Emergency Check-in
Emergency Check-in helps your church quickly account for members during a crisis—natural disasters, severe weather, etc.
Overview
When an emergency occurs, church leadership can create an Emergency Check-in that:
Notifies members via email and/or mobile push notifications
Collects responses — members indicate if they're OK, need help, or need urgent help
Coordinates assistance — members who are OK can see who needs help and respond
Tracks everything — admins see real-time response counts and can follow up with non-responders
Setting Up Emergency Check-in
Before you can use Emergency Check-in, configure the settings to determine who receives notifications and who is alerted when someone needs help.
Accessing Settings
Go to Emergency Check-in in the admin panel
Click Settings
If you see "(Missing!)" next to Settings, the feature hasn't been configured yet.
Configuration Options
Groups to Notify
Groups whose members will receive the check-in request when you create a new emergency
Help Request Notification Groups
Groups notified when someone responds "Help Needed"
Urgent Help Notification Groups
Groups notified immediately when someone responds "Urgent Help Needed"
Send via Email
Enable email notifications for help requests
Send via Mobile Notification
Enable push notifications for help requests
Recommended Setup
Groups to Notify — Add groups containing all members you want to check on (e.g., "All Members", "Active Families")
Help Notification Groups — Add your care team, deacons, or volunteer coordinators
Urgent Help Notification Groups — Add leadership, elders, or emergency response team members
Enable both Email and Mobile Notification for fastest response to help requests
Creating an Emergency Check-in
When an emergency occurs, create a new check-in to notify your congregation.
Steps to Create
Go to Emergency Check-in in the admin panel
Click New Check-in
Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Hurricane Milton", "February Ice Storm 2024")
Click Create New Check-in
What Happens Next
When you create a check-in:
All previous check-ins are deactivated — Only one check-in can be active at a time
Notifications are sent immediately — Members in the configured groups receive emails and/or push notifications
Check-in records are created — One record is created per family in the notification groups
The check-in appears on member home screens — An alert banner prompts members to respond
Naming Best Practices
Use specific, memorable names:
"Hurricane Helene - September 2024"
"February Winter Storm"
"Tornado Warning - March 15"
Avoid generic names like "Emergency" or "Check-in" — members may have multiple check-ins over time.
Member Response Options
When members receive a check-in request, they can respond with one of three options:
We're OK
Select this when your family is safe and doesn't need assistance.
Displayed with a green checkmark
Encourages members to then look for others who may need help
No additional notifications are sent
We Could Use a Little Help
Select this when your family needs non-urgent assistance.
Displayed with a yellow hand icon
Examples: need supplies, could use help when someone is available, minor property damage
Members in the Help Notification Groups are notified via email and/or push notification
We Need Urgent Help
Select this when your family needs immediate assistance.
Displayed with a red warning icon
Examples: need someone to come help immediately, make contact ASAP
Members in the Urgent Help Notification Groups are notified immediately
Important: If you need emergency medical help or other emergency services, call 911. Emergency Check-in is for church family coordination, not a replacement for emergency services.
Adding Notes
All response options include a notes field where members can:
Describe their specific situation
List what kind of help they need
Provide their current location
Share contact instructions
Responding to Check-ins
For Members
When an Emergency Check-in is active:
Home screen alert — A prominent banner appears on the member app home screen
Click "Check-in" to respond that you're OK, or "Request Help" if you need assistance
Select your status and optionally add notes
Submit your response
After responding, you can:
View Responses — See how other families have responded
Change Response — Update your status if your situation changes
Responding via Email Link
Members who receive email notifications can also respond directly:
Click the link in the email
A secure, tokenized page opens (no login required)
Select your status and submit
This is helpful for members who may not have the app installed or easy app access during an emergency.
Viewing and Managing Responses
Response Dashboard
The Emergency Check-in index page shows:
Active check-in — Highlighted with a green border and "Active" badge
Response counts — Real-time totals for each status:
OK (green) — Safe families
Need Help (yellow) — Families requesting assistance
Urgent (red) — Families needing immediate help
No Response (gray) — Families who haven't responded yet
Total recipients — How many families were notified
Viewing Individual Responses
Click View Responses on any check-in to see:
All families and their response status
Response notes from each family
Number of replies from helpers
Sorted by urgency (Urgent first, then Help, then OK, then No Response)
Response Details
Click any family to view their full check-in details:
Response status and timestamp
Notes they provided
All replies from helpers
Option to add your own reply
Helping Others
One of the key features of Emergency Check-in is enabling members who are OK to help those in need.
Viewing Who Needs Help
After checking in as OK:
Click View Responses from the home screen
See families organized by need level
Click any family to see their details and notes
Replying to a Check-in
When viewing someone's check-in details, you can reply to coordinate help:
Reaching Out to Help
You're contacting them to offer assistance
On Location
You've arrived to help
Contacting Others to Help
You're recruiting additional helpers
Just a Note
General update or information
Add notes to explain what you're doing or what help has been provided.
Reply Visibility
All replies are visible to anyone viewing the check-in
This helps prevent duplicate efforts
Even if others have replied, more help may still be needed
Editing and Deactivating Check-ins
Editing a Check-in
Click the pencil icon next to any check-in
Update the name if needed
Toggle Active on or off
Click Save Changes
Deactivating a Check-in
When the emergency has passed:
Edit the check-in
Uncheck Active
Save
Deactivating removes the check-in banner from member home screens but preserves all response data for future reference.
Note: Creating a new check-in automatically deactivates all previous check-ins.
Best Practices
Before an Emergency
Configure settings — Set up notification groups before you need them
Test the system — Run a drill during a non-emergency to ensure everyone knows how to respond
Communicate — Let members know about the feature and how to use it
During an Emergency
Create immediately — Don't wait; create the check-in as soon as you're aware of the situation
Use a clear name — Members should immediately understand what emergency this relates to
Monitor responses — Watch for urgent help requests that need immediate action
Follow up — Reach out to families who haven't responded, especially those in affected areas
After an Emergency
Deactivate when appropriate — Once the immediate crisis has passed
Review responses — Document lessons learned
Thank helpers — Acknowledge those who responded to help others
Keep records — Historical check-ins remain available for reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives check-in notifications? Members of the groups specified in the "Groups to Notify" setting. Notifications are sent per family, not per individual.
Can members respond without logging in? Yes, via the email link. The link contains a secure token that allows response without authentication.
What if someone's situation changes? Members can update their response at any time while the check-in is active by clicking "Change Response."
Can I have multiple active check-ins? No, only one check-in can be active at a time. Creating a new one deactivates all previous check-ins.
Are check-in responses anonymous? No, responses are associated with families so that helpers know who needs assistance and can coordinate aid.
Who can see the responses? All logged-in members can view responses and offer help. This transparency enables mutual aid within the congregation.
What if someone doesn't have the app? They can respond via the email link, or another family member with app access can submit the family's response.
How do I know if someone needs help? If you're in the Help or Urgent Help notification groups, you'll receive email and/or push notifications when someone requests help.
Can I delete a check-in? Currently, check-ins cannot be deleted to preserve the historical record. You can deactivate them when no longer needed.
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