Life Apps (now Connect Suite) - Released November 3-4, 2025
Life Apps have been reshaped into Connect Suite, providing a better connection with your congregation!
Life Apps are now Connect Suite
- Back in March, we informed you about a change to Life Apps. During our research, we found that people were confused by the term "Life Apps" because they're not apps that you download on a phone. And most people preferred the term "Connect" over "Life". (Thanks again to those who participated in our research efforts via the MinistryPlatform Community!) "Connect" is simple, welcoming, and better conveys the purpose of these features: to connect people with each other and with the church.
- So, we're changing Care Life to Care Connect and Group Life to Group Connect. Volunteer Connect and Need Connect already follow this pattern. These are now collectively known as Connect Suite. Communicate this to staff and congregants who use "Life Apps" today! Rest assured all of the functionality you know and love is still available. We updated MinistryPlatform to reflect the new names, including navigation menus, buttons, and labels, plus all of the help topics and resources after the full release. We updated back-end references in the system, including the database, API endpoints, and services.
- In addition to the name changes, we added a new home page where the user can see all the Connect Suite areas they have access to. In the navigation menu, each area only displays if the user has access to it. For example, if you only have access to Care Connect, that's the only option you'll see. If you have access to everything, you'll see all of the options.
- We also improved the experience in the unlikely event that a user encounters an invalid or restricted page. Now, they're directed to go back to the home page if something happens.
- You'll notice the new URLs:
/connectfor the new home page,/connect/groupfor Group Connect,/connect/carefor Care Connect, and/connect/volunteerfor Volunteer Connect. Don't worry, all the old /apps links will redirect to the correct /connect pages. So, if anyone had these bookmarked, the links will not break and will take them to the correct place. - To learn how to complete tasks in Connect Suite and each of its areas, see our help topics.
Group Connect
- We redesigned the Activities tab in Group Connect. Now, you can expand each activity to see which group members have responded to the RSVP. As an added bonus, we improved this screen for use on mobile devices, which is great when taking attendance! And, you'll see all future events on this tab; it is no longer limited to the next 30 days.
Here's an example of what it will look like (click to enlarge):
Coming Soon
- Supported hand-off from PocketPlatform to Connect Suite! Once the full release of Connect Suite is live, we will be updating the way PocketPlatform sends users between these applications. There's nothing for you to set up or enable — it will just work seamlessly!
Reminders
- Portal access will end December 31. The Portal has served many churches for years. But now that its functionality is available in newer, modern tools like PocketPlatform, Connect Suite, and Widgets, we are disabling access. For details, see End of Portal Access.
- Are you more of a visual learner? Check out our video library for MinistryPlatform! We are constantly adding and updating new videos, and you can submit video topics that you'd like to see next. Check it out and let us know what you think!
- Reminder about Support Hours: Support is available Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST/EDT. If you submit a case outside of these hours, including on a holiday, the case will be reviewed at the start of the next business day. If your concern cannot wait, you can call 843-413-8400 and leave a voicemail. We are notified and will work to assist you. Hourly rates may apply for off-hours assistance. For all the details, see Support Hours & Holidays.