Group Participation

Groups are a central part of church life -- from small groups and Bible studies to ministry teams and interest-based communities. The Member Portal lets you discover groups, join them, and manage the groups you lead.

Finding and Joining Groups

Browsing Public Groups

Your church may list public groups on their church home page or website. To view available groups:

1. Visit your church's public page.
2. Look for the Groups section.
3. Browse the available groups, each showing the group name, description, type (public or private), and current member count.
4. Click on a group to see its full details, including meeting schedule, location, leaders, and member list.

Joining a Group

To join an open group:

1. Navigate to the group's detail page.
2. Click the Join Group button.
3. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to sign in first.
4. You will see a confirmation: "You have successfully joined [Group Name]!"

Some things to know about joining groups:

• Open groups allow you to join immediately.
• Groups requiring approval will submit your request to the group leader. You will see the message: "Your registration has been submitted! A group leader will review and approve your request."
• Full groups will not allow new members to join until space opens up. You will see: "This group is currently full."
• Already a member? If you try to join a group you are already in, you will see: "You are already a member of this group."

Guest Registration

Some groups allow guests to register without creating a portal account. If available, you will see a guest registration form asking for:

• First name and last name (required)
• Email address (required)
• Phone number (optional)
• Notes (optional)

Groups You Lead (My Groups)

If you are a leader or co-leader of any groups, you have access to the My Groups section in the portal.

Accessing My Groups

1. Log in to the Member Portal.
2. Look for the Leadership section in the sidebar navigation.
3. Click My Groups.

Note: This section only appears if you are designated as a leader or co-leader of at least one group.

My Groups Dashboard

The My Groups page shows at a glance:

• Total Groups -- How many groups you lead.
• Total Members -- The combined membership across all your groups.
• Upcoming Events -- Events associated with your groups.

Below the stats, each group is listed as a card showing:

• Group name and type (public, private, or class)
• Number of active members
• A link to view the group's full details

Group Detail Page

Click on any group to see its full management view:

• Member List -- All active members with their names, photos, and roles. You can see who is a leader, co-leader, or regular member.
• Meeting History -- Recent meeting records showing dates, topics, and attendance counts.
• Group Events -- Events hosted by this group with registration counts.
• Group Address -- The meeting location (if set).

Editing Group Information

You can update your group's basic details from the group detail page:

1. Click the Edit icon next to the group name (or open Group Settings).
2. Update the description, meeting day/time, location, capacity, and other details.
3. Click Save Changes.

Changing the Group Image

To upload or replace the photo that represents your group in the directory and on member dashboards:

1. On the group detail page, click the camera icon on the current group image (or click Upload Image if there is none).
2. Select an image file from your device. Square images work best.
3. The image uploads immediately. Refresh the page to confirm.

Toggling Open / Closed

You can quickly open or close your group to new members without deleting it:

1. Look for the Open to New Members toggle on the group detail page.
2. Switch it off to stop accepting new join requests (existing members are unaffected).
3. Switch it back on when you are ready to accept new members again.

A closed group still appears in the directory but the Join button is hidden.

Recording a Meeting

As a group leader, you can record meetings with attendance:

1. On the group detail page, look for the Record Meeting section.
2. Enter the meeting date.
3. Optionally add a topic and notes.
4. Check the box next to each member who was present.
5. Click Save Meeting.

The meeting will be recorded with the attendance count and can be viewed in the meeting history.

Hosting a Group Event

You can create events that are tied to your specific group:

1. On the group detail page, click Create Event.
2. Fill in the event title, date, time, location, description, and registration cap.
3. Click Save.

The event will appear on the group page for members to register. To delete it later, open the event from the group page and click Delete Event.

Viewing Event Registrations and RSVPs

If your group hosts events or recurring meetings:

1. On the group detail page, find the event in the events list.
2. Click to view registrations -- you will see each registrant's name, guest count, and any notes they added.
3. For meetings, members can RSVP "Yes," "No," or "Maybe" right from their dashboard, and you will see the responses on the meeting record.

Managing Join Requests

When your group requires approval to join, requests show up in a Pending Join Requests list:

1. On the group detail page, click Join Requests (or look for the badge with a count).
2. Review each request -- you will see the person's name, photo, and any optional message they included.
3. Click Approve to add them to the group, or Deny to reject the request. The person will be notified either way.

Adding or Removing Members Manually

Leaders can add an existing church member directly without waiting for them to request to join:

1. On the group detail page, click Add Member.
2. Search for the person by name and select them from the results.
3. Click Add to Group.

To remove a member, find them in the member list, click the Remove action next to their name, and confirm. They will lose access to group resources and any RSVPs they had.

Promoting from the Waitlist

If your group is full, new join attempts go onto a waitlist in the order they arrived:

1. On the group detail page, expand the Waitlist section.
2. When a spot opens (someone leaves, or you increase the capacity), click Promote next to the next person on the list.
3. They become a regular member instantly and are notified by email.

You can also remove someone from the waitlist if they reach out and ask to be taken off.

Sharing Resources

Group leaders can upload files (sermon notes, reading lists, study guides, audio recordings) for the group:

1. On the group detail page, expand the Resources section.
2. Click Upload Resource, choose a file from your device, and add an optional description.
3. The file becomes available to every member of the group, who can click Download to grab a copy.
4. Leaders can delete a resource at any time using the trash icon next to the file.

Group Prayer Requests

Members and leaders can post prayer requests inside the group -- these stay private to the group and are separate from the church-wide Prayer Wall.

1. On the group detail page, expand the Group Prayer Requests section.
2. Click Add Prayer Request, enter your request, and submit.
3. Other group members will see it on the group page (and on their dashboard if they have group notifications enabled).
4. When a prayer is answered, the leader (or the person who posted it) clicks Mark as Answered to celebrate the result.
5. Leaders can delete a prayer request if it is no longer relevant.

Tip: Use the church-wide Prayer Wall for requests you want everyone to see, and the group prayer list for needs that should stay within your circle.

Emailing the Group

Need to send a quick update to everyone in your group?

1. On the group detail page, click Send Email to Group.
2. Enter a subject line and the body of your message.
3. Click Send.

The email goes to every active member of the group at the email address on their member profile. The message is delivered as a regular email -- there is no reply-thread tracking inside the portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I leave a group? A: Group membership changes are managed by group leaders or church administrators. Contact your group leader if you need to leave a group.

Q: I am a group leader but do not see the My Groups section. Why? A: Make sure you are designated as a "leader" or "co_leader" for the group in the system. Contact your church administrator to verify your role assignment.

Q: Can I see which groups my family members are in? A: The Activity page in your portal shows check-in and attendance data for your family members, which includes group attendance.

Q: Can private groups be viewed without logging in? A: No. Private groups require you to log in to the Member Portal. You will be redirected to the login page if you try to access a private group while not signed in.