Service Planning, Check-In & Volunteers

How It All Fits Together

Three tools work as one system around every service you create:

• Service Planning — build the run of show, set status, duplicate each week
• Check-In Kiosk — launched directly from the service plan; members find their name and tap in
• Volunteer Scheduling — admin assigns roles or leaves slots open; members self-sign from the Member Portal

Creating a Service

1. In your admin dashboard, go to Operations → Service Planning.
2. Click New Service.
3. Enter a Title, Date, and Time.
4. Click Create — the service opens immediately, ready to build.

Service Status

Change status using the dropdown in the service header:

Duplicating a Service

Rather than rebuilding the same format every week:

1. Find a previous service and click Duplicate.
2. Pick a new date.
3. The new service is created with the same run of show and role structure, ready to adjust.

Building the Run of Show

The run of show is an ordered list of every element in your service.

1. Inside a service, click Add Item.
2. Fill in:
   • Type — Song, Prayer, Message, Announcement, Offering, Scripture Reading, or Custom
   • Title — e.g. "How Great Thou Art" or "Welcome & Announcements"
   • Duration — minutes this item takes
   • Assignee — person responsible
   • Notes — any details your team needs
3. Click Save.
4. Drag items up or down to reorder them. Total duration updates automatically.

Member Check-In Kiosk

The check-in kiosk turns any tablet or touchscreen into a self-serve attendance station. Members find their name with a tap. Guests check in without an account. Your dashboard shows real-time attendance stats the moment the first person walks in.

Opening the Kiosk

1. Open any service plan in your dashboard.
2. Click Open Kiosk — a new tab opens pre-loaded with that service.
3. Hand the tablet to your welcome team. No login needed on the kiosk.

How Check-In Works

1. Member types their first or last name.
2. Matching names from your member directory appear instantly.
3. They tap their name — done. The system prevents duplicate check-ins automatically.

Guest Check-In

If no match appears, a Check in as Guest option shows under the search results. The guest checks in under the name they typed. No account required.

First-Time Visitor Flag

Before confirming, flip the First Time Visiting toggle. This flags the person in your attendance record so your follow-up team knows exactly who to greet.

Viewing Attendance in the Dashboard

Open any service plan and scroll to Check-In Attendance:

• Total — all check-ins
• Returning — members who have attended before
• First-Time — flagged first-time visitors

The full attendee list shows each person's name and exact check-in time.

• Manual add: Click Add to check someone in without the kiosk.
• Remove: Click the × next to any attendee to remove their check-in.

Volunteer Scheduling

Admins define what roles are needed for each service. Members sign up directly from their Member Portal. Confirmed volunteers see their duties on their portal home screen. No coordinator needed for every shift.

Adding Roles to a Service

1. Open a service plan and scroll to Volunteers & Roles.
2. Click Add Role.
3. Enter a Role Name — e.g. "Sound Tech", "Worship Leader", "Greeter".
4. Optionally assign a specific person by typing their name.
   • With a name → status is set to Pending. Toggle to Confirmed once agreed.
   • Without a name → status is set to Open. Members can self-sign from the portal.
5. Click Add.

Role Status at a Glance

Member Portal — Serve Tab

Members access the portal at https://[your-church].growcongregations.com/portal. Once logged in, volunteer information appears in two places.

Home Screen — Duties Banner

If a member has any confirmed upcoming roles, a My Upcoming Duties banner appears at the top of their home screen showing the service name, their role, date, and time. It's the first thing they see when they log in.

The Serve Tab

The Serve tab appears in the sidebar and mobile nav. A badge count shows how many active duties the member has. Inside the tab, members see two sections:

• My Upcoming Duties — all confirmed roles with service name, date, time, and a Cancel button if they can no longer serve. Cancelling releases the slot back to Open immediately.
• Open Roles — all available slots grouped by service. A Sign Up button claims the role instantly — their name appears in the admin dashboard in real time.

The Full Weekly Workflow

Here's how your team's week looks once this system is running:

Early in the week

1. Duplicate last week's service to the new date.
2. Adjust the run of show — update songs, messages, special items.
3. Add volunteer roles. Leave open slots for members to claim.
4. Set status to Ready.

Mid-week

5. Members log into the portal, check the Serve tab, and sign up for open roles.
6. Admin watches confirmed volunteers fill in — no back-and-forth messages needed.

Service day

7. Admin opens the service plan → clicks Open Kiosk → tablet goes to the welcome area.
8. Members check in by name. Greeters flip the First-Time toggle for newcomers.
9. Attendance stats update live in the dashboard.

After the service

10. Review first-time visitors for follow-up.
11. Mark service Complete.
12. Duplicate to next week and repeat.