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Group Finder

Configuring Group Finder

Set up the Group Finder widget.

The Group Finder widget works with the Group Details widget. Use both to help people find the group that works for them. See the Quick Start Guide to get the Group Finder widget up and running.

Note: Because the Group Finder and Group Details Widgets work together, they must be set up at the same time to function correctly. See Finder Widgets + Details Widgets to learn more about how they interact.

If the shared script hasn't been added to your website, add it to the appropriate webpage, replacing "YOUR-BASE-MP-URL" with the base URL with your base MinistryPlatform URL.

<script id="MPWidgets" src="https://YOUR-BASE-MP-URL.com/widgets/dist/MPWidgets.js"></script>

Create or identify a page on your website where you want to display the widget. To add this widget to your church website, add the code you generate in the Widget Configurator widget (with the required attributes) in the body of your chosen website page.

Tip: While not mandatory, this snippet would typically be placed inside a <div> element with the class "container".

Widget Configuration

Required Attributes

Target URL
This is where the Group Details widget lives. When someone selects a specific group, the ID is added to this path.
  • Attribute: targeturl
  • Valid Value: relative or fully qualified URL
  • Examples: 
    targeturl="https://example-church.com/group-details"
    targeturl="group-details"

The easiest way to set up interaction between the Group Finder and Group Detail widgets is to use querystring parameters to identify groups. To use this method, specify a target URL (with or without a trailing slash). The Group Finder widget will then add a querystring and group ID to the target URL. For example, for the targeturl "/group-details" the link to group 25 would look like this:

https://example-church.com/group-details?id=25

Advanced Routing Options

If you want to use more advanced routing, you can use different URLs. This may be an option if the querystring method does not integrate well with your CMS. If you decide to go this route:

  • Define a route in your website to support the ID.
  • Use a target URL with or without a trailing slash.

For example, for the targeturl "/group-details/" the link to group 25 would look like this:

https://example-church.com/group-details/25

Optional Attributes

Count Group Inquiries
This allows group inquiries to count towards the group's target size. The default is false.
  • Attribute: countgroupinquiries
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example:
    countgroupinquiries="true"
Show Full Groups
This allows groups that are full to display. A group is considered full when the target size is met or Group is Full is set to Yes. When full groups display, they are marked with a badge. The default is false.
  • Attribute: showfullgroups
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example:
    showfullgroups="true"
Show Future Groups
This determines whether groups with a future start date display. The default is true.
  • Attribute: showfuturegroups
  • Valid Value: true (or empty) or false
  • Example:
    showfuturegroups="true"
Show Suggest A Group Button
This determines whether those logged in can see the Suggest a Group button and submit their suggestion information for a new group. The default is false.
  • Attribute: showsuggestagroupbutton
  • Valid Value: true (or empty) or false
  • Example:
    showsuggestagroupbutton="true"

Attributes must be included before the opening widget tag is closed. Attributes may be listed in any order and should be separated by a space or other whitespace. An attribute's value should be wrapped in quotation marks.

<mpp-group-finder
     targeturl="/group-details"
     countgroupinquiries="true"
     showfullgroups="true"
     showfuturegroups="true">
</mpp-group-finder>

Configure Your Widget

Use the Widget Configurator widget to configure your widget:
  1. Go to your Widgets Library by appending "/widgets" to your system domain. For example, https://example-church.ministryplatform.net/widgets.
  2. Click the Navigate to... drop-down menu, and select Widget Configurator.
  3. Select the widget you want to configure, then customize your widget.
  4. Click Try it Out to see what your widget will look like!
  5. Copy the generated code from the Embed Code box.
  6. Add the code to the designated page on your website.

Platform Configuration

The following default processes are included but configured as off during the initial MinistryPlatform installation. A SPoC can turn these on (or create new processes):
  • Group Finder Sign-Up: A two-step process that can notify the group's primary contact through email and assign a follow-up task.
  • Group Inquiry Follow-Up: A three-step process that can notify the group's primary contact and the group's congregation's primary contact through email and then assign a follow-up task.
  • Group Suggested: A two-step process that can notify a specific person through email and then get their approval for the new group that was suggested. You can adjust this process for your church's needs.

Attach a compelling image to the Group record, which displays in the widget. If there is no image, a stock image will display. File formats supported by both browsers and MinistryPlatform are: .bmp, .gif, .jpg., and .png. The widget software will crop and focus on the center of the image according to an ideal ratio of 59:32. The finder images are 800x433 intrinsically but resized to fit at 295x160.

