People
Everything a church staff member needs to run the directory: adding people, keeping profiles current, grouping them into households, controlling privacy, cleaning up duplicates, and getting data in and out.
Add people 3 lessons, about 3 min
- 1
Add a Person to Your DirectoryGetting a new visitor or member into your church database takes about ten seconds. - 2
Add Multiple People at OnceA whole family filled out a visitor card, or a small group just handed you a sign-up sheet — here's how to get several people into your directory in one… - 3
Add or Change a Profile PictureA photo on a person's profile makes them instantly recognizable at check-in, on a team roster, or in a directory search.
Find and filter 5 lessons, about 5 min
- 4
Search for Someone in Your DirectoryThe search bar on your People page understands more than names — type a phrase like "boys" or "age 25" and it figures out what you mean. - 5
Filter Your People ListNeed just your members, just this month's birthdays, or people with no email on file? Filters narrow your directory down to exactly who you need. - 6
Save and Manage a Filtered List"Who's in our youth group age range?" Answer it once, save it as a list, and it stays current forever — no re-filtering next time you ask. - 7
Choose Which Columns Show in Your ListYour People list shows Phone, Status, Age, Family, and Birthday by default — but you can turn any of them off, or add a custom field as its own column. - 8
Switch Between People, Families, and Grid ViewsThe same directory, three different views: a scannable table, photo cards, or grouped by household. Here's how to switch between them.
Work with a profile 10 lessons, about 11 min
- 9
Edit a Person's ProfileContact info changes, addresses change, people get married — here's how to update anyone's details on their profile, from their address to their… - 10
Change Someone's Membership StatusSomeone joins, someone moves away — keeping membership status current takes one click from their profile, and leaving records a reason and a date… - 11
Add a Note About SomeoneA phone call, a prayer request, a pastoral visit — keep the story of your relationship with someone in one place, with control over exactly who can read… - 12
Add and Complete a Follow-Up TaskTurn "someone should call her back" into an actual task with a due date and an owner — then check it off once it's done. - 13
Enroll Someone in a Class From Their ProfileGetting a new family's child into Sunday school, or moving a kid up a grade — you can enroll them in a class right from their profile, no separate screen… - 14
Record a Background CheckVolunteers working with kids or money need a background check on file — here's where to record one so your team always knows who's cleared. - 15
View Someone's InvolvementEvery group, serving team, and class a person is part of, plus their full service history — all in one tab on their profile. - 16
View Attendance and Check-In HistorySee exactly when someone checked in, how long they stayed, and their attendance pattern over the last 90 days — all on one tab. - 17
View Someone's Giving HistoryYear-to-date total, lifetime total, every individual gift — a person's full giving history lives right on their profile, visible only to people with… - 18
View Forms and Event Registrations on a ProfileEvery event someone has registered for, and every form they've submitted, shows up together on their profile — no digging through separate event or form…
Families 3 lessons, about 4 min
- 19
Create a Family and Add MembersLink people who live together into a household so you can see the connection at a glance and send one giving statement per family. - 20
Manage Family Roles and Remove a MemberSet who can pick up which kids at check-in, who's the primary contact, and take someone out of a household when they move on — all from the family page. - 21
Edit a Family's DetailsSet a household's shared address once, and it syncs to every member who inherits it — here's how family-level details work.
Tools and settings 9 lessons, about 7 min
- 22
Avoid Duplicates When Adding a PersonHow to avoid creating a duplicate record when you add a new person to your directory. - 23
Create a Custom FieldT-shirt size, spiritual gifts, allergies — if TimelyChurch doesn't already track it, you can add your own field in under a minute. - 24
Import People From a SpreadsheetComing from Planning Center, Breeze, ChurchTrac, Elvanto, or Tithely — or just have a CSV from somewhere else? - 25
Export Your People ListYour data is always yours — one click downloads your full directory as a CSV, whether you're backing it up or moving to a different system. - 26
Select Multiple People and Bulk Archive or DeleteCleaning up a batch of old visitor records or people who never came back? - 27
Send Someone a Portal Sign-In LinkA member is standing at the check-in desk and can't remember their login — email them a fresh, secure sign-in link straight from their profile. - 28
Archive and Restore a PersonSomeone moved away, or you added a record by mistake — archiving hides them from your active directory without losing their history, and you can always… - 29
Deactivate a Person or Turn Off Their CommentsTwo quick switches live in every person's actions menu that aren't the same as archiving or changing membership status: Deactivate pauses them out of… - 30
Control What Shows in the Directory and WebsiteA member doesn't want their photo or phone number visible to other members — or you want to feature someone on your public church website.