donations docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/donations/recording-donations

LIGHTNING ROUND — TEN MORE
1. QuickBooks export on donation batches — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/donations/batches
2. Lapsed Givers report (use it as a care list) — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/donations/donation-reports
3. Failed recurring gifts auto-retry and email the donor — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/donations/online-giving-setup
4. Manual headcounts + headcount trend report — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/attendance/recording-attendance
5. Birthday-week condition in the check-in label designer — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/attendance/labels
6. Curriculum year plans follow the real calendar; publishers can pin lessons to holidays — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/serving/scheduling-lessons
7. Profile visibility levels: Staff Only / My Group Leaders and Staff — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-mobile/profile/privacy-settings
8. Group join requests become approvable tasks for leaders — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/groups/group-join-requests
9. Dark theme for B1 Admin — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/
10. Japanese language support + Canada/Australia/NZ giving statement formats — https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/donations/giving-statements

SEE EVERY UPDATE
- All development happens in the open — every change, every discussion: https://github.com/ChurchApps
- Have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub — that's how many of these updates started.

Try It This Week: Log into admin.b1.church, press Cmd+K, and type the name of somebody you've been meaning to check on.

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

Lessons.church is a completely free curriculum library for churches — 12 providers, nearly 200 studies, over 1,100 lessons, from preschool through adult Bible studies. In this episode Micheal and Kari walk through what's in the library, the remarkable stories behind who gave it away, how Sunday mornings work, and the one button that schedules an entire ministry year.

THE STORIES BEHIND THE CONTENT
- Ark Kids (Junior & Elementary) — produced by The Ark Church in Conroe, TX, who have invested well over $1 million in this curriculum for their own children's ministry. They partnered with Lessons.church on one condition: it stays free for every church. Three full years of weekly curriculum (Herman & Rusty characters, videos, graphics, coloring sheets, full host scripts), still being updated. Junior and Elementary track together so the whole children's ministry is on the same story.
- Learn more about the curriculum: https://arkcurriculum.com
- Use it free in your church: https://lessons.church
- The church behind it: https://www.thearkchurch.com

- NextLevel Online — free courses from Ozark Christian College. Ozark's mission is to "train men and women for Christian service" — in the classroom every day, and outside it through church resources like NextLevel. Real professors: Kenny Boles through the Gospel of John, Mike Ackerman through Ezekiel and Malachi, Jim Dalrymple on 1 Peter and Healthy Elders & Deacons, plus Christian living, leadership, Old and New Testament series. Many churches use these as adult Sunday school classes — at one lesson a week there's over 10 years of material.
- Learn more from Ozark: https://occ.edu/next-level
- Use it free in your church: https://lessons.church/next-level

- Recovered on Purpose (in the Following Jesus Together collection) — Adam Gunton's 4-module course teaching people in recovery to share their story: finding your why, structuring your testimony, speaking with confidence, and taking your story public. The course has sold for over $700; Adam gave it to churches 100% free so it can help people in recovery.
- Course: https://lessons.church/following-jesus-together/recovery-speaker-course
- Adam's TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuvHBlyLTro

- Also in the library: High Voltage Elementary, Faith Kidz, West Ridge (kids), For Ministry Resources Youth Series (youth sermon series with graphics and small group guides), Kingdom Pathway and more small group studies.

HOW A LESSON WORKS
- Each lesson is laid out in sections (Countdown, Welcome, Engage, Big Story, Small Group, Big Review) with scripts, materials lists, videos, and downloads
- Every lesson comes in multiple "venues": Large Group Full Program, Large Group Abbreviated, Midweek/Classroom
- Customize per classroom: remove or reorder sections

CLASSROOMS & SCHEDULING (free account → Portal)
- Add classrooms, then schedule lessons per room and date
- Sunday morning: the teacher turns on the classroom TV, opens FreePlay, and the right lesson for the date is already there. Start Lesson = fullscreen, click through with the remote
- FreePlay (TV app for Android TV and Apple TV) pre-downloads scheduled lessons so videos play even if the wifi doesn't
- Attach a volunteer team (sees upcoming lessons in the B1 app) and a parent/student group (sees recent lessons)

B1 ADMIN INTEGRATION (Serving → Plans)
- Link Lessons.church as a content provider (also available: The Bible Project, Jesus Film Project)
- Schedule Lesson / Bulk Schedule / Apply Year Plan — Apply Year Plan lays out a full 48-week curriculum year from your first class date in one click
- Associated Groups put each week's lesson on the group's page in the B1 app

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES
- Scheduling lessons in Plans: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/serving/scheduling-lessons
- Service Plans in B1 Admin: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/serving/plans
- FreePlay quickstart (TV setup): https://support.churchapps.org/guides/freeplay-quickstart
- Running Ark curriculum on FreePlay: https://support.churchapps.org/guides/ark-freeplay
- Lessons on your B1 site & app: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-church/content/lessons

Try It This Week: Go to lessons.church — no account needed — open any lesson and hit Start Lesson. Kids curriculum or the Gospel of John, your pick.

