The theme provides a comprehensive options panel to control global settings.

Navigate to the top-level Theme Options menu. Choose the section you need for branding, layout, location, contact, social, or giving settings. No guided tour is required.

Church content and integrations belong to Grace Church Core. They remain available under Settings > Church Settings after switching themes. The Grace Theme Options screen also exposes these same saved values; it does not create a second copy.

  • Branding & Logo: Site title, logo upload, primary color, and dark mode configuration.
  • WordPress login: While Grace Video is active, wp-login.php automatically uses the church name, tagline, logo, and a contrast-safe version of the primary color. A bundled Grace logo replaces the WordPress mark on a fresh install; uploading a Site Logo updates both the site and login screen. Authentication behavior and login URLs remain WordPress-owned.
  • Ask Grace (Core 1.6.14+): Open the toolbar link or bottom-right launcher in wp-admin. Ask where a setting is, how to do something, or what is missing. Answers include direct links and short steps. Open the affected sermon first for permission-checked media diagnostics; these read saved fields only, not unsaved edits or remote playback. Automatic-import questions can show saved schedule, date range, Shorts policy, queue counts and worker reservations. Ask again to refresh a snapshot. “Where is that?” follows the previous topic in the open conversation. A new topic should name the feature.
  • Local help and optional AI: Basic Ask Grace needs no API key. Administrators can opt into AI wording help using the provider selected in Sermon AI Tools; it is off by default. Only the current question, previous help-topic ID and built-in help catalog are sent. Common URLs/emails are removed, and likely credentials are blocked; never paste secrets. Saved sermon content and diagnostics are not sent. The provider selects an existing topic, not executable actions or invented links. Failed or uncertain provider responses fall back to local help. This is not unrestricted AI chat. Existing provider billing applies.
  • Safe changes and feedback: Ask Grace only changes registered reversible settings after a preview and your confirmation. It cannot publish or delete content or edit code. Ratings record the help topic, a selected reason and time in your WordPress account, not the question text; they do not train or automatically change answers. Recent questions stay in this browser tab's session storage (up to 20). Clear this session removes them and resets follow-up context and AI opt-in; it does not erase the separate saved action audit. For unresolved issues, share the feature, exact error and steps with your site administrator or host, without passwords or keys.
  • Typography: Locally bundled font selections for headings and body text.
  • Header & Navigation: Menu layout, sticky header, and navigation style preferences. Mobile bottom navigation defaults to All mobile browsers on screens narrower than 992px and stays hidden on desktop. Select Installed app only (PWA) to limit it to installed apps, or Off, then use Save All Options. Existing saved choices are preserved when updating the theme. Defaults are Home, Sermons, Events and Contact when those destinations exist, plus More to open the main menu. To replace them, assign a menu to Mobile Bottom Menu in Appearance > Menus; only its first four top-level links appear, with the existing icon picker. No account is required. The bottom bar controls navigation, not installation or offline downloads.
  • App Icons & Shortcuts: Under Branding, the saved mobile acronym names home-screen shortcuts and installed apps, even when the mobile-header checkbox is off. An empty acronym uses Site Title; SEO titles stay unchanged. The theme supplies an online web app manifest and generates square 32, 180, 192, 270 and 512 pixel PNGs plus a separate maskable icon. A dedicated WordPress Site Icon takes priority over the header logo; originals are not cropped or replaced. Use a local PNG or JPG at least 512 pixels wide for best clarity. Visit the admin once after an update to prepare icons, then check the saved preview under Branding. If preparation fails, resolve the displayed host/image issue and select Retry preparing app icons. Installation requires HTTPS and a supported browser. No offline caching or playback is added. Purge page caches after updating branding, and remove/re-add old phone shortcuts if they retain the previous icon or name.
  • Announcements: Urgent announcements bar for weather cancellations, special events, etc.
  • Homepage setup: In Theme Setup or Theme Options → Page Layouts, choose Use Grace as my homepage. Grace reuses your current published homepage, or creates a dedicated Home page if needed, and assigns it in WordPress Reading settings. No demo import or manual template choice is required. Existing page content, posts, menus, and the posts-page assignment are kept. This action saves homepage setup only; save other pending Theme Options changes first. Theme activation never changes your homepage automatically.
  • Page Layouts: Choose from Modern, Traditional, Minimalist, or App-style homepage layouts, then choose Save All Options. The sticky save bar keeps saving and status visible in every tab. To return to ordinary page content, use Prefer WordPress page content? in the homepage panel; review that page's content before switching. Settings → Reading remains available for another front page or latest posts.
  • Header branding: In Branding & Logo, enter the Site Title and Tagline and enable Show the site title and tagline beside the logo, then Save All Options. The Customizer reads the same visibility setting. Desktop sidebar layouts give branding room beyond the sidebar width, wrapping long names instead of truncating them; mobile retains the optional acronym and hides the tagline.
  • App Layout Rows: Configure and reorder content rows for the App-style homepage.
  • Homepage Text: Welcome heading and description text.
  • Service & Location: Name and reorder each gathering, set its time, and optionally add public details beneath it for monthly dates, alternate locations, or contact instructions. Notes retain line breaks in the homepage, menu, footer, and Plan a Visit schedule. Keep private addresses out of these notes. The main church address powers map integration.
  • Blog & Archives: Blog listing styles and archive page settings.
  • Social Media: Links to your church's social profiles (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.).
  • Giving: Online giving platform integration and configuration.
  • Footer Options: Mission statement, contact email, copyright text, and theme credit settings. Add optional blocks or widgets in Appearance > Widgets > Footer Column 1, 2 or 3. Active columns appear below your church details; empty columns are hidden. Widget links inherit the footer colors with readable hover and keyboard-focus states.
  • Welcome Video: Hero video configuration for the homepage.
  • Contact Info: Church phone, email, and contact details. Newsletter subscriptions are not built into the theme. Choose a newsletter plugin and place its block or shortcode on a page or in a footer widget. If upgrading, a previously saved newsletter shortcode is retained in the database but no longer displayed automatically.
  • SEO & Scripts: Custom head/footer scripts for analytics, tracking codes, etc.
  • Maintenance Mode: Enable a "Coming Soon" page while building your site.
  • Sermon AI Tools: AI-powered sermon metadata generation (requires Sermon AI Tools plugin).
  • Podcast RSS: Configure your sermon podcast feed for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.
  • Cloud Storage: Cloud-based media storage integration.
  • Admin Settings: Simplified admin mode for church secretaries and editors.