This guide gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how group-specific view-only permissions function from the end-user’s perspective—so you can confidently manage access, protect data, and empower your team to communicate effectively.
Setting the Stage: You’re the Admin
Let’s say you’re setting up permissions for a Next Gen Ministry Leader. You’ve already created Groups like:
Parents of 5th Graders
Middle School Ministry
High School Ministry
College + Young Adults
Now, you're assigning this leader permission to view only the Groups they oversee.
Step 1: Assign Group Access
In your Settings > Users > Permissions section:
Select the specific Groups this leader should access (e.g., just the Next Gen Groups).
Choose “View Only” for both Groups and People permissions.
Step 2: What the End User Sees
When your Next Gen leader logs into their Text In Church account, here's what they'll experience:
✅ They Can:
View only the Groups you’ve assigned.
Click into a group and see the list of members.
View group keywords and linked phone numbers.
🚫 They Cannot:
Add, remove, or edit group members.
Change the group name or keyword.
Create or delete any Group.
Essentially, they have visibility—without the ability to make changes.
Step 3: The People Section Reflects Group Access
This part is key:
The People section will only show contacts who are members of the Groups they’re allowed to view.
So if your Next Gen leader has access to just five Groups, they’ll only see contacts tied to those five Groups—even if your database has hundreds more.
This keeps the experience clean, focused, and secure.
Use Case Snapshot:
You’ve got a Youth Director named Jordan.
You give Jordan view-only access to Middle School and High School Groups.
Jordan logs in and sees only those Groups—plus the contact info for students in them.
Jordan can prepare follow-ups or check attendance, but can't alter group structure.
It’s an ideal setup for volunteers, interns, or ministry leaders who need visibility without full administrative access.
When everyone has the right level of access, communication becomes clearer, roles stay defined, and your church stays connected without the chaos.
Start setting those permissions today—and empower your team to lead with clarity.