Westside Fellowship

Ministry Leadership

Ministry Leadership Guide

This guide covers how ministry leaders can manage their teams, delegate responsibilities, and communicate with ministry members.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Ministry Roles
  3. Managing Delegates
  4. Sending Ministry Messages
  5. Room Reservations
  6. Best Practices

Overview

As a ministry leader, you have access to tools that help you manage your ministry effectively. You can designate delegates to help share the workload, send messages to your ministry members, and make room reservations for ministry activities.

Accessing Ministry Management

  1. Go to Ministries in the main navigation
  2. Click on your ministry
  3. Click Manage Ministry (visible only to leads and delegates)

Ministry Roles

Role Permissions

CapabilityLeadDelegateMember
View ministry detailsYesYesYes
Send messages to membersYesYesNo
Make room reservationsYesYesNo
Invite delegatesYesNoNo
Remove delegatesYesNoNo

Lead

Ministry leads have full control over their ministry, including the ability to:

  • Invite and remove delegates
  • Send messages to all ministry members
  • Create room reservations
  • Access all ministry management tools

Delegate

Delegates can assist ministry leads with most tasks, except managing other delegates:

  • Send messages to ministry members
  • Create room reservations on behalf of the ministry
  • Access ministry management tools
  • Cannot invite or remove other delegates

Member

Regular ministry members can:

  • View ministry information and events
  • Receive messages from ministry leadership
  • Participate in ministry activities

Managing Delegates

Inviting a Delegate

  1. Go to your ministry's Manage Ministry page
  2. Click Invite Delegate
  3. Search for the member by name or email
  4. Select the member from the search results
  5. Click Send Invitation

The invited member will receive a notification and can accept or decline the invitation.

How Delegate Invitations Work

  1. Invitation Sent: You invite a member to become a delegate
  2. Notification Received: The member receives an email with an invitation link
  3. Review & Accept: The member clicks the link to review the invitation
  4. Role Activated: Upon acceptance, the member becomes a delegate with immediate access

Removing a Delegate

  1. Go to your ministry's Manage Ministry page
  2. Find the delegate in the Active Delegates list
  3. Click Remove next to their name
  4. Confirm the removal

Note: Only ministry leads can remove delegates. Delegates cannot remove other delegates.

Sending Ministry Messages

Leads and delegates can send messages to all members of their ministry.

Composing a Message

  1. Go to your ministry's Manage Ministry page
  2. Click the Messages tab
  3. Click Compose Message
  4. Enter a message title and body
  5. Choose delivery channels (In-App, Push, Email)
  6. Set priority if needed (Normal, High, Urgent)
  7. Click Send

Delivery Channels

ChannelDescriptionBest For
In-AppShows in the member's message centerRegular updates
PushBrowser notification (if enabled)Time-sensitive info
EmailSent to member's email addressImportant announcements

Message Priority Levels

  • Low: Informational, not urgent
  • Normal: Standard priority (default)
  • High: Important, needs attention
  • Urgent: Critical, immediate attention needed

Room Reservations

Ministry leads and delegates can create room reservations for ministry activities.

Making a Reservation

  1. Go to Reservations in the main navigation
  2. Click Request Reservation
  3. Select the room and time slot
  4. Enter event details
  5. Select your ministry as the requesting group
  6. Submit the reservation request

Reservation Tips

  • Book rooms in advance to ensure availability
  • Include clear event descriptions for approval
  • Check the calendar for conflicts before requesting
  • Cancel reservations you no longer need

Best Practices

For Ministry Leads

  1. Delegate Wisely: Choose delegates who are reliable and understand the ministry's needs
  2. Regular Communication: Keep your ministry members informed with regular updates
  3. Plan Ahead: Schedule events and reserve rooms well in advance
  4. Stay Organized: Use the management tools to track activities and communications

For Delegates

  1. Coordinate with Lead: Check with the ministry lead before major decisions
  2. Timely Responses: Respond to member inquiries promptly
  3. Consistent Messaging: Align communications with the ministry's overall goals
  4. Report Issues: Keep the lead informed of any problems or concerns

Communication Tips

  • Use clear, concise language in messages
  • Set appropriate priority levels—don't overuse "Urgent"
  • Include relevant details (dates, times, locations)
  • Follow up on important announcements

Getting Help

If you have questions about ministry leadership tools: