Setting Up a Service

Create Your First Service

  1. Log in to the Admin and select Services.
  2. Click Add Service Time.

  1. Enter the time and date of your service.
  1. If any, select the desired repeat pattern.
    Repeating services are only created for twelve months from the start date.
  2. Click Save.

Add Content to a Service

  1. Find the service you want to add or edit content, and click Add Content.

Add Service Content:

  1. Service Title: Enter the title of your sermon/service.
  2. Duration: Select the length of the service.
  3. Public Chat: Choose to have Public Chat turned on or off. Select how many minutes prior to the service and after the service you want the chat open.
  4. Prayer: Either check or uncheck the box next to Allow people to request private chat with Hosts via the Request Prayer button, allowing attenders to engage in Live Prayer with your Hosts.
  5. Video: Select the video type and embed your streaming provider's embed code or URL. If you don't have a live streaming provider, here is a list of a few we recommend. Select the start time of the video.
    1. Embed Code: Select Embed Code for live streaming, Vimeo Live, etc. Copy and paste your streaming provider's embed code.
    2. URL: Select URL for simulated live services through YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, etc.
The Church Online Platform pulls in your streaming provider's player, content, etc. All video functionality comes from your streaming provider.
  1. Add Moments: Moments are applicable to your current service, and you can choose to post your Moments manually or schedule it to generate automatically.
  2. Notes: These are available for attenders to follow along with once your service begins.
  3. Host Info: These are special notes only hosts can see within the host view. This is a great place to provide prompts for the chat, share any details about the service, or leave a simple word of encouragement for your team.
  4. Additional Services: You can apply the content you just created to multiple services. Select all of the services you want to apply the content to and click Save.

If you want to apply the content to future service not shown, you can change the calendar to show more dates.

Copy Content From a Previous Service

After you have created your first service and added your content, you can duplicate that content into future services.

  1. Log into the Admin and click Services.
  2. Schedule out future service dates and times.
  3. Select which previous service content you want to duplicate.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the Content page to Additional Services.
  5. Select which Service(s) you wish to duplicate the content to. If you need to see Services further out, use the date picker to filter.

You will still need to go into each week's content and update the URL or embed code.

Having Trouble Setting Up Your Service?

Wrong Timezone Offsets

Timezone offsets might be incorrect during Daylight Saving Time. In the U.S., this happens from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March. In some parts of Australia, it occurs from the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in October.

  • Workaround: Rely on timezone names (like America/New York) instead of the GMT offset numbers.

Repeating Services End

While a repeating service is expected to repeat forever, they will sometimes end unexpectedly. This more frequently happens in December and January.

Please check your Service Content weekly to ensure your Services run smoothly.

Resolution Steps

1. If a repeating service ends in the future unexpectedly, extend the service with the following these steps:

  • Go to the last instance of the repeating service that is currently displayed.
  • Click on the date on the left-hand side. (There is no visible button, but the date is clickable.)
  • A new window will appear. Look for "End Repeat" at the bottom of the page.
  • If a date is present: Update the date to any future date you prefer, or select "Forever" for the "End Repeat" setting, and click "Save".
  • If no date is present (and the service still unexpectedly ends): Without making any other changes, click "Save". The service will automatically repeat for at least the next year even though no changes were made.

2. If you find a repeating service that was expected to repeat forever has already ended, create a new repeating service and then add the necessary content.

Invalid Video Embed Codes

If you accidentally enter a URL instead of a valid embed code for video sources, no warning is provided.

  • Workaround: Double-check to make sure the embed code or URL setting is set correctly. Double-check your embed code with your streaming provider. It must be publicly accessible and have permission to embed.

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