Latest Changes

5.6.9June 20, 2026

This update is about making the parts of a church website that staff touch every week feel less fragile: team pages, event feeds, resource archives, service planning, and the small frontend details visitors notice immediately.

The work since version 5.6.9 has not been one single giant feature. It has been a steady set of improvements that make Digital Church easier to run without turning every change into a developer ticket.

Teams Get a Cleaner Native Editor

What changed: Teams now have a native Gutenberg-style editor shell under the title, using the shared Digital Church tab pattern. Team details, files, and positions moved into a focused editing interface while SEO controls keep their existing behavior.

Why it matters: Church team pages often carry more than a name and photo. Staff may need positions, files, biographies, ministry roles, and planning context in one place.

The new Teams editor gives those details clearer homes. Positions are no longer a flat afterthought; they now have a list-first planning view and per-position assignment details, which makes team organization easier to understand before it becomes a public page.

Events Become Better at Pointing People to the Right Place

What changed: Imported event feeds can now capture the first event URL from an ICS description, use it as the single-event action button, and optionally redirect imported event posts to that source URL. Plain-text links in imported descriptions are converted into clickable links during import.

Why it matters: Many churches already maintain calendars in Google Calendar, Planning Center, or another source. When those calendars feed the website, the imported event should not trap visitors on a thin local page if the real registration or information page lives somewhere else.

This update lets imported events carry people to the best next step while still keeping the church website calendar current. It also reduces the cleanup work staff used to face when feed descriptions included raw URLs instead of readable links.

Guides and Resources Respect Real Content Hierarchies

What changed: Guide Collections and Resource Categories now preserve nested hierarchy during drag ordering. Guides sidebar navigation renders child Collections under their parents, and Resources archive tabs, child pills, and default-tab settings follow the saved category order.

Why it matters: Church content rarely stays flat for long. A discipleship guide, volunteer resource library, or ministry help center needs parent categories, child collections, and a visible order that makes sense to a reader.

These updates keep ordering tools from flattening carefully organized content. Editors can arrange siblings without accidentally breaking the structure around them, and visitors see navigation that matches how the material is actually grouped.

Services Gain a Real Order Planning Workflow

What changed: The Services editor Order tab now includes a sortable service order planner for songs, scriptures, prayers, announcements, offerings, communion, messages, and custom elements. Each element can store a leader from People, notes, and media-library attachments.

Why it matters: A service plan is not just a title and a start time. It is a sequence of ministry moments with people, files, notes, and responsibilities attached.

Moving service order planning into structured post meta gives churches a better place to prepare the details that support Sunday. Worship, preaching, media, and administrative teams can work from the same organized plan instead of scattering the information across documents and messages.

Archives and Frontend Details Feel More Consistent

What changed: Digital Church added a reusable compact archive pagination component and started rolling it across Stories, Emails, Sermon Series, sermon taxonomies, Ministries, Campaigns, Groups, Teams, Locations, and Resources. The same update cycle improved announcement bars, auth modals, event color precedence, toolbar shortcuts, and post-content background controls.

Why it matters: Visitors should not have to relearn the interface from one archive to the next. Staff should not need separate styling workarounds every time a content type gets a new listing page.

The shared pagination pattern gives archives the same previous/next controls, editable page number, total page count, result label, and per-page selector. The surrounding polish makes common frontend moments look more intentional: announcement bars use space better, auth modals align more reliably, event dots inherit better color rules, and post layouts can pick up site-level design choices.

What This Means for Churches

This release cycle is about practical control. Teams can manage staff pages with better structure. Event feeds can point visitors to the right next step. Guides and Resources can stay organized as libraries grow. Services can carry real planning details instead of living in disconnected notes.

That is the direction Digital Church should keep moving: make the common ministry workflow clearer, keep risky settings harder to misconfigure, and give church teams tools that live where the work already happens.

If your church wants to clean up team pages, improve imported event links, organize a resource library, or plan services with richer structure, reach out. We can help turn on the right pieces and fit them to the way your team already works.

5.6.9May 18, 2026

This release is about giving churches more complete building blocks for the pages people actually visit.

Digital Church now has a first-party classic theme foundation, richer music playlist support, and a cleaner single-page experience for Connect Cards. Together, these updates make it easier to build church websites that feel organized, flexible, and ready for real ministry use.

Here is what is new in version 5.6.9.

Doctrine Becomes a First-Party Theme Foundation

What changed: We added Doctrine as a first-party classic WordPress theme based on Underscores, with Beaver Builder and Beaver Themer support for headers, footers, part layouts, and full-width builder canvases.

Why it matters: Churches need pages that can be shaped without fighting the theme. A good theme should provide structure, not get in the way of the content and layouts a team needs to build.

Doctrine gives Digital Church a cleaner base for sites that need a classic WordPress theme with modern layout expectations. It supports builder-driven pages, dedicated hook locations before and after the header, content, and footer, and full-width templates that let Beaver Builder layouts render through normal WordPress content filters.

That means teams can create landing pages, homepages, event pages, and ministry pages without wrestling with theme defaults that were never built for this platform.

Navigation Gets a Cleaner Modern Pattern

What changed: Doctrine includes a React-powered navigation menu inspired by shadcn and Radix patterns, using WordPress wp-element. The menu supports desktop dropdown panels and a mobile off-canvas sheet.

Why it matters: Church navigation has to serve two groups at once: visitors who need a simple path and regular attenders who know exactly what they are looking for.

The new navigation pattern gives churches room for richer dropdowns on desktop while keeping mobile focused. The mobile panel now includes a search field above fallback menu links, accessible labels, WordPress search submission, focus handling, matching RTL styles, and a simpler canvas with no extra backdrop layer.

