PocketPlatform Authentication
After users download your app, they have a variety of methods for authenticating in order to log in.
- MinistryPlatform Username + Password: If known, this is the quickest and easiest way to authenticate. This method also avoids those pesky duplicate contacts.
- Phone Number or Email Address: Not everyone knows their MinistryPlatform username and password, but they definitely know their phone number and/or email address. If someone authenticates with an email address or phone number, PocketPlatform attempts to find the person in MinistryPlatform and match them up.
- Create an Account: If the user doesn't know their username and password or if no phone number or email address match can be made, the user can create an account. When creating an account, PocketPlatform again attempts to find the person in the database and match them up.
No matter how the user authenticates, the goal is to match the data provided by the user to the right person in MinistryPlatform. We match on the First Name, Last Name, and either the Mobile Phone Number or Email Address. In some cases, duplicate Contact records may be created when users provide phone numbers or email addresses that are different from the data in MinistryPlatform.
Tip: Ask your congregants or parishioners to install the app using the information you already have in MinistryPlatform. For example, if you have an accurate and current email list, you might encourage them to authenticate via an email address. But if you think many contacts in the database share email addresses or have old email addresses, it may be more effective for them to authenticate via phone number.