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First Run Configuration

Configuring ChurchCRM​

General Settings​

In the top navigation, open the Admin menu and choose Edit General Settings.

Edit General Settings

  • You may want to change the Default Password to something specific to your organization. This is the password assigned to all new accounts until the user logs in and sets their own.
  • Under the Localization tab, set Language to change the display language of the system.
  • Under the Church Information tab, set Church City to the location of your church.
  • Under the Member Setup tab, set Default City to the default city for your organization's members.
  • Under the Member Setup tab, set Default State. This must be a two-letter abbreviation.
  • Under the Member Setup tab, set Default Country. This is required for some translations.
Email Settings​
  • Set Default "To" Email Address to the address you want to receive system requests (e.g., webmaster@domain.com).
  • Set SMTP Host to your email relay server.
  • Set SMTP Username and SMTP Password to the credentials for your email account.
Other Settings​
  • Set Church Latitude and Church Longitude to your church's geographic coordinates. You can look these up at latlong.net.
  • Set Custom Header to add a custom header to ChurchCRM pages. For example, entering <H2>My Church</H2> will display "My Church" in large, bold letters at the top of each page.
  • Set Mailchimp API Key if you use Mailchimp for bulk email. Create a free account at mailchimp.com/signup and generate an API key in your account settings.

Report Settings​

In the top navigation, open the Admin menu, choose Edit General Settings, then select the Report Settings tab. The settings in this section control how various reports — such as giving statements — are generated.

Church Information​

Fill in your church's name, address, city, state, zip code, phone number, email address, and local area code.

Signature Information​

These names appear on your financial reports as signatories.

  • Tax Signer — Signs year-end tax statements.
  • Reminder Signer — Signs pledge reminder letters.
  • Confirmation Signer — Signs pledge confirmation letters.
Letter Head Graphic​

Set Directory Letter Head to control whether a letterhead graphic appears on printed directories.

Register Your Copy​

In the top navigation, select the Tasks icon (see screenshot below), then choose Update Registration. This information is used to notify you of system updates.

Task Menu Icon

Security Considerations​

If you use the database backup utility, make sure the churchcrm/SQL directory is not accessible to the public. The temporary files created during backup could otherwise be downloaded by anyone with the right timing. Consult your web server's documentation for how to restrict access to that directory.

System Locale​

If ChurchCRM is not displaying your chosen language correctly, the server may need the corresponding locale installed.

  1. On the server, run: sudo locale-gen es_ES (replace es_ES with your locale code).

    The server must have the correct locale installed, as ChurchCRM uses system libraries (gettext) for translations. See HowTo: Change Locale in Linux for guidance.

  2. In ChurchCRM, open the Admin menu and choose Edit General Settings.

  3. Select the Localization tab.

  4. Change Language to one of the available languages in the dropdown.