Groups are the fundamental tool for segmenting individuals and act as a backbone of your ChMS database. They are collections of individuals who have something in common, like their relationship to the church, participation in a ministry or small group, communication or event lists, etc.
Groups are also vital to an organized database, serving as sources for creating reports, taking attendance, and mass communication, to name only three.
You don't need to add them all immediately, but having a well thought-through Group structure will streamline your ministry management and goals.
Pro-Tip: While every ministry is unique, check out our Top 7 Suggested Group Types to organize and streamline ministry management!
Create Groups
- Navigate to Groups from the left menu, then click Add.
- Give the Group a Name, Choose Leader(s), and give the Group a Description. Note that group descriptions will display publicly if using the Group Finder tool.
- Add an Address, if appropriate. This will allow the group to be found geographically if using Group Finder.
- Add a Meeting Day and Time if the group will meet at a consistent, specific time.
- Click Edit under Properties (next to None) and select the properties that will define this group.
- Select whether you will be tracking individual attendance using this group or using it for check-in.
- When you're done selecting the settings for this Group, click Save. You will be taken to the Group Information page for your newly created Group.
- To begin adding people to the Group, click the tri-dot menu, then select Add Individuals to this Group.
- Search person-by-person, clicking to add their names in the modal. Once you've added all the individuals, click Done.
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Congratulations, you've reached the end of the Quick Start Guide. You're now ready to begin using your database and can set it up even further as you go. Begin exploring the database, try making a Form, practice building a Workflow, and explore other help topics to help you along!
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