Family Join Requests
If a member does not belong to a family yet, they can ask to join an existing household right from the member portal. It is a short, two-sided flow: the member finds the family and clicks Join, and the family's own head of household or spouse approves or declines it from their My Family page. There is no role picker, no message field, and no staff queue. The whole exchange happens between the requester and the family.
Why a Request, Not Instant Self-Add?
Letting anyone attach themselves to a household instantly would create real risks:
- Someone could join the wrong "Smith Family" out of two that share a last name.
- A person could attach themselves to a household they have no real connection to.
Routing the request through the family's own head or spouse keeps households in control of who joins them, without pulling staff into every change.
Member Side: Sending a Request
A member only sees this flow when they do not already belong to a family. It appears on their My Family page as a "Let's connect you to a household" panel.
- The member signs in to the member portal and opens My Family.
- Under Find Family ("Join an existing household in your church."), they type a family name (at least 2 characters) into the search box and click Search.
- Matching households appear in a results list, showing the family name and, when available, the first names of the head of household and spouse.
- They click Join next to the household they belong to.
That is the entire request. There is no role picker and no message field to fill in.
The request is saved with a Pending status. While it waits for a decision, the household shows up in a Pending Requests list (marked "Waiting") on the member's own Family page.
Note: A member cannot send a second pending request to the same family, and cannot request to join a family they already belong to.
Family Side: Approving or Declining
Only the family's own head of household or spouse can see or act on a join request. Nobody else can. There is no staff-side queue and no admin visibility into pending requests. If a request needs attention and no head or spouse is available, the requester needs to reach out directly; there is no escalation path built in.
- When a request arrives, each head of household and spouse who has an email address receives an email with a Review Request button. If they have a member portal login, they also get an in-app notification.
- The head or spouse signs in and opens their My Family page.
- If anyone has asked to join, a Pending Join Requests section ("These people want to join your family:") appears at the top of the page, above the household cards, showing each requester's name and email.
- They click Approve to add the person, or Decline to turn the request down. The requester is notified either way.
What Happens on Approve
- The person is added to the family immediately.
- The family's address is copied to their profile (unless they already have one set).
- They are included in household mailings by default.
Tip: The join flow always adds the new member with the role Other, regardless of whether they are actually a spouse, adult child, or other relative. Members cannot change roles from the portal, so if the role should be Spouse, Child, or something else, ask the church office: staff can change it from the person's Family tab. See Family Management. Guardian, pickup, and emergency permissions are not given automatically either; staff turn those on.
What Happens on Decline
The request is closed and the family is left unchanged. There are no review notes to fill in.
A child can never approve or reject a join request, and children do not receive the approver emails. A Parent or Step Parent who is a legal guardian can also approve joins, like every other household check.
Status Reference
| Status | What It Means | Who Sees It |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Submitted, waiting on the family's head or spouse | The requester sees it in their own "Pending Requests" list; the family's head/spouse see it in the "Pending Join Requests" banner |
| Approved | The person was added to the family (role: Other) | The requester sees themselves on the family card |
| Declined | Request was turned down; family unchanged | The request simply disappears from the family's pending banner |
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Last updated: 2026-10-21 (8.205.306).
Verified against TimelyChurch 8.205.308 on 2026-10-23.