Groups settings
Go to Groups > Settings. Only Administrators and Ministry Leaders of the ministry can open it.
Group types
A group type sets how its groups work. Every group needs one.
- Click Add type.
- Name: what you call these groups, like "Small Groups".
- Ministry: one ministry, or All ministries.
- How is attendance recorded?
- Leader takes attendance: leaders take roll in the Serve app.
- Auto from a check-in: pick the check-in under Which check-in? Attendance comes from who checked in. Needs the Attendance tool.
- Dynamic roster (check-in types only): keeps rosters tidy on its own.
- Add after: a placed student becomes active after this many weeks in a row.
- Drop a no-show after: a placed student who never comes is taken off after this many missed meetings.
- Active members are never dropped automatically. New faces are never placed automatically; use Placements.
- These changes happen during scheduled Auto-Sync.
- Target size: Smallest and Largest. Groups outside the range are flagged on Health, and Largest sets group capacity on Placements.
- If a group misses a scheduled week: Skip the missed lesson or Shift later lessons forward.
- Leaders reach out first: drifting students go to their leader's Care list in the Serve app before staff. Only turn this on once leaders are actually using their Care lists.
- Save.
You can't delete a type while groups use it. Move those groups to another type first.
Seasons
A season is a stretch of time groups run, like "Fall 2026". Each season belongs to a group type, so different types can run on different calendars.
- Click Add season.
- Pick the Group type (or leave it unassigned so every type can use it).
- Enter a Name, Starts and Ends.
- Save.
Seasons can overlap. The season that includes today is marked Now.
A group is only in the seasons you add it to (when creating it, with Edit or by rolling over). Deleting a season doesn't affect groups, but removes its curriculum calendar.
Roll over a season
At the end of a season, move your groups into the next one. You'll see a banner on the Groups page in the last two weeks of a season, or click the roll-over icon next to a season here.
- Click Roll over.
- Pick the season to Roll into, or + New season.
- For each group, choose:
- Continue: same group and roster, now in both seasons. Optionally rename it or Advance grade.
- Start fresh: a new empty group (optionally copying leaders and advancing grade). The old group stays in the old season.
- Wrap up: the group stays in the old season only.
- Click Apply rollover.
Advance grade moves the group's grades up (7th becomes 8th). It doesn't change students' grades. Promote students under Workspace Settings > Grade Promotion so they still fit their group.
Grade ranges
A grade range is your own name for a set of grades, like "Middle School" for 6th to 8th. Use ranges to plan one lesson for several grades in Plan.
- Click Add range.
- Enter a Name, pick the Grades and the Ministry.
- Save.
Deleting a range removes any lessons planned for it.
Coach and director
Choose where coach and director roles from CCB show:
- Off: hidden everywhere.
- Group pull-out only: only when you open a group (the default).
- Everywhere: also on the Groups and Leaders pages.
Main leaders and co-leaders always show. Coaches and directors don't get group access in the Serve app.