Installing CP Library

This guide covers installing CP Sermon Library, activating your license, and configuring essential settings.

System Requirements

• WordPress 6.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.6 or higher

Installing the Plugin

From WordPress Dashboard

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New
3. Search for “CP Sermon Library”
4. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”

Manual Installation

1. Download the plugin .zip file from your Church Plugins account
2. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
3. Navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
4. Choose the downloaded .zip file and click “Install Now”
5. After installation completes, click “Activate Plugin”

Verify Installation

After activation:

1. Check that a new Messages menu appears in your WordPress dashboard (this is the default label — you can rename it in settings)
2. Navigate to Messages → Settings to confirm all options are accessible

Note: Throughout this documentation, we reference the admin menu as Messages →. If you rename your content label (e.g., to “Sermons” or “Teachings”), the menu name will change to match.

Activating Your License

To receive updates and support, activate your license:

1. Navigate to Messages → Settings → License tab
2. Enter your license key (found in your Church Plugins account)
3. Click “Activate License”
4. Verify the license status shows as “active”

Initial Configuration

Content Labels

You can customize the terminology used throughout the plugin:

1. Navigate to Messages → Settings
2. Select the tab for the content type you want to rename (Messages, Series, or Speaker)
3. Change the Singular Label, Plural Label, and Slug
4. Save changes — the admin menu name will update to match the Messages plural label

Sermon Settings

1. Navigate to Messages → Settings → Messages tab (or your custom label)
2. Configure display options (single page template, image aspect ratio)
3. Set info items and meta items to control what displays with each sermon

Podcast Settings (Optional)

1. Navigate to Messages → Settings → Advanced and enable “Podcast Feed”
2. Save Changes — a Podcast tab will appear
3. Navigate to Messages → Settings → Podcast tab
4. Enter podcast title, description, and author information
5. Upload podcast artwork (1400×1400px minimum)
6. Configure feed categories

See the Podcast Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

Adding Your First Content

1. Add Speakers

1. Navigate to Messages → Speakers → Add New
2. Enter speaker name, bio, and photo
3. Publish the speaker profile

2. Create a Series

1. Navigate to Messages → Series → Add New
2. Enter series title, description, and artwork
3. Publish the series

3. Add Your First Sermon

1. Navigate to Messages → Add New
2. Enter sermon title and content
3. Add media files (audio/video)
4. Select the speaker and series
5. Add scripture references and topics
6. Publish the sermon

Displaying Sermons on Your Website

Using the Block Editor

CP Sermon Library provides Gutenberg blocks for displaying sermons:

1. Create or edit a page
2. Add sermon blocks (Sermon Grid/List, Latest Sermon, Series Grid/List)
3. Configure block settings in the sidebar
4. Preview and publish your page

Using Shortcodes

As an alternative to blocks, you can use shortcodes:

• [cpl_item_list] — Display a list of sermons
• [cpl_item] or [cp-sermon] — Display a single sermon
• [cp-sermons] — Display the sermons archive

Shortcode attributes are passed to the frontend app for rendering. Example:

[cpl_item_list count="6" columns="3"]

Using Archive Pages

CP Sermon Library automatically creates archive pages based on your configured URL slugs. With default settings:

• Main sermon archive: /messages/
• Series archive: /series/
• Speaker archive: /speakers/

You can customize the sermon and series slugs in their respective settings tabs. Speaker slugs are derived from the plural label. After changing any slugs, go to Settings → Permalinks and click “Save Changes” to flush rewrite rules.

Importing Existing Sermons

From Other Sermon Plugins

If the plugin detects data from Sermon Manager, Series Engine, or Church Content on activation, a migration wizard will appear to help transfer your existing content.

Using CSV Import

Import sermons from a spreadsheet:

1. Navigate to Messages → Tools
2. Use the Import/Export tab
3. Download the sample CSV template
4. Fill in your sermon data following the template format
5. Upload your completed CSV file and start the import

Next Steps

• Managing Sermons — Learn to add and organize sermon content
• Customization & Display — Customize how sermons appear on your site
• Podcast Setup — Set up your podcast feed