Importing your data
Moving to ChurchLinker from another system? We've made it as painless as possible. Choose your source below for a step-by-step guide.
From a spreadsheet (most common)
Steps
- 1
Save your spreadsheet as a .csv file (File → Save As → CSV). Comma, semicolon or tab-delimited all work.
- 2
Sign in as an admin and go to Settings → Import People.
- 3
Click Choose file and select your CSV. Max 10 MB, 50,000 rows.
- 4
On the mapping screen, every column in your CSV is auto-paired with a ChurchLinker field. "First Name", "firstname", "Given Name" and "Forename" all land in firstName, for example. Tweak any mapping that's wrong, or set columns to "Don't import" for ones you want to skip.
- 5
Click Preview import. The dry-run validates every row and shows you three numbers: how many will import, how many will be skipped (matched on email to someone already in your directory), and how many will error (bad email, missing first name, unreadable date). Errored rows are listed by line number so you can fix them in the original CSV.
- 6
Click Import N people to commit. The import runs in a single transaction; if it fails partway through, nothing lands.
💡 Tips
- Required columns: First Name and Last Name. Everything else is optional.
- Dates accept ISO (2026-05-11), UK (11/05/2026) or US (05/11/2026) formats. Ambiguous dates default to UK style.
- Duplicate detection matches on email address. Rows whose email is already in your directory are silently skipped and counted, not imported again. Re-importing the same file is safe.
- Gender and marital status are normalised: 'M', 'Male', 'F', 'Female' all work; 'Married', 'Single', 'Widowed' etc. all work. Unknown values for membership status default to 'Regular Attendee' rather than blocking the row.
From another church management system
Steps
- 1
In your current system, go to People or Contacts → Export. Choose "All contacts" or "All people" and select CSV format. Download the file.
- 2
In ChurchLinker, go to Settings → Import People and upload the CSV.
- 3
The auto-mapping handles most common column names from ChurchSuite, Breeze, Planning Center, Elvanto, Tithe.ly and Realm without manual changes. Anything unrecognised stays on 'Don't import' so you can opt it in yourself.
- 4
Preview the import. Fix any errored rows in the original CSV, re-upload if needed.
- 5
Commit. Already-imported people are skipped on subsequent runs, so you can iterate.
💡 Tips
- Groups, giving history and rotas are not yet supported by the in-app importer. For now, recreate groups manually or email hello@churchlinker.com if you have more than a handful. We can help.
- Book a free migration call if you have more than 300 people; our team will walk through the import with you live.
- Keep your previous system active during the migration. There's no need to cancel it until you're confident everything is in ChurchLinker.
From ChurchSuite
Steps
- 1
In ChurchSuite, go to Modules → My Church → Contacts → Reports → Export. Select 'Contact Details' and export as CSV.
- 2
In ChurchLinker, go to Settings → Import People and upload the file.
- 3
Auto-mapping picks up ChurchSuite's standard column names (First Name, Last Name, Email, Mobile, Date of Birth, Address, Postcode etc.) automatically.
- 4
Review the preview and commit.
💡 Tips
- ChurchSuite stores some details across multiple columns (e.g. address line 1, address line 2). The importer maps both correctly.
- A direct ChurchSuite API connector is on our roadmap as a follow-up to the CSV importer. If you'd like an early heads-up when it ships, email hello@churchlinker.com.
From Planning Center
Steps
- 1
In Planning Center People, go to Lists → All People → Export to CSV.
- 2
In ChurchLinker, go to Settings → Import People and upload the file.
- 3
Planning Center's column names are well-recognised by the auto-mapper. Review the preview and tweak any mappings you'd like changed.
- 4
Commit.
💡 Tips
- Planning Center is US-centric, so address fields may need cleaning before import (UK postcode vs US ZIP). A simple find-and-replace in your spreadsheet handles this.
- Rota data from Planning Center Services is best recreated manually in ChurchLinker. The scheduling models are different enough that auto-migration isn't reliable.
From Elvanto / Tithe.ly Church
Steps
- 1
In Elvanto, go to People → Export Data → Export to CSV. Select all fields.
- 2
In ChurchLinker, go to Settings → Import People and upload the file.
- 3
Most Elvanto column names map automatically. Volunteer availability isn't part of the CSV export. Members add their own block-out dates in the app after they're imported.
- 4
Commit.
💡 Tips
- Elvanto's giving module exports well as CSV, but giving-history import isn't yet supported by the in-app wizard. Email hello@churchlinker.com if you need help moving historical donations.
Want hands-on help?
For churches with more than 200 records, we offer a free 30-minute migration call. Our team will walk through the import with you, check the data looks right, and help you go live confidently.
Book a free migration call