Shepherd's Staff Support
How to set up and use your church management app
Important first-time setup:
- The first user to sign up should create the church.
- That first user then invites additional users into that church.
- If you are joining an existing church, wait for an invite code before creating login credentials.
- The account that will hold the subscription should usually be one of the first three users, because a fourth user cannot be added until a subscription is in place.
Getting Started
Create or join
Create a new church if you are the first leader. If someone already started the church, use the invite code they send you.
Invite users
Admins can add and remove users from the church. Invitations are how new leaders join the shared church workspace.
Set the subscriber
Make sure the subscription holder is in place early. The app's free tier only allows 3 users, so a 4th user requires an active subscription.
My Profile
Use My Profile to edit your own name, email, phone number, photo, and personal details. Profile edits only change your account information, not the church-wide member records.
Members
You can add, edit, and navigate member information from the Members area and individual member detail screens.
- Add members: Create a new member profile with contact info, dates, notes, tags, and leader assignment.
- Edit members: Update contact details, dates, notes, tags, phone numbers, and photos.
- Navigate member info: Open a member to see their full profile, contact history, and related actions like record contact or archive.
Sorting and Filtering
The member list can be organized by useful views such as:
- Tags
- My members
- Contact history / last contacted
- Families or groups
- Archived versus active members
This helps leaders quickly find who they are responsible for and who needs follow-up.
Archiving and Deleting Members
- Archive removes a member from the active list while preserving their history.
- Delete permanently removes the member and their data.
- Archived members can be restored later if needed.
PDF Directory Output
The directory export creates a PDF member directory you can share or print. Use it when you need a church contact list outside the app. Protect exported PDFs because they may contain private church information.
Chat
The chat is a single shared thread that always includes all users in the church. It is meant for church-wide communication, not private one-to-one messaging.
Calendar and Contact Notes
The calendar helps track birthdays, anniversaries, custom dates, and recorded contact dates. You can also log contact notes so the whole team can see when someone was last reached and what happened.
Managing Users
- Add users: Invite additional leaders into your church.
- Remove users: Admins can remove users when they no longer need access.
- Permissions: Some users can edit members, manage users, or change subscription and admin settings, while others only have basic access.
Admin Settings
In admin settings, you can customize the church name and upload your church logo or header image. This is where the church identity is managed for the whole app.
Permissions
Permissions are designed so church leadership can divide responsibilities safely. Member editing, user management, and subscription controls can be restricted to users with the appropriate admin access.
Additional Notes
- All users in the church see shared church data.
- Updates sync across the team so everyone stays on the same page.
- Use contact history to keep follow-up consistent.
- Use tags and leader assignments to organize ministry responsibility.
Still stuck? If the app is behaving unexpectedly, email support with a short description of what you were trying to do, what happened, and the device you were using.