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Your First Week with ChurchCRM

This guide walks you through a typical first week as you get your church set up in ChurchCRM. Follow along day by day, or adapt the pace to your needs.

Day 1: Initial Setup and First Families​

Configure Church Details​

  1. Log in as admin (change the default password immediately).
  2. Go to Admin → Edit General Settings.
  3. Under Church Information, enter your church name, address, phone, and email.
  4. Under Report Settings, fill in the same details — these appear on financial statements and letters.
  5. Under Member Setup, set your default city, state, and country for new records.

Add Your First Families​

Start with a few families to learn the workflow:

  1. Go to People → Add New Family.
  2. Enter the family name and address.
  3. Add family members (up to 10) in the form — use the first name field for each; last name only if different from the family.
  4. Click Save.

Repeat for 3–5 families. See Families for more detail.

Day 2: Classifications and More People​

Set Up Classifications​

Classifications define roles (Member, Guest, Regular Attender, etc.):

  1. Go to People → Classifications.
  2. Review the default classifications and add or rename as needed for your church.
  3. Assign classifications to the people you added yesterday.

Add More People​

  1. Use People → Add New Person for individuals (e.g., single adults).
  2. Or add more family members by editing existing families.
  3. Assign each person a Classification.

See Persons for step-by-step instructions.

Day 3: Groups and Structure​

Create Groups​

Groups help you organize people — Bible studies, ministry teams, committees:

  1. Go to Groups → Add New Group.
  2. Enter a name (e.g., "Sunday School – 3rd Grade").
  3. Choose a group type (e.g., Sunday School, Small Group).
  4. Add roles if needed (Leader, Member, etc.).
  5. Click Save.

Add Members to Groups​

  1. Use Search or View All Persons to find people.
  2. Add them to your Cart.
  3. Go to Cart → Empty Cart to Group.
  4. Select the group and click Add to Group.

See Groups for full details.

Day 4: Events and Attendance​

Create an Event Type​

  1. Go to Events → List Event Types.
  2. Click Add Event Type.
  3. Set name, recurrence (weekly, monthly, etc.), and default start time.
  4. Add attendance count fields (e.g., Members, Visitors, Children).
  5. Save.

Create an Event and Record Attendance​

  1. Go to Events → Add Church Event.
  2. Choose the event type, set date/time, and save.
  3. To take attendance: add people to the Cart, then Empty Cart to Event.
  4. Select the event and add them.

See Events for step-by-step attendance workflows.

Day 5: Finances​

Set Up Funds​

  1. Go to Fundraiser → Edit Fundraiser (or via Admin).
  2. Add donation funds (e.g., General Fund, Building Fund, Missions).

Enter Pledges and Donations​

  1. Open a Family record.
  2. Click Add a new pledge — enter amount and fiscal year.
  3. Click Add a new payment — enter date, amount, fund, and method.
  4. Create a Deposit Slip to batch donations for the bank.

See Finances for pledges, payments, deposits, and tax statements.

Day 6: Email and Reports​

Configure Email (Admin)​

  1. Go to Admin → Edit General Settings → Email Settings.
  2. Enter SMTP host, username, and password.
  3. Test by sending a test email.

Send Your First Group Email​

  1. Add recipients to the Cart.
  2. Go to Cart → List Cart Items.
  3. Click Email Cart to open your email client with recipients in BCC.

See Email for more options, including Mailchimp.

Run Reports​

  1. Go to Data/Reports → Reports Menu.
  2. Try Family Directory, Attendance Reports, or Pledge Summary.

Day 7: Review and Plan​

Back Up Your Data​

  1. Go to Admin → Backup Database.
  2. Download the backup and store it safely.

See Backup & Restore.

Plan Your Next Steps​

  • Custom Fields — Add fields for confirmation date, t-shirt size, etc. (Custom Fields)
  • Data Import — Import existing members from a CSV (Data Import)
  • Kiosk Devices — Set up self-service check-in for events (Kiosk Devices)
  • Users — Create accounts for staff with appropriate permissions

Quick Reference​

TaskLocation
Add familyPeople → Add New Family
Add personPeople → Add New Person
Create groupGroups → Add New Group
Add to groupCart → Empty Cart to Group
Create eventEvents → Add Church Event
Record attendanceCart → Empty Cart to Event
Enter donationFamily View → Add a new payment
SearchPress ? or use search box
BackupAdmin → Backup Database

Need Help?​