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External Providers

Lessons.church is not limited to its own curriculum. Third-party curriculum providers can publish their content through the Open Lesson Format. Once your church adds a provider, you can schedule its lessons for your classrooms right next to the Lessons.church library.

Before You Begin

What Are External Providers?​

An external provider is any organization that publishes church curriculum using the Open Lesson Format -- a standard that allows lesson content to be shared across platforms. When a provider makes their content available in this format, Lessons.church can read it and show its lessons with the same layout as its own.

This means you get access to a wider selection of curriculum without having to visit multiple websites.

Adding Provider Connections​

If your church uses a curriculum provider that supports the Open Lesson Format:

  1. Log in to your Lessons.church account.
  2. Click External Providers in the navigation.
  3. Click Add Provider, enter a Provider Name and the provider's API URL, and click Save.

See Third-Party Providers for the full steps.

info

An external provider is added for your church only. Its programs don't appear on the public Lessons.church home page or in search.

Using External Content​

Once a provider is added, its programs, studies, and lessons are available when you schedule:

  1. When you add a lesson to a classroom's schedule, choose the provider under Provider.
  2. Pick the Program, Study, Lesson, and Venue the same way you would for a Lessons.church lesson.
  3. In the classroom's schedule, click View Lesson under a scheduled external lesson to open it. It uses the same layout as built-in lessons -- sections, roles, actions, videos, and downloadable materials.
note

Lessons from external providers can't be customized. Only Lessons.church lessons show the Customize link.

For Content Creators​

If you are a curriculum publisher interested in making your content available on Lessons.church, the Open Lesson Format provides a standardized way to share your programs, studies, and lessons. Contact the Lessons.church team or visit the developer documentation for integration details.

tip

For step-by-step instructions on adding, editing, and deleting a provider, see Third-Party Providers.