There are many important decisions to make when building your church’s website. Choosing the best sermon audio plugin for WordPress to use is particularly essential. Sermon audio is an important part of church websites. It serves the church members and newcomers alike. Recording and publishing sermon audio on a church website allows the congregation to access sermons on their time.
Choosing the best way to broadcast sermon audio through a new church website can be daunting. But making the best decision about sermon audio for your church doesn’t have to be complicated. There are a number of quality solutions for sharing sermon audio and building a sermon library on your website. Sermon Manager, Church Content Pro, and SermonAudio.com are the three which have given the churches we serve the best results.
We hope this guide helps you make a decision about the best sermon audio plugin for WordPress on your church’s website.
Sermon Manager
Sermon Manager works with a wide array of WordPress themes. Its free version makes it a popular choice for churches seeking to find a simple solution to their sermon publishing needs. Beyond its compatibility, user-friendly interface, and full list of features, Sermon Manager also offers free professional support. They also extend the option of paid support with an upgrade to the Pro version.
See how Five More Talents has helped churches use the Sermon Manager plugin:
Church Content
Church Content is a plugin designed for specific WordPress themes. It lacks the widespread theme compatibility that Sermon Manager offers, but for church websites that use the proper theme, it does great. Furthermore, the event and location management features add an extra layer of value to an already robust tool. The biggest downside to this plugin is its lack of compatibility with themes outside of the ones designed specifically to support it. The good news is that the WordPress themes which support Church Content are top-notch.
See how Five More Talents has helped churches use the Church Content plugin:
- Grace OPC of Wasilla, AK
- Covenant Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, CA
- Christ Our Redeemer Community Church, Roanoke, VA
SermonAudio.com
SermonAudio.com is an independent website that hosts sermon recordings from churches around the country. Its high-traffic nature is useful for churches seeking to reach a larger audience. In fact, its library would be almost too big if it weren’t for one special feature. The Local Church Finder feature enables visitors to filter sermon audio results by location. This particular element is helpful in connecting with local church-seekers. Having your church’s sermon recordings on a high-traffic platform like SermonAudio.com can lead to wider visibility. Publishing sermon audio on such a platform also increases the potential for community connection. SermonAudio.com also offers the option of embedding sermon recordings from their platform straight to a local church’s website. This feature enables churches to maintain an easy-to-access location for sharing sermon audio with their congregation. Simultaneously they can broadcast on a larger platform and attract new listeners.
See how Five More Talents has helped churches integrate SermonAudio.com with their websites:
- First PCA of North Port, FL
- Christ OPC, Marietta, GA
- Oakland Hills Community Church, Farmington Hills, MI
WP Sermons
WP Sermons is a soon-to-be launched WordPress plugin created by the same designers behind the Church Content plugin reviewed above. The WP Sermons plugin will be a comprehensive, easy-to-use plugin designed to work with virtually any theme. A complete, organized sermon archive with the option to upload audio, video, and pdf files to each sermon will be at the core of this plugin. Also included will be podcasting options, helpers for live streaming, and easy sermon migration from other plugins and sources. In addition, WP Sermons will offer lots of flexibility when it comes to matching the colors, fonts, style, and layout of your specific theme.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, the decision on sermon audio plugins depends a lot on your church’s needs, priorities, and website specifications. SermonAudio.com can be a good choice for churches that want to publish their sermon recordings on a wider platform, but it involves an additional monthly fee. The Church Content and Sermon Manager plugins are mature, reliable WordPress-based solutions with excellent functionality.
