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Use automatic sermon transcripts

Turn sermon audio into a readable, synchronised transcript that listeners can follow alongside the recording.

How automatic transcription starts​

When you save a sermon with a working MP3, we start transcribing it automatically. The sermon does not need to be published first.

If an older sermon has audio but no transcript, you can start one yourself from the Transcriptions Dashboard.

Monitor progress​

Go to Transcriptions in the management menu, or open the Transcriptions Dashboard directly. It lists your sermons and one of these states:

  • Queued - waiting to start
  • Assigned or Running - processing is in progress
  • Completed - ready to edit and, if shown, display publicly
  • Failed or Cancelled - processing did not complete
  • Transcribe Now - the sermon has audio but no transcript request
  • No audio uploaded yet - add an MP3 in the sermon editor first
The Transcriptions Dashboard with the beta notice, workflow explanation, and transcript status table

Transcription can take a while, so feel free to leave this page and come back later.

While a sermon's transcript is still Queued, that sermon stays out of your RSS feeds. It appears in them once transcription has started, whatever the transcript ends up saying.

Edit an inaccurate transcript​

Automatic transcription can mishear names, Bible references, unusual terms, and unclear audio, so check important wording against the recording.

  1. On the Transcriptions Dashboard, find a Completed transcript and select Edit.
  2. Use the audio player to listen.
  3. Select a timestamp to jump to that point in the recording. The current segment is highlighted in green while audio plays.
  4. Select a paragraph to edit its text.
  5. Select Save, or select Discard to abandon that paragraph's changes.
  6. Repeat for any other corrections.
The transcript editor with audio controls, timestamped paragraphs, and Save and Discard actions

Editing changes the text but keeps the existing timings, so make short, targeted corrections rather than combining or rearranging paragraphs.

Show or hide a transcript​

A completed transcript is shown publicly by default, as long as transcripts are enabled for the church and the sermon itself is visible.

On the Transcriptions Dashboard:

  • Select Hide to remove one transcript from the public sermon page, its public downloads, the copy podcast apps fetch, and our public API.
  • Select Show to make that transcript available again.

Hiding a transcript does not affect the sermon or its audio, which makes it a good option while you fix a bad transcript.

What listeners can do​

A shown transcript appears on the public sermon page below the recording. Listeners can:

  • read it while the audio plays
  • select a timestamp to jump to that section
  • follow the highlighted paragraph as playback moves on
  • scroll by hand, then use Resume Auto-Scroll to follow the audio again
  • download a PDF or txt version
A public sermon transcript with PDF and txt downloads and timestamped, audio-synchronised paragraphs

We also add a timed transcript to the podcast RSS feed for completed, public transcripts, so podcast apps that support transcripts can show it alongside the episode.

Download a transcript​

From the transcript editor, choose:

  • Download .txt for plain text that is easy to search or reuse
  • Download PDF for a formatted document with the sermon details and timestamps

The same formats are available to listeners on the public sermon page while the transcript is shown.

Copy a transcript for an AI assistant​

In the transcript editor, select Copy for AI, then choose Short-Form Social Posts, Discussion Guide, Summary, Key Quotes, or Sermon Outline. We copy the transcript and the prompt together, ready to paste into an AI assistant.

The Copy for AI menu with prompt choices for social posts, a discussion guide, summary, quotes, and outline

Disable transcripts for the church​

Only an Admin can change this setting.

  1. Go to Settings > General.
  2. Turn off Automated Transcriptions.
  3. Select Save Settings.

This removes transcripts from the public site and hides the Transcriptions menu item. Existing transcripts are not deleted, so turning the setting back on restores them.

We carry on transcribing new sermons while the setting is off, so anything uploaded in the meantime is ready if you ever turn it back on.

If only one transcript needs hidden, use the Hide button on that transcript instead of turning the feature off for every sermon.