Reference
Glossary
Quick Summary: Definitions of terms used throughout Relius and church management in general. Jump to a letter or scroll through the full list.
A
Active Member
A person who has attended or engaged with the church within a defined period (typically 90 days). Used for filtering reports and identifying engagement levels.
Related: Inactive Member, Attendance
API Key
A unique identifier used to authenticate requests to the Relius API. Generated in Administration → Security → API Keys.
Attendance
A record of a person's presence at an event, service, or group meeting. Can be tracked manually or via check-in.
Audit Log
A chronological record of system activities, including who made changes, what was changed, and when. Used for security and compliance.
B
Batch Entry
The process of entering multiple records at once, such as donations from offering envelopes or attendance from sign-in sheets.
C
Campaign
A fundraising initiative with a specific goal and timeline, such as a building fund or mission trip. Tracks progress toward the goal.
Care Note
A confidential record of pastoral interactions with a member, such as hospital visits, counseling sessions, or phone calls.
Related: Pastoral Care, Prayer Request
CCLI
Christian Copyright Licensing International. A licensing organization that allows churches to legally use copyrighted worship songs. Relius integrates with CCLI for song reporting.
Check-In
The process of recording attendance when someone arrives at an event or service. Can use QR codes, kiosks, or manual entry.
Related: Attendance, QR Code
ChMS
Church Management Software. A category of software designed to help churches manage members, groups, events, donations, and communications.
Custom Field
A user-defined data field added to member profiles, groups, or events to track information specific to your church's needs.
D
Dashboard
The main overview screen showing key metrics, recent activity, and quick links to common actions.
Designation
See "Fund".
F
G
Group
A collection of people organized for a specific purpose, such as a small group, class, committee, or ministry team.
Related: Group Type, Group Leader
Group Leader
A person assigned to lead or facilitate a group. Leaders have additional permissions to manage group members and communicate with the group.
Group Type
A classification for groups, such as "Small Group," "Class," "Committee," or "Team." Helps organize and filter groups.
I
Inactive Member
A person who has not attended or engaged with the church within a defined period. May trigger at-risk detection or follow-up workflows.
Related: Active Member, At-Risk
K
Kiosk Mode
A simplified interface designed for self-service stations, such as check-in kiosks or giving stations in the church lobby.
M
P
Pastoral Care
The ministry of caring for congregation members through visits, counseling, prayer, and follow-up. Tracked in Relius via care notes and prayer requests.
Related: Care Note, Prayer Request, At-Risk
Pipeline
A visual workflow for tracking people through stages of a process, such as new member assimilation or volunteer onboarding.
Pledge
A commitment to give a specific amount over time, often associated with a campaign. Tracked separately from actual donations.
Related: Campaign, Recurring Giving
Prayer Request
A submitted request for prayer, which can be shared publicly, with a prayer team, or kept private with pastoral staff.
Related: Prayer Team, Care Note
Prayer Team
A group of people designated to receive and pray for prayer requests submitted to the church.
Q
QR Code
A scannable code used for quick check-in, event registration, or giving. Relius generates unique QR codes for various purposes.
Related: Check-In
R
Recurring Giving
Automated donations that occur on a regular schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.). Set up by donors and processed automatically.
Role
A set of permissions assigned to users, determining what they can view and do in Relius. Common roles include Admin, Staff, and Leader.
S
Service Plan
A detailed outline for a worship service, including the order of elements, assigned volunteers, and song selections. Also called a run sheet.
Related: Service Template, Song Library
Service Template
A reusable service plan structure that can be copied to create new service plans quickly.
Song Library
A database of songs used in worship, including lyrics, arrangements, keys, and CCLI numbers.
Related: CCLI, Service Plan
T
Team
A type of group focused on volunteer service, such as worship team, tech team, or hospitality team. Teams have positions and scheduling features.
Related: Group, Volunteer Scheduling
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
An extra security layer requiring a second form of verification (like a code from an authenticator app) in addition to a password.
V
Visitor
A person who has attended the church but is not yet a regular member. Often tracked separately for follow-up purposes.
Related: New Member, Pipeline
Volunteer Scheduling
The process of assigning volunteers to service positions, managing availability, and sending reminders.
Related: Team, Service Plan
W
Webhook
An automated message sent from Relius to another system when a specific event occurs, such as a new donation or check-in.
Related: API, Integration
Y
Year-End Statement
A summary of a donor's giving for the tax year, typically generated in January for the previous year. Used for tax deduction documentation.
Related: Tax Receipt, Donation
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