Ministries

Quick start

1. Open Settings → Ministries (/settings/ministries). Church admins only.
2. Enter a name in New ministry and click Add.
3. To rename a ministry, click Rename on its card and enter the new name in the prompt.
4. Note which ministry shows (default) — every church has one default group.

You should see your new ministry in the list, ready to assign when you invite members.

Deep dive

What ministries are for

A ministry is a group inside your church — Worship, Youth, Production, etc. Ministries are used to:

• Assign members when you invite or edit people (at least one ministry required)
• Target ministry email audiences
• Map calendar imports to the right local content

Ministries are church-wide labels, not WorshipDeck permissions. Admin vs Member role is separate under Members.

Creating a ministry

Use the form at the top of the page:

• New ministry — type a clear name (for example Worship team or Youth)
• Add — saves immediately and refreshes the list

There is no separate edit screen — creation is one step.

Renaming a ministry

Click Rename on any ministry card. A browser prompt asks for the new name. Confirm to save.

Renaming updates the label everywhere that ministry appears (member cards, integration mapping). It does not remove members from the group.

Default ministry

One ministry is marked (default). New churches start with a default ministry so invites always have at least one group to assign.

You cannot delete the default ministry from this page. Create additional ministries for specialized teams, then assign members to the groups that fit.

Empty state

If no ministries appear (unusual), the empty state prompts you to create your first group. Add at least one ministry before sending member invitations.

Order of setup

For a new church:

1. Create ministries (or keep the default)
2. Invite members and assign ministries
3. Use ministries in integrations when targeting email or calendar imports

See Settings overview for the full recommended setup order.

Tips

• Keep ministry names short and recognizable — they appear on member cards and in integration dropdowns.
• Create ministries before bulk inviting; every invite requires at least one ministry checkbox.
• You do not need a ministry per person — one Worship ministry for the whole team is fine.
• Rename instead of creating duplicates when a team rebrands (Youth → Student Ministry).
• Review ministry assignments when volunteers change teams.

[!tip] If you only have one worship team, the default ministry may be all you need until you add youth, production, or admin groups.

Troubleshooting

I cannot add a ministry

• Confirm you are a church Admin.
• Check that the name field is not empty — Add requires a value.

Rename did nothing

• The prompt must contain a non-empty name different from the current name.
• Canceling the prompt leaves the name unchanged.

Members cannot be invited without a ministry

• Create a ministry here first, then return to Members.
• Assign at least one ministry on every invite and member card.

I do not see the Ministries tab

• Only church Admins see Church settings. Ask an admin to promote your role.