A clear, privacy-minded place to get help.

Use your individual invitation to join the church, team, and role shown on the invitation page. Signing in identifies you; the invitation and active membership determine which workspace you can use.

Before you begin

Have the original invitation and use the email address that received it. Open it in the same browser you plan to use for Church Staff Meeting. Keep the full invitation link private.

Review and accept

1. Open the original invitation link. If you see Sign in to check your invitation, sign in with the invited account.
2. Review Church, Team, Your role, and Signed in as. If any detail is wrong, stop and ask the person who invited you to check it.
3. Review your profile and the team-use notice. If you choose to join, enter the name your teammates should see, acknowledge the team-use notice, and read and complete the required account agreements. Then choose Accept invitation.
4. Wait for Invitation accepted and You're ready for your team's meeting. Confirm the church, team, and role again.
5. Follow the offered next action: Complete my pre-work or Open my first meeting.

If you do not want to join

Choose Decline invitation. Keep invitation cancels that choice. Yes, decline closes the one-time invitation without activating access. If you later change your mind, ask the workspace owner for a new invitation.

You are done when

The acceptance confirmation identifies the intended church, team, and role, and the next action opens your authorized work. If you can sign in but cannot reach the intended workspace, access still needs review.

If the invitation cannot be verified

The message We couldn't verify this invitation does not prove a particular cause. The link may have expired, already been accepted, or belong to another email address.

1. If you just finished signing in, reopen the original invitation from your email in that same browser.
2. Check the account you used. If it is wrong, sign out, sign in with the invited account, and reopen the original link.
3. If it still fails, ask the person who invited you to check the invited email, intended church and team, role, and invitation status before sending another link.

If the app says This workspace link is not available, ask the owner to confirm that specific workspace link. Choosing a different available workspace does not repair access to the intended one. Do not create a replacement church workspace to recover missing access or records.

The person who invited you may have prepared a link without sending an email. An invitation record alone does not confirm delivery.

For further help, use Contact support. Describe the screen and what you expected. Do not include the invitation link, password, sign-in token, or private meeting content.

Next: Complete your pre-work.

Open this guide in CSM

Use My Work → Open preparation to answer assigned requests; each card shows what is needed and when.

Before you begin

In your authorized workspace, choose My Work → Open preparation and check the meeting date on each request.

Add a Meeting Question without leaving My Work

Choose My Work → Open preparation. In Meeting Question reminder, select Add Meeting Question here; its composer stays on the page. Enter the title, issue, and three recommendations, then choose Save Meeting Question and wait for the shared save confirmation. View all questions opens the full Questions page. Personnel/People defaults to Restricted Follow-up.

Update a request

1. Read the request title and instructions. Requests can cover the scorecard, goals, services or events, headlines, celebrations, Meeting Questions, or a Meeting Role acknowledgement.
2. Enter the requested information under Your private update. Keep it concise and relevant to that request.
3. Use the card's available control:
- In progress saves your response as unfinished work.
- Mark complete saves your response and marks the request complete.
- Reopen returns a request to Needs update when more work is needed.
4. Check the card's status and save feedback. After Mark complete, the app announces Pre-work marked complete. The agenda owner's readiness count is updated without exposing your response. Also wait for the shared workspace status to be Saved before leaving.
5. Repeat for your remaining requests. Look under Completed updates when you need to revisit one you already finished.

Typing by itself leaves Unsaved changes. If you edit an already completed request, use Reopen, revise it, then Mark complete again. If a status control is disabled, it may already be the request's current status; use an available control that matches the actual next state.

If you opened a focused update link

A focused link is a separate, limited flow for one person and one request. Read the request, enter the update, and choose Save and mark complete. That button belongs to the focused-link page; ordinary preparation cards use the controls above.

If the link is unavailable, return to your usual signed-in workspace. If access still fails, ask the owner to check the request and account before issuing another link.

You are done when

The requests you have finished show Complete, and the shared workspace has accepted the changes. Not required is a status the product may display; it is not a button to skip work. If a request does not apply to you, ask the person coordinating preparation to review it.

If it does not work

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Unsaved changes | Choose an available status control to save the response with its status. |
| Could not save — try again | Read the error, keep the tab open, and check save recovery. |
| Shared status Saving, Offline, or Needs review | Do not treat the card's completion message as final shared-save confirmation. Follow the shared recovery message. |
| A request for the wrong meeting | Check its date and your selected workspace before entering an update. Ask the preparation owner to correct the assignment if needed. |
| A reminder preview | A preview does not prove a reminder was delivered. Use the request itself to check what you owe. |

Next: return to My Work for your Action Steps, or see how the agenda is prepared.

Open this guide in CSM

Prepare one dated meeting so the team can enter with reviewed information and clear discussion priorities. Preparers update their assigned material; the Team Leader and assigned Meeting Facilitator provide the final agenda reviews.

Before you begin

Choose the correct church workspace, team, and meeting date. Open Meeting → Prepare. Preparation edits belong to a draft meeting.

Prepare the meeting

1. Review attendance and Meeting Roles for this meeting. Confirm that the people needed to lead it are assigned.
2. Work through the preparation sections: Check In and Celebrate, Headlines, GATES Scorecard, 90 Day Goals, Upcoming Services or Events, Upcoming 30 Days, and Work the Questions. Update the material that applies to this week and use each section's save controls.
3. In question preparation, review the Focus Three Questions selected for this meeting. Keep sensitive details in the appropriate restricted path.
4. Open Sources & Carry Forward if you need to check freshness or unresolved work. Carry Forward retains the source context; it is not copied into the current questions automatically.
5. Open Review agenda. Review each preparation section explicitly. For an empty section, use Confirm none this week or Mark Not Applicable only when that option is offered and accurate.
6. Complete the separate Team Leader review and Meeting Facilitator review through the authorized reviewers. Check that both show Reviewed.
7. Read Blockers and Warnings. Resolve every blocker. Review warnings for accuracy; warnings do not block publication.
8. Choose Publish agenda and wait for the shared save to finish.

