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Create and Send a Standard Newsletter

Open the People module and click on " Messages" in the black bar on the left side.


You create a new newsletter by clicking on the blue "Create" button at the top right and then selecting "Newsletter":



You are now already in the "Design" section of the newsletter. This is the newsletter mask we have provided and which you can now fill with content:



Logo. You can find out how to set or change a newsletter logo here


Colour. You can find out how to change the colour of your newsletter here


Cover Image. When you move the mouse pointer into this area, a blue button will appear that says "Select Image". Select an appropriate photo from the images you have uploaded to ChurchDesk. 


Head Title. Choose an appropriate title for your newsletter and add it here using the right button "Add".


Text Editor. If you click in the empty space below the editor bar, you will have the option to compose a personalised message to your parish. For more information on the options provided here, see the overview video linked above.


Content Area. This is where you can insert the content you have written and optional headings, if applicable. The order of the frame content is fixed and cannot be changed. If you don't have content for one of the suggestions, just leave it blank. It will then not be displayed in the finished newsletter.


When you are done creating the newsletter, click on the second tab "To and From" in the line above. You now have the following options:



From: Choose between yourself and your parish as the sender.


To: Choose to whom the message should be sent (e.g. an individual contact, a list...).


Subject: Is identical to your heading from the "Design" section.


Below the message details, you will find a preview of the newsletter you just created. The left tab shows the desktop version, the right tab shows the view on mobile devices.


More: You can copy or delete the newsletter. Settings takes you to ChurchDesk settings related to the newsletter, such as logo or background colour. You can find more information about this in the introductory video above.


Save: Save your newsletter as a draft.


Send: Choose whether you want to send a test message to yourself now, plan the sending for later, or send the newsletter immediately.


Updating content (events, blogs) after editing


If you edit an event or blog post and it doesn't update in the newsletter after refreshing the page, this is expected behaviour. The newsletter needs to be re-saved before any content updates are applied. When you open the newsletter, either wait for the auto-save or click the Save button manually so the latest version of the linked events and blogs is pulled in.


Newsletter stuck in "Scheduled" instead of being sent


If you press "Send now" and the newsletter ends up in "Scheduled" (Planlagt) instead of being sent immediately, this is not the expected behaviour — pressing "Send now" should send the message right away. If this happens, do not delete the messages sitting in "Scheduled", as they may be needed to investigate the cause. Contact support so the issue can be reviewed. If you need the newsletter to go out, create and send a new version and let support know so the stuck messages are not sent out.


Error when adding an event, blog, or donation to a newsletter


If you see an error message such as "An error occurred. Reload the page. If this does not solve your problem, please contact support." when adding an event, blog post, or donation to a newsletter draft, this indicates a technical issue. Reload the page first, and if the error persists, contact support.


Note: When you send a message from within ChurchDesk (e.g., a message to a member or a group), your real email address (e.g., john.doe@church.com) is technically replaced by a system-generated sender address. This is automatically created following the pattern firstname.lastname@mail.churchdesk.com. When a recipient clicks "Reply" directly in their email program, the reply is correctly processed in the background and forwarded directly to your real email address stored in your profile. The generated address (...@mail.churchdesk.com) acts only as a technical placeholder. If you or your contacts manually copy this address and paste it into a new, separate email, the message cannot be delivered.

Updated on: 19/10/2026

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