You will need the Permissions Limited permission to add or edit a role.
Most people use Chat as a member — joining channels and talking. Two church-wide permissions let designated moderators reach standalone channels they never joined, without being added as a member. They're assigned on the Roles screen, under a Chat permission group. Throughout the help center, "chat admin" means someone with the Full Write Chat permission.
The two chat permissions
Full Read Chat - list and read any standalone channel, public or private, without joining it. Read-only: no posting.
Full Write Chat - everything Full Read grants, plus posting in any standalone channel; renaming, changing the privacy of, reordering, and deleting channels and categories; and moderator actions such as creating threads, ending polls, moderating forum posts, and (with Member Chat Pro) uploading custom emoji.
Tip: Full Write Chat already includes Full Read Chat, so granting write alone is enough.
Standalone channels only
These permissions cover regular church-wide channels and categories. They do not widen access to Private Messages, group chats, or service-plan chats — those keep their own rules (membership, group admin, or plan admin). Someone with Full Write Chat still cannot read anyone's Private Messages.
Tip: If someone is reading a private channel they were never added to, check whether they're a chat moderator (Full Read or Full Write Chat), a group or plan admin, or a One Church super-user — those are the only people who can, and it's intentional.
Assigning chat permissions
Open Settings & Tools (Cog icon in the tool-bar) > Your Organization > Security > Roles.
Open the role you want to change and click Edit Role.
On the Permissions tab, expand the Chat group.
Set Full Read Chat or Full Write Chat and save.
Channel admins vs. chat permissions
Chat permissions are church-wide. Separately, each channel has its own admins and members. A channel admin can invite, remove (kick), ban, and promote members within that channel — but renaming, changing privacy, or deleting the channel takes the church-wide Full Write Chat permission.
Who can do what
A quick reference for the most common "who's allowed to…" questions:
Delete someone else's message - standalone channel: a channel admin or chat admin; group chat: a group admin; service-plan chat: a plan admin; Private Message: no one (author only).
Pin a message - admins only in channels, group chats, and service-plan chats; any member in a Private Message or thread.
Create a thread - a chat admin (standalone channel), group admin (group chat), or plan admin (service-plan chat).
Rename or delete a channel - a chat admin for a standalone channel; a group or plan admin for a group/plan channel.
View member reports, kick or ban members - a channel admin or chat admin, in standalone channels only (not available in group or service-plan chats).
Upload custom emoji - requires both Member Chat Pro and Full Write Chat.