ProPresenter has become a staple in churches across the country. It’s the “go to” presentation software for lyrics, sermon slides, and videos. Its intuitive interface makes using it across multiple small and large volunteer teams makes developing volunteers much easier. But even with widespread adoption, many churches only use the basic features and miss out on capabilities that can significantly improve their production and make Sunday morning easier for those on platform.
The following five features in ProPresenter are often underutilized in church production settings but can dramatically increase efficiency, reduce mistakes, and elevate the worship experience.
1. Stage Layouts That Actually Help the Team
In many churches, stage displays and confidence monitors are used to show basic lyrics or timers. But ProPresenter’s Stage Layout Editor allows teams to build fully customized views for worship leaders, pastors, and musicians. Elements like slide previews, countdown clocks, speaker notes, or even chord charts can be added to individual layouts.
Custom stage layouts in ProPresenter turn chaos into clarity, giving every team member exactly what they need.
Different roles on stage often have different needs. With custom layouts, one display can serve the worship leader with next-line cues and timer, while another gives the pastor sermon notes and a message clock. A thoughtful stage layout can improve confidence and reduce miscommunication in real time.
2. “Looks” Or Presets to Manage Multiple Screens
Churches that run multiple outputs, such as sanctuary screens, livestream graphics, lobby TVs, or confidence monitors, often manage them manually or settle for one-size-fits-all visuals. ProPresenter’s “Looks” presets solve this by giving operators control over what content shows on each output at any given time. This way a “look” can be preset and applied to any multitude of scenarios.
With ProPresenter’s 'Looks' presets, one click can transform every screen in your church.
By creating “Looks” for different service elements (worship, sermon, announcements etc), users can change the screen behavior with one click. Lyrics might show full screen on the livestream while layered over motion backgrounds in the sanctuary, with separate layouts for lobby signage or stage displays. It brings flexibility and clarity to a multi-output setup. A little initial work on setup can save hundreds of hours in a year.
3. MIDI Automation for Seamless Integration
For churches using Playback, Ableton Live, or lighting consoles, MIDI integration is a powerful but often overlooked tool. ProPresenter can both send and receive MIDI cues, enabling automated slide changes, lighting transitions, or video cues, perfectly synced with musical or spoken content.
MIDI automation in ProPresenter means flawless transitions, so your team can focus on worship, not timing.
Automation reduces human error and creates a seamless flow from start to finish. Slide operators can focus less on timing and more on oversight, knowing cues will fire reliably. It does take some initial configuration, but once it’s in place, automation becomes a powerful ally during live services.
There are two words of caution with MIDI work: First, there is a bit of a learning curve any time using MIDI is involved. It takes time and energy. It will take 10-20 times the amount of time the first few times it is used. However, the learning curve, once begun will become significantly more efficient. Secondly, the process, specifically for new songs, takes more time initially, but once a song is programmed, it’s done until the song is augmented.
4. Reflow Editor: Fix Lyrics in Real Time
Last-minute lyric changes are part of live church production. Without the right tools, editing slides can be time-consuming and disruptive. The Reflow Editor allows operators to adjust the entire song’s lyrics in a single text-based view—saving time and eliminating the need to hunt through individual slides.
The Reflow Editor saves the day, letting you tweak lyrics fast without breaking a sweat.
Combined with Theme Linking, these updates retain consistent formatting, ensuring lyric slides stay clean and consistent even after last-minute edits. The Reflow Editor is a go-to solution for teams managing dynamic, fast-changing worship sets. Its intuitive design makes it an essential tool for training volunteers to efficiently handle worship set adjustments.
5. Props & Messages: Live Communication Without Disruption
ProPresenter includes Props and Messages layers, which are often overlooked. These allow content—like countdowns, lower thirds, or alerts—to appear only on designated screens, such as the confidence monitor or lobby TV, without interfering with what the congregation sees.
For instance, a message like “Wrap up in 2 minutes” can be quietly displayed to a speaker on stage, or a welcome loop can play in the lobby while lyrics run in the sanctuary. Props are also useful for branding or emergency notifications, giving production teams more flexibility and control during services.
While many churches rely on ProPresenter for the basics, these advanced features are designed to support a smoother, more consistent experience, for the team and the congregation. Better screen management, automation, and communication reduce stress and help ensure the technology stays behind the scenes where it belongs.
As churches continue to raise the bar in production excellence, tapping into the full potential of tools like ProPresenter can make a real difference regardless of whether the service is traditional, contemporary or modern. By streamlining stage coordination and enhancing visual engagement, ProPresenter can help transform the worship experience for presenters, musicians and attendees.
