Data Import & Export
Audience: This article is for church administrators.
TimelyChurch makes it easy to import your people from other church management platforms and export your data for reporting, backup, or migration purposes.
The supported formats below are detected automatically based on your file's column headers.
Importing People (CSV Import)
Smart Auto-Detection
TimelyChurch features a smart import system that automatically detects which church management platform your CSV file came from and maps the columns accordingly. Supported platforms include:
| Platform | Auto-Detected |
|---|---|
| Planning Center | Yes |
| Breeze ChMS | Yes |
| ChurchTrac | Yes |
| Elvanto | Yes |
| Tithely | Yes |
| Realm (ACS) | Yes |
| Pushpay / CCB | Yes |
| Servant Keeper | Yes |
| Church Windows | Yes |
| Generic CSV | Yes (fallback) |
When you upload a CSV file, the system examines the column headers and automatically identifies the source platform. It then maps the columns to TimelyChurch fields without any manual configuration needed.
Note: The import window highlights a few of the most common platforms (Planning Center, Breeze ChMS, ChurchTrac, Elvanto, Tithely, plus "Any CSV"), but auto-detection works for every platform in the table above.
How to Import People
- Navigate to the People section in the left sidebar.
- Click the Add Person button in the top-right corner to open its dropdown menu.
- Select Import from File. The Import People window opens.
- Prepare your CSV file with your people data. If you are not migrating from another platform, click Download template at the bottom of the window to get a pre-formatted starter file (optional).
- Drag and drop your CSV file onto the upload area, or click to browse and select it.
- Leave Skip duplicates checked (recommended). When enabled, the system checks for existing people by matching first name, last name, and email address.
- Click Import People.
What Gets Imported
The import maps the following data from your CSV to TimelyChurch person records:
- Name fields: First name, last name, middle name, nickname, prefix, suffix
- Contact information: Email, secondary email, mobile phone, home phone, work phone
- Personal details: Gender, birthdate, anniversary date, marital status
- Address: Street address (line 1 and 2), city, state, zip/postal code, country
- Church-specific: Membership status, family relationships, active/inactive status
Family Grouping
If your source platform includes family/household identifiers (family ID, household name, etc.), TimelyChurch will:
- Automatically create family records
- Group people into the correct families
- Preserve family roles (head, spouse, child, etc.) when available
Import Results
After the import completes, you will see a confirmation message reporting:
- Source detected -- Which platform format was recognized (e.g., "Detected Planning Center format")
- People imported -- Number of new person records created
- Families created -- Number of new family records created
- Duplicates skipped -- Number of records that matched existing people
- Rows skipped -- Number of rows with errors (e.g., missing required fields)
Tip: Always do a test import with a small subset of your data first (10-20 records) to verify everything maps correctly before importing your entire directory.
Using the CSV Template
If you are not migrating from another platform and want to enter people manually via spreadsheet:
- On the People page, open the Add Person dropdown and choose Import from File, then click Download template inside the Import window.
- Open the template in Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet editor. It includes columns for first name, last name, email, mobile phone, gender, membership status, birthdate, and a basic mailing address.
- Fill in your people data following the column headers. First name and last name are required.
- Save as CSV format.
- Import the file back into TimelyChurch using the same Import window.
Import Limits
- Maximum file size: 10 MB
- File formats: CSV (.csv) or plain text (.txt)
Exporting Data
TimelyChurch lets you export your people and family data as CSV files for reporting, analysis, or backup.
How to Export
- Navigate to Settings in the left sidebar to open the Church Settings page.
- In the tab bar near the top, click the Export tab.
- Choose your export and click its Export CSV button:
- Export People -- Downloads all person records
- Export Families -- Downloads all family records
Each export downloads every record of that type. The CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet app.
People Export Fields
The people CSV export includes the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Internal record ID |
| First Name | Person's first name |
| Last Name | Person's last name |
| Email address | |
| Phone | Phone number |
| Birthdate | Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD format) |
| Gender | Male, Female, or other |
| Address | Street address |
| City | City |
| State | State or province |
| Zip | Postal/ZIP code |
| Membership Status | Member, Visitor, Regular Attender, etc. |
| Is Active | Yes or No |
| Is Teacher | Yes or No |
| Family Name | Name of the family they belong to |
| Family Role | Head, Spouse, Child, etc. |
| Classes | Comma-separated list of class enrollments |
| Notes | Any notes on the person's record |
| Created At | When the record was created |
Family Export Fields
The family CSV export includes:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Internal record ID |
| Family Name | Family surname |
| Address | Street address |
| City | City |
| State | State or province |
| Zip | Postal/ZIP code |
| Primary Phone | Main family phone number |
| Primary Email | Main family email address |
| Member Count | Number of people in the family |
| Members | Comma-separated list of family members |
| Created At | When the record was created |
Export File Naming
Exported files are automatically named using your church name and the date of export (in YYYY-MM-DD format):
- People:
your-church-name-people-YYYY-MM-DD.csv - Families:
your-church-name-families-YYYY-MM-DD.csv
Tips for Successful Data Migration
-
Clean your data first. Before importing, review your CSV file for duplicate entries, inconsistent formatting, and missing required fields (first name and last name at minimum).
-
Start with a test batch. Import 10-20 records first to verify the field mapping looks correct.
-
Leave "Skip duplicates" checked. This prevents accidentally creating duplicate records if you import the same file twice.
-
Check family groupings. After import, spot-check a few families to make sure members were grouped correctly.
-
Back up before bulk operations. Export your current data before doing a large import, so you have a snapshot to reference if anything goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I import data from a platform that is not listed? A: Yes. If your platform is not auto-detected, TimelyChurch will use the Generic CSV format and attempt to match common column headers (first_name, last_name, email, phone, etc.). You may need to rename your CSV columns to match standard names.
Q: Will importing overwrite existing records? A: No. The import only creates new records. If "Skip duplicates" is enabled, records matching an existing person (by first name, last name, and email) will be skipped. Existing records are never modified by the import process.
Q: Can I import giving/donation history? A: The people import focuses on contact and directory data. Giving history import may be available through separate financial data import features.
Q: How long does a large import take? A: Most imports of several hundred records complete in under a minute. Very large imports (thousands of records) may take a few minutes.
Q: What if some rows fail during import? A: The import result summary will tell you how many rows were skipped due to errors. Common causes include missing first or last names, invalid email formats, or unreadable data. Successfully imported records are not affected by failed rows.