Small visual choices matter here. The release removes the remaining mobile menu top gap, removes the internal search shadow, extends the panel to the bottom of the viewport, and lets the full mobile menu canvas scroll smoothly.

The result is a navigation system that feels less patched together and more intentional.

Music Playlists Can Live Where People Already Are

What changed: Digital Church now supports Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud setup in Dashboard → Integrations. Spotify and SoundCloud can connect through OAuth, while Apple Music supports MusicKit connection. A new Beaver Builder Playlist module can embed playlists from connected accounts or direct share links.

Why it matters: Music is part of church life beyond Sunday morning. Worship playlists, event sets, youth ministry mixes, Christmas music, sermon-series playlists, and ministry training resources often live on consumer music platforms, but churches still need a clean way to place them on their own site.

The new Playlist module gives teams that path. A page builder module can show a playlist from a connected account or from a direct Spotify, Apple Music, or SoundCloud link. The existing shortcode and Music settings tab now use the same shared embed helpers, so playlist handling is more consistent across the platform.

This gives churches a practical way to place music resources on ministry pages without sending people hunting through disconnected links.

Playlist Embeds Are Safer and More Consistent

What changed: The release hardens music embed URL handling with exact provider host allowlists, removes unnecessary iframe clipboard permission, and keeps Apple Music developer-token cache keys free of private-key material.

Why it matters: Embeds should be easy for church staff, but they still need careful boundaries.

Provider allowlists help make sure playlist URLs come from expected services. Cleaner iframe permissions reduce unnecessary access. Safer Apple Music token caching keeps private-key material out of cache keys.

Those details are not flashy. They are the kind of under-the-hood care that keeps a feature safe enough to use broadly.

Connect Cards Get a Focused Single Page

What changed: Connect Cards now have a custom single template that renders a page-style landing view with cover image, title, short description, editor content, and CTA handling.

Why it matters: Connect Cards are often used for the next step after a person shows interest. That might be a guest card, prayer request, baptism interest form, serving sign-up, small-group inquiry, or ministry-specific follow-up.

Those moments deserve more than a basic archive card.

The new single Connect Card layout lets each card become a focused page. The featured image sits above the title, the title and description align cleanly to the left, and the page can carry editor content before the CTA. When the card CTA is set to Form, Gravity Forms can render directly below the card content.

That gives staff a clearer path for simple landing pages tied to real ministry follow-up.

Redirect Cards Resolve Earlier

What changed: Connect Card Redirect and Latest CTA handling now runs during template_redirect, so redirect cards resolve before template rendering.

Why it matters: Redirect cards should feel instant. If a card is meant to send someone to the latest sermon, an external form, or another page, visitors should not see a partial template first.

Moving redirect handling earlier makes those cards behave more predictably. It also keeps the Connect Card system flexible: some cards can act like full pages, while others can route people to the best current destination.

What This Means for Churches

Version 5.6.9 is not one giant feature. It is a set of practical building blocks that make church pages better.

Doctrine gives the platform a stronger theme foundation. The new navigation pattern improves one of the first interactions visitors have with a church site. Playlist support helps ministry teams place music resources directly on their pages. Connect Card single pages turn lightweight next steps into focused landing experiences.

Each piece supports the same direction: fewer workarounds, clearer pages, and better paths for people trying to take a next step.

If your church wants to test Doctrine on a new layout, add a worship playlist to a ministry page, or turn Connect Cards into cleaner landing pages, reach out. We can help set up the right pattern and make sure it fits your site.

5.6.8May 11, 2026

This release is centered on generosity, event clarity, and cleaner people workflows. Churches now have more flexible ways to present giving options, better tools for People data, and a few quality-of-life updates that make special pages and everyday admin work feel more ready for real ministry use.

Here’s what’s new since our last update.

Giving Gets More Flexible

What changed: Campaign giving now supports provider tabs for Credit/Debit, Givelify, Cash App, Mail, and Bank giving, with settings that let churches choose which options appear and in what order.

Why it matters: Giving is personal. Some donors want to use a card. Some already use Givelify. Some prefer Cash App. Some still mail checks or give through their bank. A church should not have to force every donor through the same path when the congregation already gives in different ways.

Campaign pages can now present those options clearly inside one shared giving experience. Admins can turn on the providers that fit their church, add setup instructions where needed, and arrange the tabs so the most common options appear first.

That makes giving pages easier for donors and easier for staff. Instead of scattering instructions across pages, emails, or verbal reminders, churches can keep the next step close to the Campaign itself.

Campaigns Can Carry Their Own Giving Details

What changed: Campaign editors can now set provider availability, provider-specific links, button labels, and suggested amounts for each Campaign.

Why it matters: A building fund, mission trip, benevolence drive, and youth fundraiser may all need different giving prompts. Some Campaigns may need a suggested gift amount. Some may need a direct provider link. Some may need a softer call to action with offline instructions.

This release gives each Campaign more control over its own giving experience. The church-wide defaults still matter, but Campaigns can now carry the details that make sense for that specific moment.

For administrators, that means fewer one-off workarounds. For donors, the page feels more intentional because the giving options match the Campaign they are viewing.

Direct Stripe Giving Arrives

What changed: Digital Church now supports direct Stripe Giving as a Credit/Debit provider, including a Stripe Elements card form, PaymentIntent creation, confirmed transaction logging, and Stripe Connect support for routing gifts to the church’s connected account.

Why it matters: Card giving needs to feel simple on the surface and careful behind the scenes. Donors should see a clean checkout experience. Administrators need records they can search, filter, and trust.

Direct Stripe Giving adds that path inside Campaign tabs and the

shortcode experience. When configured, the card form can collect the gift, confirm the payment, and log the transaction with the Campaign, donor account, provider, payment method, status, reference, and supporting metadata.

