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For churches • 10 min read

How to use the online version of TheOpenPresenter for church

This guide walks you through everything you need to run your Sunday service from your browser, no install required. You'll register an account, set up your church, build a project for the week, add your song lyrics, and put it up on the screen.

Before you start

You only need a computer with a web browser and an internet connection. Because the online version runs entirely in your browser, a good, stable internet connection is important, especially on Sunday while you're presenting live.

1

Register your account

Head to the sign-up page and create your free account. This is the login you'll use to prepare and run every service.

  1. Go to the register page.
  2. Fill in your Name, Username, E-mail, and a Password (you'll confirm the password a second time). A username is suggested for you automatically as you type your name, you can keep it or change it.
  3. Click Register. You'll be taken straight into TheOpenPresenter.
  4. Check your inbox and confirm your email address when prompted, so you don't lose access to your account later.
Tip: Each volunteer can register their own account. Once your church is set up, you can add them to the organization so the whole team shares the same projects and songs.
2

Create your church

Right after registering, you'll be asked to create an organization. This is your church's home in TheOpenPresenter, where all your projects live.

  1. On the Create organization screen, enter your church's Name. A web address (URL) is generated from the name automatically, you'll see a preview of it below the field.
  2. Under "What kind of organization is this?", select House of Worship.
  3. Click Create organization.
The Create organization screen with the name set to My Church and House of Worship selected as the organization type
Why this matters: Choosing House of Worship tailors TheOpenPresenter for church use, for example, projects use a "Service Time" and church-focused tools like the Lyrics Presenter are switched on. You can change the type later if you need to.
3

Create a project for Sunday

A project is a single service or event, think of it as "this Sunday's service." You'll make a new project each week and fill it with everything you want to show: song lyrics, announcements, the sermon, and more. This is how you prepare ahead of time.

  1. From your church dashboard, click New project (there's also a quick New button at the top right).
  2. Give the project a Name, such as "Sunday Service – 13 Jul". If you leave it blank, it's named with today's date.
  3. Set the Service Time for the service. You can optionally add a Category and Tags to keep things organized week to week.
  4. Click Save. The project opens in the editor, ready for you to add content.
The Projects page with the New Project dialog open, showing Name, Service Time, Category and Tags fields and a Save button
Tip: Prepare during the week from any device. Everything is saved to the cloud automatically, so the project will be ready and waiting when you open it on Sunday.
4

Add lyrics

Let's add the songs for your worship set. Lyrics live in the Lyrics Presenter, which shows song words on the screen one section at a time.

  1. In your project's editor, click Add and choose Lyrics Presenter from the Display section.
  2. The Add song(s) window opens. You have a few ways to add a song:
    • Search, type a song title into the search box to find it in your Songbook (songs you've saved before) or import it from the online song library.
    • Create new song, click this to type or paste the lyrics in yourself.
  3. Example, importing "Praise": Type Praise into the search box and pick it from the song library. The Import a song window opens with the lyrics already filled in and split into sections like Verse 1 and Chorus. Each section becomes its own slide on the screen.
  4. Want to tidy the formatting? Click AI Format (the magic-wand button) and it will clean up the words into neat verses and choruses for you.
  5. Tick Save to songbook if you want to reuse this song next time, then click Import to add it to your set. Repeat for each song you need.
The Add component screen with Lyrics Presenter highlighted under the Display section Searching for the song Praise in the Add song window, showing Songbook results and Import results from MyWorshipList with a matching song highlighted The Add song window showing an imported song with lyric slides, a Save to songbook checkbox, an AI Format button and an Import button
Tip: Keep one line of thought per slide. Shorter sections are easier for the congregation to read and easier for you to follow along while presenting.
5

Present to the screen

On Sunday, open your project on the computer that's connected to your TV or projector. You'll control what's shown from the editor, and the words appear on a separate screen for the congregation.

  1. Open this week's project, then click the Present button.
  2. Choose Open in new tab. This opens the audience view, the actual slides, in a separate browser tab.
  3. Drag that new tab onto your TV/projector screen, then make it full screen by pressing F11 on Windows/Linux (or Control + Command + F on a Mac). This hides the browser bars so only the slides are visible.
  4. Back in the editor tab, click a song section to send it to the screen. The congregation sees the words update instantly. Move through the set as the service goes on.
The Lyrics Presenter editor with the Present menu open, highlighting the Open in new tab option
Tip: Keep the editor tab on your control screen and the full-screen tab on the projector. That way the congregation only ever sees the slides, never your controls.
6

Control from your phone (optional)

Don't want to be stuck at the computer? You can control the presentation from your phone and change slides from anywhere in the room. The full-screen output stays on your TV or projector, while your phone becomes the remote.

  1. In the editor, click the Share icon at the bottom-left of the screen. The Share Project window opens with a QR code.
  2. Tick Make project public so your phone can open the project without needing to log in.
  3. Scan the QR code with your phone's camera and open the link. The same project opens on your phone.
  4. On your phone, tap a song section to send it to the screen, just like you would on the computer. The slides update instantly.
The Share Project window showing a QR code to open the project on another device, with the Make project public checkbox ticked
Tip: Share the QR code with more than one person so your team can take turns controlling the service. Untick Make project public afterwards if you'd rather keep the project private.

That's it, you're ready for Sunday

Register once, prepare your project during the week, and present with a couple of clicks. Ready to try it with your church?

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