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Accessing the Platform

Your data is valuable and private. We get that! MinistryPlatform is a secure web application. It runs on a browser, so it's available anytime, anywhere you have internet access. You're required to log in so we know who you are and what data you have permission to access.

All you need to access MinistryPlatform is a web browser, your organization's URL (formatted like this: https://{your platform domain}/mp), and your credentials. An administrator must grant you permissions via a security role to do anything beyond logging in.

The Platform is supported on the following browsers:

  • Latest version of Google Chrome
  • Latest version of Mozilla Firefox (regular, not ESR)
  • Latest version of Microsoft Edge
  • Latest version of Macintosh Safari

Microsoft Internet Explorer is not a supported browser.

Tip: For the best experience, we recommend a minimum screen resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
Note: Multi-lingual Support: The Log In window and windows throughout the Platform include multi-lingual support. Choose the language you want to display for field labels, like buttons, instructions, and so on. Current available languages are English (default), Mandarin (Simple Chinese), Portuguese, and Spanish..

Create an Account

To access MinistryPlatform and its applications as a staff member or volunteer, you must have an account. Depending on how your organization decides to handle new accounts, you may or may not need to create an account yourself.

Note: Admins: If you want to allow congregants/parishioners to access certain MinistryPlatform applications (like Life Apps and widgets on your website), they should create a new account through your website via the Login widget.

Each organization has its own site where you an access the Platform. Ask your administrator if you don't know where to find it. When you get there, you'll see the Log In window. The options that display depend on your organization's setup.

Basic Login OptionsAdditional Login Options
The Login window showing the option to log in using Platform credentialsThe Login window showing options to log in using Platform credentials, a one-time code, or social media credentials
Tip: Want to use the easy button? Create your account using a social login! If your organization has configured them, you'll see options for Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and/or others on the Log In screen.
  1. Open a web browser and go to your organization's Platform URL.
  2. At the bottom, click Create an account.
  3. Enter your First Name.
  4. Enter your Last Name.
  5. Enter your Email Address.
    Important: When you create your account, use a unique email address. If you use a shared email address, you can't use the Forgot Password option. Admins, learn more about dealing with Multiple Users.
  6. Optional: If you'd like, enter your Mobile Phone. By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from your organization. You can opt out at any time.
  7. Click Next.
  8. If you entered a mobile phone number and your organization has set up an option for texting, you can select whether to receive a text message or email to verify your account. Otherwise, you can skip to the next step.
    You'll receive an email or text message within a few minutes.
    Note: Admins, you can customize the content of the New User Account Confirmation message. See Domains and Accounts for details.
  9. Confirm your account.
    1. Open your email or text messaging application for the email address or mobile phone number you provided.
    2. Open the New User Account Confirmation email or text, and copy the one-time code.
    3. Go back to your web browser, paste the one-time code in the Code field, and click Verify Code.
      Note: For security, this code is only valid for 10 minutes.
    Once you confirm your account, you can set up a username and password. These will be the credentials you use to log in to MinistryPlatform and its applications.
  10. Create your user name and password.
    1. Enter a username. The field defaults to the email address that you provided, but you can change it if needed.
    2. Enter a password.
    3. Confirm your password.
  11. Click Save.

While you can set up an account, your system administrator needs to give you permission before you can see or do anything in MinistryPlatform. Contact your system administrator to provide you with the appropriate permission.

Sign Up Using a Social Login

  • A SPoC must enable the social login option.

If this feature is enabled, you can sign up and log in using credentials from one of your social media accounts instead of your MinistryPlatform username and password. Admins, see External Login Authentication to set up external identity providers.

  1. Click the third-party provider to link to your user account. The options you can select from are determined by the identity providers your organization configured.
  2. Follow the prompts of the third-party provider to grant permission and share authentication details.

Once linked, a confirmation displays.

You can manage your social logins (also known as external identities) from the Platform. Click your account image in the top right, select User Account, and then click Social Logins. See User Account Dialog Box for step-by-step details.

Log In to the Platform

SPoCs can enable features to make logging in easy. With Simple Sign-On, you can use your email address or mobile phone number instead of a username. With Authentication Via Code, you can securely log in without a password. Otherwise, you can log in with a username and password.

  1. Open a web browser, and go to your organization's MinistryPlatform URL ending with /mp.
    Your URL is formatted like this: https://{your platform domain}/mp.
  2. Enter your login credentials.
    • If Simple Sign-On is enabled, you can enter your email, mobile phone number, or username.
    • If Authentication Via Code is enabled, you can click Send Code to bypass the password field.
    Tip: Forgot your password? That's okay! Click Forgot your password? to reset it.
  3. On a trusted device? Select Keep Me Logged In. This option keeps you logged in for up to three months or until you log out of the Platform.
  4. Click Log In.
    • If your credentials are invalid, a message displays to let you know.
    • If your credentials are valid but you don't have the appropriate security role, a message displays to let you know.
  5. If multi-factor authentication is required, enter the code you received through email or text.

If your credentials are valid, MinistryPlatform opens. If your credentials are invalid or you don't have the appropriate security role, a message displays to let you know. If you have trouble logging in, you can reset your password or contact your administrator.

Permissions

When you log in for the first time, you may not have permission to do anything in the system. Your administrator will assign a security role to your user account so you can access areas of the Platform. An administrator can also determine what each user sees in the online directory based on Participant Type or Member Type.

