Connecting Parents on Telegram at Check-In
When a parent connects their Telegram account, your church can reach them instantly if a teacher needs them during a service — no paid texting plan, no separate sign-up step. The easiest place to connect a parent is right at the door, the moment they drop their child off at Check-In.
Who Can Do This
This isn't something a volunteer has to remember to switch on — it appears automatically during Check-In. Whether it appears is controlled by two settings a church admin owns:
- Your church has connected its Telegram bot (Settings → Integrations).
- The Auto-invite to Telegram option there is turned on (it is on by default).
No login, permission, or extra step is required from the parent — they simply check their child in as usual.
How a Parent Connects at Drop-Off
- A parent checks their child in, either at the kiosk or through walk-in guest check-in.
- On the confirmation screen, below the security code, a card appears: "Get a message if we need you during the service," with a QR code.
- If the parent has an email address on file, the same one-tap connect link is emailed to them at the same time.
- They can use whichever is easier: scan the QR code or open the email link. Both lead to the same place.
- Tapping either one opens Telegram with their church's chat already started — no hunting for a username.
- They tap Start in the chat, and they're connected.
Tip: This never delays or blocks Check-In. A parent can head straight to the room without touching the QR code at all — they'll simply see the same prompt next time.
If They Don't Have Telegram Installed Yet
Telegram is a free app for iPhone, Android, and the web. The parent installs it, then re-scans the same QR code or taps the same email link — a volunteer doesn't need to regenerate anything. The link stays valid for about a week, so the emailed copy still works later that day or later in the week.
What Happens After Connecting
- They become reachable by private message if a teacher needs them during class — see Parent Pager: paging a guardian during class.
- Connecting at drop-off is what makes that message possible — the parent doesn't have to dig through separate notification settings.
- The connection isn't tied to a single visit. Once linked, the parent stays reachable at future classes, with other children, and on any serving team they later join.
- On a later visit, an already-connected parent sees a simple "Connected on Telegram" confirmation instead of the QR card, so nobody is asked twice.
Which Adult This Works For (Important Safety Note)
The QR code and email link only connect the adult who is physically present checking the child in at that moment — the one signing the consent at drop-off, or the group's adult for a first-time visitor.
Note: TimelyChurch never generates a Telegram connect link for a guardian who is not physically present checking the child in that day, even if that guardian is part of the same family record. The other parent connects at their own drop-off, or any time from their own Member Portal profile.
Turning This On or Off for Your Church
- Go to Settings → Integrations.
- Find the Auto-invite to Telegram card.
- Turn off Auto-invite new team members if you'd rather not offer the prompt at Check-In (this single switch covers both team-join invitations and the Check-In prompt).
- The Linked members list on the same page shows who has connected so far, and when.
Disconnecting
A parent can unlink their own Telegram at any time: Member Portal → Profile → Connected accounts → Unlink. They can reconnect later the same way, or the next time they check a child in.