The setup also supports platform-managed keys, connected account IDs, and webhook signing secrets through constants or environment variables when desired. That gives technical teams a safer way to manage sensitive values without storing every secret in the WordPress options table.

Giving Records Are Easier to Review

What changed: Digital Church now includes normalized Campaign giving transaction storage and a Give → Transactions dashboard screen with searchable and filterable records.

Why it matters: Generosity work does not end when someone clicks a button. Staff often need to answer practical questions later: Which Campaign did this gift support? Which provider was used? Was it confirmed, pledged, or redirected to another giving provider?

The new transaction record structure gives those answers a cleaner home. Confirmed card gifts, external provider redirects, and offline giving paths can be tracked with status and provider context instead of blending into a vague activity trail.

That helps finance and ministry teams work from the same facts. It also gives Digital Church a stronger base for future reporting, receipts, and Campaign-level giving insights.

People 2.0 Adds Safer Import and Export Tools

What changed: People 2.0 now includes CSV export modes, WordPress user preview, import tools with role scoping, automatic email-match linking, manual approval for name-only matches, and developer-role exclusions.

Why it matters: People data needs careful handling. Sometimes a church needs a safe export that avoids private notes and internal sync IDs. Other times an administrator needs a fuller export for controlled internal work.

This update supports both paths. The safe export is better for everyday sharing, while the full export is available when deeper administrative detail is required.

The import tools are careful too. Email matches can link automatically, but name-only matches ask for manual review. That helps prevent accidental merges while still giving staff a practical way to connect WordPress users with ministry records.

Events Can Point to the Right Landing Page

What changed: Events now include an optional redirect URL field so special Campaign or event pages can replace the default single event page when that creates a better visitor experience.

Why it matters: Some events deserve more than a standard event detail page. Vacation Bible School, Christmas Eve, Easter, conferences, fundraisers, and community outreach events often need a fuller landing page with richer copy, photos, forms, maps, FAQs, and next steps.

The new redirect field lets an event keep its normal calendar presence while sending visitors to the dedicated page built for that moment. Recurring event occurrence URLs are covered too, so special event links can stay consistent across the places people find them.

Small Frontend Polish That People Notice

What changed: The announcement bar now avoids single-slide loop warnings, and Connect Cards received a mobile grid fit improvement.

Why it matters: These are the kinds of details that make a site feel cared for. A single announcement should display without extra slider behavior. Connect Card layouts should fit cleanly on smaller screens.

Neither change needs a new workflow for church staff. They simply make common frontend moments behave better for visitors, especially on phones.

The Result: More Complete Ministry Moments

This release connects several practical threads. Giving pages can support more donor preferences. Campaigns can carry clearer instructions. People tools handle data with more care. Events can point visitors to the page that best serves the moment.

That combination matters because ministry rarely happens in neat software categories. A special event might need a landing page, a Campaign, a giving path, a follow-up form, and clean people records. Digital Church keeps getting better at holding those pieces together.

If your church wants to turn on Campaign giving tabs, try direct Stripe Giving, or set up a special event landing page, reach out. We can help configure the right pieces and make sure the workflow fits how your team already serves people.

5.6.4May 4, 2026

This release is about trust in the places churches touch every week: people records, sermon archives, modal interactions, and conditional page content. Some of the work is visible right away. Some of it is careful foundation work that makes future releases safer.

Here’s what’s new since our last update.

People 2.0 Enters Beta

What changed: Digital Church now includes the first beta foundation for People 2.0, including custom-table storage, migration tooling, audit and rollback support, REST integration, import compatibility, family relationship support, and a beta-gated tabbed editor under Settings → Features.

Why it matters: People data sits at the center of ministry operations. Names, households, family relationships, imports, and profile details need to be handled with care because churches depend on that data for follow-up, care, communication, and admin work.

People 2.0 is the next step toward a cleaner and more scalable people system. The new editor can run against existing legacy People fields while custom-table storage remains an explicit migration step. That keeps the beta useful without forcing churches into an all-or-nothing jump.

The release also adds a migration prompt when the People 2.0 editor is enabled but legacy People records have not been migrated yet. That small guardrail matters. It keeps the admin experience honest about what is active and what still needs attention.

Middle-name support was added across legacy People fields, imports, People 2.0 storage, migration, and family display paths too. It’s a small detail until you need it. Then it’s the difference between a record that feels complete and one that needs a workaround.

Sermon Archives Load with Less Waste

What changed: the sermons archive received performance work around initial rendering, archive payload caching, taxonomy count caching, and safer cache storage.

Why it matters: sermon archives can become busy pages. Recent sermons, total counts, series data, taxonomy tabs, and archive payloads all compete for database work during page load. This update reduces repeated query cost by caching archive payload and tab/count data through the object cache.

The archive also stopped using DB-backed transient writes in this path. That matters for sites where concurrent requests can create database lock pressure. Object-cache storage is a better fit for this kind of repeated frontend render data.

We also removed the React StrictMode wrapper from the sermons archive mount. StrictMode is helpful during development, but it can duplicate render work. Removing it from this archive path makes the production render lighter.

Latest Sermon Sections Now Respect Missing Video

What changed: the sermons archive template now shows the Latest Sermon section only when the newest published sermon has a saved video URL and usable embed output.

Why it matters: an empty or broken hero section makes the whole archive feel unfinished. If the latest sermon does not have video attached yet, the page now skips that section and starts with the Sermons heading and tabbed archive content.

That is a better default for real church workflows. Sermons are not always edited, uploaded, and embedded at the same pace. The archive should still look intentional while that work catches up.

