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Engagement and Communication

This guide covers the communication tools your team can use to receive prayer requests, send announcements, and stay connected inside TheFaithApp. These tools include:

• Prayer requests
• Public prayer request forms
• Notifications
• Direct messages
• Group chats
• Group invitations
• Favorites and bookmarks

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Before You Start

• Sign in to your admin account.
• Open Prayer Requests, Notifications, or Chat from the left sidebar depending on the task you want to complete.
• Keep public links ready before you share them outside the admin dashboard.
• Review new requests and conversations regularly so follow-up does not stall.

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Prayer Requests

Use the prayer requests workspace to review submitted requests, track follow-up status, and share a public prayer request form.

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What You Can Do

• Review prayer request totals
• See recent requests quickly
• Search requests
• Filter by status
• Filter by date range
• Open an individual request
• Export the current list
• Generate a public prayer request link
• Update prayer request settings

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Steps

1. Open Prayer Requests.
2. Review the summary cards and the recent requests section at the top.
3. Use search, status, or date filters to narrow the request list.
4. Click the view icon when you need the full request details.
5. Use Export, Generate Public Link, or Settings when needed.

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Notes

• The request list is the main place for ministry teams to review incoming needs.
• Status updates make it easier for several team members to stay aligned on follow-up.

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Reviewing a Prayer Request

Use the request drawer when you need the full message and want to update the follow-up status.

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What You Can Do

• Read the full request
• Review requester details
• Update the request status

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Steps

1. Open Prayer Requests.
2. Click the view icon for the request you want to review.
3. Read the message and confirm the requester details.
4. Update the status based on your current follow-up stage.

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Notes

• This view is useful for pastors, prayer teams, and follow-up coordinators.
• Recent requests at the top of the main page can also be opened from there.

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Public Prayer Request Links

Use the public link tool when your church wants people to submit requests without entering the admin dashboard.

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What You Can Do

• Copy the public prayer request link
• Copy embed code for another website
• Share one destination for members, visitors, or livestream viewers

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Steps

1. Open Prayer Requests.
2. Click Generate Public Link.
3. Copy the direct link or the embed code.
4. Share it where people already reach your church online.

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Notes

• Public requests still flow back into the main prayer request review list.
• The embed option is useful when you want the form placed inside a church website.

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Public Prayer Request Page

Use the public page to collect requests from members, visitors, or online viewers.

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What You Can Do

• Submit a prayer request outside the admin dashboard
• Collect contact details for follow-up
• Give people a simple support path from a website or shared link

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Steps

1. Generate or copy the public prayer request link from the admin dashboard.
2. Share the link anywhere people already connect with your church.
3. Open the page outside the dashboard.
4. Fill in the request details and submit the form.

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Notes

• Review this inbox regularly so public requests receive timely follow-up.

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Notifications

Use notifications to send updates and announcements to your audience.

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What You Can Do

• Review existing notifications
• Search notifications
• Create new notifications
• Edit a notification
• Resend a notification
• Delete a notification

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Steps

1. Open Notifications.
2. Review the existing list or use search to find a past message.
3. Click Create Notification when you need to send a new update.
4. Use the action menu to edit, resend, or delete an existing notification.

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Notes

• Resend is useful when an important message needs another pass without rebuilding it.
• The list view helps teams keep track of what has already been sent.

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Creating a Notification

Use the create drawer when you need to prepare a new announcement for delivery.

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What You Can Do

• Add a notification title
• Write the notification body
• Send the update from the same drawer

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Steps

1. Open Notifications.
2. Click Create Notification.
3. Enter the notification title.
4. Write the message body.
5. Click the send button to publish the notification.

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Notes

• A clear title and short message body usually work best for church-wide announcements.

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Chat Workspace

Use chat to keep one-to-one and group conversations active across the admin dashboard and the mobile app.

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What You Can Do

• Switch between Personal and Groups
• Search conversations from the chat list
• Review the latest message and time for each room
• Read and reply to messages
• See unread activity when new messages arrive
• Open a room and continue the conversation
• Start a new chat from the admin dashboard when your role allows it

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Steps

1. Open Chat.
2. Use Personal or Groups to switch conversation types.
3. Select the conversation you want from the list.
4. Read the latest messages in the thread.
5. Type your reply, attach a supported file, or attach a sermon.
6. Send the message.