Resources:
- Browse free curriculum: lessons.church
- Ark Curriculum: https://arkcurriculum.com (from The Ark Church: thearkchurch.com)
- NextLevel Online: https://lessons.church/next-level (from Ozark Christian College: occ.edu/next-level)
- Recovered on Purpose course: https://lessons.church/following-jesus-together/recovery-speaker-course
- Adam Gunton's TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuvHBlyLTro
- Create a free B1 account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- FreePlay TV app: freeplay.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

The B1 website builder just picked up nine new elements, shaped section dividers, a section template gallery, site-wide widgets, an accessibility checker, and a conversational mode for forms — all free. This episode walks through the whole batch: the elements that pull live data so your site never goes stale (Service Times, Staff Grid, Campaign Progress), the first-impression elements (Countdown, Testimonial, Stats, Gallery, Icon Feature, Social Icons), and the design tools that make a volunteer-built site look professionally designed.

FULL WALKTHROUGH WITH SCREENSHOTS
- Every step from this episode, with screenshots: https://pages.churchapps.org/website-builder-update-guide

WHERE EVERYTHING IS
- Elements: Website → Pages → open a page → Edit Content → Add Content. Panel has search plus Common / Media / Church / Advanced tabs. Click or drag to add.
- Shape Dividers: open any section's settings → Shape Dividers (wave, waves, slant, curve, triangle, peaks — plus color, height, and flip)
- Section templates: when adding a section, browse the gallery by category (Hero, About, Services, People & Groups, Media, Giving, Call to Action)
- Widgets: Website → Appearance → Site Widgets (Announcement Bar + Launcher)
- Accessibility checker: the accessibility icon in the page editor toolbar
- Conversational forms: People → Forms → edit form → Display Mode → Conversational

THE NINE NEW ELEMENTS
1) Countdown — count down to a date, or Weekly Service mode (pick day + time, recurs every week). Custom "completed" message when it hits zero.
2) Service Times — your campuses' service schedule, pulled automatically from attendance setup. Adds structured data so search engines understand your schedule.
3) Staff Grid — live photo cards from a group's roster. Requires the group's public roster option to be enabled. Update the group, the page updates itself.
4) Campaign Progress — live giving-goal thermometer tied to a fund (pairs with Pledge Campaigns from Episode 16). Goal amount, optional start/end dates, show/hide amounts, optional donate link.
5) Testimonial — quotes with author, role, and photo; single or rotating display.
6) Stats — big-number highlights with labels (years, kids, meals served) in 2–4 columns.
7) Gallery — multi-photo grid or masonry layout with column and spacing options.
8) Icon Feature — icon + title + short description; use three or four side by side for "what to expect" sections.
9) Social Icons — linked icons for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, Vimeo. Only the links you fill in are shown.

SITE WIDGETS (Website → Appearance)
- Announcement Bar — site-wide banner on every page: text, link, colors, and start/end dates so it schedules itself and takes itself down.
- Launcher — floating corner button that expands into quick links (Plan a Visit, Give, Watch Live). Choose corner and color.

ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER
- In the page editor toolbar. Scans for images missing alt text, low color contrast, and headings out of order — each finding links to the element so you can fix it in place.

CONVERSATIONAL FORMS
- People → Forms → edit a form → Display Mode: Conversational. Presents one question at a time instead of a full-page form.

Try It This Week (ONE thing):
- Open your home page in the editor (Website → Pages → Edit Content → Add Content) and add the Countdown element. Mode: Weekly Service, pick your day and time, save. Two minutes.

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

Resources:
- Episode 20 walkthrough with screenshots: https://pages.churchapps.org/website-builder-update-guide
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- Page editor docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/website/page-editor/
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps

Facebook is a great place to reach people — but it's rented space. This episode is about using Facebook to bring people to a site you actually own, where they can watch your sermons, follow a teaching series, and tune in live every Sunday without needing an account or fighting an algorithm. Covers the Sermons section in B1: adding your library, setting up playlists, getting your live stream on your own site, and why your archived services should probably be just the sermon — not the whole service recording.

