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Administrator Guide

This guide covers administrative tasks for pastors and church leaders managing their congregation’s MinistryHub account.
This guide is for users with Pastor, Leader, or Master roles. If you’re a regular member, see the Getting Started guide instead.

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Setting Up Your Church

When you first access MinistryHub as an administrator, you’ll be guided through a setup wizard:
1

Create organizational areas

Define the main areas of your church (e.g., Worship, Media, Youth, Outreach). Areas help organize teams and members logically.
2

Set up teams within areas

Create specific teams under each area (e.g., under Worship: Vocalists, Musicians, Sound Team).
3

Invite team leaders

Send invitations to leaders who will manage each team. They’ll receive an email with access instructions.
4

Add team members

Once leaders are set up, they can invite their team members, or you can add them directly.
Take time to plan your organizational structure before adding users. A clear hierarchy makes management easier as your church grows.

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Managing Church Settings

Access church-wide settings through the Settings page:

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Customizing Invitation Emails

1

Navigate to invitation settings

Go to Settings > Organization Management > Invitation Customization.
2

Edit email templates

Choose from up to 3 predefined templates and customize the text to match your church’s voice and branding.
3

Preview your changes

Review how the email will appear to recipients before saving.
4

Save and apply

Your customized templates will be used for all future invitations sent from your church.
Only Pastors, Leaders, and Coordinators have access to customize invitation templates.

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User and Permission Management

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Inviting New Users

1

Access the People section

Navigate to the People or Teams module from the main menu.
2

Click 'Add Member'

Select the team or area where this person will serve.
3

Enter user details

Provide their name, email address, and initial role assignment.
4

Send invitation

The user will receive an email with login credentials and next steps.

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Managing User Roles

Different roles provide different access levels:
  • Member: Can view and participate in assigned activities
  • Leader: Can manage their specific team and approve changes
  • Coordinator: Can oversee multiple teams within an area
  • Pastor: Full administrative access to the church
1

Locate the user

Find the person in your People directory.
2

Open their profile

Click on their name to view detailed information.
3

Edit role assignment

Select the appropriate role from the dropdown menu.
4

Save changes

The user’s permissions will update immediately.
Be careful when assigning Pastor or Coordinator roles, as these provide broad access to church data and settings.

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Managing Organizational Structure

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Creating and Editing Areas

1

Go to Areas management

Access the organizational structure section from your admin dashboard.
2

Create a new area

Click “Add Area” and provide a name (e.g., “Worship Ministry”, “Children’s Ministry”).
3

Assign an area leader

Choose a coordinator or leader responsible for overseeing this area.
4

Add teams to the area

Create specific teams within the area that will handle different responsibilities.

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Team Management

1

Select an area

Navigate to the area containing the team you want to manage.
2

View team details

Click on the team name to see current members and settings.
3

Add or remove members

Use the team management interface to adjust team composition.
4

Assign team leaders

Designate one or more leaders responsible for coordinating the team’s activities.
Regularly review team structures to ensure they reflect your current ministry organization. Archive inactive teams rather than deleting them to preserve historical data.

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Monitoring System Activity

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Activity Logs

Track changes and actions within your church’s account:
1

Access activity logs

Navigate to the Admin section and select “Activity Log” or “Audit Trail”.
2

Filter by criteria

Use filters to view specific types of actions, users, or date ranges.
3

Review changes

See who made changes, when they occurred, and what was modified.
4

Export reports

Download activity reports for record-keeping or analysis.

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Notification Management

Configure how your congregation receives updates:
1

Go to notification settings

Access the Notifications section in your admin dashboard.
2

Set notification preferences

Choose which events trigger notifications (service changes, new assignments, etc.).
3

Customize notification templates

Edit the message templates for different notification types.
Notification settings apply church-wide, but individual users can adjust their personal notification preferences in their account settings.

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Managing Master Administrator Functions

The following features are only available to users with the Master role.

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Accessing Global Controls

Master administrators have additional capabilities:
1

Switch church context

Access any church in the system without restrictions using the church selector.
2

Manage global permissions

Navigate to Settings > Admin > Permissions Manager to configure system-wide access rules.
3

Use debug tools

Access Settings > Admin > Debug for technical diagnostics and system information.

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Security Best Practices

  • Review permissions regularly: Audit who has administrative access quarterly
  • Use strong passwords: Require complex passwords for all admin accounts
  • Monitor activity logs: Check for unusual activity patterns
  • Limit Master access: Only assign Master role to trusted technical administrators

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Supporting Your Users

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Handling Access Issues

1

Verify user account

Check that the user exists in your church’s member directory.
2

Resend invitation

If they haven’t received their initial email, resend the invitation.
3

Reset password

Guide them through the “Forgot Password” flow on the login page.
4

Check role assignment

Ensure they have appropriate permissions for the features they need to access.

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Common User Questions

  • “I can’t see the worship module”: Check that they’re assigned to a worship-related team or have appropriate permissions
  • “My changes aren’t saving”: Members may need leader approval for certain edits (like song modifications)
  • “I can’t switch churches”: Verify they’re invited to multiple congregations in the system

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Privacy and Data Protection

As an administrator, you’re responsible for protecting your congregation’s data:
  • Only collect information necessary for ministry participation
  • Inform users about what data is collected and how it’s used
  • Respond promptly to data access or deletion requests
  • Ensure only authorized leaders have access to member information
Review the Privacy & Support documentation with your leadership team annually to ensure compliance with your church’s data policies.

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Next Steps

Explore specialized features:

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Getting Technical Support

If you encounter technical issues:
  1. Check the documentation in the Help section
  2. Review the activity log for error patterns
  3. Use the Debug tools (Master admins only) to gather system information
  4. Contact MinistryHub technical support with detailed error descriptions
When reporting issues, include: what you were trying to do, exact error messages, and steps to reproduce the problem.

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