Inviting Team Members

Managing a church's online presence is often a team effort. Linked.Church makes it easy to invite staff members and volunteers to help manage your link page while maintaining control over who can do what.

Why Use Team Collaboration?

Benefits of Team Accounts

• Shared Responsibility: Multiple people can update links without sharing passwords
• Continuity: If someone leaves, others can continue managing the page
• Specialized Roles: Give different permissions based on responsibilities
• Activity Tracking: See who made what changes and when
• No Password Sharing: Each team member uses their own secure login

Understanding Team Roles

Linked.Church offers two main roles for team members:

Owner Role

• Full control over the church account
• Can invite and remove team members
• Access to billing and account settings
• Can delete the account
• Typically the senior pastor or administrator

Member Role

• Can add, edit, and delete links
• Can customize page design
• Can view analytics
• Cannot manage team members or account settings
• Perfect for staff and volunteers

Step 1: Access Team Management

1. Sign in to your Linked.Church dashboard
2. Click on "Settings" in the navigation
3. Select "Team Members"
4. You'll see a list of current team members (initially just you)

Step 2: Invite a Team Member

Send an Invitation

1. Click the "Invite Team Member" button

2. Enter the team member's information:

   • Email Address: Where they'll receive the invitation
   • Name: Their full name (optional but recommended)
   • Role: Select "Member" for most staff
   • Personal Message (Optional): Add a note to the invitation

3. Click "Send Invitation"

What Happens Next

The invited person will receive an email with:

• An invitation to join your church's Linked.Church team
• A secure link to accept the invitation
• Instructions for creating their account (if needed)
• The invitation expires after 7 days for security

Step 3: Team Member Acceptance

For New Users

If the invited person doesn't have a Linked.Church account:

1. They click the invitation link
2. Create their account with email and password
3. Automatically join your church's team
4. Get redirected to the team dashboard

For Existing Users

If they already have an account:

1. They click the invitation link
2. Sign in with their existing credentials
3. Accept the invitation to join your team
4. Switch to your church's workspace

Step 4: Managing Team Members

View Team Members

In the Team Members section, you can see:

• Each member's name and email
• Their role (Owner or Member)
• When they joined the team
• Last time they were active
• Status (Active, Pending invitation)

Update Member Roles

To change a team member's role:

1. Find the team member in the list
2. Click the "Edit" button (pencil icon)
3. Select their new role
4. Click "Update Role"
5. They'll be notified of the change

Remove Team Members

When someone leaves your church or no longer needs access:

1. Find the team member in the list
2. Click the "Remove" button (trash icon)
3. Confirm the removal
4. They'll immediately lose access to your church's page
5. Their account remains active for other churches they may manage

Step 5: Team Collaboration Best Practices

Assign Clear Responsibilities

• Worship Leader: Manages sermon links and live streams
• Youth Pastor: Updates youth event links
• Admin Assistant: Handles general updates and contact info
• Communications Director: Oversees design and analytics

Communication Guidelines

1. Use Link Descriptions: Add notes to links explaining their purpose
2. Coordinate Updates: Let team know about major changes
3. Regular Reviews: Schedule monthly team check-ins
4. Document Decisions: Keep notes on design choices and link strategies

Security Practices

• Regular Audits: Review team member list quarterly
• Remove Promptly: Remove access immediately when someone leaves
• Strong Passwords: Encourage all team members to use secure passwords
• Role Appropriateness: Only give owner access when necessary

Common Scenarios

Pastoral Transition

When leadership changes:

1. Add the new pastor as an Owner
2. Transfer primary ownership if needed
3. Update profile information
4. Review and update team access

Seasonal Volunteers

For temporary help:

1. Invite as Members (not Owners)
2. Set calendar reminder to remove access
3. Thank them for their service
4. Remove access when season ends

Multiple Campuses

If your church has multiple locations:

1. Create separate team accounts for each campus
2. Invite campus-specific staff to their team
3. Maintain central oversight with shared owners
4. Coordinate consistent branding

Troubleshooting

Invitation Not Received

• Check spam/junk folders
• Verify email address is correct
• Resend invitation (previous one is cancelled)
• Add linked.church to email whitelist

Can't Accept Invitation

• Ensure invitation hasn't expired (7 days)
• Try different browser or incognito mode
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Contact support with invitation details

Wrong Permissions

• Double-check assigned role
• Members cannot access account settings
• Only Owners can manage team members
• Update role if needed

Team Member Can't Access

• Confirm they accepted invitation
• Check they're signing in with correct email
• Verify they're selecting the right workspace
• They may need to sign out and back in

Advanced Team Features

Activity Monitoring

Coming soon: See what changes each team member makes

• Link additions and edits
• Design modifications
• Analytics access
• Helpful for training and accountability

Granular Permissions

Future update: More specific permission levels

• Read-only access for reviewers
• Design-only access for creative team
• Analytics-only for reporting
• Link-specific permissions

Next Steps

Now that your team is set up:

• Organize your links effectively
• Set up consistent branding
• Train team on best practices
• Monitor performance together

Remember: Good communication and clear roles make for effective team management!