Scriptures: Connect Your Sermons to Bible Passages
Every sermon you preach is rooted in Scripture. Whether you’re teaching through Romans 8, exploring the Psalms, or unpacking a single verse like John 3:16, your congregation wants to find those messages again. They might search by passage: “What did Pastor say about Philippians 4?” or “I need to hear that sermon on Psalm 23.” Without a way to tag sermons with Bible references, that discovery becomes guesswork.
Making Sermons Discoverable by Passage
OnlineGiving.org’s Scriptures feature gives you a simple way to manage Bible references and link them to your sermons. You create scripture entries—such as “Romans 8:28,” “John 3:16,” or “Psalm 23”—and then assign one or more scriptures to each sermon when you create or edit it. Once linked, your congregation can filter sermons by passage in the control panel and discover messages by the Bible text that inspired them.
Scriptures work alongside Sermon Speakers and Sermon Topics to give your sermon library rich metadata. A sermon on “Peace in the Storm” might be tagged with Romans 8:28, your lead pastor as the speaker, and “Faith” as a topic. When someone browses your giving website or mobile app, they can find that message by passage, by who preached it, or by theme. The same metadata powers search and filtering across your platform.
From Control Panel to Mobile App
When you add, edit, or delete a scripture, the sermon feed updates automatically. Your church’s mobile app reads that feed and displays scriptures alongside sermons in the Messages section. Congregants can browse by scripture, tap a passage, and see all sermons that reference it. No manual sync is required—changes you make in the control panel are reflected in the app as soon as users refresh or reopen the Messages section.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Scriptures feature.
Scriptures User Guide
The Scriptures feature lives under the Mobile App section of the control panel. From there you create and manage Bible reference entries, each with a name and optional image. You then assign scriptures to sermons when creating or editing them. Scriptures help congregants discover sermons by passage and appear in your mobile app’s Messages section.
Key Takeaways
- Scripture Management: Create scripture entries with a name (e.g., “Romans 8:28” or “John 3:16-17”) and an optional image. Edit or delete scriptures as needed.
- Linking to Sermons: When creating or editing a sermon, select one or more scriptures from the Sermon Scripture(s) dropdown. A sermon can have multiple scriptures.
- Viewing Sermons by Scripture: From the Scriptures list, click a scripture name or “View Sermons” to see all sermons linked to that passage. The sermons page filters by the selected scripture.
- Mobile App & Giving Website: Scriptures appear in your sermon feed and are displayed in the mobile app and on your giving website. Congregants can browse and filter sermons by passage.
- Bible Reference Format: The scripture name is free-form text. Use standard formats such as “Book Chapter:Verse” (e.g., Romans 8:28) or “Book Chapter:Verse-Verse” for ranges.
Table of Contents
- Scriptures Overview
- Viewing Scriptures
- Creating Scriptures
- Editing Scriptures
- Deleting Scriptures
- Linking Scriptures to Sermons
- Displaying Scriptures in the Mobile App
- Frequently Asked Questions
Scriptures Overview
Accessing Scriptures
To open the Scriptures section:
- Log in to the control panel.
- In the left navigation, expand the “Mobile App” section.
- Click “Scriptures”.
You’ll land on the Sermon Scriptures page, which lists all your scripture entries. From here you can create a new scripture, edit or delete existing ones, or click a scripture name to view all sermons linked to that passage.
Scripture Structure
Each scripture entry has two main fields:
- Name: The Bible reference in text form (e.g., “Romans 8:28,” “John 3:16-17,” “Psalm 23”). This is required and appears in the scriptures list and when filtering sermons.
- Image: An optional image URL. You can upload an image when creating or editing a scripture. The image may be displayed in the mobile app or on your giving website when browsing by scripture.
Scriptures are stored per domain, so each church or site has its own set of scripture entries. They are linked to sermons through a many-to-many relationship: one sermon can have multiple scriptures, and one scripture can be linked to many sermons.
Viewing Scriptures
The Scriptures List
The main Scriptures page displays a table with:
- Image: A thumbnail of the scripture image, or “No Image” if none is set.
- Name: The scripture reference. Click the name to view all sermons linked to that scripture.
- Actions: A gear icon with a dropdown menu offering Edit Scripture, View Sermons, and Delete Scripture.
By default, scriptures are sorted by name in ascending order. Use the column headers to change sort order. Pagination and a “Results Per Page” dropdown (10, 20, 50, 100) let you navigate large lists.
Searching and Filtering
Use the Name filter field in the table header to search scriptures by name. Type part of a reference (e.g., “Romans” or “Psalm”) and press Enter to filter the list. Clear the field and press Enter to show all scriptures again.
Creating Scriptures
How to Create a Scripture
- From the Sermon Scriptures page, click “Create New Scripture”.