Read readiness truthfully

A missing update, a recorded zero, and an off-track goal mean different things. Enter the actual state rather than changing a value just to improve the readiness display. Needs Update does not mean Off Track.

For example, if a weekly number is unavailable, leave its truthful missing state and resolve the requested preparation work. Do not enter zero unless the actual value is zero.

You are done when

The agenda is published and the meeting can proceed to Run Meeting. Publication makes the agenda available in the meeting workspace; it does not send an email or write to another product.

If preparation changes while the agenda is still a draft, the affected section review and both final agenda reviews must be completed again. Earlier reviews do not cover newly edited information.

If publication is blocked

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Publish agenda is unavailable | Open Review agenda and resolve the listed blockers. |
| Team Leader or Meeting Facilitator review is Required | Have the authorized reviewer complete that review. Check the role assignment if a reviewer is unassigned. |
| An empty section still needs review | Use the explicit empty or not-applicable choice if shown. Leaving a section blank is not a completed review. |
| Warnings remain after blockers are cleared | Review the warning and preserve accurate information. Warnings alone do not prevent publication. |
| Saving, Offline, or Needs review | Finish save recovery before treating the agenda as published. |
| The meeting has already started | Use its current meeting phase. Do not reset a sample or create a replacement workspace to unlock a real meeting. |

Next: Run the meeting.

Open this guide in CSM

The Meeting Facilitator guides the agenda. The Timekeeper manages the timer, and the Note Taker captures the decisions and Action Steps the team agrees on.

Before you begin

Confirm the church, team, date, and role assignments. The agenda must be published. If you are showing a screen to the room, use Room Display.

Start and move through the agenda

1. Open Meeting → Run Meeting, or choose Run Meeting from Prepare. If a meeting is already live, use Rejoin live meeting.
2. On Run Meeting, choose Start meeting. This opens Check In and Celebrate and starts the section timer.
3. Let each present participant complete their own opening check-in. Opening ratings stay individual; they do not become the Meeting Score.
4. Move through Headlines, GATES Scorecard, 90 Day Goals, Upcoming Services or Events, and Upcoming 30 Days. The facilitator uses Advance to move on and Return to revisit the preceding section when needed.
5. In Work the Questions, choose the next Focus Three Question and complete the discussion flow below.
6. After the question work, advance to Action Steps and Meeting Notes. Confirm the next actions with the team, then choose End meeting to move into Close Out.

Work one question to an outcome

1. Clarify: confirm the issue, its priority, and who it affects.
2. Discuss: begin with the presenter's Top 3 Recommendations. Record an additional potential solution when it helps the discussion.
3. Decide: enter the Decision or result, Rationale, Outcome approver, and Outcome type. An Experiment to review also needs an Experiment review date. Choose Record Question Outcome.
4. Record any required Linked Action Step with one owner and a due date, using Record linked Action Step. Add only the work the outcome requires.
5. Review the listed outcome requirements. When the outcome is complete, choose Mark Solved.
6. If the question remains unresolved, choose Put a pin in it / Carry Forward, enter the reason and next review date, then Confirm Carry Forward.

For example, a fictional team might decide to test a revised volunteer briefing, assign Alex Example to prepare it by Friday, and set a date to review the experiment. Recording the decision, owner, and dates makes the intended follow-up clear.

If the meeting needs to stop for care

A confirmed One-Out-of-10 care stop ends the normal meeting workflow and reserves the time for care. Follow the displayed care path. Do not try to continue the normal agenda, collect a Meeting Score, or force ordinary closeout for that meeting.

You are done when

Each selected question has a recorded outcome or Carry Forward reason and review date, and End meeting takes you to Close Out. If the meeting stopped for care, the care state is the appropriate ending instead.

If a control is unavailable

- The agenda is still a draft: return to Prepare and finish publication.
- No Advance or Return control: check the assigned Meeting Facilitator. These are facilitator controls.
- A role holder is absent: the Team Leader or Meeting Facilitator can choose a present person in the live role controls, then choose Apply. Wait for the current assignment to update and the confirmation that the role changed for this meeting occurrence. Selecting a name alone does not apply the change. If the save result is uncertain, use Check & retry; do not assume the assignment changed while it is still saving or awaiting review.
- Mark Solved is unavailable: complete the outcome requirements shown, or use Carry Forward if the question remains unresolved.
- End after final section is unavailable: continue to Action Steps and Meeting Notes before ending the normal meeting.
- A save or connection message appears: follow save recovery.

Next: Close out and follow through.

Open this guide in CSM

Close Out turns the meeting's captured work into an approved record. The Team Leader or assigned Meeting Facilitator publishes it after the required outcomes, owners, dates, and individual ending ratings are complete.

Before you begin

Finish the normal live meeting and open Close Out for the correct date. A meeting that ended for care follows its care path instead of normal closeout.

Review the five closeout steps

1. Decisions. Review the recorded decisions and rationale. Check that decision makers are identified. A discussion alone is not a completed question outcome.
2. Action Steps. Confirm One owner and Due date for each action. Add a Review date where needed. A row with the required owner and due date shows Confirmed; an unfinished row shows Incomplete.
3. Question Results. Check each Focus Three Question. A solved question shows its recorded result. An unresolved question needs Carry Forward reason and Next review date; choose Confirm Carry Forward. Close Out does not turn an unfinished discussion into a solved result automatically.
4. Ratings. Each present participant selects their own ending rating and chooses Save my individual rating. The optional note is private. Do not enter someone else's rating to clear the review.
5. Publish. Read What will be published and resolve every item under Before publishing. The authorized publisher then chooses Publish Meeting Notes.

After publication, the Close Out screen confirms Meeting Notes are published. Choose View Meeting Notes to open the approved, read-only record. If the app asks you to finish a shared save or review first, complete that before trying publication again.

What the record contains

The publication review lists question decisions and rationale, Action Steps with owners and dates, meeting notes, carried-forward questions, team-visible check-in highlights, and the average Meeting Score with its response count. Private check-ins, prayer details, and restricted information stay out of ordinary published notes.

