Help & FAQ

Quick answers to the most common questions about setting up and running Steward. Can't find what you need? Email us at support@injil-ai.com — we're happy to help.

Getting started

How do I sign in?

Just enter your email address and password — there's no need to pick your church from a list first, Steward finds it from your email. (If you happen to use the same email at more than one church on Steward, we'll ask which one you mean.) Forgot your password? Use the Forgot password link on the sign-in screen and we'll email you a reset link.

How do I set up my church?

When you first sign in to the admin panel, your dashboard shows a Get started checklist with four steps: set up your church profile, import your members, invite your team, and schedule your first service. Work through them in any order — the checklist ticks each one off automatically as you go, and you can dismiss it once you're done.

Where do I set my church name, logo, and service times?

Go to Church Profile (under System in the sidebar, or /settings/church). There you can set your church name, upload a logo, add your address and weekly service times, set your time zone, and choose a brand colour. Your logo and service times also appear to members in the mobile app, shown in your church's time zone — so set the time zone correctly if your church isn't in the default region.

How do I invite other admins?

On the Church Profile page, use the Invite admins section. Enter one or more email addresses and we'll send each person an invitation. They click the link, set their own password, and become an admin — there are no shared logins or passwords to pass around. Invitations expire after 14 days; you can re-send or revoke a pending invite at any time.

Can I give someone limited admin access?

Yes. When you add or edit a person on the People page, set their role to Ministry Leader — a restricted admin who can run the day-to-day side of the console (ministry teams, services, rostering, courses, events, content, and children's check-in) but can't see pastoral and discipleship reports, manage member accounts, or invite other admins. It's a good fit for a worship or kids' ministry coordinator who needs to organise their own area without full access to everyone's records.

Members & families

How do I import my existing members?

Go to People → Import (/people/import). Upload a CSV, map your columns to Steward's fields, preview the result, then confirm. We support exports from Planning Center and Breeze directly, as well as plain CSV files. The preview flags duplicate emails and missing required fields before anything is saved, so you can import with confidence.

Can members be grouped into families?

Yes. Use Families to create households and add members with roles (head, spouse, child, other). Family grouping shows up in the member directory and powers children's check-in and family attendance views.

Can I add children who don't have an email address?

Yes. On the Families page, use Add Child to create a child record with just a name (and optionally a date of birth) — no email or password required, since children don't sign in. They're added to the household and can be used for children's check-in right away. You can add an email later if they ever need their own login.

Can members control what's visible in the directory?

Yes. Each member can hide their phone, email, or address from the directory in their mobile app privacy settings. As an admin you can also set whether the directory is visible to all members or approved members only.

Attendance & beacons

How does attendance tracking work?

Steward detects attendance automatically using small Bluetooth (BLE) beacons placed at your venue. When a member with the app arrives, their phone quietly records their attendance — no sign-in sheets or QR codes required. Manual check-in is always available as a fallback.

How do I set up beacons?

Go to Beacons in the admin panel to add each beacon (UUID, major, minor) and set your church's location and check-in radius. Each plan includes a set number of beacons. If you're not sure how to configure yours, email support@injil-ai.com and we'll walk you through it.

Why do some members not show as attending?

A member must have the Steward app installed, be signed in, and have Bluetooth and notifications enabled for automatic detection to work. You can always record their attendance manually for a service.

Why did automatic check-in stop working on an iPhone?

On iPhone, automatic check-in needs Location access set to Always. iOS occasionally asks members to switch this to "While Using the App" — if they do, background detection pauses and the app shows an "Automatic check-in is paused" banner with a one-tap link to fix it in Settings. They can still check in manually in the meantime, and switching the setting back to Always restores automatic check-in.

Services, rostering & children

What's the difference between a service and an event?

A service is a worship gathering with attendance tracking and team rostering. An event is a general church activity (fellowship, outreach, youth night) that members can see and RSVP to. Create services under Services and events under Events.

How do I roster volunteers to a service?

First allocate one or more ministry teams to the service, then add individual roster entries from those teams (optionally assigning a sub-team or position). A member can only be rostered if their team is allocated to that service. You can roster the same person more than once (across teams, or in different positions) — Steward flags anyone double-booked with a warning badge so you can catch it on purpose.

Do volunteers get reminded when they're rostered to serve?

Yes. When you add someone to a roster they receive a "you're rostered" email, and everyone serving gets a reminder email the day before the service. These serving emails always go out (they're not part of the optional notification categories members can mute).

How does children's check-in work?

Designate which ministry team(s) run children's ministry, then those volunteers (and admins) can check children in and out per service from Children. Check-out requires selecting an authorised pickup person, so children are only released to approved adults.

Classes & courses

Can I track classes like baptism or membership courses?

Yes. Use Courses to run multi-session classes — baptism, membership, discipleship, sending, or Safe Church / safeguarding training. Create the course, set how many sessions someone needs to attend to complete it, then record attendance each session. When an enrollee reaches the required number of sessions, Steward marks them complete and records the matching discipleship milestone on their record. Completing a class is tracked as preparation — your pastors still decide when someone advances a discipleship stage.

Communication

How do I send an announcement or push notification?

Create an announcement under Content, and choose to send a push notification when you publish it. Members receive it on their phones and in the app's announcement feed. Members can opt in or out of notification categories in their app settings.

Can I choose the Bible verse members see each day?

Yes. The mobile home screen shows a daily Bible verse, and you curate the pool it draws from under Resources → Daily Verses. Add as many verses as you like (reference and text) and Steward rotates through your active ones automatically — showing the same verse to everyone in your church each day and advancing to the next at your local midnight. Toggle a verse inactive to pull it out of rotation without deleting it. If you haven't added any, members see a sensible default verse.

Account, billing & data

What do the plans include?

Plans differ by number of adult attenders, venues, beacons, and features (pastoral-care reports, children's check-in, rostering, support level). See the pricing section on our website, or email support@injil-ai.com for help choosing.

What happens if we go over our plan's attender limit?

Each plan covers a number of approved adult attenders — children, members still pending approval, and removed members don't count toward it. If your count grows past your plan's limit, the admin panel shows a gentle reminder banner so you can upgrade when you're ready. We never block you from adding members or interrupt your services. Email support@injil-ai.com to change plans.

If I remove a member, can I get them back?

Yes, within a grace period. Removing a member doesn't erase them straight away — for 30 days the account is held in a recoverable state and you can Restore it from the People page (their original login keeps working). After the grace period the record is permanently anonymised and can no longer be restored. This gives you a safety net against accidental removals.

Can I export my data?

Yes — you own your data and can export it any time. The admin panel exports members, attendance records, and family data as CSV. There's no lock-in.

Mobile app

How do members get the app?

Steward is available on the App Store and Google Play. Members download the app, register, and once an admin approves their account they can check in, read announcements, browse sermons and events, and see the groups they belong to.

Does the app support dark mode?

Yes. Members can choose Light, Dark, or System (match the phone) in the app's appearance settings, and the whole app — including the status bar and headers — follows their choice.

Where's the member directory in the app?

The mobile app has a Groups tab where members see the small groups and Bible studies they're part of. Other members' contact details still appear — with each person's privacy settings applied — when you open someone from a group roster.

A new member registered but can't sign in — why?

New registrations require admin approval. Approve them under People, and they'll be able to sign in.

More help

Still stuck? Email us at support@injil-ai.com. For account security concerns, contact us immediately at the same address.