How to Create a Programme: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
A complete walkthrough of building a Sabbath Divine Service programme from scratch — adding songs, posters, scripture, a sermon, special items, and taking your programme through to final approval.
This guide walks through building a complete Divine Service programme from start to finish. We'll use PewPlan's built-in Divine Service template and fill in each block with real content — songs with lyrics, an announcement poster, a scripture reading, a sermon, a special item, and finally taking the programme through the approval process.
1. Create the programme
From your dashboard, tap New programme. A panel slides up with template options. Select Divine Service — this loads a ready-made structure with 16 blocks in the right order: Introit, Welcome, songs, offering, Praise & Worship, special item, sermon, and benediction.
Give the programme a title and pick the date. Both appear on the share page your congregation will see, so use something clear: Sabbath Morning Service — 19 July 2026 works well. Tap Create to open the editor.
2. Announcements — adding a poster
Tap the Announcements block (labelled "Announcements" with the megaphone icon). The block opens and shows a row of sub-item types you can add: Image, Audio, Video, File, and External link.
Tap Image. Your device's file picker opens — choose a poster image from your camera roll or files. Once uploaded, it appears as a thumbnail in the block. You can add a caption beneath it (e.g. Prayer Meeting — Thursday 7:30 pm), or upload additional images if you have multiple notices.
Tip: Images in Announcements are shown full-width on the share page, so portrait-format flyers (A5 or similar) look best. Landscape images are also supported and scale to fit.
3. Opening hymn — a single Song block
The template includes several Song / Hymn blocks. Tap Welcome Song to open it.
Inside the block, tap the + Add song button. A search sheet opens. Start typing a song title — for example, Come, Now is the Time to Worship. PewPlan searches your organisation's custom songs and a global hymn list.
When you find the song, tap it to add it to the block. The song appears with its title and, if lyrics are stored, a Lyrics section you can expand.
Assigning a participant: In the block header you can type a participant name (e.g. Bro Walter Davies) and role (e.g. Song Leader). These appear on the share page and in the PDF bulletin.
4. Praise & Worship — multiple songs and a new custom song
The Praise & Worship block is designed for a sequence of songs in a single segment. Tap it to open.
Tap + Add song and search for your first song. Add as many songs as you need — each appears as a row you can reorder with the ↑ / ↓ buttons on the left.
Adding a brand-new song with lyrics
If a song isn't in the global list, you can create it and save it to your organisation's library. In the song search sheet, look for the Create new song option at the bottom of the results. Tap it.
A form appears:
- Title — the full song title, e.g. Great is Your Faithfulness (Contemporary)
- Song group — choose an existing group (e.g. Praise Team Favourites) or create a new one by typing a new name. Groups help you organise your church's custom songs.
- Lyrics — paste or type the full text. Organise it with labels like
[Verse 1],[Chorus],[Bridge]. The lyrics are stored against your organisation, so they appear next time anyone searches for this song.
Licensing note: By saving lyrics you confirm that your organisation holds an appropriate licence to store copyrighted song text digitally (e.g. a CCLI SongSelect licence). PewPlan displays this reminder when you add lyrics.
Tap Save song. The song is added to the block and saved to your org library for future programmes.
5. Scripture Reading — automatic KJV lookup
Tap the Scripture Reading block. Inside, tap + Add scripture.
A reference input appears with the placeholder e.g. John 3:16. Type a reference — for this example, type Luke 15:8-10.
After a short pause (about 0.6 seconds), PewPlan automatically looks up the verse text via bible-api.com and fills it in below the reference field. The lookup uses the King James Version (KJV). You'll see a small note confirming the source: KJV · bible-api.com.
The verse text appears on the share page in a clean reading format so the congregation can follow along.
If the lookup fails (no internet, or an unrecognised reference), an error message appears below the field. The reference is still saved — just type it in the format Book Chapter:Verse (e.g. Romans 8:28 or Psalm 23:1-6) and try again.
6. Sermon — slides, documents, and links
Tap the Sermon block. You can add a title (e.g. The Lost Coin — Finding What Matters), a participant name for the preacher, and any supporting material as sub-items.
Supported presentation formats
Tap + Add file to attach a presentation or document. PewPlan accepts:
| Format | Extension |
|---|---|
.pdf |
|
| PowerPoint | .pptx, .ppt |
| Word document | .doc, .docx |
| Excel spreadsheet | .xls, .xlsx |
The file is uploaded to your organisation's media library and linked to this block. Editors can tap the attachment to download it; it also appears on the share page for congregation members to view.
Linking to an online resource instead
If your sermon slides are hosted externally (e.g. Google Slides, Canva, or a church website), tap + Add external link and paste the URL. PewPlan saves the link and displays it as a tappable tile.
7. Special Item — embedding a YouTube or Spotify link
Tap the Special Item block. Tap + Add external link.
Paste a link — for example:
- A YouTube video:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ - A Spotify track or playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/track/...
PewPlan automatically detects the provider and shows a branded tile (red for YouTube, green for Spotify). The share page renders YouTube and Vimeo links as embedded players — your congregation can watch the video inline without leaving the programme. Spotify and other links open in a new tab.
Using a video file instead: If you have a video file (MP4, etc.) stored locally, tap + Add video and upload it. YouTube and Vimeo URLs pasted into the video upload field are automatically converted to external link tiles so they embed correctly.
8. The approval workflow
Once the programme is complete, PewPlan supports a simple approval process to make sure the right people sign off before the service.
Roles
- Owner — full control; can always approve and lock programmes.
- Designated approver — a member (editor or viewer) the owner nominates in Settings → Approval. They can approve programmes alongside the owner.
- Editors — build and update the programme, but cannot approve it.
- Viewers — see the programme; cannot edit or approve.
Setting up approval (owner only)
Go to Settings → Approval. Choose a member as the approver from the dropdown — this is typically the head elder, presiding pastor, or church clerk. Optionally set a Pencil Down deadline: for example, 2 days before the service date. When that deadline arrives, PewPlan automatically locks the programme.
The three statuses
Draft → the programme is being worked on. Any editor can make changes.
Approved → the owner or designated approver has reviewed the programme and tapped Approve in the editor toolbar. The programme is confirmed but can still be edited if needed; tapping Approve again is required after any further changes.
Pencil Down → the programme is final and locked. No edits can be made by editors. The owner or approver can unlock it (reverting to Approved) if a last-minute change is essential. The Pencil Down badge is visible on the programme list and on the share page so the congregation knows this is the confirmed order of service.
Approving a programme
Open the programme in the editor. In the top toolbar, the Approve button is visible to the owner and designated approver. Tap it — the status changes to Approved and a green badge appears.
When you're confident no more changes are needed, tap Pencil Down to lock the programme. A lock badge replaces the Approved badge. Editors will see the programme as read-only until you unlock it.
9. Sharing with your congregation
At any point — draft, approved, or pencil down — tap the Share button in the editor toolbar. This shows:
- A shareable link your congregation can open on any device, no account needed.
- A QR code (Pro plan) you can display on a screen or print on a bulletin.
- Options to send via WhatsApp or Message (SMS) directly from the Share sheet.
The share page always shows the latest saved version of the programme, including any last-minute updates.
That's a complete programme — from a blank template to a fully approved, shared order of service. If you have any questions, reach out at support@pewplan.app.