Modals Are More Reliable for Forms and Content

What changed: the modal component and Beaver Builder trigger module now handle form loading and modal sizing more cleanly. Modal form content renders inline from shortcode context instead of depending on REST-only rendering, Contact Form 7 handling was removed from modal code paths, default sizing was adjusted, and close-button interaction styling was tightened.

Why it matters: modals are often used at high-intent moments: registering for an event, opening a form, reading details, or responding to a call to action. If the modal loads strangely or the form confirmation breaks, the site loses trust at exactly the wrong moment.

This release makes modal forms steadier and the interface more predictable. The defaults now keep modals viewport-safe, the close button behaves more consistently, and labels focus on the Digital Church forms flow instead of implying support paths that are not part of the current feature.

Conditional Logic Can Compare Against the Current Time

What changed: Beaver Themer gained a Digital Church conditional logic rule for comparing the current site time against a selected datetime using less-than and greater-than operators.

Why it matters: churches often need page content to change around real-world timing. Registration messages, event reminders, service details, and seasonal content may need to appear before a deadline and disappear after it.

This rule gives editors a cleaner way to handle that timing directly inside Conditional Logic. It includes server-side evaluation and client-side builder UI wiring, so the rule appears where editors expect it and evaluates consistently when the page renders.

The Result: Safer Foundations and Cleaner Sundays

This release has two tracks. People 2.0 moves the platform toward stronger long-term ministry data. Sermon, modal, and conditional logic updates make weekly site experiences feel cleaner right now.

That combination matters. Churches need big foundations to improve carefully, and they need Sunday-facing details to keep working while that foundation gets better.

If your church wants to try People 2.0 beta features or clean up sermon archives, modals, or time-based content, reach out. We can help you turn the right pieces on and make sure the workflow fits how your team actually works.

5.5.115April 13, 2026

This week’s work focused on three places churches feel every single week: planning services, helping people find the right campus, and getting signups through the door without friction. The result is a release that feels more prepared for Sunday morning, not just more feature-rich on paper.

Here’s what’s new since our last update.

Service Planning Finally Lives in One Place

What changed: Digital Church now includes a new Services beta feature built for worship planning, team assignments, and service-by-service coordination.

Why it matters: Sunday planning usually gets spread across texts, shared docs, screenshots, and whatever somebody remembers five minutes before rehearsal. Now your team can build a service plan inside the platform itself, map out the order of service, assign roles, and control whether people can sign up for open positions.

This new setup gives you a clearer flow from planning to participation:

• create a service with date, type, and location
• build the order of service in one place
• assign teams and positions with searchable planning tools
• allow signups only where you want them open
• keep helpful links attached to the service plan itself

For churches juggling multiple moving parts on a Sunday, this turns a scattered process into one shared workspace.

Locations Are Easier to Search, Even on Big Site Networks

What changed: fullscreen Locations layouts now include sidebar search, broader archive search, and better handling for churches with large location datasets.

Why it matters: When someone visits your site looking for the right campus, they shouldn’t have to scroll through a long list and hope they spot it. Search now sits right under the Locations heading, works across the full archive instead of just the visible set, and still returns entries even when a location doesn’t have map coordinates yet.

That means people can find the campus they need faster. It also means your team can publish useful location information before every map detail is perfect.

A lot happened behind the scenes here too. Large location datasets now behave more smoothly, fullscreen layouts stay easier to use, and search feels more like what visitors expect from a modern site.

Signups and Login Flows Stay on Track

What changed: the /auth experience picked up a string of improvements around styling, caching, usernames, and signup redirects.

Why it matters: when someone is trying to register, sign in, or claim an open team slot, every extra snag costs momentum. This round of updates makes that path cleaner.

A few of the biggest wins:

• auth pages now match the design system more closely
• public auth requests avoid stale nonce issues that triggered cookie-check errors
• the first login field can now accept a username as well as an email address
• asset cache busting updates automatically on deploy, which helps fresh changes show up faster
• signup redirects now carry people back where they meant to go, including open team signup flows

Put simply, the front door feels steadier. And that matters most when someone is taking action for the first time.

A Few Extras That Keep Things Tidy

What changed: we also shipped a small group of quality-of-life improvements around layout polish, search behavior, and feature control.

Why it matters: these are the sorts of changes that make the whole platform feel more settled. Services now appears as a beta feature in settings, so teams can turn it on intentionally. Locations search is more complete. Auth presentation is more consistent. And one experimental mega menu effort was cleanly removed so production sites stay focused on what’s ready.

That kind of cleanup work rarely gets the spotlight, but it helps every church get a more dependable platform.

We’re especially excited about where the new Services work is headed. If your team plans worship sets, coordinates volunteers, or manages multiple service details every week, this is the beginning of a much smoother rhythm. And as always, if you want help putting any of this to work on your site, reach out. We’re glad to help.

5.5.108April 6, 2026

This update is packed. Your navigation just got a serious upgrade with mega menus powered by the page builder. Interactive modals let you surface forms, events, and content anywhere without leaving the page. A brand-new Services tool helps worship teams plan their entire Sunday morning. And if your church has locations all over the map — literally — they now load faster than ever.

Here’s what’s new since our last update.

Build Mega Menus with Your Page Builder

What changed: You can now add full page builder layouts directly into your navigation menus. Instead of plain text links, menu items can display rich, designed content — image grids, ministry highlights, calls to action, whatever you can build.

Why it matters: Church websites often have a lot to offer — ministries, events, groups, giving, sermons, and more. A standard dropdown menu with text links doesn’t do justice to all that content. Now your navigation can showcase what matters most with the same design tools you already use for your pages.

Here’s how it works:

• Open your menu editor and you’ll see a new “Builder Layouts” panel
• Select any saved layout you’ve created in the page builder
• Add it to your menu just like you’d add a page or link
• On the frontend, visitors see your designed layout right inside the menu

Pro tip: Create a dedicated “Menu Layouts” category in the page builder to keep your mega menu designs organized and easy to find.

