Blog Posts and Comments
Publish to the public or your congregation, and let them respond.
Posts for the public, posts for members only.
A blog is the least formal thing on your website, and often the most read. Congregate handles both kinds of post: public entries anyone can find, and member-only entries that require a login. The choice is made per post, so one blog can carry an open devotional thought on Tuesday and a note meant only for the membership on Thursday.
When a post is published, Congregate can email your members to let them know, so the people who would want to read it do not have to remember to check. Public posts are also available through an RSS feed, which is how anyone using a reader, or any site republishing your writing, will pick them up automatically.
Comments you control.
Comments can be enabled so members can respond, and every comment lands in a moderation queue before it appears if you wish. That moderation step matters. It means you can invite discussion on your website without inheriting the problem every open comment section eventually has, and without anyone needing to watch it around the clock.
Posts import from a spreadsheet and export to CSV, so moving a blog from another platform does not mean pasting entries one at a time.
Highlights
- Public and member-only posts in the same blog, set per post
- Categories managed as a reusable list
- Optional email to members when a post is published
- Public RSS feed for readers and syndication
- Member commenting with full moderation
- Draft and publish states
- Spreadsheet import and CSV export
Who This Feature Helps
Members
Notification by email when something new is posted, and a way to respond in writing rather than catching someone in the hallway.
Leaders
Nothing appears on your site until you approve it, so you get the benefit of an open comment section without the usual cost of one.
Visitors
Public posts and the RSS feed are readable without an account, which gives someone considering a visit a real sense of how you think before they walk in.