1) ADDING SERMONS
How to add a sermon:
- Sermons → click "Add Sermon" (top right dropdown)
- Select video provider (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, or custom embed)
- Paste the YouTube video ID → click "Fetch" — B1 automatically pulls the title, description, publish date, and duration
- Add a thumbnail manually (Fetch does not pull the thumbnail)
- Assign to a Playlist (optional), set the duration, and save
→ Support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/managing-sermons/

Have a large existing archive? Use Bulk Import:
- Sermons → "Add Sermon" dropdown → Bulk Import
- Bring in years of sermons at once instead of adding one at a time

Local backup tip: Don't rely on YouTube as your only copy. Keep original video files on a local drive. Losing years of sermons to an account issue is a real risk.

2) PLAYLISTS (SERIES)
How to create a series:
- On the Sermons page, look for the Playlists panel on the right side
- Click the + button → give it a name → add description and thumbnail
- When adding sermons, select the playlist in the sermon form
- Visitors see series listed under a "Series" tab on your public sermons page

3) LIVE STREAMING — PERMANENT LIVE URL
Set up once, works every Sunday:
- Sermons → click the dropdown on "Add Sermon" → choose "Add Permanent Live URL"
- Video provider is already set to "Current YouTube Live Stream"
- Paste your YouTube Channel ID (click "Get Your Channel Id" link in the form if you're unsure where to find it)
- Save → your B1 sermons page automatically shows your live stream whenever you go live on YouTube
→ Support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/live-streaming/

Not sure how to get your stream to YouTube? OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a free, powerful streaming tool used by churches and creators everywhere. Point it at YouTube and you're streaming. There are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube to walk you through it.
→ Download OBS: https://obsproject.com/

4) LIVE STREAM TIMES
Show a countdown and "Live Now" indicator:
- Sermons → Live Stream Times tab
- Configure your regular service days/times
- B1 uses this to show a countdown before services and a "Live Now" indicator during

Public sermons page:
- yourchurch.b1.church/sermons
- No login required — visitors see your latest sermon, Recent Sermons, and Series tabs
- Mobile: hero card with latest sermon at the top

LIVE VS. ARCHIVE DISTINCTION
- Live stream: keep the full service (worship + sermon) — that's the real experience
- Archived sermons: upload just the sermon clip
- Why: worship audio is mixed for the room (optimized for the people in those seats). On earbuds or a phone speaker, that same mix can sound rough — echo, reverb, levels that don't translate. Visitors watching online came for the teaching, not a room recording.

Try It This Week:
- Open Sermons in B1 Admin → add your last three Sundays. Paste the YouTube ID, hit Fetch, save each one. Takes about 15 minutes.

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

TRY IT YOURSELF (log in at admin.b1.church)
- Add a sermon: Sermons → Add Sermon → paste YouTube ID → Fetch → Save
- Create a series: Sermons page → Playlists panel (right side) → + button
- Set up live stream: Sermons → Add Sermon dropdown → Add Permanent Live URL → YouTube Channel ID
- Configure service times: Sermons → Live Stream Times → Add Service
- Public page: yourchurch.b1.church/sermons

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- Sermons support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps
- OBS (free streaming software): https://obsproject.com/

This episode has an origin story. At a children's ministry conference in Orlando, Micheal was teaching a session when a woman in the audience asked if B1 could handle signups for meals, events, and volunteer slots — so her church could stop paying for separate tools like SignUpGenius on top of their church software. Micheal said he didn't think so — but since ChurchApps is open source, he filed it on GitHub when he got home. The community picked it up, it filled a real need, and now it's built in. Free.

The original feature request: https://github.com/ChurchApps/ChurchAppsSupport/issues/769

Two features that came from that conversation:

1) EVENT REGISTRATION
How to enable:
- Calendars → click any calendar → click an event → "Manage Registrations" button in the event dialog
- Enable the registration toggle for that event

Settings available:
- Capacity — set a max number of attendees; B1 tracks it automatically (no over-registration)
- Waitlist — when capacity is reached, additional registrants go on a waitlist
- Open/close dates — registration activates and deactivates automatically
- Custom question form — attach a B1 form with any questions you need (t-shirt size, dietary restrictions, etc.)
- Registration types — set up multiple types (e.g., Adult / Child) if needed

