Manage group settings
When you create a group, you want people to be able to find the one that best suits them. Set the group name, image, campus, tags, and more to make it easy for people to choose a group on Church Center.
Want to watch a video before you get started? No problem! This 11-minute video will show you the steps in this article in action.
Important
Most groups adopt the group type defaults to manage their settings, but changes made in the group settings will override any group type defaults.
When you open a group page, the header displays the basic group information. You can also add notes and view connected events in Calendar.
Change individual group settings
Group type settings and defaults apply to any new groups of that type. To change a specific group's settings:
Select the Groups page in the top navigation.
Select a group name from the list.
Select Settings from the left sidebar.
Adjust the settings in each section. If a save button appears, select it to save your changes. Otherwise, your changes will be saved automatically.
The following sections explain which settings you can adjust for a group. These settings are only available to administrators, so leaders may not see all the settings described below.
Set up a group
Enter your group's basic details in this section.
Basic info: Add basic information, such as name and group type, to manage how your group's details show on Church Center. Upload your own photo or find free images on Unsplash to add an image that best represents the group. Use the Image Sizing Guide to upload the right size and file type.
Chat: Enabling chat in Church Center allows leaders and/or members to communicate and connect, unless the member list is made confidential. If a leader doesn't see this option, it is not allowed in the group type settings.
Contact person for leader: Add the contact person for the leader, who will be set as the reply-to person for leader emails, such as attendance requests and group removal notifications.
Attendance reminder: Set up attendance reminders to prompt leaders to record attendance. Reminder emails are sent 10 minutes before the event.
Security: Check the box to allow group leaders to add members by searching the entire church database in People.
Important
This setting is not recommended, as it allows leaders to view all profiles in your church's People database when searching for names.
Promote on Church Center
Share details about your group with potential members on Church Center.
Description: Add a description for potential members to see on the public group page in Church Center.
Campus: Assign this group to a specific campus, if necessary. Groups are automatically assigned to All campuses unless you assign them to Specific campuses.
Display on listed page: Manage the display settings on the public group page in Church Center.
Tags: Add any tags that apply to this group.
Location: Add a physical or virtual location for this group.
Availability on Church Center
When a group is created, you must update its enrollment status and visibility so people can find or join it on Church Center.
If the enrollment status is set to Closed, you can open it by selecting the Open enrollment button. If you need to close enrollment, select the Close enrollment button.
Closed enrollment does not prevent leaders or administrators from inviting or adding new members, and the group remains active for current members.
Choose whether or not your group is publicly visible on Church Center.
Important
If all the groups in a group type are unlisted, the whole group type is inaccessible on Church Center.
Select Make member list confidential if you'd prefer to make all member info in this group confidential and hidden from other members. This is useful when the group's purpose is sensitive or private, like for grief share or recovery.
Enabling this setting will add a Members are confidential indicator in Church Center.
Select an enrollment strategy to allow group leaders to manage requests or allow members to join without approval. Open signups may cause a security issue.
Event defaults
Use the options in this section to speed up future event creation by setting defaults for newly created events.
Event reminder: Use the toggle to choose whether to send automatic reminder emails for this group's events. Select a setting from the dropdown to send automatic reminders up to 10 days before the event.
RSVPs: Choose whether to ask for RSVPs whenever this group has an event.
Meeting schedule: Set a default schedule for when this group typically holds events.
Tip
The meeting schedule is also used when you add multiple new events.
What do leaders see?
Leaders can adjust most settings, excluding enrollment. Unlike the administrator view, the Set up group section doesn't include group type, contact person, or attendance reminder. If chat is not enabled in the group type default, the Chat section is unavailable.
Group leaders can modify the following:
Basic info, such as the group's name and image.
How a group is promoted on Church Center, such as the description, contact, leader name(s), event and meeting schedule, campus, tags, and location.
Event defaults, such as event reminder emails, the meeting schedule, and RSVP settings.