Part 1: Recreating the FreeShow Setup for Your Church

From PowerPoint to Powerful Presentations

By Garry B. Jr., Media Consultant

If you’re transitioning your ministry or organization from PowerPoint or EasyWorship, you’re not alone. Many teams start with those familiar tools but soon find they need something more flexible, modern, and ministry-ready. That’s where FreeShow comes in.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the real-world example of Cabina, an organization that submitted a FreeShow planning form, and how I approached their setup from start to finish. Whether you're brand new to FreeShow or trying to level up your presentation game, this guide is for you.

Step 1: Importing Your Existing Files

Cabina came from EasyWorship and PowerPoint, and they also used PDFs. To get started in FreeShow without losing content:

• Click File > Import

• Choose from:

  • FreeShow Imports

  • Text Imports (for PPT or EasyWorship slides)

  • PDF Imports

This lets you bring in your existing files with minimal reformatting, which is especially helpful for teams making the switch for the first time.

Step 2: Creating a New Show in FreeShow

Head to the bottom tab labeled "Shows" and click “New Show.” You’ll be prompted to name your show and assign it a category (e.g., “Presentations”).

You have three options for starting your show:

• Quick Lyrics – best for pasting notes or sermon points

• Web Search – pulls in song lyrics directly

• Empty Show – build it slide by slide

Pro Tip: I use “Quick Lyrics” for sermon notes or any text-based teaching outline.

Once you paste in content, you can:

• Automatically assign groupings

• Choose lines per slide (1 line for verses or points; 3+ for full notes)

And yes—you’ll see a real-time preview window on the right side. No need for an external screen just to preview your slides. FreeShow shows you what your audience will see, right inside the app.

Step 3: Adding Scriptures Seamlessly

FreeShow makes it simple to integrate Bible verses. Just:

• Click the “Scripture” tab

• Type something like Gal 5:1

• Drag and drop the verse into your show

If you’re pulling multiple verses:

• Command+A / Control+A to select all

• Right-click > Convert to Show

Each verse gets its own slide with the proper styling from your selected template. You can even insert scripture between sermon points by dragging it to the right place in your show sequence.

Step 4: Understanding FreeShow Projects

Each Show in FreeShow stands on its own:

• One for sermon points

• One for songs

• One for full scripture sets

But all these shows can be housed under a single Project—a container that keeps everything organized for a service or event.

When you’re ready to present:

• Click the arrow icon (Present) on the top right of the program

• It instantly sends that slide to your audience screen(s)

Step 5: Setting Up Multiple Displays (The Smart Way)

Cabina had three audience displays. In FreeShow, that still counts as one output, because the visuals are the same across all screens. Here’s how to set that up:

1. Connect your computer to an HDMI splitter (1 input, 3+ outputs)

2. In FreeShow:

   • Go to Settings > Outputs

   • Create a New Output (choose “Normal” for audience screens)

   • Name it something like 1-Primary, 2-LiveStream, etc.

FreeShow organizes outputs alphabetically, so I recommend numbering them to control the preview order.

Make sure to:

• Enable “Always on Top” so nothing covers your slides

• Turn on NDI Audio if you use OBS or similar software

• Use Invisible Window if you're outputting wirelessly

• Use Transparent Output for live streaming with lower-thirds via NDI

Closing Thoughts

FreeShow is more than a slide tool—it’s a ministry presentation powerhouse. Whether you’re importing past files or building fresh content from scratch, it’s built to help you present with clarity and confidence.

If this walkthrough helped you, please:

• Leave a comment with your thoughts or questions

• Share this with someone who’s also building their media ministry

• Help us build a community of learners and leaders in tech ministry by subscribing to my Youtube channel @thegarrybjr

• Need More Help: Get the No-Nonsense Beginner's Guide to FreeShow