Where admins see registrations:
- Calendars → Registrations (top nav tab)
- Full list of registrants per event; add manually, cancel, or export the list

2) VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS (SELF SIGN-UP)
How to enable:
- Serving → Plans → open any plan → edit a position → check "Allow Self Signup"
- Set a signup deadline on the plan itself (optional)
- Volunteers self-select their specific task, at the specific service, in real time

Where members sign up:
- yourchurch.b1.church/volunteer (public page, no login required)
- Shows cards for each plan with open sign-up positions
- "View and Sign Up" button → member picks their spot and confirms

Video walkthrough: https://youtu.be/Pt-74rNKwYE

Try It This Week: Enable registration on your next upcoming event. Calendars → click the event → Manage Registrations → enable toggle → set a capacity → save.

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin: admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- GitHub feature request: github.com/ChurchApps/ChurchAppsSupport/issues/769

Three updates that change what your church can do from B1: a full blog for your website, B1 CheckIn now on Apple devices, and two QR flows that take the friction out of check-in.

YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE NOW HAS A BLOG
- Website → Blog tab (in the same top menu as Pages, Blocks, Appearance)
- Click "+ Add Post" to write a new post
- Fields: Title, Web address (auto-fills as /blog/your-title), Excerpt, Content (rich editor with bold, italic, links, Preview mode), Category, Tags, Author, Featured Image, Draft toggle
- Blog listing page: yourchurch.b1.church/blog
- Built-in RSS feed so readers can subscribe
- After setup: add a navigation link to /blog on the Pages screen so visitors can find it
- Ideas: sermon recaps, ministry updates, baptism stories, children's ministry highlights, prayer needs

B1 CHECKIN NOW ON APPLE — iPHONE, iPAD, AND MAC
- Previously Android only — now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- Same features: printer connection, name labels, pickup slips, unique pickup codes, safety matching

TWO NEW QR FLOWS

For returning families: Open the B1 church app → tap Check-In → QR code appears on your phone → show it at the kiosk → labels print. No typing.

For new guests: Mobile → B1 CheckIn in B1 Admin → enable QR Guest Registration toggle → a QR code appears on the kiosk screen → guests scan and self-register on their phone. Download the PNG to print on bulletins or signage.

Try It This Week: Write one blog post. Three sentences. One thing God did in your church last Sunday. Website → Blog → Add Post → publish.

Create a free account: b1.church
Log in: admin.b1.church
Help: support.churchapps.org

Three brand-new, free tools in B1 this month — plus a look at the ChurchApps Ambassadors who help other churches discover them. ChurchApps is a nonprofit: free tools, built by the church, for the church.

1) WEBSITE TEMPLATES — start from a finished design. Website → Pages → "Start From a Template": pick from a grid of complete church site designs, preview the whole thing, hit Create Site, and swap in your name, photos, and service times. Still fully editable afterward.

2) PLEDGE CAMPAIGNS — fund the big vision. Donations → Campaigns: create a campaign tied to a fund (e.g., Building Fund) with a goal. Donors can pledge (commit to give over time), turn on a public progress bar (e.g., $10k of $50k), and see every pledger's committed + given amounts. Same free B1 giving system — nothing extra to buy.

3) EVENT BOOKINGS — stop double-booking rooms. Calendars is now its own top-level menu. Add bookable rooms and shared resources (with approval groups), reserve a room + resource on an event with setup/teardown buffers, and let conflict detection warn you when a room's already taken — one shared availability calendar for the whole team.

THE AMBASSADORS — ChurchApps Ambassadors are volunteers who help other churches discover, learn, and set up these tools, and spread the word. Nobody pays them; they believe every church should have great tools without the price tag. Find one near you, pray for them, thank one, or learn how to become one: churchapps.org/ambassadors

TRY IT THIS WEEK (one thing): Go to churchapps.org/ambassadors and pray for the ambassadors doing awesome work spreading the word — and if it's on your heart, learn about becoming one.

NEW TO B1? It's free. Create your account and sign in at b1.church — no cost, no credit card. Then log in at admin.b1.church.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
• Website Templates: admin.b1.church/site/pages (Website → Pages → "Start From a Template")
• Pledge Campaigns: admin.b1.church/donations/campaigns
• Event Bookings: admin.b1.church/calendars (Rooms & Resources)

RESOURCES:
• Create a free account: b1.church
• Ambassadors: churchapps.org/ambassadors
• Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
• B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
• github.com/ChurchApps