You will need Super User access to perform most of the steps in this guide.
Welcome to One Church Software. This guide walks you through setting up your account and introducing it to your church, step by step, so you always know what to do next and what can wait. Work at whatever pace fits your church.
1. Set up your foundation
Book your training
Our team can train you at any stage, even before your data is in. An early session is a good time to plan your setup and get advice on importing your data.
Click your name in the top-right corner of the toolbar.
Choose Schedule a Training and pick a time that works for your team.
One training session per month is included on Core Plus plans. Other plans are charged per session.
Reference: How do I schedule a training session?
Update your account information
In the left-hand menu, under your name, select Account settings.
Confirm your church's name, address, and contact information. Your address is what lets members find your church in the My One Church mobile app.
Add your logo, icon, and brand colors so the software matches your church's look.
If your church has more than one campus, add each one at Settings & Tools > Your Organization > Campuses before you import people.
Get your data ready to move
Export a backup from every system you use today, such as your current church software, giving platform, spreadsheets, and sign-up tools. Do this even if you do not plan to bring all of it over.
Then choose how your people will get into One Church Software:
Ask our team to migrate your data. Click your name in the top-right corner of the toolbar and choose Request Data Import.
Import it yourself at Settings & Tools (Cog icon in the tool-bar) > Tools/Utilities > Import Data. Run a small test import of 10 to 25 people first, check every field, then import the rest.
Add people by hand from Contacts if your list is small.
Learn more:
Tip: Less is more. Bring over active people and the history you actually use (two years of giving is common). Anything you leave behind stays available in your old system's export.
Clean up your people records
Clean records make launch day much smoother. Members use their email address to get into their profile, so a missing or wrong email usually means they register again and create a duplicate.
One person, one profile. Open Contacts and select the Duplicates tab to review possible duplicates, then merge them.
Check email addresses. Make sure each adult has their own. When family members share one address, granting access in bulk only gives access to one of them.
Check families. Open five households and confirm everyone is linked correctly, including one where spouses have different last names.
Leave out what you do not need. Test records, groups that no longer meet, and fields nobody updates can stay behind.
Learn more:
Set up giving
You will need the Contributions Settings permission to perform this action.
Everything for giving lives at Contributions > Settings. Your treasurer is often the best person for this section. Check that your church's legal name, EIN, and bank details are current before you apply. Online giving is available in the United States only.
On the Merchant Accounts tab, click Open New Account. Review the fee rate and complete the form, including the bank account where gifts should be deposited.
Accept the Click to Agree form you receive after submitting. If there are questions about your application, you will get an email with the next steps.
On the Designations tab, add the funds people can give to. Start with a few, such as General, Missions, and Building.
On the Giving Portals tab, set up your giving page.
Once your merchant account is approved, give a small real gift yourself and confirm it appears under the right designation.
Add the giving page to your church website with the embed code. Linking to the giving portal inside One Church Software requires a login, so use the embed instead.
Learn more:
Set up text messaging
You will need the Limited Account permission to submit the verification form.
Phone carriers require every church that sends texts to register its number, and they block messages until it is verified. If text messaging is not turned on for your account yet, begin with How do I enable text messaging?
In the toolbar, select Messaging > Message history.
Open the Text Messaging panel and click your Verification Status. You can also use the yellow banner shown on an unverified account.
Complete the Opt-In Form. Use your church's legal name and its own EIN, and choose the One Church-hosted opt-in page unless you have a reason not to.
Click Submit for verification. Your status changes to Pending and updates on its own once the carriers decide.
📸 SCREENSHOT NEEDED
Page: Messaging > Message history > Text Messaging panel
Show: The Text Messaging panel with the Verification Status visible.
Highlight / state: The image below is carried over from the previous checklist and shows the older Messaging > Text message path. Replace it with the Text Messaging panel.
Alignment: left
Alt text: Message history page with the Text Messaging panel open, showing the Verification Status
Learn more:
Set up the ministry areas you will launch with
You do not need every module on day one. Most churches start with people and giving plus one connection card form, then add the rest when you are ready.
Forms - build a connection card so guests can share their details. In the form's Editing Submitter Profile Information window, check Create new profile if submission cannot be matched to an existing person profile so new people are added automatically. See How do I create a connection card?
Groups - create the groups that meet today and assign their leaders.
Events and Check-In - build your weekly service as a recurring event. If you use check-in, set up a station and print test labels on a weekday, not on a Sunday morning. See How do I set up a check-in station?
Decide who gets which access
Before you invite anyone, decide who gets which level of access. Most churches use three tiers:
Super User - full access to everything. Keep this to a very small number of people.
Role Based or Custom - staff and key leaders who need specific modules. See How do I set role-based permissions or role-based system access?
Guest - most of your members. Guests can manage their own profile, give, and register for events. What they see in the directory comes from the settings in the next section.
Reference: User Access Types
Set your directory privacy
Select Contacts in the left-hand menu.
Select the Settings tab, then Directory.
Decide whether members with Guest access can see the church directory, and which fields they see.
Write down what you chose. Members will ask, and your launch email should tell them.
2. Test with your staff and leaders
Run a soft launch
Before you invite everyone, give access to three to five staff members and key leaders from different ministries. Ask each of them to:
Log in and update their own profile.
Look up another person and confirm they only see what your directory settings allow.
Register for an event or sign up for a group.
Give a small online gift.
Write down anything confusing, broken, or missing.
Fix anything that would stop a member before you launch. Everything else can go on a list for after launch.
Reference: How do I add a user/grant access?
Plan how recurring gifts will move
Warning: Recurring gifts set up with another giving provider usually cannot move to One Church Giving on their own. Ask our support team whether yours can. If not, your donors need to set up their recurring gifts again, so plan the dates now.
Get a list of everyone with a recurring gift from your current provider.
Choose a switch date for recurring gifts.
Email your recurring givers ahead of the switch date, then send a reminder shortly before it. A sample email is below.
Keep your old provider running until your recurring givers have moved.
Choose a point person for member questions
Pick one or two people who know the system well to answer member questions during launch, so every question does not land on the pastor. Put their name in your launch email and have them in the lobby on launch Sunday.
3. Launch to your church
Plan your announcements
Members need to hear about the change more than once. A simple order to follow:
Tell staff and volunteers what is changing and why.
Email recurring givers if they need to set up their gift again.
Send a save-the-date email to the whole church.
Add a bulletin note and an on-screen slide the Sunday before.
On launch day, send the launch email, make a Sunday announcement, and follow up with a text.
Send a reminder to anyone who has not logged in yet.
Invite your members
Because One Church Software lives in the cloud, members can reach your church's login page from anywhere at [yourchurch].onechurchsoftware.com. There are two ways to give people access.
Let members register (recommended)
Share your account URL. Anyone who visits it can click Register and create an account. This way you only give access to people who want it.
Members can also register in the My One Church mobile app:
Download the My One Church app from the App Store or Google Play.
Find your church by location or ZIP code.
Open the menu in the top-left corner and select Sign In or Register.
Select Register Now and follow the prompts.
📸 SCREENSHOT NEEDED
Page: My One Church mobile app, registration steps
Show: Finding your church, the menu with Sign In or Register, and the Register Now screen.
Highlight / state: The image below is from 2023 and predates the current app. Replace it with a current capture of the same steps.
Alignment: center
Alt text: My One Church app screens showing how to find your church, open Sign In or Register, and select Register Now
Reference: How can people register for access?
Grant access in bulk
You will need the Reporting and Permissions Limited permissions to perform this action.
Warning: Every person on the list receives an email. Check your list carefully before you click Update.
Go to Reporting > Query Builder and build a query that returns the people you want to invite.
Select Actions > Mass Change.
Choose Grant Access in the sidebar and click Update.
Each person receives an email with a link to set up their account. People without an email address are skipped, and when several people share an email address, only one of them receives access.
📸 SCREENSHOT NEEDED
Page: Email a member receives after bulk Grant Access
Show: The account setup email with its link to set up an account.
Highlight / state: The image below is from 2020 and shows another church's name. Replace it with a current example using a demo church name.
Alignment: center
Alt text: Account setup email a member receives, with a link to finish setting up their account
Reference: How do I add a user/grant access?
You can also put your login page on a QR code for your bulletin and on-screen slides. Create one at Settings & Tools > Tools/Utilities > QR Code Generator.
Sample messages you can use
Copy these into an email template or text message and adjust them for your church. Replace anything in brackets.
Learn more:
Save-the-date email
Subject: Something new is coming to [Church Name]
Church family,
On [launch date], we are moving to One Church Software, a new online home for our church. You will be able to update your contact information, give, sign up for groups and events, and stay connected from your phone or computer.
Watch your inbox that day for a link to get started. There is nothing you need to do yet.
Blessings,
[Pastor's name]
Launch email
Subject: Our new church app is live
Church family,
We are passionate about our mission of [your mission statement], and we believe One Church Software will help us live it out together. Starting today, you can update your contact information, give online and see your giving history, and sign up for groups, serving teams, and events.
Getting started takes about five minutes. Go to [yourchurch].onechurchsoftware.com, or download the My One Church app and search for [Church Name]. From there, you can claim your profile or register.
Your privacy matters to us. Only [the directory fields you chose] are visible in our church directory. You can also watch this short overview of One Church Software.
Questions? Contact [point person] at [email], or find them in the lobby after the service.
Blessings,
[Pastor's name]
Recurring giving email
Subject: Action needed: your recurring gift to [Church Name]
Dear [First name],
Thank you for giving faithfully to [Church Name]. On [switch date], we are moving our online giving to One Church Software. Because of how giving systems work, your current recurring gift cannot move over on its own.
Please take two minutes before [switch date] to set it up again at [giving page link]. We will stop recurring gifts through [old provider] on [end date].
If you have any questions, reply to this email or contact [finance contact].
With gratitude,
[Name]
Sunday announcement (about 30 seconds)
This week you will get an email from us about One Church Software, our new online home for giving, groups, and events. Watch for it, set up your account, and if you get stuck, find [point person] in the lobby after the service.
Text message
[Church Name]: Our new church app is live. Set up your account at [yourchurch].onechurchsoftware.com. Questions? See [point person] on Sunday.
Only text members who have agreed to receive texts. See What is text messaging consent?
Bulletin note
New this month: One Church Software. Update your information, give online, and sign up for groups and events at [yourchurch].onechurchsoftware.com or in the My One Church app. Scan the QR code to get started.
Member-friendly introduction video
Answers to questions members will ask
Share these in your launch email, on your website, or with your point person.
Why did I get this email? We are moving our church records and online giving to One Church Software.
Who can see my information? Only [the directory fields you chose] appear in the church directory. Staff see only what their role requires.
Do I need to set up my recurring gift again? [Yes or No]. If yes, please do it by [date] at [giving page link].
I ended up with two accounts. Contact [point person] and we will combine them.
Do I have to use the app? No. You can also use One Church Software from any web browser at [yourchurch].onechurchsoftware.com.
I forgot my password. Click Forgot password? on the login page.
4. Follow up after launch
Keep things running smoothly
Right after launch - check for access requests and member questions often. Pending access requests appear in the To Do List on your dashboard.
Recurring gifts - review your recurring giving schedules and reach out to recurring givers who have not moved yet. See How do I view all recurring giving schedules?
Your old system - once your last recurring givers have moved, take a final export from your old system and close it.
What is next - review who has which access, and choose the next module to roll out.
Our support team is happy to help at any step: How do I contact support?
Other Helpful Articles
Getting started
People and access
Giving
Communication