Modals That Work Everywhere

What changed: A new modal component lets you display content in elegant popups triggered by buttons, links, or hover interactions. You can show forms, event details, custom HTML, or any content — and there’s a page builder module to drop modal triggers anywhere on your site.

Why it matters: Sometimes you want to invite action without sending visitors to a whole new page. A “Sign Up” button that opens a registration form right there. An event card that reveals the full details on hover. A giving prompt that appears when someone’s ready to respond.

Modals keep visitors in the flow:

• Trigger modals with buttons, text links, or hover interactions
• Display forms, events, or custom content inside the popup
• Hover-triggered modals stay visible as visitors interact with the content inside
• Works seamlessly in the page builder — just drag and drop the modal trigger module

Pro tip: Use hover-triggered modals on your events page to let visitors preview event details without clicking through to each one.

Plan Your Services from Start to Finish

What changed: A brand-new Services post type gives worship teams a dedicated space to plan every aspect of a service — from the order of worship to team assignments and service times.

Why it matters: Planning a Sunday service involves a lot of moving parts. The worship leader needs the song list. The tech team needs the order of service. The pastor needs to know who’s doing announcements. Until now, most of that lived in spreadsheets, group chats, or someone’s head.

The new Services tool brings it all together:

• Service times and locations — Set when and where each service happens, with location inheritance for multi-site churches
• Order of service — Build the flow from welcome to benediction with structured elements
• Team assignments — Assign a service leader, connect teams, and note each participant’s role
• Auto-generated titles — Services are named by type and date automatically, so your archives stay clean
• Helpful links — Attach links to slides, songs, or any resource your team needs

Services are organized by type (Sunday Morning, Wednesday Night, Special Services) and accessible through a clean URL structure that makes sharing easy.

Pro tip: Set up your recurring service types first, then duplicating a service plan for next week becomes a quick copy-and-adjust.

Book Appointments and Reserve Spots

What changed: A new bookings add-on for Digital Church forms lets you create appointment scheduling, room reservations, resource booking, and any scenario where people need to claim a specific time slot.

Why it matters: Whether it’s pastoral counseling appointments, facility reservations, or volunteer shift sign-ups, churches constantly manage time-based bookings. Now you can handle all of that directly through your existing forms — no third-party scheduling tool required.

Set up services (like “Pastor Meeting” or “Fellowship Hall”), define available time slots, and let members book directly from your website. The system handles availability automatically so you never get double-booked.

Maps That Handle Hundreds of Locations

What changed: Churches with large numbers of locations — think denominations or multi-campus networks — now get dynamic, viewport-based loading instead of dumping every pin on the map at once.

Why it matters: If your organization has 100+ locations, loading them all simultaneously could slow things down. Now the map intelligently loads locations based on what’s visible on screen, with automatic pagination for list and grid views.

The improvements include:

• Viewport-based loading that fetches locations as visitors pan and zoom
• Automatic pagination for grid and list layouts (20 locations per page)
• Fullscreen map layouts properly constrained to the visible viewport
• Smooth scrolling sidebar that works regardless of how many locations you have

This is especially meaningful for organizations like AMEZ Publishing House and other denominational bodies managing hundreds of locations across the country.

Under the Hood

A few more things that keep your site running smoothly:

• Activity logging — A new monitoring system tracks changes across your site for security and auditing purposes. You’ll be able to see who changed what and when.
• Plugin updates — Our feedback and bug reporting tools received compatibility improvements for smoother operation alongside other plugins.

Every update is about making your church’s digital presence more capable without adding complexity. These tools work together — mega menus can link to service archives, modals can display booking forms, and your locations map handles growth effortlessly.

Questions about any of these features? Reach out to our team — we love helping churches make the most of their platform.

March 31, 2026

This week brought some of the most request-heavy features we've shipped in months. Your team asked for ways to get events into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook — and to easily import events from other systems. They wanted to embed forms and pages on external websites. And they wanted even more power from the design system. We delivered all of it.

Whether you're connecting your church's calendar to every platform your members use, importing event data seamlessly, embedding your engagement tools across the web, or designing with more flexibility than ever, this update is built for a church that lives everywhere.

Here's what's new since our last update.

Get Your Church Calendar Everywhere

What changed: Your events now sync to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and any other calendar app that uses iCal feeds. From a single settings page, team members can subscribe to your church's calendar with one click, or download events for import into their existing systems.

Why it matters: Your members live in their calendars — Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, their phone's native app. Asking them to visit your website to check when small groups meet or when the next all-church gathering happens creates friction. Now your events show up right where they already are.

You control what's shared:

• Generate a public iCal feed URL that members can paste into their calendar app
• Provide download links for Google, Apple, and Outlook with pre-configured import settings
• Switch between Month view and List view so visitors see your calendar in whatever format makes sense for them
• Events appear with all their details — time, location, description, links — ready to go

Pro tip: Add the calendar subscription link to your homepage or include it in every email announcement. Members appreciate the convenience, and it keeps your events top-of-mind throughout the week.

Import Events from Anywhere

What changed: You can now import events from other systems — spreadsheets, Eventbrite exports, calendar files from your old platform, anywhere that generates an ICS file. Upload the file, and Digital Church converts it into editable Event posts you manage going forward.

Why it matters: Migrating from another platform or consolidating events from multiple sources used to mean either re-entering everything by hand or working with developer support. Now it's a one-time upload that creates everything you need.

The import tool creates Events as full Digital Church posts, so you can:

• Edit and refine each imported event before publishing
• Add custom fields like ministry tags or team assignments
• Publish immediately or schedule for later
• Delete what doesn't apply without affecting your live site

Pro tip: If you're planning a seasonal event series (VBS, Christmas events, conferences), build a template event, export it as ICS, then customize and re-import for the next year.

