How Groups Work in Connection Card Pro

Overview

Groups in Connection Card Pro are designed to help your church or ministry organize people by role, activity, or purpose. Whether you’re managing classes, coordinating volunteers, or overseeing multiple ministries, the Groups module gives you structure, flexibility, and visibility.

Group Types and When to Use Each
Group Ownership and Structure

Group Types and When to Use Each

Each group type has its own purpose, structure, and page within the Groups menu.

Group Type	Used For
Departments	High-level ministries (e.g., Worship, Children, Adults)
Divisions	Subsections of a department (e.g., Preschool, Elementary)
Classes	Courses or sessions with a defined start/end (e.g., Membership, Baptism Prep)
Class Streams	Multiple sessions of a class (e.g., Spring vs. Fall, or Tues vs. Thurs)
Small Groups	Life groups, home groups, book studies, Bible studies
Crews	Volunteer teams with scheduling (e.g., Parking Team, Worship Band)
Teams	Points-based student teams within a Points Event (not regular events)
Points Events	Competitive events with scoring, used for youth/kids engagement

Each group type has its own format, list and settings. Some fields only apply to certain types (e.g., Scheduling in Crews, Class Streams in Classes, Points in Teams).

Group Ownership & Structure Rules

Groups can belong to (be owned by):

The organization
Another group (depending on type)
A unit (if enabled)
A campus (coming soon)

Group Type	Can Belong To
Department	Organization only
Division	A Department
Class	A Department or Division
Class Stream	A Class (must have a parent class)
Small Group	A Department or Division
Crew	A Department, Division, or another Crew
Team	A Points Event only
Points Event	A Department or Division

A group can have one of each: a parent group, a campus, and a unit (if applicable).

What’s Included in a Group?

Every group has:

Name and Description
Image (optional) – appears on public or member-facing pages
Roster – people assigned to the group
Tags – for search, organization, automation
Contact Form / Public Visibility Options
Meeting Location & Calendar Configuration
Classifications – to identify leaders and members
Age/Grade Restrictions – helpful for auto-assignment
Optional Settings depending on the group type
Care Needs - a way to organize and make known a need in the group

Editing a Group – What to Expect

Most groups share the same structure in the edit screen, including descriptions, contact forms, locations, and tag settings. But some group types include specialized sections:

Department Only

Unique settings dropdown in the group view for:

Department Settings
Communication Settings
Kiosk Settings

Crews Only

Scheduling Rules & Preferences
Positions (e.g., Barista, Cleanup, Tech Booth)
Volunteer fatigue protections (Burn-Out Watch)
Notifications (email, text, Slack)

Class + Class Streams

Create multiple streams (e.g., Fall 2024, Spring 2025)
Separate rosters per stream
Track all who’ve taken the class

Teams + Points Events

Teams must belong to a Points Event
Points Events define rules for scoring/penalties
Used to create friendly competition among student groups

Viewing Groups & Using the Primary Group Page

Clicking a group name or the Roster button on the group list takes you to the group’s Primary View, where you can:

View and manage the roster
See birthdays, last attendance, and contact info
Add/remove members
Access tabs like Meeting Times, Files, Care, Settings, etc.
Export to PDF or Excel

Only Departments have a Settings dropdown in this view. All others rely on the Edit Group screen.

Tags and Filters

Tags help categorize and organize groups. They also:

Appear on the group list
Can be filtered by tag type (public, custom, project, fundraiser)
Power “Tag Binders” for reporting (see Document #6)

More about tags in Document #3 – Understanding and Managing Tags.

Group Lists: Search, Filter, and Sort

Every group list (Departments, Divisions, etc.) includes:

A search bar
Filters for tags and “belongs to”
Sorting by column headers (e.g., Name, Member Count)

See Document #2 – Using Group Lists (Search, Filter, Sort) for full details.

Best Practices for Managing Groups

Use clear, meaningful names
Apply tags consistently
Use Age/Grade restrictions for kids/youth
Group by Division or Department to keep lists manageable
Use Class Streams for repeatable, multi-session courses
Use Crews when scheduling volunteers
Use Teams + Points Events when running student competitions

Connection Card Pro Help & Documentation