The Meeting Score is the average of individual ending ratings. Opening check-ins are never included. The closeout score can remain Waiting until the required ratings are received, and visibility depends on your role.

Publishing creates the Church Staff Meeting record. It does not approve or send a Basecamp export.

Find what needs your attention afterward

Open My Work. To do brings together your preparation requests, open Action Steps, and relevant Carry Forward from meetings you may access. Completed shows finished work. Open an item to continue it, or expand Details for its meeting and source context. Open preparation opens your preparation requests.

Carry Forward keeps the unresolved work and review date with the source record. It is not automatically copied into a later meeting's questions. The team reviews it when preparing that meeting.

You are done when

The approved record opens as read-only, with its publication information, and you can identify the owned next work in My Work. Completing a meeting does not mean its Action Steps have been completed.

If publication or follow-through looks wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Incomplete Action Step | Confirm one owner and a due date. |
| Disposition required on a question | Enter an honest Carry Forward reason and next review date. |
| Ratings still needed | Ask the present participants to save their own ratings. Verify attendance with the facilitator if it was recorded incorrectly. |
| No publication control | Ask the Team Leader or assigned Meeting Facilitator to publish. |
| Finish the current shared save or review before publishing Meeting Notes | Use save recovery, then retry publication. |
| Nothing appears in To do | Confirm your account and team. The personal view does not list everyone's work. |
| A mistake in approved notes | Use the Record correction workflow. The original stays read-only. |

Next: Find or export the approved record.

Open this guide in CSM

Keep the current meeting tab open and read the save message before retrying. First confirm the church, team, and meeting date. Avoid making another copy of the meeting while the save is unresolved. When a meeting change is uncertain, the Save needs confirmation banner names the pending change; choose Retry save to check that same request before making another change.

Check the shared status

Open More settings → Settings → Workspace activity if you need the connection status and recovery controls.

| Status | Meaning and next action |
|---|---|
| Saved | This view matches the latest accepted shared version. Check that the intended change is present. |
| Saving | The change is being checked and saved. Wait for the result. |
| Connecting | The app is checking access and loading the shared view. Wait for that check. |
| Offline | The app may show the last authorized recovery copy. Reconnect, then use Recheck and retry. |
| Needs review | A newer shared version arrived. Review the choices below. |
| Not authorized | Ask the workspace owner to confirm the invited account and active team access. |

Recover after a connection problem

1. Keep the tab open and restore the connection.
2. In More settings → Settings → Workspace activity, look for Your work is still accounted for and choose Recheck and retry.
3. Wait for the new status. If it becomes Needs review, resolve the conflict below.
4. When it becomes Saved, check that the intended change appears before continuing.

An offline recovery copy is read-only. If the app says No authorized offline copy is available on this device, reconnect before viewing or editing meeting information. Do not depend on offline access as a backup of your work.

Resolve a newer shared version

The banner A newer shared version arrived asks which reviewed version should continue. Coordinate with anyone editing the same item, then choose deliberately:

- Use shared version loads the newer shared version and discards your pending conflicting change. Choose it when the shared version should be kept.
- Keep my reviewed version retries your reviewed changes against the newer shared version. Choose it only after you have checked which changes should remain. It still needs a successful shared save.

Wait for Saved, then review the affected information. A review choice is not permission to skip checking another person's work.

If an edit was rejected

Read the message and confirm whether the change is still present in the accepted shared view. Resolve the stated permission or validation problem before trying again. Do not keep entering the same change while access is denied or a conflict is pending.

On your preparation page, Unsaved changes means the text still needs an available card action, such as Mark complete. The card's feedback and the shared connection status describe different parts of saving; check both. See Complete your pre-work.

You are done when

The shared status is Saved and the intended accepted change is visible. If the action was publication, also confirm that the approved Meeting Notes record opened.

If you still need help

Leave the tab open and use Contact support. Give the general screen name, approximate time, exact non-sensitive error, what you expected, and whether the connection is restored. Do not send passwords, invitation links, private updates, individual ratings, or a raw meeting export.

Closing or refreshing a tab is not a guaranteed recovery method. Use the in-app recovery choices first.

Open this guide in CSM

Room Display is the view intended for the shared room screen. It follows the meeting's current section while keeping private capture fields and restricted details out of that display.

Open the room view

1. Confirm the selected church, team, and meeting date.
2. Open Teams & meetings, expand Meeting tools, and choose Room Display. The room view opens in a new tab; keep your meeting controls in the original tab.
3. Check the meeting context on the intended screen before showing it to the room. Continue facilitating from the authorized meeting controls; the display itself is read-only.

Use the dedicated Room Display when sharing a screen. Sharing your whole facilitator screen can expose information that is not intended for the room.

Change the layout

A Team Leader with Room Display permission can publish the layout. If you see Manager access is required, ask the authorized manager to make the change.

1. Open Teams & meetings → Meeting tools → Room Display settings.
2. Under Apply this layout to, choose Every [team] meeting for the team default, or This meeting only for a single-meeting override.
3. Choose a layout. Adjust Theme, Type style, Text size, and Corner mark as needed.
4. Review 3. Room cues. Optional cues can be shown or hidden; required safety and focus cues stay on.
5. Inspect the Preview · sample content. It demonstrates the layout without meeting content.
6. Choose Save draft and wait for Draft saved privately. If you change anything afterward, save the draft again before publishing.
7. Choose Publish to Room Display and wait for Room Display published.
8. Return to the room view and check the result on the actual screen. Confirm that text is readable from where participants sit.

Return to a default

For This meeting only, choose Remove this override to return to the team or built-in default. For the team layout, Restore Focus default restores the built-in Focus layout. Review the chosen scope before using either control.

What the room can see

Depending on the section and layout, the display may include team and meeting context, the current section, timer, and an appropriate question prompt. Safe question titles may be visible. Private check-ins, prayer details, restricted preparation, and restricted question details do not belong on the shared display.