Admins, make sure you understand who can see what based on these settings and apply the correct permissions to each user.

CAUTION: Be sure the people who sign up are who they say they are. If your website is public, anyone can sign up to be a user. If you don't pay attention, you might accidentally allow access to data they should not be able to view or change.

We recommend that churches thoroughly understand their responsibilities in protecting the privacy of their church data. To do that, make sure you are aware of how people can misuse others' information. Visit our Trust Center for more details.

Tips to Prevent Scams and Phishing

If your website is public and has a way to sign up for a MinistryPlatform user account, you need to be aware of a sad but true reality: the church is a popular playground for scammers. If a scammer gains even limited access to the Platform, they may gather enough information from a trusted platform to launch some very successful social engineering scams. A scammer works to be more believable, more legitimate, and poses as someone who wants to "help" their church. Allowing an impostor to access your church directory could disrupt your church community.

Is it a scam or a legitimate request?

If your church receives a request for a MinistryPlatform account by email or through the account request process, how do you know if the person is real? It's not always easy to determine.

Example scam email asking you to send an invitation to set up a new user account

Ways to verify a request:

Bill's email and email address look a little suspicious, but is it possible that he visits your church? You can't know from that email, but there are a few ways you could handle this:
  1. Delete the email and see if he sends another email.
    • This won't necessarily resolve anything.
    • If Bill is actually phishing, he may continue to email you. The same would be true for an actual person.
  2. Reply and tell him that he doesn't need an account to give online. Direct him to request an account on your church website.
    • If he does this, your church must still determine how to verify if this is a legitimate request or a scam.
  3. Reply and say you're sorry you haven't met him yet.
    • Ask him something about your church that he can only know by visiting - something that isn't posted online.
    • Or you could ask him to meet you at the next service. It would be unlikely that a "phish" would try to meet you in person.

Other considerations:

To keep MinistryPlatform as secure as possible, we do not allow unauthenticated people to add or update email addresses or phone numbers. For example, let's say you created a Household and Contact record for someone with just their phone number and no email address. Later, that person decides to create a user account, and they include their email address on the Sign Up form. The new User record will be linked to the matching Contact record, but the email address will not be added to it.

This is because the person who signed up for a user account may not be the actual person. If a scammer has access to a person's contact information (which is incredibly common with data breaches these days), they could attempt to sign up as that person and gain access to other things, such as donor information. So, the Platform only allows email and phone information to be added by an authenticated user or someone with admin permissions.

Reset Your Password

  • You can't use this option if you use a shared email address.
  • To reset your password by text message, you must be able to receive texts from MinistryPlatform.

If you already have an account but forgot your password, you can reset your password. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us!

Note: SPoCs can customize the content of the Password Recovery Verification message using the Recover Account Message Template field. See Domains and Accounts for details.
  1. On the login screen, click Forgot your password?.
  2. Enter your first name and last name, as it displays on your user account.
  3. Enter your email address and/or mobile phone number.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Confirm your account.
    1. Open your email or text messaging application for the email address or mobile phone number you provided.
    2. Open the Password Recovery Verification email or text, and copy the one-time code.
    3. Go back to your web browser, paste the one-time code in the Code field, and click Verify Code.
      Note: For security, this code is only valid for 10 minutes.
    Once you confirm your account, you can reset your password.
  6. Enter a new password.
  7. Confirm your new password.
  8. Click Save.

Change Your Password

Maybe you remember your password but need to update it. You can do so within MinistryPlatform at any time.

  1. Click your user image in the top-right corner.
  2. Select User Account.
  3. Click Change/Edit Password.
  4. Enter your old password to confirm your account.
  5. Enter your new password.
  6. Confirm your new password.
  7. Click Save.

You can now use your new password when you log in to the Platform.

Add a Mobile Bookmark

If you plan to use the Platform on your mobile device, you can add a bookmark on your home screen so you can access it like any other application.

  1. On your preferred mobile browser, navigate to your Platform instance.
  2. Log in to MinistryPlatform.
  3. Click the menu icon (the ellipsis in upper-right corner).
  4. Click Add to Home Screen, and enter the name for the shortcut.
  5. Click Add.

Login Configuration for SPoCs

As a SPoC, you are uniquely positioned to ensure your users have a great experience using MinistryPlatform. And to use the Platform, people have to be able to log in. We recommend you make logging in as simple as possible—your users will thank you!

  • User access depends on the security roles connected to their User record. It is your responsibility to manage these items appropriately for your users.
  • When you enable Simple Sign-on through the Domain record, users can log in with their email, phone, or username. This is a helpful option for your users, and we strongly recommend you enable it.
  • You can allow people to log in using external authentication, such as Facebook or Google credentials. Right now, this external authentication is only for the Platform. All other applications (such as BMT and Check-In) only support the username and password set in MinistryPlatform. To increase security, this external authentication feature replaced the Auto-Login URL feature.
  • Your server's Domain record controls the password requirements for MinistryPlatform. Check out the Users section to learn more about password requirement options and how to change the requirement for your context.
  • You can customize the email/text messages that are sent when users create an account, reset their password, and use multi-factor authentication. See the options under the User Account Configuration section on your Domain record.
  • On the server, you can customize the length of inactivity allowed before reauthentication is required. Contact Support for information on how to update this setting.
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Last updated: November 26, 2024