What is a Channel?
A channel is the medium you plan against—Email, Instagram, Pre-Service Slides, Text Messages, and so on. Every communication sits on one channel. In Communicate, channels are rows on the Calendar and on a campaign’s Communication Schedule. Full guide: Channels.
Plan: Channels and Channel Preferences are on Essentials and Plus. Channel Schedules are Plus only.
Roles: Open the panel with channel view. Expand/edit Preferences (and Schedules on Plus) needs channel edit (Owners, Admins, Managers). Editors are view-only on channels. Viewers typically don’t see Channels in the sidebar. See User Permissions and Roles.
Why Do Channels Matter for Church Communications?
Different people and messages need different media. Channels help you:
- Reach people where they already look
- Reinforce the same story across media
- Match format (slides vs email vs social)
- Plan capacity with Preferences and Schedules
How Do Channels Work in Communicate?
Add channels: Sidebar Channels. In Global / single-campus: New → Channel type (Presets or Create Channel under Custom) → Add. In a campus workspace (multi-campus Plus): Add to opt in an org channel—you don’t create the org catalog from campus.
Multi-campus: Global manages the catalog and Used at (or None). Campus workspaces opt in with Add and opt out with Remove. Org create/delete identity is for Global (global membership / Owners/Admins as product rules allow).
Preferences: Preferred day (No preferred day or a weekday), Preferred time, Blocked days—per campus; channel Save.
Schedules (Plus): Named repeating Schedules on the Calendar; locked schedules turn Preferences off for that channel.
Manage: Expand to edit identity/prefs/schedules (Save). Reorder with move up/down (campus or MC-off—not in Global). Delete (Global / multi-campus off) permanently removes the channel org-wide after a usage confirm (type DELETE when communications or template placements will be destroyed). Remove (campus) opts that campus out after a usage confirm (type REMOVE when campus-owned data will be destroyed). Global delete is blocked until campuses with real usage Remove first. Full detail: Channels.
When Should You Use Channels?
Add a channel for each medium you plan regularly (email, social, slides, text, print, site). Often about 5–10 primary channels is enough; split “Instagram” vs “Facebook” only if you schedule them separately.
Related Terms
- Communication · Campaign · Calendar
- Channel Preferences · Channel Schedules
- Multi-Channel Communication · Multi-campus (Plus)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many channels should I set up?
A: One for each medium you schedule regularly. Most churches use a handful of primaries; you can add or remove later.
Q: Can I change a channel’s name or icon?
A: With channel edit access, expand the channel and update Display name / Channel name and custom Icon, then Save. Catalog/type rules vary; Preferences/Schedules edit on campus as allowed.
Q: Can I reorder channels?
A: Yes—use the up/down reorder controls in a campus workspace or when multi-campus is off. Order matches Calendar rows and is independent per campus. Reorder isn’t shown in Global.
Q: What happens if I delete a channel?
A: Delete (org / Global) permanently deletes the channel and any communications still on it, and strips template placements that used it—after a confirm that lists counts (type DELETE when data will be destroyed). Remove (campus) opts that campus out: campus-owned communications on the channel are deleted; global communications keep the channel but drop this campus. In Global, delete is blocked while any campus still has real usage—Remove there first.
Q: Separate channels for each social network?
A: Optional. Use separate channels if you schedule them on different days; use one channel if you treat social as one planning row.
Q: Can one channel hold many kinds of messages?
A: Yes—e.g. Email can hold newsletters, announcements, and reminders, each as its own communication on dates.