Care, waiting, and completed screens are controlled by the app; a custom layout does not replace those states. Layout settings are separate from the meeting's approved records.

You are done when

The room view shows the intended meeting and published layout, and participants can read it comfortably. Draft saved privately alone does not publish a layout. The sample editor preview does not confirm the current meeting's content or display.

If it does not work

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Publish to Room Display is unavailable | Save a draft first and wait for the save to finish. |
| The old layout is still shown | Confirm that the latest edits were saved before publishing, and that you chose the right team or single-meeting scope. |
| Manager access is required | Ask a Team Leader with Room Display permission to publish the layout. |
| The editor is unavailable or a save error | Keep the existing display in place. Read the error, reopen settings when the connection is available, and review the current saved draft before retrying. |
| Blank or unexpected meeting view | Check the selected team and date, then workspace access. Do not use a private facilitator screen as a substitute. |

Related: Run the meeting · Recover a save.

Open this guide in CSM

Use Meeting Notes to find a published meeting, read its approved notes, or create a print, PDF, or CSV copy. A draft agenda or a meeting still in Close Out will not appear as an approved record.

Before you begin

Confirm the selected church workspace and team. Meeting Notes searches only the approved history your account may access within that team. The meeting must have completed Close Out and publication.

Find the record

1. Open Meeting Notes.
2. In Search notes, enter a phrase from the approved notes. If needed, select the meeting series under Recurring meeting.
3. Check the result's date, team, and series, then choose Open notes.
4. Check the Published label or correction count. Open Publication details to review who published the record, when it was published, and its version.

Create a copy

Open Export, then choose the format you need:

| Control | Result |
|---|---|
| Print | Opens printable Meeting Notes and the browser's print flow |
| Download PDF | Downloads a PDF file |
| Export CSV | Downloads the meeting as one spreadsheet row; decisions and tasks appear inside cells |

Wait while the control says Preparing…. Open the resulting file or print preview and check the meeting title, date, and approved content before sharing it. Creating an export does not send it to another person or service.

The approved record excludes private check-ins, prayer details, restricted information, and individual ending-rating notes. The Meeting Score shows the average of ending ratings and its response count. Treat an exported file as meeting information and share it only with appropriate recipients.

If you find an error in approved notes

The original published record is read-only. If you are authorized to correct it, choose Record correction, then:

1. Select the Item to correct and Field to correct.
2. Compare the Current approved value with the correction you intend.
3. Enter the Corrected value and Reason for correction. Use Clear this optional field only if that option is shown and clearing the field is intended.
4. Choose Record correction.
5. Return to the record and confirm the change appears in the Corrections section, with its original value, corrected value, reason, author, and date.

The correction adds a visible record of the change; it does not erase the original. If correction is denied, ask the authorized workspace owner to check your permission.

You are done when

You have the intended approved record open and, if requested, a readable export of that record. A correction is complete only when it appears in the record's correction timeline.

If it does not work

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No approved Meeting Notes match this search | Try another phrase or authorized series. Confirm the meeting was actually published. |
| Record unavailable to this account | Return to Meeting Notes and confirm the selected team. Ask the workspace owner to verify access if the record should be available. |
| Printable notes do not open | If the app asks you to allow pop-ups, allow the print window for this site and try Print again. |
| The approved export could not be created | Keep the approved record intact. Retry the export after connectivity returns; if it still fails, report the format and error to support. Do not attach a raw meeting export. |
| The correction could not be recorded | Reopen the current record and check whether a correction was already saved before trying again. If access is denied or the record changed, ask the owner to review it. |

For unresolved work attached to a record, see Close out and follow through.

Open this guide in CSM

Use Learn CSM to practice CSM with fictional information before working in a real church workspace. It offers three tracks: Your first meeting, Working with your team, and Advanced tools.

Open the sample

From the public product tour choose Try a sample. After signing in, the welcome page offers Try a sample meeting. Both open Learn CSM. The older /welcome/rehearsal address redirects to the current learning experience.

Practice a track

Choose a track and work through its lessons. The first track follows a fictional team from its meeting rhythm through notes and follow-through. The other tracks practice team responsibilities and advanced product tools. The controls include Continue, Practice again, Restart this track, and Exit tutorial.

Use fictional people and details. Practice can show a simulated action as complete, but it does not create a church workspace, invite real people, connect providers, send messages, or change real meeting records. Lesson answers are not retained or sent to the server. This browser keeps your learning track position and completion locally; it is not a server-side account record.

You are done when

You have practiced the lesson you wanted to understand. Practice again repeats the current lesson. Restart this track clears that track’s completion and returns to its first lesson. Exit tutorial returns to the destination offered by the page.

When you are ready to work in a real church, use Set up my church only if you are authorized to create it, or open the church workspace you already use. A practice track does not grant church access.

Open this guide in CSM

Can I see the setup before using a real workspace?

You can explore the public product tour. Choose Try a sample for the guided sample. If a sign-in or Cloudflare access screen appears, complete the offered sign-in with your authorized account. Ask support for help if access is denied or you cannot reach the sample afterward. The sample opens Learn CSM. It uses fictional practice, does not create a church workspace, and does not persist the lesson inputs. See Learn CSM.

Why did my practice details disappear?

The guided lessons use fictional practice. Lesson inputs are not saved to a church workspace; only track completion is kept in this browser. Use Restart this track to clear that track’s completion and begin it again.

Do we need to connect our other tools first?

You can begin with manual preparation. Optional connections are separate from preparing, running the meeting, and reviewing its outcomes. Learn CSM uses fictional practice; it does not connect a real provider.

What does Church Staff Meeting add to the tools we already use?

It keeps the meeting agenda, decisions, and follow-up together. For example, if Alex agrees to find two volunteer coaches by Friday, you can record that task beside the discussion, with Alex's name and the due date. Your team can use its existing tools for other work. See how Church Staff Meeting fits into your week.

Are Planning Center and Basecamp already connected?