Embed Your Forms and Pages Everywhere

What changed: We've built a new Embed Generator tool that creates iframe code for any page or form on your site. Paste that code into your website, a community forum, or even external platforms, and your Digital Church content appears embedded and fully functional.

Why it matters: Your forms and pages are powerful — sign-ups, prayer requests, volunteer applications, event registrations. You want to reach people wherever they gather online, not just on your church website.

Now you can embed:

• Registration forms on external event sites or community boards
• Prayer request forms in Facebook groups or member portals
• Volunteer signup sheets on partner organization websites
• Event listings on denominational sites or community calendars
• Lead magnets on third-party platforms that your team uses

The embed tool generates secure iframe code with all the styling and interactivity intact. Your form submissions flow directly into Digital Church, and responses sync back to your data.

Pro tip: Use embeds to expand your reach in places members already gather — partner websites, community groups, association sites. It's like having your signup form everywhere at once.

Event Pages Look Better, Work Better

What changed: Event detail pages received a layout refresh with cleaner headers, smarter date formatting that handles time zones properly, and URL routing that keeps everything intuitive whether someone's viewing a specific occurrence or browsing upcoming events.

Why it matters: Event pages are often the first real impression someone gets of your church's digital presence. Whether they're looking at a Sunday service, a small group meeting, or a special event, you want them to see clearly organized information with zero confusion about dates and times.

The improvements ensure:

• Single events show prominent, easy-to-read details with no wasted space
• Date and time displays account for time zones so distant members see the right information
• Navigation between occurrences feels natural and intuitive
• URLs are clean and shareable whether you're linking to a specific date or a recurring series

Pro tip: Test your event pages on a phone. The new layout shines on mobile where space is tight and clarity is everything.

Campaign Featured Images and Permalinks, Your Way

What changed: Campaign posts (announcements, promotions, seasonal pushes) now let you customize the featured image and set a custom permalink. You're no longer locked into system defaults.

Why it matters: Sometimes you want a campaign to have a specific look or memorable URL. Maybe you're running a stewardship push with a special graphic, or a ministry highlight that deserves its own branded image. Custom permalinks make campaigns easier to share in print materials and emails where you need memorable, short URLs.

You can now:

• Upload a custom featured image unique to each campaign
• Set a clean, memorable permalink like /campaigns/easter-2026 instead of the default
• Keep consistent branding across your promotional materials

Design System Gets Even Smarter

What changed: We've added backdrop filters and text-width utility classes to the design system, giving your design team more precise control without touching code.

Why it matters: Good design isn't just about how things look — it's about fine-tuning the experience. Backdrop filters let you create blurred glass effects and layered visuals that feel modern and intentional. Text-width classes let you control line length for readability without custom CSS, so long-form content stays comfortable to read.

These tools are built into the Page Builder, so your whole team can use them:

• Blur backgrounds behind text overlays for better readability
• Create frosted glass effects for sophisticated layering
• Set optimal line lengths so articles and ministry writing feel polished
• Layer content precisely without guessing at spacing

Pro tip: Use backdrop filters sparingly for maximum impact — a blurred background behind a call-to-action button, or a frosted glass effect on an overlay. Subtle goes a long way.

Under the Hood

We've squashed several bugs that kept the system running smoothly:

• Fixed AppPresser API integration so your mobile experience stays in sync with the web version
• Corrected the Google Calendar subscribe link generation so subscriptions work on the first try
• Resolved iCal feed caching issues so new events appear in subscribed calendars promptly
• Cleaned up calendar overflow on month views so your full event list displays properly

Everything's working faster and more reliably than before, so your team can focus on ministry instead of wrestling with technical hiccups.

Digital Church keeps expanding because your church keeps reaching further. Whether you're connecting events to every calendar your members use, embedding your team's work across the web, or designing with new precision, you're building tools that serve ministry at scale.

Have questions about subscribing to your calendar, embedding forms, or importing events? Reach out to support@digitalchurch.com — we're here to help you get the most out of these new capabilities.

March 23, 2026

The future of church tech just got a whole lot smarter. Over the past two weeks, we’ve launched our first AI beta feature, completely transformed how recurring events work, and delivered a massive design upgrade that puts enterprise-level tools in your hands. Plus, we’ve automated behind-the-scenes maintenance so your site stays lightning-fast without you thinking about it.

Whether you’re planning recurring small group meetings, designing beautiful layouts with reusable components, or experimenting with AI assistance for your ministry, this update puts powerful new capabilities at your fingertips.

Here’s what’s new since our last update.

Your Personal Ministry AI Assistant (Beta)

What changed: Digital Church AI is here. Churches can now enable our beta AI agent from Settings → Features, unlocking a ChatGPT-style chat interface that understands your church’s unique voice and ministry context.

Why it matters: Every church has questions only they can answer — about their community, their programs, their vision. But finding the right words, crafting the perfect announcement, or brainstorming fresh ideas can eat up precious time. Our AI agent learns your church’s voice and helps you think through ministry challenges, write compelling content, and explore new possibilities.

The AI appears in your admin menu when enabled, offering a clean chat interface where you can:

• Draft announcements and communications in your church’s voice
• Brainstorm new ministry ideas or program improvements
• Get help with website copy that reflects your church’s personality
• Ask questions about church tech best practices

Everything happens right in your Digital Church admin area — no external accounts, no copying and pasting between tools, no learning curve. Just natural conversation that helps you think through ministry decisions with an assistant that gets your context.

Pro tip: Start with simple requests like “Help me write a welcome message for first-time visitors” or “What are some creative ways to promote our small groups?” The AI learns your church’s tone as you interact with it.

