Getting Started With Church Connect

This article covers the navigation, setup, and management of your church's Church Connect.

Navigating Church Connect
Initial Setup
Cards
Page Setup
Connect Users
Form Responses
Add My Family
Connect Settings
Pro Tips
Next Steps

Navigating Church Connect

To navigate Church Connect, use the tabs across the toolbar at the top of the screen. These include Cards, Page Setup, Connect Users, Form Responses, Add My Family, and Connect Settings.

Navigating Church Connect Toolbar

Initial Setup

These are the steps we recommend you take to set up Church Connect before launching it to your members:

Step 1: Customize Connect URL

Start by customizing your Church Connect URL, found at the top of the "Page Setup" section. Select "Customize Your Link Now" to pick your own unique keyword.

Customize Church Connect URL keyword for your church website

Next, search for and select a 'keyword' using the search box. Choose a word that helps to uniquely identify your church or ministry.

Only letters and numbers are allowed (no spaces, symbols, or special characters). Letters should be lowercase. Your keyword should be at least 3 characters (maximum 24 characters, but less is better).

Customize Connect URL keyword

Your account keyword will be used to generate your custom Connect Page URL. For example, if you select 'sample' as your keyword, your custom Connect Page URL will look like this: "https://sample.churchtrac.com".

Pro Tip: Your unique keyword will also be used in your ChurchTrac Mail address. The keyword is whatever comes before the first period in the URL. For example, if your URL is "https://sample.churchtrac.com", your church email address will be sample@churchtracmail.com. Watch the Pro Tip video to learn more ›

Step 2: Connect User Settings

Before your members sign up in Church Connect, configure your "Connect User Settings" under the Connect Settings tab.

Step 3: Add Content

Now that your Church Connect page is set up, it's time to add content. This is done by adding/customizing cards in the "Cards" tab and building/designing your website in the "Page Setup" tab.

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Learn more about Church Sites ›

Cards

Cards are the heart of Church Connect, with each serving a specific purpose. You can choose the type of card you want to create and begin customizing it.

Church Connect Cards

You can also adjust additional settings, like background and button colors, by selecting the "Card Options" button in the "Connect Settings" tab. If your church doesn't have established branding yet, our How To Build A Church Website is a great resource to help.

Page Setup

In the Page Setup tab, you can modify your cards and customize your nav bar, header, body sections, and footer. You can choose between a curated list of website templates or build your own, with custom fonts and other customization options to choose from.

Church Connect Page Setup

Connect Users

The Connect Users tab is where you can see who has created a Church Connect account and manage those accounts. You can reset their password, remove their account, and control whether they can access the online directory.

See a list of your church app users

Form Responses

You can add forms to your Church Connect page with Form Cards. This allows you to gather information digitally, rather than relying on pen and paper forms.

When someone fills out one of your Form Cards, that response will be stored in the "Form Responses" tab. You can review the responses and generate a PDF or CSV report.

See the responses to the church forms you add to your church app

Add My Family

With Add My Family, your people can fill out a form to submit their information to your church database. Once they submit the form, you'll review the submission on this screen and then add them to your People screen.

How to use the Add My Family screen in Church Connect

Connect Settings

The Connect Settings section lets you customize the experience of your website and app. From enabling features like online directory access to setting up notifications for new user registrations, Connect Settings helps you manage how people interact with your Connect Page. Learn more about Connect Settings ›

Pro Tips

Use a light background

You can customize the background color of your Church Connect to any color you want. However, we recommend using a very light background to keep your app "easy on the eyes".

Device Preview

When creating your Connect Cards, you can also view what your app looks like on different devices. To do this, select the "Connect Preview" buttons on the right-hand side of your "Cards" tab screen. You can preview mobile (small), tablet (medium), and desktop (large) devices.

Sort cards by importance

You can customize the order the cards appear. We recommend placing the most important cards at the top so that anyone visiting your Connect app will see those cards first. You can easily select and drag cards to arrange them to your preference.

The online directory is initially empty

The online directory is an "opt-in" feature. You can activate the directory, but no one will be listed until members consent to display their information in the directory. Minors are NOT included in the directory. Learn more about Online Directories ›

Next Steps

Now that you know the ins and outs of getting started with Church Connect, here are some next steps:

Page Setup

Church Website Design 101

Creating and Editing Connect Cards