Connect Group Leaders

Everything you need to lead your group

Thank you for saying yes to leading a Connect Group! We're grateful for the time you're investing in creating a place where people can connect, grow, and build community.

START HERE

START HERE

START HERE

START HERE

Access Your Group in Planning Center + Church Center

Planning Center Groups and Church Center work together to help you manage and stay connected with your group.

As a leader, we recommend having access to both. You can use whichever platform is most convenient for the task you're doing.

Planning center Groups

Your main group management tool. Use it to manage your group, view members, update your schedule, take attendance, and more.

Open Planning CenterDownload Planning Center App

Church Center

Your group's mobile-friendly hub. Use it to stay connected with your group, view meetings, communicate, RSVP, and manage your group while you're on the go.

Open Church CenterDownload Church Center App

YOUR FOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A CONNECT GROUP LEADER

Check for New Members

People can join your group in two ways: through the Connect Group registration form or by requesting to join directly through Church Center.

Requests to Join require your approval, so check regularly for new requests and approve them when appropriate.

Keep Your Schedule Updated

Your group schedule in Planning Center is what members see in Church Center.

If your meeting date, time, or location changes, update it in Planning Center so your group always has the most current information.

Take Attendance

Please take attendance at every group meeting through Planning Center/Church Center.

Consistent attendance helps us know how people are engaging in groups and gives us an opportunity to follow up when someone may need extra care.

Communicate Through Church Center

Use your group's chat and announcements to keep everyone informed and connected between meetings.

Our goal is for Church Center to be your group's primary communication hub rather than relying on GroupMe, Facebook Messenger, or individual text threads.

More About Church Center

Church Center is where your group stays connected between meetings. Below are answers to some common questions about using Church Center with your group.

Church Center is the app and website that helps people stay connected with The Bridge. Your group has its own space within Church Center where members can view group information, communicate, see upcoming meetings, and access shared resources.

Think of them as two ways of accessing the same group information. Planning Center Groups gives you a more robust management experience, especially from a computer. Church Center gives you a simple, mobile-friendly way to stay connected and manage many group tasks from your phone. Both are useful for leaders.

We strongly encourage it! While Church Center can also be accessed from a web browser, the mobile app makes it much easier for members to stay connected and receive group updates wherever they are. [Get Church Center →]

Members can: View upcoming meeting dates, times, and locations RSVP to meetings Communicate with the group through group chat Access resources and files shared by leaders View other members of the group Stay up to date with group information

Our goal is no! We want Church Center to be the primary place your group communicates and stays connected. Using one platform helps make sure important information isn't scattered across different apps or lost in individual text messages.

Absolutely. Church Center gives leaders access to many of the tools they need to manage their groups, including attendance, schedules, communication, and group information. You can use either Planning Center Groups or Church Center, depending on what works best for you.

They can still access Church Center through a web browser. However, we encourage you to help your members get the mobile app because it's the easiest way to stay connected with your group.

Group leaders can share resources with the group through Planning Center. These can include files, links, study materials, discussion questions, and other helpful resources.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR GROUP?

We're here to help! If you have a question about Planning Center, Church Center, your group, or something that comes up during the semester, let us know.

Not sure where to start? That's okay. Just tell us what you're running into and we'll help you figure it out.