Platform Configuration
Ensure appropriate Congregations/Campuses display in the filter drop-down list. For each one you want to show, go to , open the Congregation, and set Available Online to Yes.
Ensure each Group Type has the appropriate Default Role configured. This Role will be used for each Group Participant record created by the Widget. Go to , open the Group Type, and select a Default Role.
Group Focuses can identify the subject/focus that each Group has (for example, missions, community-oriented or book study). If you want, add Group Focuses by going to and creating new records.
- 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 along with the Primary Contact of the Group's Congregation through email and then assign a follow-up task.
- Group Suggested: A two-step Process that can notify a specified individual 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, which will appear in the widget. If there is no image, a stock image will be displayed. Images can be added to use as the main Group image by attaching them as a file to the group record through the Platform. File formats supported both by browsers and the Platform 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
Groups will display in the Group Finder when they meet the following criteria:
- Today's date is less than the End Date or the End Date is undefined.
- Available Online is set to Yes.
- Group belongs to a Group Type where Show on Group Finder is set to Yes.
- Group is Full is set to No, unless Groups that are full have been configured to display, which then show a Full banner in the upper left-hand corner of the group card. Sign up will not be available.
- Target Size (if defined) has not been reached. Group Participants always count toward Target Size, Group Inquiries can be configured to also count by setting countgroupinquiries=true. Note: If countgroupinquiries is set to True, Pending group inquiries (null or undefined) will be counted toward the Target Size. Pending group inquiries will not be included when calculating whether the Target Size has been reached.
- (Optional) If Meets Online is set to Yes, cards in the Group Finder will be identified by a badge in the upper left-hand corner and Group Details page will have a Meets Online tag. The Group Finder may also be filtered for Groups that meet this criteria.
- Want to exclude an entire Group Type from the Group Finder (for example, Parent Groups)? Set Show on Group Finder to No on the Group Type record. Note: If a group is both Full and Meets Online, the Meets Online banner will override the Full banner. (This circumstance assumes that the church has configured Full groups to show on the Group Finder.)