Event Check-In and Attendance

TimelyChurch tracks who was at your events through the Check-In system. Check-In powers real-time arrival tracking with sessions, security codes, and a kiosk, and it's also the engine behind your class Students roster and meeting Attendees list. Each event opens as the Event Hub, and these tools appear as tabs across the top of that page (Check-In, Students, or Attendees, depending on the event type).

Check-In

Check-In is designed for real-time tracking of people arriving at an event. It works through check-in sessions that you start and stop as needed.

Enabling Check-In

Check-In is enabled by default for Worship Service, Class/Study, and Event types. For Meeting events, or to enable it manually on any event:

1. Open the event (the Event Hub).
2. Click the Add (or Add capability) button on the tab bar.
3. Toggle Check-In on under the People group.
4. The Check-In tab appears in the Event Hub's tab bar.

Starting a Check-In Session

1. Open the event and click the Check-In tab.
2. Click Start session.
3. The session is now active and ready to accept check-ins.

While a session is active, the Check-In tab shows "Check-in is live" with a pulsing indicator and a running count of how many people have checked in.

Checking People In

Once a session is active, you can check people in using the Quick check-in search:

1. Type a person's name or phone number in the search box (minimum 2 characters).
2. Matching people from your church's database appear in the results.
3. Click the Check in button next to a person's name.
4. A confirmation message appears with the person's name and a security code.

Tip: The security code is useful for children's ministry check-in, where parents receive a code that must match at pickup time.

Security Codes and the Pickup Workflow

Every check-in record generates a unique security code that ties the child to the adult who dropped them off. The standard children's ministry pattern is:

1. Drop-off: Parent or guardian checks the child in. The system assigns a security code (visible in the kiosk confirmation, on the parent label, and on the child label).
2. Labels printed: A label with the security code is printed for the child's nametag and a matching label is given to the parent.
3. Pickup: At the end of the session, the parent presents their copy. A volunteer compares it to the child's label and only releases the child when the codes match.

This prevents a child from being released to the wrong adult and creates an audit trail tied to the check-in record.

Printable Check-In Labels

TimelyChurch supports designing custom printable label layouts through label templates. A label template defines the physical label dimensions (width, height, unit, orientation) and the data elements that print on it.

Built-in template types:

• Child -- For children's nametags during ministry events.
• Parent -- For the matching pickup receipt the parent keeps.
• Volunteer -- For staff and volunteer badges.
• Custom -- For any other label use case (visitor, name tag, etc.).

Available label fields include person details (first name, last name, full name, nickname, age, birthdate, grade), check-in details (security code, check-in time, class/group name, room name, session name), medical alerts (allergies, special notes, medical notes), church branding (church name, church logo), and static elements (custom text, custom image, horizontal line, QR code, security shield icon).

Templates can be marked as default (auto-selected for their type), active, or system (built-in, not deletable). Templates can be designed once and reused across all events that have check-in enabled.

Viewing Checked-In People

Below the search area, a Checked in section shows everyone currently checked in to the active session, including:

• Their name and initials.
• When they checked in (e.g., "5 minutes ago").
• Their security code (if applicable).

Kiosk Mode

For self-service check-in, you can open a dedicated kiosk view:

1. While a session is active, click Open kiosk.
2. A new browser tab opens with a full-screen kiosk interface.
3. Place this on a tablet or monitor at your welcome station.

The kiosk allows attendees or greeters to search and check in people without accessing the full admin interface.

Ending a Session

When the event is over or check-in is complete:

1. Click the End session button on the Check-In tab.
2. The session is deactivated.
3. All check-in records are preserved for reporting.

Check-In for Event Series

When check-in is enabled on a recurring event series, each occurrence can have its own check-in session. The session is linked to that specific event occurrence, so check-in counts are tracked per occurrence.

Class and Meeting Attendance

Attendance is part of the same Check-In system, surfaced through two type-specific tabs in the Event Hub: the Students tab for class/study events and the Attendees tab for meetings. Both let you build a roster of people and record who was present by checking them in.

The Students Tab (Classes)

For Class/Study events, the Students tab appears in the Event Hub. It shows the class roster and lets you check students in during a session.

1. Open the event and click the Students tab.
2. You will see the list of students enrolled in the class (typically members of the hosting group).
3. The header shows how many are enrolled, and how many are present once a session is active.

When a check-in session is active, each student has a Check in button, and the header offers a Check in all button to mark the whole roster present at once. Students who are checked in show an In badge with the time and any security code, and can be checked out with the Out button.

Note: The Students tab requires the event to be linked to a class (hosting group). If no group is linked, edit the event and select a hosting group to enable student tracking.

Adding a Student

To add someone to the class roster:

1. Click Add student from the Students tab.
2. Search for an existing person by name.
3. Click Add next to the person in the results. They are enrolled in the class roster.

People already enrolled show an Enrolled badge so you don't add them twice.

The Attendees Tab (Meetings)

For Meeting events with attendance enabled, the Attendees tab appears instead of Students.

1. Open the event and click the Attendees tab.
2. Use the Add attendee button to search for and check in people.
3. If no session is active, click Start Check-In to begin recording attendance.

The attendee list shows:

• Each person's name and photo (or initials).
• When they were checked in.
• Their current status: Present (still checked in) or Checked out.

You can check someone out with the Check out button while a session is active. A summary at the bottom shows the total attendee count and how many are currently present.

Adding an Attendee

1. From the Attendees tab, click Add attendee.
2. Search by name (at least 2 characters).
3. Click Check in next to the person to record their attendance.

Understanding the Difference

Check-In, Students, and Attendees all run on the same check-in engine; the difference is how each is presented for the event type.

Tip: For large worship services, use the Check-In tab with the kiosk. For Sunday School classes, use the Students tab to build the roster and check students in. You can enable Check-In on the same event that has a Students or Attendees tab.