Event Registration

TimelyChurch provides a full registration system for events, including capacity limits, guest tracking, waitlists, and automatic notifications.

Enabling Registration

Registration can be enabled in two places:

1. When creating an event: In the Create event drawer, turn on the Registration capability card. The Max Registrations, Enable waitlist when full, and Registration fee fields appear.
2. On an existing event: Open the event, click Edit, check Require registration, and click Save changes.

For Event Series, turn on Registration under Features when creating or editing the series.

When registration is turned on for an event, TimelyChurch creates a registration form for it behind the scenes and links it to the event. You'll find it in the Registration forms card on the event's Overview tab.

Registration Settings

Capacity Limit

• Max Registrations -- Set the maximum number of people who can register. Leave blank for unlimited capacity.
• When the maximum is reached, the event shows as "full" and no new registrations are accepted unless a waitlist is enabled.
• The spots remaining are calculated in real time: spots remaining = max registrations minus confirmed registrations.

When Registration Closes

Registration closes automatically once the event has started, when the event is not Active, or when the event is full (unless the waitlist is on).

Registration Fee

Enter a Registration fee to charge for the event ("leave 0 for a free event"). Paid registrations are collected through the event's registration form, with card payments processed by Stripe. Free events show a "Free" badge on the public event page.

How Registration Works

For Members (Linked to a Person Record)

When a church member registers, their registration is linked to their person record in TimelyChurch. This allows you to:

• See who registered in the event's registration form submissions.
• Track their event attendance history.
• Send them targeted communications.

For Guests (No Person Record)

Guests can register by providing:

• Name -- The registrant's full name.
• Email -- An email address for confirmations.

Guest Count

Each registration includes a Guest Count field, allowing a registrant to indicate how many additional guests they are bringing. The total attendees for a registration equals 1 (the registrant) plus the guest count.

Managing Registrations

Viewing Registrations

1. Open the event.
2. The Registered tile at the top shows how many people have registered (for example, "12 of 50" when you set a limit).
3. On the Overview tab, the Registration forms card lists the event's registration form with its number of submissions. Click the form to see everyone who registered and their answers.

Tip: Need extra questions (T-shirt size, allergies)? Open the linked form and add fields to it. You can also link another form with Add form (or Create a form when none is linked yet).

Cancellations

Members cancel their own registration from the Member Portal (see below). When a registration is cancelled and a waitlist exists, the next person on the waitlist is automatically notified that a spot has opened.

To record who actually came on the day, use the Check-In tab — see Event Check-In.

Waitlist

When an event reaches its maximum capacity, additional registrants are placed on a waitlist.

How the Waitlist Works

1. A person tries to register for a full event.
2. Instead of being turned away, they are added to the waitlist with a position number.
3. Waitlist entries are ordered by position (first come, first served).

Waitlist Statuses

Automatic Spot Promotion

When a confirmed registration is cancelled:

1. The system finds the next person on the waitlist with "waiting" status.
2. That person is marked as "notified" and an email is sent telling them a spot is available.
3. They have 48 hours to claim the spot.
4. If they do not respond in time, their entry expires and the next waitlist person is notified.

Tip: The waitlist position is automatically reordered when entries are promoted, cancelled, or expired, so remaining entries always have sequential position numbers.

Confirmation Emails

When someone registers for an event, TimelyChurch can send an automatic confirmation email. This notification includes:

• The event title and date/time.
• The event location.
• A confirmation of their registration.

How People Register

Registration happens through two public-facing surfaces:

1. Public Events Page (no login required)

Visitors discover events through your church's public site:

• Listing: a list of all events marked as Public and Active.
• Event detail: the single-event page with description, location, time, and a registration form (when registration is enabled).

This is the link that appears in newsletters, social media posts, and email reminders.

2. Member Portal (logged-in members)

Authenticated members use their member portal:

• Browse events: see all upcoming events.
• View an event: open any event's detail page.
• Register: sign up directly, specifying a guest count (0-10) and an optional note.
• Cancel a registration: cancel a sign-up. The cancellation triggers automatic waitlist promotion if anyone is waiting.

To keep capacity accurate when several members sign up at the same moment, the system processes each registration in order so two people cannot both claim the last spot. If the event fills up first, the member sees "This event is now full. You may join the waitlist."

Tip: For a Public event, the public event page is the link used in email reminders and in calendar files. Members and guests can register there without needing an account.

Registration for Event Series

When registration is enabled on an Event Series:

• The series uses one shared registration form for all occurrences; registrants pick a date when they submit it. Open it from the Registration card on the series page (Registration form).
• The Max Registrations limit applies per occurrence, not across the entire series.
• The Waitlist feature allows waitlists on each occurrence.