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New Navigation in ChurchDesk

With the new navigation, all ChurchDesk features are in one clear sidebar. Instead of being organised by modules, it is now organised by tasks. This means you can reach your everyday tools in fewer clicks and discover helpful features you may not have explored yet.


ChurchDesk has grown a lot over the past few years. To stop the list of modules from getting longer and harder to navigate, we have rebuilt the navigation. We know change takes some getting used to. That's why there is a transition phase in which you can switch between the old and the new navigation at any time. This article explains what changes and where to find the features you use.


Key changes at a glance


  • One continuous sidebar with expandable sections, instead of a module dropdown and a separate icon bar.
  • Pin your most-used features and reorder them with drag & drop.
  • Use "+ Create" in the header to quickly create contacts, events and more.
  • Settings are now in the sidebar, organised into clear groups.
  • For multi-parish organisations: switch easily between "Home" (local level) and "Hub" (central level).



Availability


The new navigation is available to all ChurchDesk customers.


  • Transition phase: From 24/10/2026 until around February 2027, you can switch back and forth between the old and the new navigation as often as you like.
  • After the transition phase: From around February 2027, the new navigation will become the standard for everyone.


As before, the sections and features you see depend on your package and your permissions.



Contents




Roles and permissions


  • All users: Can switch between the old and new navigation and pin their most-used features. Pinned features are personal and only visible to you.
  • Visibility: The sidebar only shows features included in your package that you have permission to use. The new navigation does not change your roles or permissions.
  • Multi-parish: Users with access to the central level (previously "Portal") now get there via "Hub".



Switching between the old and new navigation


  1. In the header, click the toggle "Try the new navigation".
  2. The first time you switch, a short product tour guides you through the main changes.
  3. To switch back, click the toggle "Back to the old navigation".


Until around February 2027, you can switch as often as you like. For example, try the new navigation for everyday tasks and switch back whenever you need something you haven't found yet. Your data and settings stay the same in both views.




TIP: Use the transition phase to explore the new navigation at your own pace. Start by pinning the features you use most – that way, you'll find them in one click.



What to expect during the transition phase


The transition phase gives you time to get used to the new navigation, and it gives us time to get everything ready for the switch.


  • Help articles and videos: We are updating them step by step, starting with the most-used ones. Some may still show the old navigation for a while.
  • Fine-tuning: We are refining the new navigation during this period. Individual names or positions of menu items may still change slightly.
  • Your feedback counts: If something is hard to find or doesn't feel right, let us know via the support chat. Your feedback helps us fine-tune the navigation before it becomes the standard.


INFORMATION: If a help article still shows the old layout, you can find the new location of the feature in the section Where to find what.



The key changes


Tasks instead of modules


In the old navigation, you chose a module from a dropdown at the top and then worked in that module's icon bar on the left. The new navigation has just one sidebar. Its sections are organised by task, e.g. "Planning", "People" or "Content".


As a result, features from one former module may now be in different sections.


EXAMPLE: The calendar is now under "Planning", posters under "Content" and church attendance under "Reports".


New names


  • Dashboard is now "Home".
  • Portal is now "Hub".
  • Workflows is now called "Cases". The product itself is still called Workflows.
  • People (the contact list) is now called "Contacts". "People" is now the name of the whole section.
  • Cash book is now "Cash books", and Bank statements is now "Bank".


The new header


At the top right, you will find the new "+ Create" button for quick actions. Next to it are time registration, notifications, help and your profile, as before.



The new sections at a glance


  • Home: Your dashboard.
  • Hub: The central level for multi-parish organisations (previously Portal).
  • Pinned: Your personal favourites.
  • Incoming: Cases, Enquiries, Forms.
  • Planning: Calendar, My Rotas, Rota schemes, Absence, Reports, Giving.
  • People: Contacts, Groups, Messages, Campaigns, Anniversaries, Death Registry, Lists, Tags, Pastoral notes, Safeguarding, Duplicates.
  • Content: Website, Blog posts, Widgets, Files, Posters.
  • Services: Intentions, Stipends, Payments, Terminals, Invoices, Debtors.
  • Accounting: Cash books, Daybooks, Bank, Payments, Transfers.
  • Inventory: Registry, Contracts.
  • Reports: Finance reports, Church attendance, Online visitors.
  • More apps: Modules that are not included in your package.
  • Settings: Your organisation's settings.


TIP: The icons next to each section help you find your way around – even when the menu is collapsed.



New features in the navigation


Pinning features


Pin the features you use most often. They then appear at the very top under "Pinned" – much like bookmarks in your browser.


