A couple of months ago, I posted this blog post on texting worship attendance. It has been the most opened blog post year to date. As churches have started to experiment with this solution to an age old problem, we uncovered the need for a couple of revisions. Between that post and this one, you should have a pretty powerful alternative way to take worship attendance. (BTW, notice in this image how easy it is to use text attendance with text to give.)The Problem:
- If your create a Connection Card group and use its link or keyword (text to register), you can capture the information you want, but this doesn't take attendance.
- Using the text to attend option described in the previous post, doesn't have an option for guests and others to fill out a connection card.
- Giving two different keywords to cover both scenarios is confusing.
The Solution:
- Make your Worship Attendance and Connection Card Group the same group. Identify it as a worship group on the "create group / group information" page, but also customize it in "registration settings" to be your connection card.
- Add in the Text-to-Register Keyword as usual. When you do, because it is a worship group, the system will give you two options:
- There are some performance issues related to texting links back to people if too many people hit the system at once. Option one alleviates this by simply taking attendance for those who already have registered for text to give or register. They won't get anything back when they text the keyword. However, a guest will get a link back so that they can fill out the connection / information form with either choice. If you choose the second option, everyone will get a link back to the connection form.
- Prayer requests are still best handled by using the Regisration Completion option to take them to a page to enter a prayer note that will be in their profile. Because this is related to a Worship group, the prayer request note will automatically be optional. Customize note types under settings / members / note types.
This is a new idea that as far as we know hasn't been offered by any system before. So, as you give it a try, please give us your feedback. That will be really helpful.
Why take attendance? Here are a couple of key passages to encourage us as shepherds:
Proverbs 27:23 "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds."
Luke 15 - The shepherd didn't count to brag. He counted to care because he wasn't responsible for 99 sheep, but 100. He had to have a system in place to know when one was missing. Only then could he go after them.