Check Connections for your workspace's current status. A connection option or card is not proof of a working connection. Planning Center services can be previewed and deliberately added to the selected meeting after review; CSM does not change Planning Center. A Basecamp send requires an explicit destination and separate approval; publishing Meeting Notes alone does not send it. Awaiting connection · nothing sent means exactly that.

Why can I sign in but not open my church workspace?

Sign-in and church-workspace membership are separate. Use the account that received the invitation and check the intended church and team. If access still fails, ask the owner to verify the invitation and membership before sending another link. Recover access.

Does the guided sample invite anyone or schedule reminders?

No. Practice lessons use fictional examples and do not send invitations or activate reminders. In a real workspace, an invitation record or reminder preview is also not proof of delivery; check the actual delivery state.

Is the Team Leader the same as the Meeting Facilitator?

They are different responsibilities. The Team Leader is a standing team role. Meeting Facilitator is an assignment for a particular meeting, alongside other Meeting Roles such as Note Taker and Timekeeper. Rotating a meeting role does not change the standing Team Leader.

What are Focus Three Questions and Carry Forward?

Focus Three Questions are the three questions selected for focused discussion. Work the Questions follows Clarify, Discuss, and Decide. Carry Forward records unresolved work with its context, a reason, and the next review date. Carry Forward is not automatically copied into the next meeting's questions.

Are the opening check-in ratings averaged?

No. Opening ratings remain individual. The Meeting Score is the average of individual end-of-meeting ratings. Each present participant submits their own ending rating; ordinary published notes show the average and response count rather than private individual rating notes.

What should we share on the room screen?

Open Teams & meetings → Meeting tools → Room Display and use that view, not the full facilitator screen. It is a read-only meeting view with appropriate prompts and context. Safe question titles can appear; private check-ins, prayer details, restricted preparation, and restricted question details stay out. Use Room Display.

Can we correct or download Meeting Notes?

Authorized users can open approved records and create print, PDF, or CSV copies. The published original stays read-only; authorized corrections add a dated correction record. Downloading a file does not send it to another service. Find and export notes.

Can I keep editing offline?

Treat an offline view as read-only. The app may show a last authorized recovery copy and retry pending work after reconnection. If a meeting save is uncertain, read the Save needs confirmation banner and choose Retry save. It checks the same request before another change can be saved. For workspace activity, open More settings → Settings → Workspace activity and choose Recheck and retry. Use the in-app recovery choices and confirm Saved before relying on a change. Recover a save.

Why is My Work empty when the team has work to do?

In My Work, To do shows your preparation requests, assigned open Action Steps, and relevant Carry Forward in meetings you may access. Completed shows finished items. Check your account, team, selected view, and the action's assigned owner if something you expect is missing. This personal view does not list the whole team's work.

Where do I ask for help?

Use Contact support. Include the general screen, what you expected, what happened, and a non-sensitive error message. Leave out passwords, invitation links, private ratings, and raw meeting exports.

Open this guide in CSM

Church Staff Meeting is a shared place for your church team's meeting agenda, notes, and follow-up. Your team uses it to prepare for a meeting, record what you decide, and keep track of what each person has agreed to do.

For example, your team might be planning a volunteer orientation. You decide that new leaders should have a coach. Alex agrees to confirm two coaches by Friday. In Church Staff Meeting, you can record the decision and add Alex's task, name, and due date alongside it. The app calls that task an Action Step.

How does it fit into our week?

Before the meeting, teammates add the updates they've been asked to bring. The people preparing the agenda review those updates and choose the questions the team needs to discuss.

During the meeting, the facilitator guides the conversation through the agenda. The note taker records decisions and any tasks that follow from them.

After the meeting, the team checks the notes before the authorized publisher publishes them. Teammates can find their own open tasks in My Work.

Where do I start?

- I've just been invited: Open your invitation and check that it names the right church and team.
- I'm attending the meeting: Start with your pre-work—the updates you're asked to prepare before the team meets.
- I'm preparing the agenda: Start with Prepare.
- I'm facilitating today's meeting: Follow Run the meeting.

Can I try it first?

Learn CSM offers fictional practice in three tracks: Your first meeting, Working with your team, and Advanced tools. It does not create a real workspace, invite people, connect providers, or change real meeting records. Lesson inputs are not persisted; completion state stays locally in this browser.

Open this guide in CSM

Your church workspace is where your team’s meetings, notes, and follow-up live. Signing in identifies you; the workspace you open determines which church and team you are working with.

If a teammate invited you, start with your individual invitation. That link identifies the church and team the invitation is for.

Open a workspace you already use

1. Go to Church Staff Meeting and choose Sign in in the public navigation.
2. Enter the verified email associated with your CSM access and follow the passwordless email sign-in instructions. Creating a sign-in identity does not by itself join a church workspace.
3. On the welcome page, find your church’s name and choose Open workspace. To try the sample first, choose Try a sample meeting. If you see Your team invitation is ready, choose Review invitation for the intended church and team; reviewing the invitation does not accept it.
4. Check the church, team, and meeting before you begin working.

Your existing church work is missing

If you used the earlier Cloudflare sign-in, open More options, then Recover an earlier account when it is offered, and choose Connect an earlier Cloudflare account. Complete sign-in and look for your workspace again. This connects earlier access; it does not accept a team invitation.

Do not create another church workspace just to recover one you already use. If your church is still missing, ask its owner to check your invitation or membership. If the owner cannot resolve it, contact support.

You are setting up a new church

Begin new church setup only when you are authorized to create a workspace for your church or organization. The available choice depends on your account and approval state:

- Create your church account: when your account is approved to create a workspace, choose Set up my church to open the setup wizard.
- Create your church account may also appear with the required agreement covering the Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and Privacy Notice, with a Start church setup button when the public setup path is available. Read it and complete its confirmations before continuing; this prepares setup but does not itself create the church workspace.
- Enter your setup code: when owner setup requires approval, use the one-time setup code sent to the signed-in email. Enter it only on the setup page, read the Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy, review the Privacy Notice, and complete the required confirmations before choosing Activate setup. If you have not been given a code, contact support instead of creating another account.

