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
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