Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Questions

How can I delete my church's account?

We're sorry to see you go! You can reach out to our Support Team to remove your Church Online Platform account.

How can I delete my personal account?

From the Admin view, click the Profile icon located in the bottom left of your screen. Choose Edit Profile. When your profile page appears, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and choose Delete.

From the Host view, click the navigation menu at the top left. Choose Profile from the pop-up window. When your profile page appears, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and choose Delete.

How can I reset my password?

Please follow the steps listed below to reset your password:

• Go to your custom URL (yourchurchname.online.church).
• Click the navigation menu at the top right of your screen.
• Select Log In.
• Select Forgot Password and enter the email where you would like us to send the reset link.

If you do not receive the reset email, it may be blocked by a spam or junk filter. In this instance, here are some options:

• Whitelist/Allow *@churchonline.org in your email settings.
• Have your church's Admin invite you to an alternative email address.
• Have your church's Admin remove your account and re-invite you. Sometimes an invite will get through a SPAM filter when a password reset will not.

Why can't I see a service scheduled for a month out?

Currently, the schedule only shows Services set to go live within the next two weeks.

What browsers can I run the Platform on?

Our Platform has been tested and is known to work on the following browsers/operating systems. This list is not exclusive and is subject to change.

• The latest version of iOS
• Most Android versions (back to Android 4)
• Edge (latest version)
• Firefox (latest version)
• Chrome (latest version)
• Safari (desktop, latest version)

How are analytics determined?

When reviewing your weekend numbers, it’s important to understand how those numbers are tracked. Our analytics are built from a church-first perspective, using both browser sessions and unique user IDs, unlike streaming providers, which typically count only video views.

Here’s how it works: Each time someone visits your service in a browser, a new session begins. If they watch again on a different device, that’s counted as a second session. However, if they’re logged into the same account, they’re only counted once in our analytics—even if both sessions happen in the same household on the same IP address.

Want to dive deeper into how to measure success online? Find out more here.

Are my attendees required to sign up/log in to the Platform to watch my Service?

No. We believe it's important to welcome guests to your church online experience, just like you would in a physical building. Consider including a welcome message in your Login Banner setup to encourage guests to create an account, allowing them to better connect with other Users during your Service. However, they are not required to create an account.

Is there an invite feature?

Yes, you can either add a navigation link to direct attenders to an invite page, or you can have an invite moment during your service.

Is there a countdown timer?

Yes, a countdown timer will appear for both hosts and guests on the platform when you have services scheduled. If you would like to embed a countdown on your website, you can find that information here.

Is there a way to add other Moments in addition to salvations?

Yes, we have many different Moments options, and you can add multiple to each service. Learn about Moments here.

Can I embed any part of the Platform into my website?

The Church Online Platform is a stand-alone product created to provide churches a dedicated place for online ministry using their online.church subdomain. Unfortunately, embedding the platform on another site—like a church website—exposes a potential security risk, so we don't allow the Platform to be embedded elsewhere. However, you can add a custom domain to your Church Online Platform.

Can I change my church's URL?

Yes, our support team can help you! As long as your desired URL domain is not already in use, anyone with the "owner" role can write our support team with a request.

Can I play a service on my TV?

Yes! You can watch your church online using the browser on your smart TV or TV device. However, Church Online features are currently limited to basic video playback when viewed this way. To watch, simply open the browser on your smart TV or device and go to the website where your church service is streaming..

Why is the audio muted when I first visit the site?

Most web browsers automatically mute videos that autoplay when a page loads. To see if there's a way to change this, we recommend checking with your streaming provider.

Is there a way to chat when the video goes fullscreen on mobile?

The Church Online Platform uses your streaming provider’s video player. Some of these players automatically open in full screen on certain iOS web browsers. We recommend checking with your streaming provider to see if they offer an embed option that disables full-screen mode.

Can I disable the public chat during a live service?

The public chat feature can be turned Off when setting up each service in the Service Content settings. Learn more about the public chat settings here.

My monthly or weekly repeating service ends instead of repeating forever. How can I extend it before it ends?

First, go to Admin > Services and make sure your date filter is set to show all future dates. If the filter is correct but your service has stopped repeating, you can easily fix it:

• Find the last repeating service that appears.
• Click directly on the date on the left-hand side (the date is clickable, even though it doesn’t look like a button).
• A new window will open. Scroll to the bottom and look for the End Repeat setting.
  • If a date is set, update it to any future date you prefer.
  • If no date is set, simply click Save without making changes. This will automatically extend the service repeats for the next year.

Important Note: In the Church Online Platform, repeating a service only copies the service dates on the calendar. It does not automatically repeat the content or timing, since weekly content and schedules can vary. If you use the same streaming embed code each week, you’ll still need to manually copy that code into future services. (Don’t worry—we make this easy. You can learn more about it in the article Setting Up a Service.)

Can I create a private link for internal events?

We recommend creating a new standalone account for this purpose. This would be an entirely new account with a different URL so that your regular attendees won't see internal events or other private experiences. If you simply want to preview a service, see our documentation on how to run a preview service.

Streaming Questions

Can I use Facebook Live as a streaming provider?

Yes, Facebook Live can be used within the Platform. However, Facebook utilizes algorithms to detect copyright material. This algorithm is known to mistakenly block videos from being embedded and can be hard to resolve. Therefore, we recommend looking at alternatives if you run into this issue. For alternatives, see our recommended list of live streaming providers.

What's the difference between the URL and embed code options in service content?

Use the video URL option for simulated live (prerecorded) services, and embed codes for live streaming. The platforms that work best with video URLs for simulated live are Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, and Wistia.

If you try to add a video URL and get an "invalid" message, that means the platform doesn’t support it as a URL. In that case, you’ll need to use an embed code instead.

Do I need a live streaming provider?

Yes, you need a streaming provider to provide the embed code you copy/paste into the Church Online Platform.

How do I get started with a live stream?

For technical setup, equipment recommendations, and other common questions, watch this video from our Broadcast team.

Can we do multiple streams/services in one account?

You can only do one event or stream at a time. To support multiple events, you will need multiple Church Online Platform accounts.

Can I stream directly to the Platform with an RTMP code?

We currently do not support RTMP codes. The Church Online Platform is compatible with iframe embed codes instead. We recommend contacting your streaming provider to see if they can give you an iframe embed code.

Can I use Restream to embed straight to the Platform?

Restream.io allows you to stream to multiple destinations at one time, but they currently do not have their own player. Learn more about how you can embed it into 3rd party websites through Restream.io.