In the setup wizard, review your profile, church, team, and proposed setup. Read the required account agreement and complete its confirmations before choosing Create my church at the end. If the page says it cannot verify workspace access, wait for access to be verified or contact support.

Adding names during setup does not send invitations. Inviting teammates is a separate step after the workspace has been created.

You want to look around first

Choose Try a sample meeting to open Learn CSM. The guided tracks use fictional practice and create no church workspace, invitations, provider connections, or real meeting changes.

If you cannot get in

- Your church is missing: check that you used the email address associated with your invitation or existing access. Ask the workspace owner to check membership.
- You are setting up a new church: the page may show Set up my church or Enter your setup code, depending on the account and approval state. Follow the path offered; setup code access is conditional.
- The page shows closed enrollment or asks you to activate setup: follow the approved-owner setup path above. This message does not prove your existing church work was lost. If you expected an existing workspace, ask its owner to check access; do not make a duplicate workspace.
- You no longer have access to your sign-in email: contact support for a human review.
- You are already editing a meeting when access fails: preserve any unsaved wording before refreshing or signing in again. Follow the save recovery guide if a save is unresolved.

You are ready to continue when the intended church workspace opens and the team and meeting shown are the ones you meant to use.

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Workspace owners manage invitations from People → Invite people. Your owner account already has access. Adding someone to a setup draft or roster does not, by itself, send an invitation.

Prepare the people you want to invite

1. Choose the intended team in Invite people.
2. Select someone from the roster, or enter a new person and choose Save new people to roster.
3. Wait for the shared workspace to show Saved.
4. Check each person's name, email address, and team before creating the invitations.

Choose secure links or email

Create secure links gives you individual one-time invitation links. Copy each link when it appears and share it privately with that person. Creating the link does not send an email.

For email, open More settings → Settings → Email reminders if delivery is off. Review the reminder types you want, keep New team invitations enabled for invitation emails, turn on Turn on automatic email delivery when available, and choose Save email choices. Return to People → Invite people and choose Send invitation emails.

If email setup is unavailable, the page explains what still needs attention. Secure links remain an option after the people are saved. Do not repeatedly press send when a request is still processing.

Check what actually happened

Use Check status in Invitation progress. An invitation can exist before an email is delivered. Secure link created · email not used means no invitation email was sent. An email that is queued or accepted is still waiting for delivery confirmation.

Delivery is separate from joining. The recipient must open their invitation, sign in with the invited account, review the church and team, and choose whether to acknowledge and accept. Access is active only after acceptance succeeds.

Replace or close a pending invitation

For a pending or retryable invitation, Create new secure link or Email invitation prepares a replacement. A successful replacement makes the old invitation link unusable. Share the newest link only. An active member already has access and does not need another invitation.

Revoke invitation closes a pending invitation. Use the access-management screen if you intend to remove an active member's access.

For help, describe the general screen and status to CSM support. Do not send invitation links, email codes, or private meeting content.

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How do I connect my Basecamp account?

Your Church Staff Meeting workspace owner can connect Basecamp from Connections.

1. Find Basecamp and choose Connect when that button is available.
2. Read the connection guide, choose Continue, then Connect now.
3. Complete the Basecamp sign-in and permission steps in the browser. Return to Church Staff Meeting when they finish.
4. In Choose where approved notes go, select the Basecamp account, Project, and exact Message Board, then choose Save this destination. Meeting Notes are posted as a new message on that board. In Close Out, each note can instead go to a specific Docs & Files folder as a document. Choose a to-do list for each Action Step there.

Connecting does not send Meeting Notes or Action Steps. Each export needs its own review and approval. The helper can explain these steps but cannot see whether your account is connected.

Why is there no Connect button?

Read the status on the Basecamp card. See connection status may mean Church Staff Meeting is preparing the connection: the one-time setup is on the Church Staff Meeting side, and there is nothing for your church to enter or fix. The card changes to Connect when it is ready. If the workspace owner manages the connection, ask that owner to check it. If the status cannot be checked, choose Check connection, then Check again. A missing button is not a reason to enter a password into this chat.

You can keep using the meeting: publish Meeting Notes and open the approved record in Meeting Notes, then use Export for PDF, CSV, or print while the connection is unavailable.

What if Basecamp needs attention or is already connected?

For a connection that needs attention, open Fix connection, continue to the connection step, and choose Reconnect now as the workspace owner. Complete the sign-in in the browser. If the card is already connected, choose Manage to open its preferences and review Choose where approved notes go. Connected · choose destination means you still need to choose where approved notes may go.

How do I send my notes to Basecamp?

After publishing Meeting Notes, open Close Out → Send to Basecamp. Before publication, Basecamp export preview lets you prepare destinations but cannot send. Publishing alone never sends anything.

1. Select up to 20 notes and Action Steps. Choose the summary or individual notes to avoid duplicates.
2. Use Choose destination for each item: review its Account, Project, and Message Board, Docs & Files folder, or to-do list, then Save destination. This does not send it. Keep in Church Staff Meeting excludes the item.
3. Review task assignees and optional Notify these people in Basecamp. Basecamp assignees are separate from the CSM Action Step owner.
4. Choose Review N items (N is the selected count). Check Review exactly what will be sent, destinations, and What stays out.
5. Approve and send N items approves the reviewed items and begins sending. Check results in Saved deliveries; Check item delivery refreshes an uncertain result.

After interrupted approval, use Check this approval before approving again. Approval saved — nothing sent confirms approval, not delivery. Retry this item is for a failed item; Send remaining approved items sends only remaining items shown as ready. If delivery is uncertain, check Basecamp before retrying to avoid duplicates. The helper cannot confirm delivery.

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Services shows plans and volunteer assignments. Check-Ins shows event attendance. Staff meeting attendance is recorded inside CSM.

Connect Planning Center

Open Connections. A workspace owner can choose Connect, read the guide, choose Continue, then Connect now. Complete provider sign-in. If CSM is still preparing the connection, continue meeting preparation manually.

