Group Leaders

Quick Summary: Empower group leaders with tools and permissions to manage their groups, communicate with members, and track engagement—without needing full administrative access.

Overview

Group leaders are the lifeblood of your small groups ministry. They're the ones opening their homes on Tuesday nights, preparing discussion questions, following up with absent members, and creating the relational environments where people encounter God and each other. Relius gives these servant leaders the tools they need to shepherd their groups effectively without overwhelming them with administrative complexity.

The Groups platform distinguishes between primary leaders, co-leaders, and assistant leaders—each with appropriate access levels. A primary leader has full control over their group's roster, settings, and communications. Co-leaders share that responsibility, perfect for married couples leading together or team-teaching scenarios. Assistant leaders can help with attendance and communication but can't modify core group settings.

The goal is to empower without burdening. Leaders should spend their time shepherding people, not wrestling with software. Relius provides simple workflows for the tasks leaders do every week—taking attendance, sending messages, viewing member contact info—while keeping advanced features accessible but out of the way.

Key Concepts

• Primary Leader: The main person responsible for the group, with full management permissions
• Co-Leader: An equal partner in leading, with the same permissions as the primary leader
• Assistant Leader: A helper who can take attendance and communicate but can't edit group settings
• Leader Dashboard: A simplified view where leaders see only their groups and relevant tools
• Leader Permissions: Specific capabilities granted to leaders based on their role and the group type

Getting Started

Step 1: Assign a Primary Leader

When creating a group, select the primary leader from your member directory. This person receives an email notification about their new leadership role and gains access to the leader dashboard. Make sure their contact information is current so they receive notifications.

Step 2: Add Co-Leaders (Optional)

For groups led by multiple people—like a married couple leading a couples' group or two friends team-teaching a class—add co-leaders. Navigate to the group, click Leaders, and add additional leaders with "Co-Leader" designation. They'll receive the same access as the primary leader.

Step 3: Configure Leader Permissions

Review what leaders can do by default in Groups → Settings → Leader Permissions. Standard permissions include: view member contact info, take attendance, send messages to the group, add/remove members, and update basic group information. You can customize these globally or per group type.

Step 4: Orient Your Leaders

Send new leaders to their dashboard at My Groups where they'll see a simplified interface focused on their groups. Most leaders only need to know three things: how to take attendance, how to message their group, and where to find member contact info.

Features

Leader Roles & Permissions

Relius supports three leadership levels with progressively broader access:

• Primary Leader:
  • View and edit all group information (name, description, meeting details)
  • Add and remove members
  • Take attendance and add session notes
  • Send emails and SMS to group members
  • View member profiles and contact information
  • Request changes to group visibility and capacity
  • Generate group reports and attendance trends
• Co-Leader:
  • All the same permissions as primary leader
  • Perfect for shared leadership or teaching teams
  • Can be promoted to primary leader if the original leader steps down
• Assistant Leader:
  • View member roster and contact info
  • Take attendance
  • Send messages to the group
  • Cannot add/remove members or edit group settings
  • Ideal for apprentice leaders or administrative helpers

Leader Dashboard

Leaders access a simplified dashboard designed for their needs. Instead of the full admin interface, they see:

• My Groups: List of groups they lead with quick stats (member count, next meeting, recent attendance)
• Quick Attendance: One-click access to take attendance for today's meeting
• Member Directory: Contact info for their group members with notes about prayer requests or pastoral concerns
• Communication Tools: Send emails or SMS to the whole group or individual members
• Group Calendar: Upcoming meetings and events for their groups
• Reports: Simple attendance trends and engagement metrics

The dashboard is mobile-friendly, so leaders can take attendance from their phone during the meeting or send a quick message while waiting in line at the grocery store.

Leader Communication Tools

Leaders can reach their group members without needing staff approval or access to the full communications platform:

• Group Email: Send to all members, just active members, or a custom subset
• Group SMS: Text the whole group for last-minute reminders or schedule changes
• Individual Messaging: Contact specific members for follow-up or pastoral care
• Message Templates: Use pre-written templates for common scenarios (welcome new members, follow up after absences, weekly reminders)

All messages sent by leaders are logged so staff can see communication history if needed. Leaders can also schedule messages in advance—write the weekly reminder on Monday to go out Thursday afternoon.

Attendance Tracking for Leaders

Taking attendance is the most common task for group leaders. Relius makes it fast:

• Click Take Attendance from the leader dashboard
• See a list of all group members with simple Present/Absent toggles
• Add notes about the meeting (topic discussed, prayer requests, who brought food)
• Submit in under 60 seconds

Leaders can take attendance during the meeting on a tablet or afterward on their laptop. The system tracks attendance history and flags members who've missed multiple meetings, prompting leaders to reach out personally.

Leader Resources & Training

Equip your leaders with resources directly in the platform:

• Resource Library: Upload study guides, discussion questions, leader training videos, or best practice documents
• Leader Community: Optional forum or messaging channel where leaders can encourage each other and ask questions
• Announcements: Staff can send targeted announcements to all small group leaders or leaders of specific group types
• Training Modules: Link to or embed training content about facilitation, pastoral care, conflict resolution, etc.

Best Practices

• Train leaders before they start – Don't assume they'll figure it out; provide orientation and a quick reference guide
• Give leaders real authority – If they have to ask permission for routine tasks, they'll stop using the system
• Encourage co-leadership – Shared leadership prevents burnout and provides continuity during vacations or sick days
• Check in regularly – Monthly touchpoints with leaders build relationship and surface needs early
• Celebrate leader wins – Use the platform to identify and recognize leaders who are thriving or hitting milestones
• Limit leaders to 1-2 groups – Leading more than two groups usually leads to burnout; help leaders multiply by training apprentices
• Use assistant leaders for development – This is how you build your next generation of leaders
• Keep the interface simple – Resist the urge to make leaders use every feature; focus on the essentials
• Provide ongoing training – Facilitate sharing best practices and continuing education for leaders

Common Questions

Q: Can someone be a leader and a member of different groups?

A: Absolutely! A person can lead one group (like a men's Bible study) while being a member of another (like a service team). The system tracks both roles appropriately.

Q: What happens if a leader leaves the church or steps down?

A: Remove them as leader and assign a new one. You can preserve the leadership history in the group's record. If there's no obvious successor, temporarily assign a staff member as leader while you recruit.

Q: Can leaders see other groups or other leaders' groups?

A: By default, no. Leaders see only the groups they lead unless you explicitly grant them wider permissions. This maintains appropriate privacy boundaries.

Q: How do we handle married couples leading together?

A: Add both spouses as co-leaders. Each gets their own login and access. If they share an email, you can configure notification preferences so messages go to just one or both of them.

Q: Can leaders access the system from their phone?

A: Yes! The leader dashboard is mobile-responsive. Many leaders prefer taking attendance on their phone during or right after the meeting rather than logging in later on a computer.

Q: What if a leader doesn't want to use technology?

A: Accommodate them by having staff enter attendance on their behalf or using paper forms that staff transcribes. However, encouraging basic tech literacy opens up valuable communication channels between leaders and members.

Related Topics

• Groups Overview – Understand the full groups platform
• Creating Groups – Assign leaders when setting up groups
• Group Attendance – How leaders track attendance
• Email Campaigns – Advanced communication tools for staff
• Member Directory – Where leaders find member info
• User Roles & Permissions – Understanding permission levels