Recurring Events That Actually Make Sense

What changed: Recurring events now work like real events. Each occurrence gets its own shareable URL, proper calendar integration, and smart navigation that makes it easy for your congregation to bookmark and return to specific meetings.

Why it matters: Before this update, recurring events were functional but not intuitive. If someone wanted to bookmark your Wednesday night prayer meeting or share the link to this month’s leadership meeting, they couldn’t — recurring events only had one generic URL that always showed “the next” occurrence.

Now each occurrence gets its own URL like /events/prayer-night/?occurrence=2026-03-12 that you can share, bookmark, and link to directly. Your members can save the specific small group meeting they’re interested in, and the link will always take them to the right date and details.

The system is smart enough to know when you need occurrence-specific links and when you don’t. Single events and “next occurrence” links use clean URLs without extra parameters, while specific past or future occurrences get the detailed links.

Your events calendar now includes enhanced data attributes that let the frontend JavaScript handle these URLs smoothly, so everything feels seamless from your congregation’s perspective.

Pro tip: Use this for small group schedules, recurring classes, or monthly meetings where people need to reference specific dates. The URLs are clean enough to include in printed materials or text messages.

Design Components That Change Everything

What changed: Page Builder just received its biggest upgrade ever with the introduction of Components — think of them as smart, reusable design elements that you can customize for each page while maintaining a consistent structure across your site.

Why it matters: Until now, creating consistent designs across your website meant either copying and pasting layouts (and hoping you remembered to update every copy when something changed) or building everything from scratch each time. Components solve this completely.

Here’s how they work: You create a component once — say, a team member spotlight with photo, bio, and contact info. Then you can use that component anywhere on your site, but customize the content for each person. When you update the component’s design, it updates everywhere you’ve used it, but the individual content (photos, names, bios) stays unique to each page.

The update includes:

• 60+ new Box module templates including Bento Grid layouts, hero sections, call-to-action blocks, team profiles, and testimonials
• Star Rating module perfect for testimonials, ministry spotlights, or highlighting community feedback
• Copy & Paste in Outline Panel — right-click any element to copy its settings and paste them anywhere
• Box Module improvements with global row spacing and grid guidelines that make alignment effortless
• Enhanced Button Module with responsive border colors, custom widths, and better color controls

Plus major accessibility upgrades across Accordion, Content Slider, Gallery, Posts, Menu, Testimonials, and Tabs modules with improved keyboard navigation and screen reader support.

Pro tip: Start with team profiles or testimonial components. Create one perfect layout, then use it across multiple pages with different content. When you want to update the design later, change the component once and watch it update everywhere.

Behind-the-Scenes Performance Boosts

What changed: We’ve automated cache management so your site stays fast without you thinking about it. When we deploy updates, your site’s cache clears automatically, ensuring you always see the latest features and fixes.

Why it matters: Website caching makes your pages load faster, but it can also mean you don’t see changes immediately after we ship updates. Our new automation strikes the perfect balance — you get the speed benefits of caching with the confidence that updates appear when they should.

The system includes multiple integration options including automated post-deployment scripts, webhook handlers for direct GitHub integration, and REST API endpoints for custom integrations. Everything is secured with auto-generated API keys and request validation.

We’ve also streamlined the update process so critical fixes and new features reach your site more reliably, with comprehensive logging so we can spot and resolve any hiccups quickly.

Pro tip: You don’t need to do anything — this all happens automatically. But if you ever feel like something should have updated but didn’t, a quick message to support can help us verify everything’s running smoothly.

Digital Church keeps evolving because you keep growing. Whether you’re experimenting with AI assistance, creating more engaging recurring events, or designing beautiful pages with powerful new components, we’re building the tools that help your ministry thrive online.

Have feedback on the AI agent beta or ideas for what it should learn to do next? We’d love to hear from you at support@digitalchurch.com — your input shapes what we build.

v5.5.72February 23, 2026

This has been one of our biggest development sprints ever. Over the past two weeks, we've shipped a completely rebuilt prayer request system with a social-media-style feed, a full giving campaign manager with goals and progress tracking, beautiful single-page templates for five different content types, and Apple Maps integration across your entire site. There's also a new family directory with dedicated family pages, plus a wave of Page Builder modules that make it easier than ever to customize your site.

Here's what's new since our last update.

A Prayer Wall Your Congregation Will Actually Use

What changed: Prayer Requests has been completely rebuilt from the ground up with a Twitter-style card layout, heart buttons, and encouragement comments.

Why it matters: The old prayer request system worked, but it felt more like a contact form than a community feature. The new design transforms it into something people genuinely want to engage with.

When members submit a prayer request, it appears in a beautiful card layout with their avatar (or initials), a relative timestamp ("2 hours ago"), and a heart button others can tap to show they're praying. The heart animates when you tap it — a small touch that makes the interaction feel meaningful. Each request can also receive encouragement comments from other members.

The whole experience is designed for both desktop and mobile, with infinite scroll so the feed loads naturally as visitors browse. Privacy is built in: only first names and last initials are shown publicly, and IP addresses are hashed for anonymous prayer tracking.

You control everything from Settings → Prayer Requests:

• Choose whether new requests need moderation before appearing
• Allow or disallow anonymous submissions
• Enable or disable comments
• Set character limits

You can embed the prayer feed anywhere using the `[prayer_feed]` shortcode, or add a standalone submission form with `[prayer_request_form]`.

Pro tip: Enable the Prayer Requests feature from Settings → Features, then customize your archive permalink. The default is `/prayer/`, but you can change it to match your church's language — `/prayer-wall/`, `/praises/`, whatever fits your community.

