Summary: This guide explains how to connect Tithely Groups with your Church App to enhance member engagement. Learn how to display your small groups in the app, enable group chat, and manage privacy settings to create a unified community experience.
Before You Begin
Synced Data: Key details like Group Name, Member Count, Frequency, Location, and Icons automatically sync from Tithely to the App.
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Platform Distinctions:
Tithely Admin Dashboard: Used for Creating groups, Deleting groups, and managing leaders.
Church App: Used by leaders for Approving/Denying join requests.
Prerequisites: You must have active subscriptions for both Tithely ChMS (Groups) and the Church App.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Add the Groups Tab to Your App
To make groups visible to your congregation, you must first enable the tab in your app menu.
Log in to Tithely and select Apps.
Click on Tabs in the left-hand menu.
Locate the User Groups tab under the Addable Tabs section (usually at the bottom).
Click the Plus (+) sign to add it to your active menu.
Drag the tab to your desired position (Main Tabs or More Tabs) and Click Save.
2. Configure Group Settings for the App
You control how each specific group behaves in the app via the Groups dashboard.
Navigate to Groups in the main Tithely menu.
Select the specific group you want to edit and go to the General settings tab.
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Adjust the following App-specific settings:
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Show in App:
ON: The group is visible in the app.
OFF: The group is hidden.
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Enable Chat:
ON: Members can chat with each other inside the app.
OFF: In-app chat is disabled.
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Make Public:
ON: Anyone can join immediately without approval.
OFF: The group is private; users must request to join, and a leader must approve them.
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Group Status:
Open: Accepting new members via the app.
Closed: No new members can join, but existing members can still access the group in the app.
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Click Save to apply changes.
3. Managing Join Requests (App Side)
While admins create groups in the dashboard, group leaders manage membership requests directly from their phones.
Open the Church App on your mobile device.
Navigate to the Groups tab.
Review pending requests. Leaders can Approve or Deny anyone requesting to join a private group directly from this screen.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
What information syncs between Tithely and the App? The following fields automatically update in the app when changed in the dashboard: Group Name, Number of Members, Meeting Frequency, Location, Group Icon, and Privacy Settings.
Can I create a new group directly inside the App? No. Creating new groups, deleting groups, and removing group leaders must be done within the Tithely Admin Dashboard. The App is used primarily for member communication and processing join requests.
What happens if I set a group to "Closed"? When a group is "Closed," it remains visible and active for current members (so they can still chat and view info), but the "Join" button is removed for non-members.