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Participants FAQ

Common questions regarding Participants or Members in MinistryPlatform.

Q1: A Contact is connected to two Participant records. How do we fix this?

We intentionally removed the delete tool from the Participants page so no one accidentally deletes a Participant record. To handle this situation, use the Combine Contacts Tool to remove a Participant from the Contact record.

Q2: A Participant record inadvertently created a Company. How should it be removed?

A SPoC can delete a Company's Participant record.

Q3: Participant records were end-dated but now they attend our church again. What should I do?

Usually, when someone stops attending your church, it affects many areas of the system. Follow the steps below to determine what areas you need to update:

  1. Select the Participants.
  2. Mass assign them to the appropriate Participant Type and remove the participant end date.
  3. Transfer the records to the Contacts page.
  4. Mass update the Contact Status to the appropriate status.
  5. Add the Contacts to any appropriate publications.
  6. If appropriate, add them to any Groups (especially Age or Grade Groups used for check-in).
Q4: How can we track a child's grade if they are not in an Age or Grade Group?

While Age and Grade Groups primarily track which grade a child is in, you can also use the HS Graduation Year field on the contacts table. You can create a cheat sheet that displays which graduation year corresponds to which grade. You can also create Views to update yearly that display high school Contacts (for example, Graduation Years 2021-2024).

Remove a Participant from a Contact Record

You may find that a Contact is connected to more than one Participant record. We intentionally removed the delete tool from the Participants page so no one accidentally deletes a Participant record. Use the Combine Contacts Tool instead.
  1. Click the Contacts page.
  2. Clear any selections.
  3. Select only the Contact record in question.
  4. Click Tools > Combine Contacts.
    This Contact displays in two columns in the tool. The Participant information is different towards the bottom of the columns.
  5. Decide and indicate which column to keep.
  6. Click Combine Contacts.

Delete a Company's Participant Record

  • You must be a SPoC to do this.

Sometimes a Participant record may inadvertently create a company. Accidents happen! Here's how to correct it.

Clear the Company's Participant record
  1. Click Contacts.
  2. Select the Companies view.
  3. Click the Company to open its Contact record.
  4. In the General tab, click Edit Record.
  5. In the Participant Record field, click the X to clear the field.
  6. Click Save.
Delete the Participant record
  1. Open the Company's Participant record.
  2. From the Actions menu, select Delete.
  3. Confirm that there are no dependent records associated with the Company. If there are, review each record carefully before you decide whether to delete it.
  4. Click Delete.