Giving Campaigns with Goals and Progress Bars

What changed: A brand-new Campaigns system lets you create fundraising initiatives with goal amounts, progress tracking, and beautiful frontend pages.

Why it matters: Whether you're raising funds for a building project, a mission trip, or a "Wreck the Roof" style emergency repair, you can now showcase the campaign on your website with a clear goal, progress bar, and days remaining countdown.

Each campaign gets its own page with:

• A hero image that sets the tone
• A sidebar showing progress toward the goal
• The amount raised (if you choose to display it)
• A prominent "Give" button that connects to your giving provider

The archive page shows all your campaigns in a filterable grid — visitors can browse active campaigns, see what's coming soon, or view completed initiatives. Status badges keep everything clear at a glance.

Campaigns work with any giving provider you already use. Connect your existing forms, embed a third-party giving widget, or link to Planning Center, Tithe.ly, or any custom URL. You can also toggle whether to show the progress bar, display specific amounts, or keep things more general.

Pro tip: Use the new Campaigns Page Builder module to drop a campaign grid anywhere on your site — perfect for a giving landing page or homepage feature section.

Apple Maps Across Your Entire Site

What changed: Events, Locations, and Groups now all use Apple MapKit for beautiful, interactive maps with autocomplete address entry.

Why it matters: Adding locations to your content just got dramatically easier. When you enter an address, suggestions appear as you type — powered by Apple Maps search. Select the right one, and coordinates are saved automatically. No more copy-pasting from Google Maps or manually entering latitude/longitude.

Here's what this looks like across your site:

Events: A new Venue field lets you either select from your existing Locations or enter a custom venue. Either way, you get a 64×64 Apple Maps thumbnail right in the event header that links directly to driving directions. The full address displays cleanly: venue name (bold), street address, city/state/zip.

Locations: The locations archive now features a Google Maps-style layout with a scrollable sidebar on the left and a full-bleed map on the right. Click a location in the sidebar, and the map centers on it. Click a marker, and the sidebar highlights that location. It's intuitive, fast, and looks professional.

Groups: The groups archive includes a Map tab alongside the List tab. The map shows all groups that have locations set, making it easy for visitors to find small groups near them.

Pro tip: The map is lazy-loaded on the Groups archive — it only loads when someone clicks the Map tab, keeping your List view fast by default.

Dedicated Family Pages

What changed: Your People Directory now includes individual family pages with full household details.

Why it matters: When visitors click a family card in your directory, they now land on a dedicated family page showing the family photo, address, anniversary, and cards for each family member — complete with birthdays, phone numbers, and email (respecting your privacy settings, of course).

This makes your directory feel more like a real community tool. Staff can quickly look up a family's information, and members can see how households connect.

The family archive itself got smarter too: it now uses the family photo as the main card image and filters out single-person entries (only families with 2+ members appear). The CSV import also got an upgrade — you can now include `family_id` and `family_role` columns to automatically create household relationships during import.

Beautiful Single-Page Templates

What changed: Five content types — Sermons, Teams, Groups, Locations, and Resources — now have custom single-page templates with consistent, polished designs.

Why it matters: These pages used to rely on your theme's default single template, which often felt generic. Now each content type has a purpose-built layout that showcases your content beautifully:

• Sermons: Hero with series badge, video or audio player, download buttons for notes and study guides, speaker card, and navigation to browse other sermons in the series
• Teams: Hero, team positions with member cards, team admin info, requirements, and downloadable files
• Groups: Hero, video embed, leaders grid, Apple Maps with directions, join button, attributes list, and session dates
• Locations: Hero, Apple Maps with directions link, service times, contact info, and full address
• Resources: Hero, download button with authentication redirect support, and a related resources grid

Every template is responsive and matches your site's design system. No extra configuration needed — they just work.

Page Builder Modules for Everything

What changed: Eight new Page Builder modules let you drop archives and content blocks anywhere on your site.

Why it matters: Until now, many of these content types only worked on their archive pages. Now you can embed them anywhere — a homepage, a landing page, a custom ministry page — with full control over the layout.

New modules include:

• Live Stream: Embed your live player with tabs (Notes, Connect, Chat, Give, Bible, Events), countdown timer, and live badge
• Campaigns Archive: Display your fundraising campaigns in a grid with status filtering
• Sermons Archive: Show sermons or series in 2/3/4 column grids, or feature the latest sermon with embedded video
• Groups Archive: Drop the full groups grid (with map toggle) anywhere
• Locations Archive: Embed the sidebar + map layout
• Teams Archive: Display your teams grid with column and layout options
• Resources Archive: Showcase downloadable resources in a book-cover style grid

Each module includes column controls (2, 3, or 4), grid vs. list layout options, and show/hide toggles for specific elements.

Pro tip: Combine the Sermons module in "Latest Sermon" mode with your Live Stream module to build a complete watch page without writing any code.

Under the Hood

We've also shipped dozens of smaller improvements that keep your site running smoothly:

• Performance: Tab navigation components now use keyboard accessibility, ARIA labels, and URL syncing so visitors can bookmark specific views
• Giving flexibility: Core giving features (settings, shortcodes, form integrations) now load independently of the Campaigns feature — you can use giving without campaigns if you prefer
• Import power: The People CSV import now supports birthday and anniversary fields, plus automatic family linking via family_id columns
• Archive polish: People archive now shows 24 entries per page (up from 12), sorted alphabetically by last name
• Editor improvements: Campaign editor panels are reordered to put the most-used settings at the top
• Video utilities: New CSS classes let you add rounded corners to any embedded video

As always, these changes roll out automatically — your site is already running the latest version.

We'd love to hear how you're using these new features. If you've set up a prayer wall, launched a campaign, or customized your site with the new Page Builder modules, let us know. Your feedback shapes what we build next.