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How to set up the ChurchDesk Inbox

How to set up the ChurchDesk Inbox


Introduction


The ChurchDesk Inbox is part of Workflows and lets you receive, reply to, and convert emails into cases — all within ChurchDesk.


This article guides you through the full setup — from email forwarding to domain verification. The number of steps you need depends on how you intend to use the Inbox.


What would you like to do?


Goal

Steps required

Receive emails only (read in ChurchDesk and manage as cases)

Only Step 1

Receive emails AND reply from ChurchDesk (using your own domain, e.g. office@yourchurch.org)

Step 1 + Step 2 + Step 3 + Step 4


What you'll need


  • Access to your email client (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)
  • Your forwarding address generated by ChurchDesk (found under ChurchDesk Settings > Inbox)
  • Only for steps 2–4: Access to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, IONOS, Namecheap, etc.)


Contents





Roles & Permissions


  • Organisation Admin / Admin: Full access to Inbox settings. Can set up email forwarding and domain verification.
  • All other roles: Can use the Inbox once it's set up — but cannot configure it.




Step 1 – Configure email forwarding


To receive emails in ChurchDesk, set up automatic forwarding from your existing email account to your ChurchDesk forwarding address.


IMPORTANT!
Use a shared email address (e.g. office@yourchurch.org), not a personal work email. Multiple team members will have access to the Inbox.


Choose the instructions below for your email client:


Gmail


NOTE
Automatic forwarding can only be set up on desktop, not on mobile devices.


  1. Open Gmail and click the Settings icon (cog) in the top right.
  2. Click "See all settings".
  3. Go to the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
  4. Click "Add a forwarding address".
  5. Enter your ChurchDesk forwarding address and click "Next" → "Proceed".
  6. Gmail will send a confirmation email to your ChurchDesk Inbox. Open it there and click the verification link.
  7. Return to Gmail Settings → "Forwarding and POP/IMAP".
  8. Select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and choose your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  9. Select "Keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox" (recommended).
  10. Click "Save changes".



Outlook (Web / Outlook.com)


  1. Go to Outlook.com and sign in.
  2. Click the Settings icon (cog) in the top right.
  3. Select "View all Outlook settings".
  4. Go to Mail → "Forwarding".
  5. Enable "Enable forwarding".
  6. Enter your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  7. Enable "Keep a copy of forwarded messages" (recommended).
  8. Click "Save".



Apple Mail / iCloud Mail


NOTE
Automatic forwarding for iCloud Mail is configured via the web interface at iCloud.com — not in the Apple Mail app.


  1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
  2. Click the Mail app.
  3. Click the cog (settings) in the bottom left.
  4. Select "Preferences".
  5. Go to the "General" tab.
  6. In the "Forwarding" section, enter your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  7. Click "Save".



Yahoo Mail


NOTE
Automatic email forwarding requires Yahoo Mail Plus (paid). Free Yahoo Mail accounts do not support automatic forwarding.


  1. Sign in to Yahoo Mail.
  2. Click the Settings icon (cog) in the top right.
  3. Select "More Settings".
  4. Click "Mailboxes" in the left sidebar.
  5. Select your email account.
  6. Under "Auto Forward", enter your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  7. Click "Verify" and follow the verification process.
  8. Click "Save".



Mozilla Thunderbird


NOTE
Thunderbird uses Message Filters to forward emails automatically.


  1. Open Thunderbird.
  2. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) → "Tools" → "Message Filters".
  3. Select the email account you want to forward from.
  4. Click "New" to create a new filter.
  5. Name the filter (e.g. "Forward to ChurchDesk").
  6. Under conditions, select "Match all messages".
  7. Under "Perform these actions", select "Forward Message to".
  8. Enter your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  9. Click "OK".





Step 2 – Add your domain to ChurchDesk


NOTE
This step is only needed if you want to reply to emails from within ChurchDesk — using your own domain (e.g. office@yourchurch.org).


Add the domain


  1. Go to ChurchDesk Settings > Inbox > Domain management.
  2. Click "Add domain".
  3. Enter your domain name (e.g. yourchurch.org) — without "www.".
  4. Click "Add".



Set up the email prefix


So that replies are sent from the correct address (e.g. office@yourchurch.org instead of a generic ChurchDesk address), you need to set up the prefix (the part before the @).


  1. Go to ChurchDesk Settings > Inbox > Domain management.
  2. Find your added domain.
  3. Under "Add domain email", click "Add email".
  4. Enter only the prefix (e.g. office for office@yourchurch.org). Do not enter "@yourchurch.org".
  5. Click "Add email".
  6. A confirmation window will appear: check that the displayed forwarding address is correct (e.g. office@yourchurch.org).
  7. Click "Add".


