Speakers: Organize Your Sermon Preachers for Easy Discovery

Your congregation knows who preaches. They want to find sermons by their lead pastor, that guest speaker from last month, or the associate who taught the youth retreat. When your sermon library grows, having a clear list of speakers—with names and photos—makes it easy for people to browse, filter, and discover the messages that matter most to them.

Why Speaker Management Matters

OnlineGiving.org’s Speakers feature gives you a central place to manage the people who preach your sermons. You create a speaker profile once with a name and optional photo, then assign that speaker to any sermon when you add or edit it. Because speakers are reusable, you don’t have to type the same name over and over. And because the list is shared across your entire sermon library, your congregation can filter sermons by speaker in your church’s mobile app and on your giving website.

Whether you have one lead pastor or a rotating team of preachers, guest speakers, and campus pastors, the Speakers feature keeps everything organized. Each speaker appears in a sortable list that you control. You can drag and drop to change the display order, so the most frequently searched speakers appear first. When you add a new sermon, you simply select one or more speakers from a dropdown—no retyping, no inconsistency.

From Control Panel to Mobile App

Speakers live in the Mobile App section of the control panel, alongside Sermon Series, Sermons, Topics, and Scriptures. They’re part of the sermon media ecosystem: you manage speakers here, then assign them to sermons when you create or edit those sermons. The sermon feed that powers your mobile app and giving website includes speaker information, so your congregation can browse by speaker, see who preached each message, and find all sermons from a favorite teacher.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Speakers feature.

Speakers User Guide

The Speakers feature lets you create and manage sermon speaker profiles. Each speaker has a name and an optional photo. You can reorder speakers for display, assign them to sermons when creating or editing sermons, and view all sermons linked to a given speaker. Speakers appear in your church’s mobile app and on your giving website, enabling your congregation to discover sermons by who preached them.

Key Takeaways

• View & Search: The Speakers list shows all speakers with name, photo thumbnail, and actions. Use the name search field to filter the list.
• Create: Add a new speaker with a required name and optional photo upload. Photos are stored and displayed in the app.
• Edit: Update a speaker’s name or photo at any time. Changes sync to the sermon feed and mobile app.
• Delete: Remove a speaker when no longer needed. Confirm before deleting. Sermons previously linked to that speaker will no longer show the speaker.
• Photo Upload: Upload a speaker photo directly from your computer. The image is stored and used in the control panel and mobile app.
• Sort Order: Drag and drop speakers to change their display order. The order is saved automatically and reflected in the mobile app.
• Link to Sermons: Assign one or more speakers to each sermon when creating or editing sermons. View all sermons for a speaker from the Speakers list.

Table of Contents

1. Speakers Overview
   • Accessing Speakers
   • How Speakers Work
2. Managing Speakers
   • How to View Speakers
   • How to Search Speakers
   • How to Create a Speaker
   • How to Edit a Speaker
   • How to Delete a Speaker
3. Photo Upload
4. Sort Order
5. Linking Speakers to Sermons
6. Speakers in the Mobile App
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Speakers Overview

Accessing Speakers

To open the Speakers page:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. In the left navigation, expand the “Mobile App” section.
3. Click “Speakers” (or “Sermon Speakers”).

You’ll land on the Speakers list, which shows all sermon speakers for your church. From here you can create new speakers, edit or delete existing ones, reorder the list, and jump to sermons filtered by speaker.

How Speakers Work

A speaker is a profile for someone who preaches your sermons. Each speaker has:

• Name: Required. The display name (e.g., “Pastor John Smith,” “Guest Speaker,” “Rev. Sarah Jones”).
• Image: Optional. A photo of the speaker, uploaded via the form. Used in the control panel list and in the mobile app.
• Sort Order: A numeric order you control by dragging and dropping. Lower numbers appear first. Default order is by this value.

Speakers are assigned to sermons when you create or edit a sermon. A sermon can have multiple speakers (e.g., a co-taught message). Once assigned, the speaker appears on that sermon in the app and on your giving website.

Managing Speakers

How to View Speakers

The Speakers list displays all speakers in a table with:

• Image: A thumbnail of the speaker photo (or “No Image” if none is set).
• Name: The speaker’s display name. Clicking the name opens the Sermons page filtered by that speaker.
• Actions: A gear icon with a dropdown for Edit Speaker, View Sermons, and Delete Speaker.

Use the results-per-page dropdown (10, 20, 50, 100) to control how many speakers appear per page. The total count is shown at the bottom right.