Add a reviewed service

Choose the team and meeting. Under Services for [team], select up to five service types and choose Save service types for [team]. Reload saved service types restores that team’s choices. Choose Preview upcoming services. For a plan, open Review for this meeting before entering meeting details. Set required readiness (On track, Off track, or Missing) and optionally choose an owner, then select Add reviewed service to this meeting to place the details in this meeting’s Upcoming Services or Events. If Save not confirmed appears, choose Retry save confirmation; it checks the same meeting-specific request. Planning Center is not changed.

Add Check-Ins attendance to GATES

For this team, choose up to five events and a From/Through date range of no more than 31 calendar days; choose Load dated periods. Select up to 12 periods and one counting policy: unique identified attendees (regular plus guest), or unique identified people including volunteers. Dates use the church timezone; a selected weekly period can extend beyond the range. Choose Preview attendance for GATES, review the aggregate counts, then Add reviewed attendance to GATES. Only aggregate counts and the period breakdown are retained; attendee names and personal details are not saved. Use Retry save confirmation for an uncertain save. There is no automatic sync, and Planning Center remains unchanged.

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Can I use my existing tools?

Open Connections. The file tools let you bring approved calendar events, COL Maximize goals, and GATES scorecard values into Prepare. You can also enter the important information manually. Adding a file is not a live connection or continuous synchronization.

How do I add a calendar file?

Choose Add file on the Calendar card and use an approved ICS file. Review each event. Under Use this event as, choose Headline or Upcoming 30 Days. For Upcoming 30 Days, deliberately choose On Track, Off Track, or Missing. An event date does not decide readiness. Choose Visible to for each item, confirm I reviewed these exact fields for this meeting, select the reviewed items, and confirm adding them to Prepare. Calendar descriptions are excluded by default; add the meeting context yourself.

How do goals and scorecards work?

COL Maximize uses an approved JSON package. Match the goal owner to an active person in the team and review the confirmed weekly update before adding it. GATES uses aggregate CSV values such as Current, Previous, and Target. Do not include individual donor or personal records. Choose visibility and review the exact fields for each item before confirming. Existing meeting values are not silently replaced. Choose Keep my current meeting values if you do not want to apply a preview.

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Where do I find my tasks?

Open My Work. To do brings together your preparation requests, open Action Steps, and relevant Carry Forward across meetings you can access. Completed shows finished items. Open an item to continue it, or expand Details for its meeting and source context. If a save shows Save needs confirmation, use Retry save. It checks the same request, so you can see whether it was saved before making another change. Open preparation opens your preparation requests, and Meeting Notes opens approved meeting history.

Why is My Work empty?

Check whether To do or Completed is selected. Action Steps are limited to work assigned to you, rather than the whole team's task list. Confirm your account, team, and the Action Step’s owner. An empty list does not prove the team has no work. The helper can explain these checks but cannot inspect your assignments.

What is Carry Forward?

Carry Forward is unresolved Meeting Question work saved with its context, a reason, and a next review date. It stays linked to its source record. Review it in Carry Forward or Sources & Carry Forward in Prepare before choosing what belongs in this week's questions. It is not automatically copied into the next meeting's Focus Three Questions. My Work shows the Carry Forward you own, presented, submitted, or carried; other people's private work is not shown.

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Is the Team Leader the same as the Meeting Facilitator?

The Team Leader is a standing team responsibility. Meeting Facilitator is a Meeting Role for a particular meeting. Rotating that role does not replace the standing Team Leader or give someone all of the owner's permissions.

What do the Meeting Roles do?

- Meeting Facilitator: guides the team through the agenda and keeps the conversation focused.
- Note Taker: records relevant changes, decisions, Action Steps, and Meeting Notes.
- Timekeeper: controls the live countdown and calls attention to section overruns.
- Weed Eater: brings the conversation back when it gets into unnecessary detail.
- Tiebreaker: chooses a direction when the team reaches a stalemate.

Why can I not change or publish the agenda?

Agenda changes require the standing Team Leader, Meeting Facilitator, or someone with agenda permission for that meeting. Preparation also has review steps: later edits clear the final agenda reviews so the Team Leader and Meeting Facilitator can review the current version. Open Prepare, check the current review status, and follow the agenda guide. The helper cannot grant permissions or mark a review complete for you.

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How do I turn reminders on?

Your workspace owner can open More settings → Settings → Email reminders. Under Email choices, select the reminder types you want. Open Service details to check Email service; Check again refreshes its setup status. When the service is ready, turn on Turn on automatic email delivery and choose Save email choices.

The workspace choices include New team invitations, Pre-work reminders, Meeting Role reminders, Meeting Question reminders, and Agenda review reminder. Each person can also open More settings → Account → Profile → Email reminders to manage their own Remind me about preparation and Tell me when preparation is ready to review preferences. These two personal choices are separate from workspace-wide sending and currently apply only to the preparation reminders named there. You can save these preferences while automatic delivery is off, and change them later. Saving preferences alone does not activate delivery.

Why does it say Preview only · nothing sends?

Email delivery is not active for this workspace until its setup checks are ready and automatic delivery is on. Previewing a reminder does not send it. Queue due reminders now is available when sending is on and ready; it queues due reminders, not proof that they reached an inbox.

What does Delivered mean?

Read Email activity. Delivered means delivery was confirmed; a queued or accepted message is not the same thing. Emails contain a neutral prompt and sign-in link. Meeting Notes, Action Step text, prayer requests, and other private meeting information stay inside Church Staff Meeting. The helper cannot inspect anyone's inbox or resend an invitation itself.

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How do I ask for help?

Open the help button or the support page. Ask AI answers general CSM questions using the help library. Help guides lets you read walkthroughs yourself. If the answer does not solve the problem, choose Send this question to a person, describe what happened after trying the steps, and send the request. An active CSM membership is required to save requests. Use email support for sign-in problems that prevent access.

How do I suggest a feature or integration?