Group Configuration

To display in the Group Finder widget, groups must meet the following criteria:

  • Today's date is before the end date or there is no end date.
  • The Available Online field is set to Yes.
  • The group has a group type where Show on Group Finder is set to Yes.
  • The Group is Full field is set to No. If you configured full groups to display, these groups display a Full banner in the upper left-hand corner of the group card. People cannot sign up for these groups.
  • The target size has not been reached. Group participants always count toward target size. You can configure group inquiries to count toward the target size by setting countgroupinquiries to true.
    Note: If countgroupinquiries is set to true, pending group inquiries count toward the target size. Pending group inquiries are not included when calculating whether the target size has been reached.
  • Optional: If Meets Online is set to Yes, those groups display a badge in the upper left-hand corner, and the Group Details page will have a Meets Online tag. People may filter the Group Finder widget for groups that meet this criteria.
    Note: If a group is both full and meets online, the Meets Online banner overrides the Full banner. (This circumstance assumes that the church has configured full groups to display in the Group Finder widget.)

Set Up Congregations or Campuses

Ensure the appropriate congregations or campuses display in the Group Finder widget's filter drop-down list.

Tip: Want to share groups between campuses? Set the COMMON, GlobalCongregationID configuration setting, and the Group Finder widget sees it as a church-wide congregation.
  1. In the navigation menu, click Church Structure > Congregations or Parishes.
  2. Click the congregation or parish to open it.
  3. Click Edit Record.
  4. In the Available Online field, select Yes.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Repeat this process for all congregations or parishes you want to display in the Group Finder widget.

Set Up Group Type Default Roles

Configure the appropriate default role for each group type.

Be sure to configure the appropriate default role for each group type. This role applies to each group participant record the Group Finder widget creates.
  1. In the navigation menu, click Lookup Values > Group Types.
  2. Click the group type to open it.
  3. Click Edit Record.
  4. In the Default Role drop-down list, select the appropriate default role for this group type.
  5. Click Save.
Now when the Group Finder widget creates a group participant record with this group type, that participant record is automatically assigned to the default role you selected.

Add Group Focuses

Set up group focuses for the Group Finder widget.

Group focuses identify the subject or focus of each group. For example, missions, community-oriented, or book study can all be group focuses.
  1. In the navigation menu, click Lookup Values > Group Focuses.
  2. Click Create New Group Focus.
  3. Complete the fields.
  4. Click Save.
  5. In the navigation menu, click Groups.
  6. Click the group you want to add the group focus to.
  7. Click Edit Record.
  8. In the Group Focus drop-down list, select the group focus you want to add to this group.
  9. Click Save.
Now when people filter for this group focus in the Group Finder widget, they'll find groups that match that group focus.

Add Life Stages

Configure life stages to add to groups for the Group Finder widget.

Life stages can identify the various ages or seasons or life that each group caters to. For example, college-age, young families, and empty-nesters can be various life stages to use in groups.
  1. In the navigation menu, click Lookup Values > Life Stages.
  2. Create New Life Stage.
  3. Complete the fields.
  4. Click Save.
  5. In the navigation menu, click Groups.
  6. Click the group you want to add the life stage to.
  7. Click Edit Record.
  8. In the Life Stage drop-down list, select the life stage you want to add to this group.
  9. Click Save.
Now when people filter for this life stage in the Group Finder widget, they'll find groups that match that life stage.

Exclude a Group Type

Don't display a specific group type in the Group Finder widget.

Want to exclude an entire group type from the Group Finder widget (for example, parent groups)? Follow these instructions!
  1. In the navigation menu, click Lookup Values > Group Types.
  2. Click the group type to open it.
  3. Click Edit Record.
  4. In the Show on Group Finder field, select No.
  5. Click Save.
Now any groups with this group type won't display in the Group Finder widget.

Customization

Customize the Group Finder widget to change button colors, update labels, and more to match your church brand.

CSS: Every widget accepts the Custom CSS attribute. Include it before the closing of the opening widget tag to customize backgrounds, button colors, and more!

Application Labels: Does your church use communities instead of neighborhoods? Do you have sites instead of campuses? To make changes, go to System Setup > Application Labels and update the appropriate label(s). Note that you are responsible for all translations if the default is not used.

  • mpp-group-finder.parentGroupLabel: The label that displays on the sign-up button. The default is "Neighborhood".
  • mpp-group-finder.congregationPlaceHolderText: The congregation label. The default is "Any Campus".
  • mpp-group-finder.parentGroupPlaceHolderText: The parent group neighborhood label. The default is "All Neighborhoods".
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Last updated: November 24, 2025

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