Getting Started With Church Connect
Church Connect is your church website builder and mobile app, included with every ChurchTrac subscription.
- What Is Church Connect?
- What are Cards and Pages?
- Navigating Church Connect
- Sharing Church Connect
- What Are My Next Steps?
What Is Church Connect?
Church Connect is a complete church website builder and mobile app. It's designed to help your church reach visitors and stay connected with members, all from one place.
Church Website Builder
Church Connect is where you build your church's website. It's the place visitors can learn about your church, find service times, plan a visit, register for events, give online, watch sermons, and more.
With built-in templates to choose from and an easy-to-use website builder, you can build a modern, mobile-friendly church website in just a few hours.
Member Portal & Mobile App
Church Connect is also the member side of ChurchTrac. It's the place your members can give online and access the church directory. It's where they see and register for upcoming events and submit forms.
Members can create a Church Connect account to access member-only features through your website or the Church Connect app.
Want to learn what your members can do? Learn more about Using Church Connect (For Church Members)›
What are Cards and Pages?
Every Church Connect is built using two primary components: Connect Cards and Website Pages.
Connect Cards
Connect Cards are the building blocks of your Church Connect website and app. Each card either displays information or performs an action, such as opening a form, displaying announcements, collecting online giving, registering for an event, or linking to another page or website.
Cards can be shown to everyone, logged-in members only, or specific member groups, allowing you to personalize the experience for different audiences.
Website Pages
Website Pages are where your content lives. Every Church Connect site includes a Main Page (homepage), and you can create as many additional pages as needed for ministries, events, beliefs, staff, or other topics.
Each page has its own unique URL and can include a navigation bar, header (hero), body sections, Connect Cards, and footer.
Navigating Church Connect
Across the top of Church Connect, you'll find several tabs that help you build and manage your website and mobile app.
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | View an overview of your Church Connect activity, including average daily views and app installs |
| Cards | Create and organize the Connect Cards displayed throughout your website and app. |
| Page Setup | Customize your website's navigation bar, header, body sections, footer, fonts, colors, and overall page(s) design. |
| Form Responses | Review submissions from your online forms and export responses as PDF or CSV reports. |
| Connect Setup | Configure your website and app settings, including the online directory and online giving, domain setup, and other Church Connect preferences. |
Dashboard
The Dashboard gives you a quick snapshot of how people are interacting with your Church Connect website and app. From one screen, you can view key statistics like page views, app users, and app installs over the past 30 days, along with traffic trends and your most visited pages. Statistics update once daily.
Cards
Cards are the heart of your Church Connect website and app, with each serving a specific purpose. You can choose the type of card you want to create and begin customizing it.
Page Setup
In Page Setup, you can modify your cards further and customize your website pages. You can choose between a curated list of body templates or build your own, with custom fonts and other customization options to choose from.
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.
Connect Setup
The Connect Setup 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.
Sharing Church Connect
Church Connect can be shared as both a website and a mobile app.
Website
Share your Church Connect website using your Church Connect URL or your church's custom domain. You can also generate a QR code for your website from the Page Setup tab by selecting the Page QR Code icon.
Mobile App
To share the Church Connect app, open the Connect Setup tab and select Share the Connect App to display a QR code that members can scan to download the app.
Pro Tip: Display your website or app QR code on your projection screen, bulletin, welcome desk, or other printed materials to make it easy for people to connect.
What Are My Next Steps?
Ready to start building? Continue with one of these guides: