You signed up. Now what?
This guide walks through setting up your church in Gathrik from scratch. Most churches complete the core setup in under an hour. The onboarding wizard handles the basics. This guide covers everything the wizard does not.
The First 10 Minutes: Onboarding Wizard
When you create your Gathrik account, the onboarding wizard walks you through four steps:
Step 1: Church Profile
Enter your church name, address, denomination (optional), service times, and contact info. This populates your church's identity across the platform.
Step 2: Import Members
Three options:
- Upload a CSV from your spreadsheet or old platform
- Skip for now and add members manually later
- Share a registration link and let members add themselves
If you have a CSV, this is the fastest path. Map your columns (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone) to Gathrik fields and import. Most files process in under a minute.
Step 3: Send Your First Message
Compose a test email to verify your communication is working. Send it to yourself first.
Step 4: Create Your First Event
Set up your Sunday service as a recurring event. This gives you something to attach check-in and attendance to right away.
After the wizard, you land on your dashboard. Here is what to do next.
The First Hour: Core Setup
Connect Families (10 minutes)
If your CSV import included individual records without household connections, link families now:
- Go to a member's profile
- Add household members (spouse, children)
- Set relationship types
This matters for family check-in (check in the whole family with one tap) and for communication (send per-household instead of per-person).
Set Up Check-In (5 minutes)
- Go to Check-In in the sidebar
- Create a session for your next Sunday service
- Print the QR code or save it to display on a screen
- Test: scan the QR code with your phone and check yourself in
That is your entire check-in system ready for Sunday.
Set Up Giving (5 minutes)
If you are on Standard or Pro:
- Go to Finance
- Review the default fund categories (tithe, offering, missions, building, etc.)
- Customize if needed (add or rename funds)
- Record a test donation to yourself
After Sunday, enter your donations. Each entry takes about 30 seconds.
Create Your Groups (15 minutes)
- Go to Groups
- Create your ministry groups and small groups
- Set meeting schedules, capacity limits, and leaders
- Assign members to groups
- Enable the Group Finder if you want members to self-select
Set Up Communication (10 minutes)
Email: Create your first email template (weekly update format). Test by sending to yourself.
SMS (Standard+): Your SMS sender name is configured in settings. Purchase credits based on your expected volume.
WhatsApp (Standard+): Connect your Meta Business account in Settings. Sync your approved message templates.
Full email guide | Full WhatsApp guide
The First Week: Polish
Enable the Member Portal
The member portal lets your congregation:
- Update their own contact info (fewer admin calls)
- View their giving history and download tax receipts
- See announcements
- Browse and join open groups
- View their volunteer schedule
- Check their engagement score
Enable it in Settings. Share the portal link with your congregation.
Set Up Children's Ministry
If you have a children's program:
- Go to Children
- Add child profiles with allergies, medical info, and room assignments
- Link guardians and authorized pickup persons
- Create rooms with age ranges and capacity
- Test the check-in/check-out flow with security codes
Full children's check-in guide
Set Up Volunteer Roles (Pro)
- Go to Volunteers
- Create roles (worship team, ushers, children's ministry, tech)
- Set up volunteer profiles for current volunteers
- Create task assignments for next Sunday
Configure Engagement Scoring
Engagement scoring activates automatically once check-in data starts flowing. But you can review the configuration:
- Go to Engagement
- Review score components (attendance, participation, volunteering, communication)
- Decide whether to include giving as a component (off by default)
- Check the dashboard after your first Sunday to see initial scores populate
The First Sunday: Go Live
Here is a checklist for your first Sunday on Gathrik:
- QR code printed/displayed in the lobby
- At least one volunteer briefed on how check-in works
- Children's check-in tested (if applicable)
- Staff know where to record donations after service
- A follow-up message drafted for first-time visitors
After the service:
- Record donations from the morning
- Check the attendance dashboard to verify check-in data
- Send a welcome message to any first-time visitors
- Celebrate. You are live.
The First Month: Build Habits
The technology only works if your team uses it consistently. Focus on building three weekly habits:
Sunday: QR check-in runs itself. Record donations after service. Send visitor follow-up messages.
Monday: Open the engagement dashboard. Check for declining members. Make 2-3 phone calls.
Midweek: Send your weekly email or WhatsApp update. Check volunteer coverage for next Sunday.
After a month, you will have enough data for the engagement scoring to be meaningful, your team will be comfortable with the tools, and your congregation will have adopted the QR check-in process.
Getting Help
If you get stuck:
- Documentation: docs.gathrik.com covers every feature in detail
- Email support: Available on all plans
- Priority support: Available on Pro