Blogs

Blog Posts – Internal and External Communication

With the blog tool in ChurchDesk, you can easily share information with your congregation or team – both internally and externally. Blog posts are always linked to a group and can either be shown on your website or kept internal, depending on your settings. In this article, we’ll show you how to create, manage, and publish blog posts effectively.

What is a blog post and how can I use it?

A blog post is a short article or message you can publish through ChurchDesk – either for your internal team or publicly for your congregation. For example:
Internal: Invitation to the Christmas party, team meeting minutes, info about holiday coverage
External: Report from the church fair, news from youth ministry, spiritual reflections
You control the visibility (internal or public) when creating the post using the visibility settings.

Where do I find blog posts?

You can access blog posts in two ways:
Via the Groups module
Via the Website module if you’ve added a blog widget to your website
Both options lead to the same blog management page. The overview shows all blog posts created in your ChurchDesk environment. However, you can only edit blog posts that belong to groups you are a member of.

Blog overview

In the overview, you can quickly see:
Title of the blog post
Created and last edited date
Author
Related group
Category: You can only assign one at a time.
Publication status (Draft, Internal, Public)
Slideshow marking (if shown in the website slideshow)
Under Actions, you can:
Edit blog: Change the content and all settings of the blog post
View on website: Opens the blog post in your browser, if it’s set to be published on the website
View version history: See when the post was last changed and restore a previous version
Delete post: Permanently delete the blog post

Creating a new blog post

Click "New blog" in the top right corner.
Enter a title.
Select a category (or create a new one). Categories are managed in ChurchDesk under Settings > Categories > Blog Categories.
Write your content in the large editor field. You can:
Format text (headings, bold, italics, tables, etc.)
Add images, links, and files
(Note: Inline images do not have alt text – you can manually add this in HTML mode or use a caption below the image.)
Recommended image size: 380 × 214 (16:9) – ideal for use in both blog posts and the slideshow. (Images should be uploaded via Groups > Files to be reused for events or blogs.)

Additional settings

Short summary (optional): Used for website or newsletter previews
Visibility: Choose between Draft*, Internal, or Public. You can switch back and forth as often as you like. Public posts can also be made non-public again.
Public: The post may appear on your website or in your newsletter (depending on widget or newsletter settings). The group will also have access to it.
Internal: Only visible within the group
Draft: ⚠ Only the original author can view and edit it
Facebook: Option to post directly to Facebook (if connected)
Group (required!): Every blog must be assigned to a group
Scheduled publication: Choose when your post should be published or unpublished
Slideshow on website: Tick the box to include the post in the slideshow (max. 20 posts)
Image for preview/slideshow: Select or upload an image from the file manager
Published on: The publication date determines the order of posts on your website. It will also appear as the creation date on the site but doesn’t have to match the actual upload date. This allows you to sort and reorder your blog posts later as needed.
Alternative URL: Customise the URL, e.g., www.mychurch.org/summerfestamberg. If left blank (recommended), ChurchDesk will generate a URL automatically.
Click "Save" when you're done – and your blog post is ready!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can create or publish blog posts?
→ All users can create internal blog posts. To publish a blog on the website, they must have the permission “Publish content to the website” under Roles > Calendar > Publish.
Can I edit a blog post after it’s been published?
→ Yes! You can edit posts at any time. The version history lets you see who made changes and revert to an earlier version if needed.
How do blog widgets work on the website?
→ You can create as many widgets as you like. They are managed using blog categories. This allows you to target different audiences – e.g., families, seniors, youth.
Is there a limit to the slideshow?
→ Yes. A maximum of 20 blog posts can appear in the slideshow at the same time.
Are blogs interactive?
→ No. Blog posts are static – there are no comment or like features.
How long are drafts saved?
→ Indefinitely. Other group members can see the draft, but only the original author can edit it.
Can I access blogs through the app?
→ Currently only via the browser – not through the ChurchDesk app.


Keywords: ChurchDesk blog, create blog post, group communication, internal blog, public blog, publish blog, blog categories, website slideshow, ChurchDesk groups, display blog on website, save draft, alternative URL, blog widget, schedule publication, blog version history

Updated on: 16/06/2025