Adding and editing groups

This article explains how to add and edit a new group and how to add people to a group once you have created it.

Adding a new group

There are two stages to adding a new group: 1) setting up the group, and 2) adding people to that group. It is up to you whether you want to complete step 2 and populate each group. Many of the Group module features work just fine without keeping track of who attends what group (for example, the Group Search webpage works fine without step 2).

To set up a new group:

• Open the Groups module and click New Group.
  
  

To set up a new group you will need to fill out the info on four separate screens. This info is important and very useful as it allows your congregation to use the Groups Search engine and find a group just right for them.

NB Note: in order to create a group you must fill in all required fields and click Update on the final screen to save the group. Failure to click Update will result in you needing to start again.

Screen 1 of 4

• Group Leader: Start typing the first name or surname of the person assigned to lead the group and the system will automatically generate a list of names after 3 characters have been entered. Select the correct name.

• Group Name: The name you'd like to give the group. Eg. Ricky's Life Group

• Description: A brief description of the group. Eg. A group for young adults in Cape Town.

• Group Category: Select the group category to which the group belongs.

• Group Type: Select the group type.

• Region: Select the region in which the group meets. Note: You can edit/add which regions show in this drop-down list by going to Settings >> Region Settings in the main menu. 

• Make this group private: Private groups are hidden from search results in the Groups search engine except when the person searching for them is the group leader and group administrator. 

• Open this group's membership: Allows group members to view their membership of this group. If unchecked only the group leader and church administrator will be able to view the membership.

Screen 2 of 4

• Meeting day: the day the group tends to meet.

• Meeting time: the time the group tends to meet.

• Gender: the gender of those who attend the group.

• Age profile: the general age profile of the group. You can add/edit these options in the Main Menu >> Database Settings >> Age Profile.

• Meeting Frequency: how often the group meets.

• Edit Geo Address: this allows you to use Google Maps to add an address for where the group meets. Note: this feature only works if Google can find the street you enter. If you are struggling to add an address this way, add the address manually on Screen 3. 

• To add a Geo address: 

  • 1) type in the street address in the space provided.

  • 2) Google will auto-suggest a full address to you.

  • 3) If it is the correct address select it; if not check your spelling; if Google can't find the address, add it manually on Screen 3.

  • 4) Click Next (this takes you to Screen 3).

Screen 3 of 4

• Latitude and Longitude: added automatically if you use the Geo address feature. Otherwise, ignore it.

• Suburb: this is a required field as we use this info to create a map of where your groups are meeting. This is added automatically when using the Geo address feature. 

• Street Number/Name: If you want to add an address manually you can do so in these fields.

• Area, Region, City, Country: all added automatically if using the Geo address feature. Otherwise, ignore them.

Screen 4 of 4

• This screen gives you a summary of the group you are about to create.

• Click Update in order to save the group, or click Back to make some changes.

Adding people to a group

To add people to a group:

• Navigate to the main page of the Groups module.

• Search for the group by leader, group type, or any other field (group leader works best, but if you can't remember the leader, use the other search fields).

• Click Search. This will bring up a list of all the groups that match your search criteria.

• Look for the group you would like to add people to.

• Click Action >> View Members.
  

• To add a member start typing in their name in the field provided.

• Select the person and then click Add.

To set a member as inactive:

• If a group member has not been attending for a while you can set them to 'Not-active'. Note: it's best practice not to delete them from a group right away just in case they return.

• To set them to inactive, click De-activate next to their name.

• To view inactive members, click View Inactive Members.

Editing a group's details

If you need to change the time a group meets, or change who its leader is you can do so by editing the group.

To edit a group:

• Search for the group using the Group module's search feature.

• Click Edit next to the name of the group.

• Make the changes you need.

• Navigate to screen 4 of the group set-up wizard and click Update for your changes to be saved.

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