Open Ministries Projects

Open Church Kiosk System

An open-source, Raspberry Pi friendly kiosk / digital signage system for churches and church plants — designed to be affordable, simple to deploy, and easy for volunteers to manage.

Church-friendly Low-cost hardware Open-source
Primary Goal
Put a reliable “TV screen ministry tool” in every church lobby.
Best Fit For
Small churches, church plants, and multi-site campuses.
Core Values
Stewardship, simplicity, privacy, and volunteer usability.
What the Kiosk Can Display
  • Announcements / Slides
  • Service times & upcoming events
  • Scripture rotation
  • Volunteer needs & reminders
  • Welcome / Info screen
  • Prayer requests (optional, controlled)
  • Giving QR code (ACH-first option)
  • Ministry spotlight
  • Kids check-in “next steps”
  • Special event modes (VBS, conferences)
Designed for a lobby TV, hallway monitor, fellowship room display, or a “green room” confidence monitor.
Project Status
Phase 1: MVP
Media upload → playlists → schedules → players (Raspberry Pi).
Phase 2: Church Features
Templates, scripture widgets, event mode presets, kiosk health monitoring.
Phase 3: “Church Plant Kit”
One-click imaging + deploy guide + donor-friendly BOM and setup checklist.
Links:
← Back to Open Ministries Projects Overview Open Camera System
Key Features
  • Simple Admin: upload media, build playlists, set schedules
  • Player Mode: full-screen playback + fallback screen when idle
  • Multi-TV Support: unlimited “players” (each Raspberry Pi = one TV)
  • Local Hosting: run on church LAN for speed and privacy
  • Volunteer Friendly: minimal clicks, predictable workflows
  • Low Cost: Raspberry Pi + TV/monitor you already have
Suggested Architecture
  • Server: Raspberry Pi (recommended) running Linux + web stack (Apache/Nginx + PHP + DB)
  • Storage: local folder + DB records (thumbnails optional)
  • Players: Raspberry Pi devices auto-start Chromium in kiosk mode
  • Network: all devices on the same LAN (no cloud required)
  • Optional: remote admin via VPN / secure reverse proxy
Using a Pi as the server keeps cost low, power draw tiny, and makes it easy to “clone” a full church setup.
Roadmap Ideas
Kiosk Health
Player online/offline, last check-in, auto-reboot, version reporting.
Church Templates
Announcement slide templates, scripture slide generator, event modes.
Integrations
Scripture & Study Tools widgets, sermon series art, giving QR tools.
Want this to be “church-plant ready”?
Next step is documenting a complete “golden image” + auto-register player flow + sample media pack.
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