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Initial Setup

 

General

A SPoC must complete one-time initial setup in order to use the Event Calendar.
  1. If you plan to use the Event Calendar for registration, provide Think Ministry, Inc. with login/transaction keys and we will update your Portal.
  2. Decide whether you want Events assigned to a default congregation to display on the Event Calendar regardless of the selected Congregation. To do so, go to Administration > Configuration Settings and update the following Configuration Setting: GlobalCongregationID.
  3. If you plan to use the Event Calendar for registration, go to Administration > Configuration Settings and update the following Configuration Settings.
    • PaymentsFromEmail: the email address registration receipts send from.
    • PaymentsEmailSubject: the subject line of registration receipts.
    • RegisteredParticipationStatusID: the Participation Status ID assigned to an individual when they register for an event.
    • FreeAmountText: the text that replaces the dollar amount if there is no cost associated with the Event registration.
  4. Use the Portal Admin page for the Configuration Settings to take effect immediately.
  5. Ensure the appropriate Congregations appear in the drop-down for filtering purposes. To do so, go to to Church Structure > Congregations and open desired Congregations to edit the Available Online field to True.
  6. Ensure the appropriate Ministries appear in the drop-down for filtering purposes. To do so, go to Church Structure > Ministries and edit the desired Ministries to edit the Available Online field to True.
  7. If you plan to use the Event Calendar for registration, go to the Portal Web Config file on the server and update the following settings as desired.
    • Enable eChecks: allows users to pay for Event registration via eCheck (depends on whether your Authorize.Net account allows this option).
    • “Show Summary” Value: “Show Summary” is the default value, but you can change it if desired.
  8. If you plan to use the Event Calendar for registration, make sure your Event Registration email template is setup as desired
  9. Place the navigation link to the Event Calendar (event_calendar.aspx) in the desired place on your Portal skin. If desired, you can also place the link on the church website.
  10. If you plan to use the Event Calendar for registration, familiarize yourself (and your users, as appropriate) with Products. A Product is a required item for registration to be live.
  11. Setup your Event Approval Process as desired (see below).
  12. Email Support if you want any of these settings double-checked.

Event Approval

In order for an Event to appear on the Event Calendar, most churches require the Event to be approved. Your MinistryPlatform system came installed with an Event Approval Process to handle the Event approval workflow each time a new Event is created; specifically:
  • When an Event is created that has a start date in the future, the user who created the Event must submit the Event (a “Submit” button appears at the top of the Event record upon saving).
  • The designated approver of Events then reviews and, as appropriate, approves the Event.
  • Upon approval, the Event record is updated to Approved=TRUE and, provided the other online display settings are set accordingly, the Event appears on the Event Calendar.

A SPoC can modify the Event Approval Process to fit your needs. See Event Approval to learn more about the modification options.