- Enter the Scripture Name (required). Use a standard Bible reference format such as “Romans 8:28,” “John 3:16-17,” or “Psalm 23”.
- Optionally upload a Scripture Image. Click the upload area, select an image from your computer, and wait for the upload to complete. The image will appear as a preview.
- Click “Save”.
After saving, you’ll be redirected to the scriptures list. Your new scripture is now available to assign to sermons.
Scripture Name Format
The scripture name is free-form text. There is no enforced structure, but using a consistent format helps your congregation recognize and search for passages. Common formats include:
- Single verse: “Romans 8:28” or “John 3:16”
- Verse range: “John 3:16-17” or “Philippians 4:4-9”
- Chapter: “Psalm 23” or “Romans 8”
- Book and chapter: “Genesis 1” or “Revelation 21”
Choose a format that matches how your church typically refers to passages and use it consistently across your scriptures.
Optional Scripture Image
The scripture image is optional. If you upload one, it may be displayed when congregants browse sermons by scripture in the mobile app or on your giving website. Use an image that represents the passage or your church’s branding. If you leave it blank, the system will show “No Image” in the scriptures list, but the scripture will still work normally when linked to sermons.
Editing Scriptures
How to Edit a Scripture
- From the Sermon Scriptures page, click the gear icon next to the scripture you want to edit.
- Select “Edit Scripture” from the dropdown menu.
- Update the Scripture Name and/or Scripture Image as needed.
- Click “Save”.
Changes are saved immediately and the sermon feed is updated. Any sermons already linked to this scripture will now display the updated name and image in the app and on your giving website.
Deleting Scriptures
How to Delete a Scripture
- From the Sermon Scriptures page, click the gear icon next to the scripture you want to delete.
- Select “Delete Scripture” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm when prompted.
The scripture is permanently removed. Sermons that were linked to it will no longer show that scripture in their metadata, but the sermons themselves are not deleted. The sermon feed updates automatically.
Linking Scriptures to Sermons
Assigning Scriptures When Creating or Editing a Sermon
To link scriptures to a sermon:
- Go to the Sermons section (Mobile App → Sermon Series, then open a series or view all sermons).
- Create a new sermon or edit an existing one.
- In the “Sermon Series, Speaker, Topic & Scripture” panel, find the “Sermon Scripture(s)” field.
- Select one or more scriptures from the dropdown. You can choose multiple scriptures for a single sermon (e.g., if you preached from Romans 8 and Philippians 4).
- Click “Save”.
The scriptures you select are linked to the sermon. They appear in the sermon’s metadata and allow congregants to find that sermon when browsing or filtering by passage.
Viewing Sermons by Scripture
From the Scriptures list, you can quickly see all sermons linked to a given passage:
- Click the scripture name in the table. You’ll be taken to the Sermons page with a filter applied so only sermons linked to that scripture are shown.
- Use the gear menu: Click the gear icon and select “View Sermons”. The same filtered view of sermons appears.
This is useful when you want to verify which sermons reference a passage or when planning a series around a particular book or chapter.
Displaying Scriptures in the Mobile App
When you create, edit, or delete a scripture, or when you link or unlink scriptures to sermons, the sermon feed is automatically updated. Your church’s mobile app reads this feed and displays scriptures in the Messages section. Users can browse by scripture, tap a passage, and see all sermons that reference it. No manual sync is required.
Scriptures also appear on your giving website if your theme includes a Messages or Sermons section that supports filtering by passage. The same metadata powers both surfaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What format should I use for scripture names?
The scripture name is free-form text. Use whatever format your church recognizes, such as “Romans 8:28,” “John 3:16-17,” or “Psalm 23.” Consistency helps congregants search and filter effectively. There is no enforced structure for book, chapter, or verse.
Can I assign multiple scriptures to one sermon?
Yes. The Sermon Scripture(s) field allows multiple selections. Use this when a sermon references several passages, such as a message that weaves together Romans 8 and Philippians 4.
What happens to sermons when I delete a scripture?
Sermons are not deleted. Only the link between the scripture and those sermons is removed. The sermons remain in your library; they simply no longer show that scripture in their metadata. You can assign a different scripture to them later if needed.
Do I need to create a scripture before I can assign it to a sermon?
Yes. Scriptures must exist in the Scriptures section before they can be assigned to sermons. Create your commonly used passages (e.g., Romans 8:28, John 3:16, Psalm 23) first, then assign them when creating or editing sermons.
Who can access Scriptures in the control panel?
Scriptures are part of the Mobile App section and require the Native App Admin role. If you don’t see the Scriptures option, your administrator may need to assign you that role. Need help? Contact support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000.
Is the scripture image required?
No. The scripture image is optional. If you leave it blank, the scripture will still work normally when linked to sermons. The image is used for display when congregants browse by scripture in the mobile app or on your giving website.