Groups & Cells

Overview

Groups in Shepherd represent any sub-community within your church — cell groups, ministries, committees, choirs, prayer teams, Bible study groups, and more. You can organise members into groups, assign leaders, record meeting notes, and send targeted broadcasts to specific groups.

Screenshot

📸 [Screenshot: Groups list page showing group cards with member count and leader]

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Group Types

Type	Typical Use
Small Group	Neighbourhood or home fellowship groups
Cell Group	Cell church structure units
Ministry	Worship team, media, ushers, etc.
Committee	Finance committee, building committee, etc.
Choir	Music/choir groups
Prayer	Intercessory prayer groups
Bible Study	Weekly or periodic Bible study groups
Youth	Youth-specific groups
Women	Women's fellowship
Men	Men's fellowship
Other	Any other type

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Creating a Group

1. Go to Groups in the sidebar
2. Click + Create Group
3. Fill in the details:

Required:

• Group Name — e.g. "Adabraka Cell Group A", "Media Ministry"

Optional but recommended:

• Group Type — select from the list above
• Description — brief description of the group's purpose
• Leader — assign a member as the group leader
• Meeting Day — which day the group meets
• Meeting Time — e.g. 18:00
• Meeting Location — e.g. "Pastor John's house" or "Room 3"
• Branch (multi-branch churches) — which branch this group belongs to

4. Click Save

Screenshot

📸 [Screenshot: Create Group form with all fields]

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Managing Group Members

Adding Members to a Group

1. Open the group → click + Add Member
2. Search by name and select the member
3. Optionally assign a role within the group (e.g. "Assistant Leader", "Secretary")
4. Click Add

Removing a Member

Click Remove next to the member → confirm. The member is not deleted from your database — just removed from this group.

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Recording Group Meetings

1. Open the group → click Record Meeting
2. Fill in:
   • Meeting Date
   • Topic / Theme — e.g. "The Armour of God"
   • Notes — summary of what happened
   • Attendee Count and Absent Count
   • New Visitors — first-timers at this meeting
3. Click Save Meeting

Meeting history is stored and visible on the group's detail page.

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Sending Messages to a Group

1. Go to Messages → Broadcasts → click New Broadcast
2. Under Recipients, choose Group
3. Select the group from the dropdown
4. Write your message and send via WhatsApp or SMS

💡 Only members with a valid phone number will receive the message.

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Tips for Using Groups Effectively

• ✅ Create a group for every ministry — even small ones. It makes targeted communication much easier.
• ✅ Assign group leaders — leaders show on the group card and can be referenced in task assignments
• ✅ Record meetings regularly — it builds a history of your church's small group activity
• ✅ Use groups for broadcast targeting — instead of messaging everyone, message just the choir or just the ushers
• ✅ Branch-scope your groups — in multi-branch churches, assign each group to its branch