Lectern
Churches on WordPress · sermon library, podcast feed and Sermon Manager importer
Sermon Manager for WordPress was closed on WordPress.org on 3 December 2025 and can no longer be downloaded or updated. Lectern is a replacement that reads Sermon Manager's sermons straight out of your database - Sermon Manager does not even need to be installed - and keeps every sermon's address the same.
= The church office dashboard =
Inside Lectern
Sermons - the day it was preached, the passage, an audio file, a video, sermon notes and the bulletin.
Filed five ways - series, speaker, Bible book, topic and service (8:30, 10:30, Wednesday night).
The Bible book is filed for you - type "1 Jn 4:7-12" and it shows as 1 John 4:7-12 and is filed under 1 John. A passage that cannot be right ("Romans 17") is caught.
A sermon archive with drop-down filters and search, as a plain form that works with javascript off. The Bible book list is in Bible order, not A-Z.
Series pages in the order the series was preached.
Video from YouTube (shown without YouTube's tracking cookies), Vimeo or an mp4 file.
A podcast feed Apple Podcasts and Spotify accept, at /feed/sermon-podcast/. Each episode keeps the same id for ever, so replacing an mp3 does not make every listener download it again.
Nothing lost in the move - Sermon Manager's podcast address, its preacher/series/topic/book pages and its [sermons] shortcode all carry on working.
Before you start
Asked first
Does the import change or delete my Sermon Manager data?
No. It only reads it. Running it twice never makes doubles.
Will my podcast subscribers be lost?
No. Sermon Manager's feed address sends podcast apps on to Lectern's with a permanent redirect, which the apps follow and remember.
Where do the audio files live?
In your own Media Library, or anywhere else you already keep them. Paste the link into the sermon.
Why is my .wav sermon not in the podcast?
Podcast apps play mp3, m4a and aac. Export the recording as mp3 and it goes in.
Does Lectern take payments or need an account?
No. Your church signs in with WordPress's own users. Lectern sends nothing anywhere.
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