IMPORTANT!
The prefix must exactly match the email address you're forwarding from. Use lowercase letters.





Step 3 – Verify your DNS records


To verify domain ownership and enable email sending, you need to add three DNS records at your domain registrar.


What are these DNS records?


Record

Purpose

Verification (TXT)

Confirms that you own the domain

SPF (TXT)

Specifies which servers may send emails on your behalf

DKIM (TXT)

Adds a digital signature that proves the email is authentic


NOTE
DNS changes can take up to 24–48 hours to take effect — though it's often within 1–2 hours. Use the "Validate" button in ChurchDesk to check the status.


How to do it (all providers)


The process is the same with every domain registrar — only the interface looks different. The specific values (host, verification code, SPF value, DKIM key) are found in ChurchDesk Settings > Inbox > Domain management.


Record 1: Domain verification


  1. Sign in to your domain registrar.
  2. Navigate to your domain's DNS settings.
  3. Create a new TXT record with:
  • Name/Host: The host value from ChurchDesk
  • Value: The verification code from ChurchDesk
  • TTL: 3600 (or default/auto)
  1. Save the record.


Record 2: SPF


  1. Create another TXT record with:
  • Name/Host: @ (for the root domain)
  • Value: The SPF value from ChurchDesk
  • TTL: 3600 (or default/auto)
  1. Save the record.


Record 3: DKIM


  1. Create another TXT record with:
  • Name/Host: The DKIM hostname from ChurchDesk (e.g. mailjet._domainkey)
  • Value: The full DKIM key from ChurchDesk
  • TTL: 3600 (or default/auto)
  1. Save the record.


After saving all three records: wait a few minutes to a few hours, then click "Validate" in ChurchDesk.



Where do I find the DNS settings at my provider?


Provider

Path to DNS settings

Cloudflare

Dashboard → Select domain → DNS → Records → Add record

DanDomain

Control panel → Domains → DNS settings → Select domain → Add record

GoDaddy

Account → My Products → Domain → DNS → Add new record

Hosteurope

KIS → Domain → Domain administration → Select domain → Edit DNS settings → TXT records

IONOS

Account → Domains & SSL → Select domain → DNS tab → Add record

Namecheap

Account → Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Add new record

One.com

Control panel → DNS settings → Add record

Scannet

Control panel → Domains → DNS management → Select domain → Add record

Strato

Customer login → Domains → Domain administration → Domain → DNS settings → TXT records


TIP
With Cloudflare, changes take effect almost immediately. With all other providers, it typically takes 1–24 hours. Always set the proxy status for TXT records to "DNS only" (grey cloud) in Cloudflare.




Step 4 – Set up DMARC


DMARC is an additional security protocol that builds on SPF and DKIM. It protects your domain from email spoofing and improves deliverability.


To add the DMARC record:


  1. At your domain registrar, create a new TXT record with:
  • Name/Host: _dmarc
  • Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourchurch.org
  1. Replace dmarc@yourchurch.org with an email address where you'd like to receive DMARC reports.
  2. Save the record.


NOTE
The policy p=none means: monitor only, don't block any emails. This is the recommended setting to start with.




Troubleshooting


DNS records aren't being validated


If your DNS records still show as "Pending" after 48 hours:


  • Check that you've copied the exact values from ChurchDesk (including quotation marks, if present).
  • Make sure the hostname is correct (@ for the root domain or the specific subdomain).
  • Use a DNS lookup tool such as whatsmydns.net to check whether the records have been published.
  • Contact your domain registrar's support team.


Email forwarding isn't working


  • Check that the forwarding address in your email client exactly matches your ChurchDesk forwarding address.
  • Did you complete the verification step? (Gmail and some other providers require confirmation.)
  • Send a test email and check both inboxes.
  • Look in the spam/junk folder for verification emails.


Can't find the DNS settings


  • Look for terms like "DNS management", "DNS settings", "Advanced DNS" or "Zone Editor".
  • Contact your provider's support team — share this article as a reference.
  • Some providers require an upgrade to a paid plan for DNS access.


Need more help?


Contact ChurchDesk Support and share the following information:


  • Your domain name
  • The name of your domain registrar
  • Screenshots of your DNS settings
  • A description of the problem




Related articles:




Search terms: Inbox, email, forwarding, domain, DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, iCloud, Yahoo, Cloudflare, Strato, IONOS, Hosteurope, GoDaddy, Namecheap, One.com, DanDomain, Scannet, verification, domain registrar, TXT record


Updated on: 28/04/2026

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