Classes

What is a class?

A class is an online course you create for your community. It's made up of sections — individual steps or screens guests progress through in order. Each class gets its own unique public URL that you can share with anyone.

A new class always starts with two default sections:

• A Check-in section (the entry point where guests enter their email)
• A Completion section (the final screen of the class)

You can add as many sections as needed between these two.

The class directory

Navigate to Admin → Classes to see all your classes.

The page shows:

• A search bar to filter classes by name
• A sort dropdown (Name or Creation Date)
• A View Public Directory link that opens your church's public-facing class listing in a new tab
• A grid of class cards, each showing the class name, number of sections, creation date, and whether there are unpublished changes

Clicking a class card opens the class builder for that class.

Creating a class

1. 1
   Go to Admin → Classes.
2. 2
   Click New Class (or Create Class if you have no classes yet).
3. 3
   A new class named Untitled Class is created automatically with a Check-in and Completion section.
4. 4
   You're taken directly into the class builder to start adding content.

Renaming a class

1. Open the class in the builder.
2. Click Class Settings at the bottom of the left sidebar.
3. Update the Class Title field.
4. Save the change.

Adding sections to a class

Inside the class builder, use the section sidebar on the left to navigate between sections. To add a new section:

1. 5
   Click the + insert button between existing sections.
2. 6
   Select the section type you want to add (Text, Video, Form, Test, Branch).
3. 7
   The new section is inserted and you're taken into its editor.

See Sections overview for a full list of section types.

Reordering sections

Sections can be drag-and-drop reordered in the section sidebar. Drag a section to a new position and the order is saved automatically.

Duplicating a class

1. From the class builder, look for the duplicate option in the class menu or topbar.
2. A full copy of the class — including all sections and their content — is created.
3. The duplicate is named Copy of [Class Name] and appears in your class directory.

Deleting a class

1. Open the class in the builder.
2. Click the delete option in the class menu or topbar.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Publishing a class

Publishing saves a snapshot of your class content that guests will see. You must publish your class before guests can take it live.

When you make changes to a class after it's been published, the class card in the class directory shows an Unpublished changes warning. Guests continue to see the last published version until you publish again.

How to publish

1. Open the class in the builder.
2. Click Publish in the topbar.
3. The class is now live with your latest changes.

Why publish matters

OnArk keeps a historical snapshot of what each class looked like at the time a guest completed it. This ensures that guest results are always accurate, even after you update the class content later.

Sharing a class

Each class has a unique URL in the format: onark.app/[your-church-url]/[class-url]

You can find and copy the class URL from inside the class builder. Share this link via email, social media, or on your church website.

Your church's full class directory is at: onark.app/[your-church-url]

Common questions

Why can't guests access my class?

The most common reasons are: no active subscription, or the class has never been published. Both must be true for guests to access a live class.

How many classes can I make?

As many as you'd like. There's no limit to the number of classes on any plan.

How many sections can a class have?

There's no hard limit, but we recommend no more than 20 sections per class. If your class needs more, split it into multiple linked classes.

Can I un-publish a class?

There's no direct un-publish button. To effectively hide a published class, change the class URL in Class Settings to something that won't be guessed — the old link will return 404. Change it back to the original URL when you want the class accessible again.

Can I have the same guest take multiple classes?

Yes. Guests are identified by email address. The same guest can check in to any number of classes.

Can I preview a class before publishing it?

Yes. Open the class in the builder and navigate through sections using the back/next buttons at the bottom. You can also use Preview mode to simulate the guest experience with your own admin email.

Can I link or embed Vimeo videos?

Only YouTube is supported for embedded video. Add a Video section and paste a YouTube link in Video Settings. If you only need to link to a Vimeo video, add a Text section and paste the Vimeo URL as a link.

Can I embed an OnArk class into our website or app?

We don't currently support embedding classes. Most churches link to their OnArk classes from their website or app. Embedding is on the roadmap.