Managing Sermons
Sermons are the heart of Sermon Library. Each sermon is a post with its own page, fields for media, speakers, series, notes, and more.
Editing an existing sermon
Go to Sermon Library → Sermons to see all your sermons. Click any title to open the edit screen. The edit screen has several panels:
- Title — the sermon title, shown at the top of the sermon page.
- Description — a short summary shown in sermon cards and used for SEO.
- Content tabs — Article, Bible Study, Transcript, More, and Sermon Notes. Each tab is only shown to visitors if it has content.
- Sermon Details — speaker, series, recorded date, scripture, topics, and media fields.
- Featured Image — the sermon thumbnail used in cards and OG sharing.
Sermon Details fields
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Start typing a speaker name to search. The speaker must already exist under Sermon Library → Speakers. |
| Series | Start typing a series name to search. Assign to group this sermon with others. |
| Recorded Date | The date the sermon was preached. Used for sorting and display. |
| Scripture | Free-text or structured passage (e.g. John 3:16). Shown as a linked reference on the sermon page. |
| Topics | Select one or more topics to tag this sermon by theme. |
| Video URL | YouTube or Vimeo URL. The video player is embedded on the sermon page. |
| Video Start Time | Optional. Skip to a specific point in the video — enter as mm:ss or hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2:15 or 1:02:30). |
| Audio URL | Direct URL to an MP3 or podcast file. An HTML5 audio player is shown below the video (or instead of it). |
Content tabs
The Content metabox has five tabs. Each is optional and hidden from visitors if empty.
- Article — a full-length written version of the sermon, formatted like a blog post.
- Bible Study — study questions or group discussion content.
- Transcript — the word-for-word spoken transcript.
- More — a flexible tab with a custom label (e.g. "Resources") and rich-text content.
- Sermon Notes — file attachments and links shown as download buttons. See Sermon Notes & Files.
Sermon list columns
The Sermons admin list shows columns for Speaker, Series, Date, and View Count. You can sort by any column. Use the filter dropdowns at the top to filter by speaker, series, or topic.
Deleting sermons
Deleting a sermon moves it to the Trash. It stays there for 30 days before WordPress permanently deletes it. To empty the trash immediately, go to the Sermons list, choose "Trash" from the status links, then click "Empty Trash."
Bulk actions: You can move multiple sermons to trash at once using the checkboxes and the "Bulk Actions → Move to Trash" dropdown at the top of the Sermons list.