Home/ Help Center/ Setup Guide
~30 Minutes

Get ChurchConnect running
in 5 simple steps.

This guide takes you from zero to fully operational — plan chosen, members imported, SMS configured, and your first broadcast sent.

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Step 1: Choose Your Plan

Takes about 2 minutes

ChurchConnect has 4 plans. Choose based on your congregation size and what features you need. You can always upgrade later — your data carries over seamlessly.

Free
₵0/month forever
50 members • 100 SMS/month
Just getting started
  • Member management
  • Attendance (manual)
  • Basic finance log
  • Event management
  • Data export (CSV)
  • Birthday automation
  • Role-based access
  • AI features
  • Face check-in
Starter
₵99/month
200 members • 500 SMS/month
Small-to-mid churches
  • Everything in Free
  • Birthday & anniversary automation
  • Role-based access (3 users)
  • Event RSVP & reminders
  • Family groups
  • Priority support
  • AI drafting & translation
  • Face check-in
Growth
₵189/month
1,000 members • 2,000 SMS/month
Most popular — active churches
  • Everything in Starter
  • AI SMS drafting (Claude)
  • Multilingual SMS (Twi/Ewe/Ga)
  • Face recognition attendance
  • WhatsApp messaging
  • Unlimited user roles
  • Advanced analytics
Enterprise
₵499+/month
Unlimited • Unlimited SMS
Large churches & denominations
  • Everything in Growth
  • Multi-branch management
  • Online giving integration
  • Dedicated account manager
  • REST API access
  • SLA & uptime guarantee
  • Custom onboarding
Not sure? Start on the Free plan — it costs nothing, and you can explore all the screens before deciding. Most churches upgrade to Starter within the first month once they see how much time ChurchConnect saves. See the full plan comparison.
Enterprise features (Multi-Branch, Online Giving, Deeper AI) are available on the Enterprise plan only. If your church has multiple campuses, contact us before signing up so we configure the right structure from the start.

Step 2: Create Your Account

Takes about 5 minutes

Go to the register page and fill in the form. You'll need:

  • Your church's full name (e.g., Grace Chapel International)
  • Your name and email address (becomes the admin login)
  • A strong password (minimum 8 characters)
  • Your phone number (used for account verification)
  • Your denomination or affiliation (optional)
Tip: Use your church's official email address (e.g., admin@gracechapel.com) — not a personal Gmail. This keeps your data professionally separate.
After registration you'll receive a 6-digit OTP via SMS to verify your account. Enter it on the verification screen, then set your 6-digit PIN for future logins.

Step 2: Import Your Member List

Takes 10–30 minutes depending on list size

Go to Members → Import in the dashboard. You can upload a .csv or .xlsx file. Here are the columns we expect:

Column NameExampleNotes
nameRequired Kwame Asante Full name of the member
phoneRequired 0244123456 Ghana format, with or without +233
email kwame@gmail.com Optional but recommended
department Choir Men, Women, Youth, Choir, Ushers, etc.
gender Male Male or Female
date_of_birth 1985-06-15 YYYY-MM-DD format for birthday automation
role Member Member, Deacon, Elder, Pastor, etc.
status Active Active or Inactive
Important: Phone numbers must be valid Ghana numbers. Invalid numbers will be flagged and skipped. You can correct and re-import just the flagged rows.

Don't have a spreadsheet? You can also add members one by one from Members → Add Member. Or download our contact our team to get a sample template.

Step 4: Configure SMS & Messaging

Takes about 15 minutes (including Arkesel sign-up)

ChurchConnect sends SMS through Arkesel, Ghana's leading SMS platform. You'll need a free Arkesel account with an API key.

4a. Set up Arkesel (for SMS)

  1. Go to arkesel.com and create a free account
  2. Verify your account with the OTP sent to your phone
  3. In the Arkesel dashboard, go to API Keys and create a new key — copy it
  4. Apply for a Sender ID (e.g., "GraceChpl") — must be 3–11 alphanumeric characters. NCA approval takes 1–3 business days
  5. Top up your Arkesel SMS balance (GHS 5–10 is enough to start)

4b. Connect to ChurchConnect

Go to Dashboard → Settings → SMS Settings and enter:

# ChurchConnect SMS Settings
Arkesel API Key: your-api-key-from-arkesel
Sender ID: GraceChpl # must match your NCA-registered name
While waiting for NCA Sender ID approval: Use "ArkeselGH" as a temporary sender ID so you can test SMS immediately.
Click "Send Test SMS" in the settings page. You should receive a test message on your phone within seconds.

Step 5: Go Live

You're almost done!

Here's your first-week checklist to get the most out of ChurchConnect right away.

Send a welcome SMS to your entire congregation
Messages → Compose → Custom → All Members → Send Now
Enable birthday automation
Settings → Automation → Birthday SMS → Enable
Record attendance for your next service
Attendance → New Service → Mark Present/Absent
Log this month's tithe and offering
Finance → Add Transaction → Income → Tithe
Create an event for your next programme
Events → Add Event → Set RSVP & Reminders
Add a second user (secretary or treasurer)
Settings → Team → Invite User → Assign Role
🎉

You're all set up!

If you need help at any point, our team is a WhatsApp message away.

Setup FAQ

How long does the full setup take?
Most churches are fully live within 30 minutes. The only step that takes longer is NCA Sender ID approval (1–3 business days), but you can start testing with the default sender ID immediately.
What if my member list is in a format we can't export as CSV?
Contact us on WhatsApp (+233 594 453 744). We'll help you convert or manually import your list at no charge.
Can we set up multiple admin users?
Yes, from the Starter plan onwards. Go to Settings → Team and invite your secretary, treasurer, or other staff with role-based access.
What if SMS isn't working?
Check that your Arkesel API key is correct and your sender ID matches exactly what is registered with NCA. If still not working, test your API key on the Arkesel dashboard first, then contact our support.