In Send a request, choose Suggest a feature or Suggest an integration. Add a short summary and explain what it would help you do, then choose Send request. Find the saved item in Your requests. A saved suggestion is not a promise of a release date. Suggestions are recorded separately from support problems and do not each send the owner a support alert. A support request may show a neutral receipt only when that separate email capability has been enabled; it contains a reference and a link, not your title or message.

How do I rate CSM and publish a review?

Sign in with an active CSM membership and open Rate & review. Choose your rating, public display name, and experience. Check the publication consent box if you want that version published on the website, then choose Save review. Positive and critical reviews follow the same privacy and content checks. An unchecked box saves privately and removes any earlier public version. Withdraw public review removes your review from the public feed. Reviews needing a content check are not yet published.

What can the AI helper see or do?

It can explain the reviewed product guides, including features and steps checked against the app's code. It cannot see your private meeting records, verify your connection status, change your account, or send information to Basecamp. Describe the screen and a non-sensitive error; never paste passwords, sign-in links, or private information about other people.

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What is this product and what does it do?

Church Staff Meeting, or CSM, helps a church team prepare a meeting, work through important questions, record decisions, and follow through on commitments. It keeps the agenda, Meeting Notes, and Action Steps together. It supports your team's existing tools through deliberate previews, imports, and approved exports. Start with the product overview for an example of how it fits into your week.

Where do I go before, during, and after a meeting?

- People → Invite people: an authorized workspace owner can invite teammates.
- My Work → Open preparation: add the updates you are responsible for before the meeting.
- Meeting → Prepare: review updates, select the Focus Three Questions, check readiness, and publish the agenda from Review agenda.
- Meeting → Run Meeting: follow the agenda, work through questions, and capture decisions and Action Steps.
- Meeting → Close Out: review the outcomes and publish Meeting Notes when authorized.
- My Work: find your preparation, assigned Action Steps, and relevant Carry Forward in To do, or finished items in Completed.
- Meeting Notes: find approved records; open a record’s Export menu for permitted print, PDF, or CSV copies.
- Teams & meetings → Meeting tools → Room Display: open a read-only meeting view in a new tab for the room screen. Room Display settings lets an authorized Team Leader set the team or meeting layout.
- Connections: check connections or review approved files from other tools.

What are Focus Three Questions and Action Steps?

Focus Three Questions are the three Meeting Questions chosen for focused discussion. Work the Questions follows Clarify, Discuss, and Decide. An Action Step is a task with an owner and a due date recorded beside the discussion. Carry Forward preserves unresolved work and a next review date so it can be considered later.

Does a feature on screen mean it is active for my workspace?

No. Read its current status and follow the on-screen choices. A connection card, a reminder preview, or a saved export approval does not prove a connection, delivery, or send. If a save is uncertain, read the Save needs confirmation banner and choose Retry save; it checks the same request before another change can be saved. The help library explains supported workflows; the app checks what your workspace can actually use. The helper should ask which screen or status you see when that detail changes the next step.

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Optional video connection · Setup being prepared

Bring remote participants into your staff meeting while keeping preparation and follow-through together.

Before you begin

Zoom setup is being prepared. If your meeting page says “Zoom setup is not complete yet,” you can still plan attendance, but connecting an account and creating a call remain unavailable until setup is finished.

You need your own Zoom account and access to the relevant church workspace in Church Staff Meeting. Your Zoom account administrator may need to approve the connection.

Connect your Zoom account

1. Open Meeting → Prepare in Church Staff Meeting, then expand Video & remote attendance.
2. Choose Partially virtual or Fully virtual. An entirely in-person meeting does not need a video connection.
3. Choose Zoom as the video provider.
4. Select Connect my Zoom account to open Zoom’s permission page.
5. Review the requested permissions and approve the connection if they match your church’s approval.

The connection belongs to your signed-in CSM account and church workspace. It allows CSM to create and help you join meetings using that Zoom account.

Choose attendance and create the call

For a partially virtual meeting, set each person’s location to Virtual or In person, then choose the Room camera lead for the in-person room. For a fully virtual meeting, everyone attends virtually.

A meeting manager chooses the connected host account and selects Create call when it is available. A saved attendance plan does not mean a call has been created.

After a call exists, use Join here to open Zoom inside CSM when that option is ready, or Open in Zoom to use the Zoom link. Follow the options shown for your account.

Invite remote participants

After the call is created, a meeting manager can select Prepare remote invitations. CSM prepares a personal entry link for each eligible remote participant. Review the recipients and current meeting plan before choosing Send these invitations.

A prepared list has not been sent. Each invitation is intended for that member’s CSM account and contains a neutral CSM entry link. It does not include meeting notes, assignments, prayer requests, personnel details, or account credentials.

Changes to the meeting plan, participant access, or email settings can prevent a queued invitation from being delivered.

Disconnect Zoom from CSM

Open Meeting → Prepare, expand Video & remote attendance, and select Disconnect my Zoom account. CSM removes that member’s saved connection and stops using it for future meeting actions.

This does not remove Church Staff Meeting’s authorization in Zoom. To remove that authorization too, follow the steps below.

Remove CSM’s access in Zoom

1. Sign in to the Zoom App Marketplace and open My Library.
2. Find Church Staff Meeting and open its More menu.
3. Choose Remove, then confirm removal.

See Zoom’s personal app removal instructions.

If your Zoom account is managed by an administrator, the administrator may need to remove or disable the app. Zoom explains those controls in its Marketplace administration guide.

What the connection handles

CSM keeps the account identifiers needed for the connection and the meeting identifier and join link for a call you create. Saved access and renewal credentials are encrypted. Temporary meeting access credentials support authorized hosting and joining.

Zoom handles the call’s audio and video directly. CSM does not receive or store Zoom recordings, transcripts, chat, or captions. Zoom’s own terms and privacy practices apply to your use of Zoom.

Get help

Visit CSM support for connection or account questions. Include what you expected and the message you saw, without passwords, account credentials, or private meeting content.

Privacy Notice · Terms of Service

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