Pastoral Visits
Overview
The Visits section tracks all pastoral visits your team makes — home visits, hospital visits, bereavements, and outreach — and surfaces member-requested visits from WhatsApp so nothing gets missed.
Access visits at Pastoral Care → Visits or directly from the Visits sidebar link.
📸 [Screenshot: Visits page showing requested visits with amber badges and a list of completed visits]
How Visit Requests Come In
1. Member Requests via WhatsApp
When a member sends VISIT to your church WhatsApp number:
- The bot asks what type of visit they need (Home / Hospital / Other)
- The member provides a brief reason
- The request is logged in the Visits dashboard with a 🙋 Requested badge
- All pastoral staff receive a WhatsApp notification immediately
2. Staff Creates a Visit Manually
Staff can log a visit directly:
- Go to Pastoral Care → Visits → click + Log a Visit
- Fill in the visit details (see below)
- Click Log Visit
Visit Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🙋 Requested | Member asked for a visit — not yet assigned to staff |
| ✅ Assigned | A staff member has been assigned to make the visit |
| (completed) | Visit has been logged by staff with notes |
Pending visit requests are shown prominently at the top of the Visits tab with a count badge.
Logging a Visit
- Go to Pastoral Care → Visits → click + Log a Visit
- Fill in:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Member | Who was visited (optional for outreach) |
| Visited By | Which staff member made the visit |
| Visit Type | Home / Hospital / Bereavement / Outreach / Other |
| Date | Defaults to today |
| Location | Address or hospital name (optional) |
| Notes | What happened during the visit |
| Create a follow-up task | Tick to create a follow-up task in the same action |
- Click Log Visit
Creating a Follow-Up Task at the Same Time
If the visit reveals something that needs follow-up, tick "Create a follow-up task" before saving. A task sub-form appears — fill in the title, assignee, and due date. Both the visit log and the task are created in one action. The assigned staff member receives a WhatsApp notification immediately.
Visit Types
| Type | Use Case |
|---|---|
| 🏠 Home | Visiting a member at their home |
| 🏥 Hospital | Visiting a sick or admitted member |
| 💜 Bereavement | Supporting a grieving family |
| 🌍 Outreach | Community or evangelism visit |
| 📋 Other | Any other type of visit |
📸 [Screenshot: Log a Visit form showing all fields including the Create Follow-Up Task option]
Member Visit History
To see all visits for a specific member:
- Go to Members → open the member's profile
- Scroll to the Visits section
- See every visit logged for this member with date, type, staff, and notes
Tips
- ✅ Log visits the same day — notes are more accurate when fresh
- ✅ Always create a follow-up task if the member needs continued support
- ✅ Assign requested visits quickly — members who ask for a visit are often in an urgent situation
- ✅ Use the Bereavement type for family losses — it links to the Care Cases system for automatic follow-up