  1. Open a section in the sidebar, e.g. "Incoming".
  2. Hover over the feature you want.
  3. Click the pin icon that appears on the right.


You can change the order of your pinned features with drag & drop.


Collapsing the menu and adjusting its width


  • Click "Collapse menu" at the bottom of the sidebar to get more space for your work. Only the icons are then shown, and you can still reach all subpages through them.
  • Click "Always show menu" to expand the sidebar again.
  • You can adjust the width of the sidebar by dragging its edge.


Creating things quickly


Use "+ Create" in the header to create the following directly from any page:


  • a contact,
  • an event,
  • an absence,
  • a case



More apps


Modules that are not included in your package (e.g. Circles) are now at the bottom of the sidebar under "More apps". Previously, they were listed as "Not included" in the module dropdown.



Home and Hub for multi-parish organisations


In the old navigation, multi-parish organisations reached the central level via the "Portal" module, which opened a completely separate view.


In the new navigation, you will find two entry points side by side at the top of the sidebar:


  • Home: The local level, where you work in your parish.
  • Hub: The central level, where you manage settings for all parishes in your organisation, e.g. organisation, categories, templates, plugins, safeguarding, reporting and security.


This lets you switch between both levels in one click, without leaving your familiar environment.


EXAMPLE: In the Hub, you decide which categories the individual parishes in your organisation should use.



Where to find what


Here are the most important changes, sorted by the previous modules.


Workflows


  • Workflows (Inbox) → Incoming > Cases


Calendar


  • Calendar, My Rotas, Rota schemes, Absence, Reports, Giving → Planning
  • Enquiries → Incoming > Enquiries
  • Attendance → Reports > Church attendance
  • Posters → Content > Posters


People and Groups


  • People → People > Contacts
  • Messages, Campaigns, Anniversaries, Death Registry, Lists, Tags, Pastoral notes → People
  • Manage duplicates → People > Duplicates
  • Groups → People > Groups
  • Groups > Files → Content > Files
  • Fields → Settings > Contacts > Custom Fields
  • Consent → Settings > Contacts > Consent


Forms


  • Forms → Incoming > Forms
  • Labels → Settings > Content > Labels


Website and blogs


  • Website and Widgets → Content
  • Blogs (previously under both Groups and Website) → Content > Blog posts
  • Analytics → Reports > Online visitors


Finance


  • Stipend → Services > Stipends
  • Finance > Projects → Services > Payments
  • Finance > Terminal → Services > Terminals
  • Finance > Payments and Transfers → Accounting
  • Finance > Inventory → Inventory > Registry
  • Finance > Contracts → Inventory > Contracts
  • Donation widget → Settings


Accounting


  • Invoices and Debtors → Services
  • Cash book → Accounting > Cash books
  • Bank statements → Accounting > Bank
  • Reports → Reports > Finance reports
  • Daybooks are now also available directly under Accounting (and still in Settings).



Settings in the new navigation


Your organisation's settings are now at the bottom of the sidebar under "Settings". Previously, you reached them via the profile menu.


When you open "Settings", a second navigation opens with these groups: "Users", "General", "Content", "Contacts", "Inbox & Domains", "Account security", "Accounting", "Payments".


Long catch-all pages such as "Other" no longer exist. Each setting now has its own subpage.



The most important changes


  • Roles and access → General > Roles & Permissions
  • Parish & Resources → General > Parishes & Resources
  • Categories and Booking Pages → Content
  • Contacts (previously one page) → split into Contacts, Newsletter, Anniversaries and SMS
  • Other > Organization name → General > Organization Information
  • Other > Public events → Content > Publishing
  • Other > Landing page / Primary domain → Inbox & Domains > Landing page & primary domain
  • Other > VAT percentage → Accounting > VAT percentage
  • Other > Auto-delete event data → Account security > Delete rule
  • Legal → Account security > Trust Center


Your personal settings


You can still reach your personal settings via your profile at the top right under "My settings". They now open in a window, whichever page you are on. There you will find "Account", "Profile", "Contact information", "Notifications" and "Roles and permissions".



Keywords: New navigation, old navigation, switch navigation, transition phase, toggle, sidebar, menu, modules, Pinned, pin, favourites, collapse menu, quick action, Create, More apps, Home, Hub, Portal, Dashboard, multi-parish, central level, Incoming, Planning, People, Content, Services, Accounting, Inventory, Reports, Settings, My settings, where to find, Workflows, Cases, product tour, rota, giving

Updated on: 05/11/2026

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