FreeShow’s New Cloud Sync: Built for One-Man Bands, Small Teams & Growing Ministries

If you use FreeShow on more than one computer, this article is important.

Because cloud sync can either:

• Give you peace of mind

• Or create Sunday morning stress

Over the years, I’ve worked with:

• One-man-band churches

• Small volunteer media teams

• Larger ministries with multiple rooms and computers

And one of the most common problems?

Sync confusion.

Wrong versions.
Overwritten edits.
Missing shows.
Broken media paths.
Or no syncing setup at all!

FreeShow’s new Cloud Sync system fixes that — but only if you set it up correctly.

Let’s walk through both the vision and the setup.

Why the New Cloud Sync Is a Big Deal

The old Google API–based sync method worked — but it wasn’t built specifically for how churches operate.

The new Cloud Sync is:

• Built directly into FreeShow

• Church-based (not just file-based)

• Team-structured

• Role-aware

• Designed around ministry workflows

This system understands that churches have:

• Editors

• Operators

• Youth teams

• Conference teams

It’s not just syncing files.

It’s syncing structure.

🎧 If You’re a One-Man Band

If you:

• Build slides at home

• Run them at church

• Maybe handle livestream too

Here’s your simple setup:

Home Editing Computer → Upload & Merge
Church Display Computer → Download & Merge

That’s it.

You build during the week.
You sync.
You walk into church.
Everything is there.

No USB drives.
No guesswork.
No panic.

👥 If You Have a Small Volunteer Team

Let’s say you have:

• One midweek editor

• One Sunday operator

• Maybe a backup machine

Here’s the recommended structure:

Editing Computer → Upload & Merge
Display Computer → Download & Merge
Volunteer/Backup Computer → Download & Read Only

That “Read Only” option is powerful.

It prevents volunteers from accidentally editing shows and syncing them to the editing computer later.

This isn’t about control.
It’s about clarity.

🏛 If You’re a Larger Multi-Team Ministry

If you have:

• Main sanctuary

• Youth ministry

• Kids ministry

• Midweek service

• Special events

Each ministry should have its own Team.

That means:

• Separate cloud backups

• Separate sync cycles

• No crossover conflicts

Youth syncing slides won’t affect Sunday.
Conference building won’t overwrite weekly content.

This is scalable ministry structure.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up FreeShow’s New Cloud Sync

Now let’s get practical.

Here’s exactly how to set it up.

Step 1: Create Your Church Account

1. Go to: https://admin.b1.church/

2. Create your church account.

3. You will become the admin/master account holder.

4. Add additional users later if needed.

This connects your church to the ChurchApps ecosystem that FreeShow uses for cloud sync.

Step 2: Create a Team

Inside your church dashboard:

1. Select Serve from the upper-left dropdown.

2. Click Create Team.

3. Name your team (example: “Sunday Service”).

4. Add members to that team.

Important:

Each team has its own cloud backup.

If you have multiple ministries, create separate teams for each. That way the kids ministry computer will sync different files than the computer in adult service.

Step 3: Connect FreeShow to ChurchApps

On each FreeShow computer:

1. Open FreeShow.

2. Go to Files → Connect to ChurchApps.

3. Log in with an account that belongs to your team.

4. Select the correct team.

Now FreeShow is connected to your church’s cloud structure.

Step 4: Choose the Correct Sync Option (Critical)

When prompted to sync, you’ll see options.

Here’s how to choose:

🖥 Primary Editing Computer

Choose: Upload & Merge

This pushes your edits to the cloud.

📺 Primary Display Computer

Choose: Download & Merge

This pulls the finalized edits from the cloud.

NOTE: You will find this option in the "more option" menu from the eye icon in the upper right.

🔒 Read-Only Machines (Optional)

Choose: Download & Read Only

This prevents accidentally editing the files on the cloud and keeps display machines up-to-date.

Step 5: Set Up a Shared Media Folder (Still Required)

Cloud Sync handles:

• Projects

• Shows

• Templates

• Layouts

It does NOT sync large media files.

For media, I recommend using Google Drive.

Media Setup:

1. Create a dedicated Google account for media.

2. Install Google Drive Desktop on all FreeShow machines.

3. Log into the same account on each computer.

4. Create a folder called “Media.”

5. In FreeShow, Settings -> Files -> set that folder as your Media Folder.

Every computer must point to the same media path.

Consistency prevents broken links.

And broken links on Sunday morning are not fun.

Quick Setup Example Scenarios

Scenario 1 — One-Man Band

Laptop at home → Upload & Merge
Church PC → Download & Merge

Scenario 2 — Small Team

Editor PC → Upload & Merge
Sanctuary PC → Download & Merge
Backup PC → Read Only

Scenario 3 — Larger Church

Create separate Teams:

• Sunday Service Team

• Youth Team

• Conference Team

Each team syncs independently.

Final Thoughts

Structure prevents stress.

Don’t wait until something breaks to organize your sync setup.

Whether you are:

A one-man band
A small volunteer team
A multi-team ministry

FreeShow’s new Cloud Sync gives you:

• Clear roles

• Stable backups

• Reliable version control

• Smoother Sundays

And that’s the goal.

Not complicated tech.

Stable ministry.