Roles & permissions
Pick the role that matches what someone actually does on a normal week. Add a permission flag only when they need cross-role access (a staff member who also handles giving, a leader who needs the wider directory). Most churches end up with one or two Admins, a handful of Staff and Pastors, and everyone else as Member, Volunteer or Leader.
How to add a team member
Two paths into the same place. Both create a real Clerk sign-in account on submit and email the invitee a one-click sign-in link. There's no separate password-setup step, and nothing for them to “accept”.
- Settings → Users → Invite user, for adding a brand-new team member who isn't in the directory yet. You set their email, name and role; we create both the directory record and the sign-in account in one go.
- People → open profile → Grant admin access, for promoting someone already in the directory (a long-standing member who's joining the staff team, say). You pick the role and tick any flags; the existing directory record stays as-is and gets linked to their new sign-in account.
The invitation email has a single “Open your dashboard” button. Clicking it signs them in instantly on your church's subdomain and drops them on /dashboard. The link is valid for 24 hours; if they miss the window the account is already there, so they use “Forgot password?” on the sign-in page to set a password and get in.
The six roles
Listed in order of seniority. Each role inherits everything below it.
Member
MEMBERAnyone in your congregation who'll use the member portal.
- ✓Sign in to the member app
- ✓Give, set up recurring gifts, view giving history
- ✓RSVP to events, view sermons, see published rotas
- ✓Update their own profile and notification preferences
Volunteer
VOLUNTEERMembers who serve on a team or rota.
- ✓Everything a Member can do
- ✓Appear as assignable on rotas and team rosters
- ✓Set block-out dates so the auto-scheduler skips them
Leader
LEADERSmall-group leaders, ministry leads.
- ✓Everything a Volunteer can do
- ✓View their group's roster at /member/groups/[id]/leader
- ✓See contact details for group members who opted in
Needs a flag for
- ⊕ People directory — to view the wider directory beyond their group
Staff
STAFFDay-to-day operators — communications, events, content.
- ✓Sign in to the admin dashboard
- ✓Manage events, communications, sermons, attendance, content
Needs a flag for
- ⊕ Treasurer — to see giving
- ⊕ People directory — to view/edit member records
- ⊕ Visitor follow-up — to work the visitor pipeline
- ⊕ DBS coordinator — to manage safeguarding checks
- ⊕ Charity register — to track charity membership status
Pastor
PASTORSenior pastor, associate pastors, anyone on the pastoral team.
- ✓Everything Staff can do
- ✓People directory, Visitor follow-up, DBS coordinator and Charity register flags AUTO-enabled
- ✓Approve visitor → member conversion requests
Needs a flag for
- ⊕ Treasurer — pastors don't get giving access by default
Admin
ADMINSenior pastor + one trusted operator. Keep this list small.
- ✓Everything above + Treasurer (auto)
- ✓Settings → Church Profile, Billing, Integrations
- ✓Invite, remove, role-change other users
- ✓Manage everything; the only role that can grant Admin to others
The five permission flags
Tick on a user's row in Settings → Users to grant access on top of their role. The “auto for” chip shows roles that receive the flag without you ticking anything. Pastor and Admin pick up most flags automatically, with Treasurer staying Admin-only by default.
Treasurer
View & manage giving, Gift Aid, GASDS, payouts.
People directory
View & edit member records (names, contact, address, household).
Visitor follow-up
Work the visitor pipeline, log follow-up calls, request membership conversion.
DBS coordinator
Manage DBS / PVG checks, record expiries, run safeguarding reports.
Charity register
Track Charity Commission / OSCR / CCNI membership status, run register reports.
Best-practice rules of thumb
Keep the Admin list small. One or two people max. Typically the senior pastor and one trusted operator. Admins can grant and revoke access for everyone else, so this is the most sensitive role.
Pastors don't get giving access by default. If your senior pastor also handles the books, tick the Treasurer flag on their row. If a separate treasurer handles giving, make them Staff with only the Treasurer flag. They don't need DBS or visitor pipeline access.
Match the role to the responsibility, not the title. A “youth leader” who only manages their own small group is a Leader, not Staff. A “volunteer coordinator” who needs to see the full directory and manage rotas across teams is Staff with the People directory flag.
Use “Grant admin access” from People for promotions. If the person is already in your directory, promoting them from their Person profile keeps the directory record and the sign-in account linked from day one. Inviting from Settings → Users instead creates a fresh directory record. That's fine if they're new, untidy if they're an existing member.
Revoke promptly when responsibilities change. Settings → Users → row menu → Remove access. Their directory record stays; only the sign-in account is revoked. Don't leave dormant Admin accounts in place.
Ready to add your team?
Most churches set up two or three roles in the first sitting, then add more as the team grows. There's no per-user charge on any plan.