Understanding roles and permissions in Church Social

Privacy and security are treated with the utmost importance in Church Social. The software uses a role-based system, which allows certain members to have increased access within the app. In addition to roles, office bearers are granted extra access to specific pieces of information. This document outlines the various permissions within Church Social. 

When you visit a page that is not viewable by all people, a lock icon will beside the page heading. Clicking the lock will open a dialog that explains which roles are required in order to view the page.

All Members

By default, members do not have login access to Church Social. Administrators can grant access by setting Can login to Yes in the member’s account (see screenshot). A valid email address is required, as it is used for logging in. Once access is granted, members receive an email invitation with their login credentials (email and password).

By default, all members have access to the following areas of Church Social:

• Calendar
• People (family, map, and statistics tabs)
• Messages
• Groups
• Schedules
• Prayers
• Giving (only to view their contributions)
• Files
• Sermons
• Bulletins
• Library
• Photos

By default all members have the ability to change their login credentials (email address and password), phone numbers, as well as their family photo, notification preferences, and 2FA settings.

Manage your account settings here.

Administrators

As part of the sign-up process, each church will have to select a member from their congregation to be their local Church Social administrator. This individual will have full access to almost all areas of the software, including the more sensitive membership data and all files stored in the Files module. The only data that administrators do not have access to is the data administered by the Treasurer role in the Giving module and the visit records managed by office-bearers in the Visits module. Only administrators can edit member roles and the role of administrator can only be set manually by Church Social staff or an existing Church Social administrator on your church's account.

Statisticians

Statisticians have access to the Manage and Reports sections, giving them full access to membership information. They can make changes to membership details with the exception of member roles, which can only be set by administrators. Only statisticians and administrators can access the Manage section. Access to the Reports section is limited to administrators, statisticians, report managers, deacons, elders and pastors.

Report Managers

Report managers have access to the Reports section in Church Social. This allows them to run existing reports, and to create, edit and delete custom reports. Access to the Reports section is limited to administrators, statisticians, report managers, deacons, elders and pastors.

Treasurers

Treasurers have access to the Giving section of Church Social. This gives them full access to all member contribution data, and they are able to create funds, enter deposits, generate statements, create tax receipts, and perform other related tasks.

The treasurer role is assigned by administrators and, for security purposes, when this role is given to a person, all other administrators and treasurers are emailed a notification making them aware of the access change.

Office-Bearers

Office-bearers are assigned by administrators in the People section of Church Social and have greater access than regular members.

Office bearers can view both current and past family members, which can be helpful for situations like knowing the date of a loved one’s death or when someone left the congregation.

Office-bearers also see a More details option which can be found in the three-dot menu beside each family member (see screenshot below). This report provides additional detailed information about that member.

Office-bearers are able to create private folders in the Files section, allowing them to share sensitive documents exclusively among themselves. They also have access to the Visits section, where they can record visits, view the visit calendar, and track both past and upcoming visits to ensure members are visited regularly. In addition, office-bearers can access the Reports section in Church Social, which includes helpful reports such as the Office-bearer terms report and Shepherding groups report.

Bulletin Editors

Bulletin editors are able to upload and delete bulletins from the bulletin archive.

Calendar Editors

Calendar editors are able to add, remove and edit any calendar event whether it was created by them or by another member.

Sermon Editors

Sermon editors are able to add, edit and delete sermons in the sermon archive.

Librarians

Librarians are able to add, edit and delete books and categories in the library.

Prayer Editor

Prayer editors are able to add, edit, and delete any prayer, regardless of whether or not the prayer request was created by them.

Safe-Church Coordinator

Safe-church coordinators are able to add, edit, and delete background checks.

Message Approver

When a church requires messages to be approved before being sent, specific members can be assigned the Message Approver role.