Member Management
Overview
The Members section is the heart of Shepherd. Every person associated with your church — visitors, new converts, active members, full members — lives here. From a member's profile you can view their giving history, attendance record, journey stage, prayer requests, and more.
📸 [Screenshot: Members list page with search bar and filter options visible]
Member Statuses
Every member in Shepherd has a status that reflects where they are in their relationship with the church:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Visitor | Someone who has attended but is not yet committed |
| New Convert | Someone who recently gave their life to Christ |
| Active | A regular, committed member |
| Full Member | An officially registered full member of the church |
| Inactive | No longer attending or engaged |
💡 Tip: Status affects who receives certain notifications and broadcasts. For example, messaging "all active members" won't accidentally include inactive people — but will include visitors, new converts, and full members (everyone who's engaged).
Adding a Member
Method 1: Manual Entry (Dashboard)
- Go to Members in the sidebar
- Click + Add Member
- Fill in the member's details:
Required fields:
- First Name
- Last Name
Optional but recommended:
- Phone number — needed for WhatsApp and SMS
- Email address — needed for email notifications
- Date of Birth — used for birthday reminders
- Gender
- Status (defaults to Visitor if not set)
- Branch (for multi-branch churches)
Other fields:
- Middle Name
- WhatsApp Number (if different from phone)
- Address / City / Region
- Marital Status
- Occupation
- Notes
- Click Save Member
Shepherd automatically assigns a Member ID (e.g. MEM00001) to every new member.
📸 [Screenshot: Add Member form showing all fields]
Method 2: WhatsApp Self-Registration
Members can register themselves by messaging your church's WhatsApp number. Shepherd will guide them through a registration flow via WhatsApp and add them to your database automatically.
💡 Your church slug is the short code for your church (e.g. MZBC, PCANC). You can find it in Settings → Church Profile.
Viewing & Searching Members
Go to Members to see your full member list.
Search by: Name, phone number, email, or Member ID
Filter by:
- Status (Visitor, Active, Full Member, etc.)
- Branch (for multi-branch churches)
Sort by: Name, Date Added, Status
Member Profile
Click on any member to open their full profile. The profile has several tabs:
Overview Tab
- Personal details (name, phone, email, DOB, address)
- Status badge
- Member ID
- Photo
- Branch assignment
- Notes
Attendance Tab
- List of all services the member has attended
- Attendance rate percentage
Giving Tab
- All giving/offering records for this member
- Total amount given
Journey Tab
- Current journey stage (First-Timer → Full Member)
- Journey history (when they moved between stages)
- Mentor assignment
Care Notes Tab
- Private pastoral notes visible only to pastors/admins
- Useful for tracking sensitive pastoral conversations
Editing a Member
- Open the member's profile
- Click Edit (pencil icon)
- Update any fields
- Click Save
All edits are logged in the Audit Log (Settings → Audit Log) with a timestamp and who made the change.
Updating Member Status
From the member profile:
- Open the member
- Click the status badge
- Select the new status
From the Members list:
- Find the member
- Use the status dropdown in the row actions
Households
Members can be linked together as a household (family unit):
- Open a member's profile
- Scroll to the Household section
- Click Add to Household or Create New Household
- Link other family members
You can also add an unregistered household person when someone belongs to the family structure but should not yet be added to the main member directory.
This is useful for tracking families and sending family-level communications.
Preferred Language
Shepherd supports 4 languages for WhatsApp communications:
- 🇬🇧 English (default)
- 🇫🇷 French
- 🇬🇭 Twi
- 🌍 Pidgin (PCM)
To set a member's preferred language, open the member profile → Edit → set Preferred Language.
Deleting a Member
⚠️ Deleting a member is permanent and cannot be undone. Consider setting them to Inactive instead.
To delete: open the member profile → click the ⋮ menu → select Delete Member → confirm.
Member Limits by Plan
| Plan | Member Limit |
|---|---|
| Seedling (Free) | 50 members |
| Rooted | 200 members |
| Growing | 500 members |
| Flourishing | 2,000 members |
| Movement | Unlimited |
Tips for Good Member Data
- ✅ Always save a phone number — it unlocks WhatsApp, SMS, and automated notifications
- ✅ Set the correct status — it affects messaging filters and reports
- ✅ Add date of birth — Shepherd can send birthday messages automatically
- ✅ Assign to the right branch — critical for multi-branch churches
- ✅ Use the Notes field — for context that doesn't fit elsewhere