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

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

Ever sent the Saturday-night "are you still good for tomorrow?" text to fifteen people? This one's for you. Micheal and Kari walk through B1's free service-planning tools — for worship teams AND children's ministry.

Schedule your team: set up each room or role as a position (two adults each in kids ministry), keep your consistent teachers with Copy from Previous, fill rotating roles like check-in with Auto Assign, and let the Validation panel confirm every spot is covered before Sunday — volunteers notified automatically. Build your run of show on the Service Order tab, and pull in songs from the built-in PraiseCharts library.

For kids ministry: connect Lessons.church and bulk-schedule your whole curriculum across Sundays in one step — it shows up on your teachers' phones to prep, and plays on the classroom TV through FreePlay. One schedule, both places.

Plus: why "we're too small for this" is exactly backwards, and how a clear schedule is a gift to your volunteers.

Try It This Week: Go to Serving → Plans and build one plan for this coming Sunday — add your teams and positions, then run Auto Assign.

Two-track guide (worship + kids), each with a video walkthrough:
- pages.churchapps.org/worship-planning-guide

More:
- support.churchapps.org
- github.com/ChurchApps