Church-Ops Africa Quick-Start Checklist

This checklist helps church administrators and pastors launch Church-Ops Africa quickly and safely. Use it to prepare your workspace, import your records, verify your giving setup, and open the system to staff and members.

Table of Contents

1. Phase 1: Initial Church Setup
2. Phase 2: First Admin Setup
3. Phase 3: Importing Your Members
4. Phase 4: Setting Up Giving & Payments
5. Phase 5: Scheduling Services & Attendance
6. Phase 6: Launching Communication
7. Phase 7: Customizing & Publishing the Website
8. Phase 8: Launching the Member Portal

Phase 1: Initial Church Setup

Time required: 10 minutes

• Check access to your workspace: Confirm you can open your church dashboard at /c/{church-slug}/dashboard.
• Complete profile details: Go to Settings Center > Identity & Branding and fill out:
  • Church legal name
  • Contact email and phone number
  • Country and city
  • Primary currency and system language
• Upload branding assets: Add your church logo and verify it appears correctly across the dashboard and public pages.

Phase 2: First Admin Setup

Time required: 5 minutes

• Confirm user profiles: Ensure all initial administrators have completed their user profiles.
• Assign roles: Set roles for pastors, secretariat staff, finance staff, and other leaders inside Access Control.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Review Settings Center > Access & 2FA and require 2FA for administrative and financial roles.

Phase 3: Importing Your Members

Time required: 15 minutes

• Download the CSV template: Navigate to the import area and download the official member import template.
• Format member data:
  • Separate names into First Name and Last Name
  • Normalize phone numbers with the correct country code
  • Map neighborhoods, districts, or community zones into the custom field your church uses
• Preview the import: Upload the file, review mappings, and confirm the preview looks correct.
• Validate the results: Open the member directory and confirm that the imported records appear correctly.

Phase 4: Setting Up Giving & Payments

Time required: 10 minutes

• Verify payment account details: Confirm the supported gateway or merchant profile is active.
• Add gateway credentials: Enter the required keys or identifiers under Settings Center > Finance & Payments.
• Add fallback payment details: If your church accepts manual payment methods, confirm the relevant instructions and phone numbers are correct.
• Run one test transaction: Use a small test amount and verify it appears correctly in the finance workspace.

Phase 5: Scheduling Services & Attendance

Time required: 10 minutes

• Create giving categories: Set up the key categories your church tracks regularly.
• Create groups and ministries: Add the small groups, departments, or classes your church uses for coordination.
• Schedule your first service or event: Confirm the date, time, attendance flow, and whether the program is one-day, multi-day, or recurring.
• Test check-in: Verify manual member check-in, guest check-in, and child check-in if your church uses the children module.

Phase 6: Launching Communication

Time required: 10 minutes

• Configure the communication gateway: Confirm Settings Center > Communications & WhatsApp is complete for the channels your church will use.
• Set pacing parameters: Apply sensible delivery delays and daily send limits before running large campaigns.
• Create one starter template: Draft a short welcome or devotional template using personalization tags in Communication Hub > Template Studio.
• Send a test message: Confirm message delivery and readability on a real device.

Phase 7: Customizing & Publishing the Website

Time required: 15 minutes

• Select a visual direction: Choose the theme and branding setup that fits your church.
• Update core pages: Review the default Home, About, Contact, and any custom pages you create.
• Check dynamic sections: Confirm events, sermons, forms, or giving instructions show the right live data.
• Publish the site: Save and publish only after reviewing the mobile layout.

Phase 8: Launching the Member Portal

Time required: 10 minutes

• Verify portal access: Confirm the member app is open and accessible at /m/{church-slug}/portal.
• Choose access mode: In Settings Center > Member Experience, keep the portal sign-in only or enable Publish public PWA so visitors can open public church content while member-only tools still require login.
• Distribute the onboarding link: Share the portal with members through approved church channels.
• Install as a PWA: Encourage members to use Add to Home Screen for a faster, lighter mobile experience.