Messaging

TimelyChurch includes a direct messaging system within the Member Portal that allows members to communicate with one another privately. Messaging supports one-on-one and group conversations, file attachments, message reactions, reply threading, read receipts, and message editing.

Accessing Messages

Members access the messaging system through the Member Portal:

1. Log in to the Member Portal using a magic link or linked account.
2. Click Messages in the portal navigation.

The Messages inbox shows all active conversations, with the most recently active conversations appearing first.

Inbox Overview

The inbox displays a list of conversations with the following information for each:

• Conversation title -- Either the subject line (if one was set) or the names of the other participants
• Latest message preview -- A snippet of the most recent message in the conversation
• Sender name -- Who sent the last message
• Timestamp -- When the last message was sent
• Unread indicator -- Conversations with unread messages are highlighted
• Message count -- Total number of messages in the conversation

Inbox Filters

Members can filter their conversations:

• All -- Shows all active conversations
• Unread -- Shows only conversations with unread messages
• Archived -- Shows conversations the member has left/archived

Composing a New Message

1. Click the Compose or New Message button from the inbox.
2. Fill in the message form:

Recipients

Select one or more recipients from the church directory. Only members who are:

• Active in the church directory
• Have "Show in Directory" enabled
• Have an email address on file

will appear as available recipients. Members can also send messages to team recipients.

Tip: If you have been given a direct link to message someone (e.g., from a member's directory profile), the recipient will be pre-filled when you open the compose form.

Subject (Optional)

Add an optional subject line for the conversation. If no subject is set, the conversation will display participant names as the title.

Message Body

Type your message content. Messages support light rich-text formatting through the built-in inline editor, including:

• Bold and italic text
• File attachments
• Emoji
• Plain-text links

The editor is a lightweight in-page text area (built on the browser's native rich-text editing), not a full-featured WYSIWYG library. If you need more advanced formatting (block quotes, code blocks, headings), use the Announcements module or send an Email Campaign instead.

Attachments (Optional)

Attach files to your message. File size limits are configured by the church administrator. Supported file types include documents, images, and other common file formats.

1. Click Send to create the conversation and deliver the message.

When a new message is sent, the recipients receive a notification alerting them to the new conversation.

Viewing a Conversation

Click on any conversation in the inbox to open it. The conversation view shows:

• Conversation header -- The title/subject and list of participants
• Message thread -- All messages in chronological order, oldest first
• Sender information -- Each message displays the sender's name and avatar
• Timestamps -- When each message was sent
• Attachments -- Any files attached to messages are displayed inline or as download links
• Edit indicators -- Messages that have been edited show an "edited" label

Read Receipts

The messaging system tracks when messages are read:

• One-on-one conversations -- You can see when the other person has read your message, with a "Read" status and timestamp
• Group conversations -- You can see how many participants have read your message (e.g., "Read by 3 of 5"), along with individual reader names and timestamps
• Delivered status -- Messages that have been sent but not yet read show a "Delivered" status

Replying to Messages

At the bottom of any conversation, use the message editor to type a reply. The reply supports the same rich text formatting and attachment capabilities as composing a new message.

Replies are added to the bottom of the conversation thread and all participants are notified.

Reply Threading

Messages support reply-to functionality, allowing you to reply directly to a specific message within the conversation. This helps maintain context in longer conversations with multiple topics.

Message Reactions

Members can react to individual messages with emoji. Reactions provide a lightweight way to acknowledge or respond to messages without typing a full reply.

• Click the reaction button on any message to add a reaction
• If you have already reacted with a specific emoji, clicking it again removes the reaction
• Reaction counts are displayed grouped by emoji type on each message

Editing Messages

Messages can be edited after sending, with the following limitations:

• Time window -- Messages can only be edited within 15 minutes of being sent
• Edit limit -- Each message can be edited a maximum of 5 times
• Edit history -- The system maintains a history of previous versions. Edited messages show an "edited" indicator

To edit a message:

1. Click the edit option on your own message
2. Modify the text
3. Save the changes

Note: Only the message sender can edit their own messages. Other participants cannot edit messages they did not send.

Archiving Conversations

Members can archive (leave) conversations they no longer wish to see in their inbox:

• Archived conversations move to the "Archived" filter in the inbox
• Archiving does not delete the conversation -- other participants can still see it
• Members can rejoin an archived conversation, which moves it back to the active inbox

Marking Conversations as Read/Unread

• Mark as Read -- Opening a conversation automatically marks it as read. All individual messages within the conversation are also marked as read for the viewing member.
• Mark as Unread -- Members can manually mark a conversation as unread to come back to it later. This sets the "last read" timestamp to just before the latest message, so the conversation appears as having unread content.

Group Conversations

Messaging supports conversations with multiple participants:

• When composing a new message, select multiple recipients to create a group conversation
• All participants can see all messages in the conversation
• Read receipts show which participants have read each message
• The conversation title displays participant names (up to 3, with "+X more" for additional participants) unless a subject was set

Notifications for New Messages

When a new message is received, the system:

1. Creates an in-app notification for the recipient
2. Sends a push notification (if the recipient has push notifications enabled)
3. Sends an email notification (if the recipient has email notifications enabled)

The notification includes the sender's name and a preview of the message, with a link to open the conversation directly.

Privacy and Security

• Messages are scoped to the church -- members can only message other members within the same church
• Only members who appear in the church directory (with "Show in Directory" enabled) can be selected as recipients
• Conversations verify participant membership -- users cannot access conversations they are not part of
• Session security checks help prevent unauthorized access to the messaging system

Related Articles

• Communication Overview
• Notifications