Church-Ops Africa FAQ
This document lists frequently asked questions about Church-Ops Africa, with answers tailored for administrators, finance teams, and church members.
General System Questions
What is Church-Ops Africa?
Church-Ops Africa is a multi-tenant Church Management System (ChMS) designed for local churches in Africa. It helps automate member records, financial workflows, event attendance, church communication, public website publishing, and member-facing mobile access.
Can multiple churches see each other's data?
No. Church-Ops Africa uses strict data isolation (multi-tenant boundaries). Each church has its own protected workspace, and members, finances, and communications are visible only to authorized users within that specific church.
Can I run this system offline?
Church-Ops now supports offline and weak-network use in two different ways:
- Church admin workspace: the Offline Desk can queue attendance, guest capture, and giving intake for later sync.
- Member Portal PWA: members can keep key portal pages available on their device and queue safe actions like prayer requests, prayer updates, text-only profile edits, and task responses after they have opened the portal while connected.
Live chat, push notifications, live payment processing, password changes, and profile photo uploads still require an active internet connection.
Directory & Privacy Questions
Who can view my contact details in the directory?
Your contact information is private. Members can view only their own profile and family records. Only authorized leaders and staff with directory permissions (such as Pastors or Admins) can search and view the full congregation directory.
Can we add custom fields like "Quarter" or "Home Village"?
Church-Ops already supports local profile fields such as Quarter/Neighborhood and Home Village where that setup is in use. Church admins can also keep those values aligned during imports and profile updates.
Payments & Giving Questions
Is it safe to tithe via Mobile Money on the portal?
Yes. Online giving is processed securely through the church's configured payment gateway. Church-Ops Africa does not store wallet PINs or payment approval secrets on its servers.
Are transaction fees deducted from my offering?
Some gateways and carriers charge a small processing fee per transaction. During checkout, the member can choose to cover these fees so the church receives the full donation amount.
Can the system track cash collections?
Yes. Treasurers can manually record physical envelope tithes, building fund donations, and other cash collections inside the finance transaction workspace to keep a complete record of all contributions.
Communication & Settings Questions
How does the WhatsApp Bridge work?
The system uses your church's configured WA Bridge connection details to send approved WhatsApp outreach through the church-owned line.
Will our WhatsApp number get blocked for sending bulk messages?
To prevent spam flags, the system includes pacing features like a delay timer between messages and daily send limits. Avoid sending large broadcast campaigns without setting appropriate pacing delays.
Can we connect a custom domain to our public site?
If custom domain mapping is enabled for your church, open the Website Builder domain configuration area, enter your domain name, and follow the DNS instructions shown there.
Every published church website also has an automatic Church-Ops URL at churchopsafrica.com/w/{church-slug}. If a custom domain is not working, use Reset to Church-Ops URL in Website Builder to restore the automatic address without losing website content.