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Notes

• The shared chat workspace keeps direct messages and group threads in one place.
• Messages update in realtime between the admin dashboard and mobile app.
• Group chats work well for ministry teams, church-wide updates, internal coordination, and recurring planning.

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Direct Messages

Use direct messages when you need a one-to-one conversation with a member or another user.

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What You Can Do

• Open an existing direct message
• Continue a private conversation
• Reply inside the same thread

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Steps

1. Open Chat.
2. Stay on Personal.
3. Select the conversation you want to open.
4. Type your message and send it.

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Notes

• Direct messages are best for one-to-one follow-up, coordination, or support.
• Direct message notifications follow the recipient’s chat notification preferences.

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Group Chat Messages

Use group chats when several members need to follow the same conversation.

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What You Can Do

• Read messages grouped by date
• See read receipts such as Seen by 1 or Seen by 5
• Reply to a specific message
• React with quick faith-community reactions
• Mention another member in a group
• Play sermon attachments from the message
• Listen to voice notes
• Delete messages when your role allows moderation

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Steps

1. Open Chat.
2. Click Groups.
3. Open the group you want.
4. Scroll up to review older messages.
5. Use Reply when you want your response linked to a message.
6. Use a reaction when a short response is enough.
7. Type @ and choose a member when you need to mention someone.

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Notes

• New messages appear without refreshing the page.
• The unread divider marks where new activity begins when you return to a room.
• Mentioned members receive stronger chat attention based on notification settings.

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Attachments, Voice Notes, and Sermons

Use attachments when a conversation needs more than text.

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What You Can Do

• Send supported image attachments
• Send supported PDF attachments
• Preview images from the chat room
• Open PDFs from the chat room
• Attach audio or video sermons
• Play sermon attachments from the chat card
• Send and play voice notes on mobile

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Steps

1. Open the chat room.
2. Click or tap the attachment icon for an image or PDF.
3. Choose the file and wait for the upload to finish.
4. Use the sermon icon when you want to attach a sermon.
5. Search for the sermon and select it.
6. Send the message.

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Notes

• Chat file attachments currently support images and PDFs.
• Sermon attachments open in the mobile app player on mobile.
• On web, sermon attachments use browser playback controls.
• Upload progress appears before the message finishes sending.

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Group Info and Members

Use the group info drawer to review members and shared content from one place.

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What You Can Do

• Review the group name
• Confirm whether the group is public or private
• See the current member count
• Review members
• Load more members in larger groups
• Review shared photos
• Review shared PDF files
• Review shared sermons
• Open shared files or sermons from the drawer
• Mute or moderate members when your role allows it

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Steps

1. Open Chat.
2. Click Groups.
3. Open the group conversation you want.
4. Click the group header.
5. Use Members, Photos, Files, or Sermons to review the shared group history.
6. Open a shared photo, PDF, or sermon when you need to preview it.

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Joining Public Groups

Use public groups when members should be able to read a room before joining the conversation.

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What You Can Do

• Open a public group from the chat list
• Read the existing conversation
• Review group details before joining
• Join the group when you want to participate

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Steps

1. Open the mobile app.
2. Go to Chat.
3. Open the public group you want to view.
4. Review the messages or group details.
5. Tap Join when you want to send messages in that room.

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Notes

• Members who have not joined can read the room, but they do not see the message input until they join.

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Chat Notification Preferences

Use notification preferences when a room is useful but temporarily too busy.

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What You Can Do

• Keep notifications on for important rooms
• Mute a room for a short period
• Mute a room for the day
• Turn off room notifications when needed
• See which mute option is currently selected

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Favorites and Bookmarks

Use favorites and bookmarks as member-side save-for-later tools inside the app experience.

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What You Can Do

• Save content for quick return later
• Help members keep track of meaningful sermons or devotional content
• Support follow-up when a member says they saved an item to revisit

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Notes

• Favorites and bookmarks are member-facing features rather than a separate admin workspace.
• The current web dashboard does not expose a standalone favorites or bookmarks management page.

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Current Product Notes

• The admin pages reviewed for this guide include prayer requests, notifications, direct messages, group chats, room details, and chat moderation actions.
• Chat rooms are created and managed from the admin experience.
• Favorites and bookmarks remain member-facing saved-item features.