How to Search Speakers

The table includes a search row. Type a name (or partial name) in the Name field and press Enter to filter the list. The search is case-insensitive and matches anywhere in the name.

How to Create a Speaker

1. From the Speakers list, click “Create New Speaker”.
2. Enter the Speaker Name (required). Use the format you want displayed (e.g., “Pastor John Smith” or “John Smith”).
3. Optionally upload a Speaker Image. Click the upload area, select an image file from your computer, and wait for the upload to complete. The image will appear in the form.
4. Click “Save”.

After saving, you’ll be redirected to the Speakers list. The new speaker appears in the list and is available when creating or editing sermons.

How to Edit a Speaker

1. From the Speakers list, click the gear icon next to the speaker and choose “Edit Speaker”.
2. Update the Speaker Name and/or Speaker Image as needed. To change the photo, upload a new image; it replaces the existing one.
3. Click “Save”.

Changes are saved immediately and synced to the sermon feed. The mobile app will reflect the updated name and photo.

How to Delete a Speaker

1. From the Speakers list, click the gear icon next to the speaker and choose “Delete Speaker”.
2. Confirm when prompted (“Are you sure you want to delete?”).

The speaker is permanently removed. Sermons that were linked to this speaker will no longer show that speaker. The sermon feed and mobile app are updated automatically.

Photo Upload

Speaker photos are optional but recommended. A photo helps congregants recognize who preached a sermon and makes the mobile app experience more personal. To upload a photo:

1. On the Create or Edit Speaker form, locate the “Speaker Image (Optional)” section.
2. Click the upload area (or “Upload Image” button) and select an image file from your computer. Supported formats typically include JPG, PNG, and GIF.
3. Wait for the upload to complete. A preview of the image appears in the form.
4. Click “Save” to store the speaker with the new image.

The image is stored by OnlineGiving.org and displayed in the Speakers list (as a 50px thumbnail) and in the mobile app. To replace a photo, upload a new image when editing the speaker; it will overwrite the previous one.

Sort Order

The Speakers list supports drag-and-drop reordering. Each row has a handle (vertical arrows icon) on the left. Drag a row up or down to change its position. When you release, the new order is saved automatically. A spinner briefly appears while saving.

The sort order affects how speakers appear in the control panel list and in the mobile app. Put your most frequently searched speakers (e.g., lead pastor) near the top for easier discovery.

Linking Speakers to Sermons

Speakers are assigned to sermons when you create or edit a sermon. On the sermon form, in the “Sermon Series, Speaker, Topic & Scripture” panel, use the “Sermon Speaker(s)” multi-select dropdown. Select one or more speakers. A sermon can have multiple speakers (e.g., a co-taught message or a guest joining the lead pastor).

To view all sermons for a given speaker from the Speakers list, click the speaker’s name or choose “View Sermons” from the gear dropdown. You’ll be taken to the Sermons page filtered by that speaker.

Speakers in the Mobile App

When you create, edit, or delete a speaker, or change the sort order, the sermon feed is updated automatically. Your church’s mobile app reads this feed and displays speaker information with each sermon. Users can browse sermons by series, filter by speaker, and see who preached each message. No manual sync is required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I assign multiple speakers to one sermon?

Yes. The Sermon Speaker(s) field allows multiple selections. Use this for co-taught messages or when a guest speaker joins your lead pastor.

What happens if I delete a speaker that is linked to sermons?

The speaker is removed from the system. Sermons that were linked to that speaker will no longer display the speaker. The sermons themselves are not deleted; only the speaker-to-sermon link is removed.

Do I need to upload a photo for each speaker?

No. The speaker image is optional. If you don’t upload one, the Speakers list will show “No Image” and the mobile app will display the speaker without a photo. You can add a photo later by editing the speaker.

How do I change the order in which speakers appear?

Use the drag handle (vertical arrows icon) on the left of each row in the Speakers list. Drag a row up or down to reorder. The new order is saved automatically when you release. This order is reflected in the mobile app.

Who can access the Speakers feature?

Speakers is part of the Mobile App section and requires the Native App Admin role. If you don’t see it, your administrator may need to assign you that role. Need help? Contact support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000.

Where do I assign speakers when adding a new sermon?

When creating or editing a sermon, look for the “Sermon Series, Speaker, Topic & Scripture” panel. The “Sermon Speaker(s)” dropdown lets you select one or more speakers. Speakers must be created in the Speakers section first before they appear in this dropdown.