Connect a custom domain for your public pages

By default your public page and events live on a shared web address like churchday.co/your-church. A custom domain lets visitors land on your own web address instead, such as pages.yourchurch.org. It's easier to remember, easier to share, and looks more professional on flyers, social posts, and emails.

Before you begin

You need permission to edit settings (the Owner or Admin role).
Have access to your church's domain provider ready. This is wherever you bought your website address, such as GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or Namecheap. You'll add one small record there.
This works on a real church account, not the demo. Custom domains are turned off in demo mode.

How to open the domains page

The domains page is not one of the tabs across the top of Settings. You reach it one of two ways:

Go straight to the page. In your browser, open your dashboard and add /settings/domains to the address.
Use the email link. When Churchday emails you about your domain's status, the link in that email opens this page for you.

Step-by-step

Open the domains page. If you haven't connected a domain yet, you'll see a card that says Using the shared domain with your current address, churchday.co/your-church, listed below it.
Click Use custom domain. This opens the form where you enter the web address you want.
Enter your domain. A subdomain is recommended, like pages.yourchurch.org. If Churchday already knows your website, the box is pre-filled with a suggestion. You can change it before continuing.
Click Add domain. Churchday sets things up and shows you the exact record (sometimes more than one) to add at your provider.
Add the DNS record at your provider. In a new tab, sign in to your domain provider (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, or whoever hosts your web address). Create a record matching the Type, Name, and Value shown in the table. Use the copy button next to each value so you don't mistype it. A DNS record is just a setting that tells the internet where your web address should point.
Come back and click Check DNS. Churchday looks up your record and tries to finish the connection. If it isn't ready yet, you'll see a message letting you know it's still going through.

Reading the status

Once a domain is added, a colored badge shows where it stands:

Pending: the record hasn't been seen yet. This is normal right after you add it.
Verified: your domain is connected and live.
Failed: the record wasn't found in time. Double-check what you entered at your provider, then click Check DNS again.
Action needed: Churchday needs one more thing from you, usually an extra record shown in the table.

When a domain is verified, an SSL row appears showing Active. SSL is the security certificate that makes your address load safely over https://. A link to your live public page shows up too.

Good to know

DNS changes take time. After you add the record it can take up to 72 hours for the internet to catch up, though it's often much faster.
You don't have to sit and wait. Churchday re-checks every 30 minutes on its own and emails you the moment your domain goes live, so you can close the page and get back to it later.
Using Cloudflare? If your records are proxied (the orange cloud), Churchday can't read the real values. Set the record to DNS only (gray cloud), then click Check DNS again.
Changed your mind? You can remove a domain at any time from this page and go back to the shared churchday.co address.