Encounters and reports

Each time a cell group meets, that’s an encounter: it has its date, its attendance and its report. Encounters belong to the Cell groups module.

Schedule an encounter

1. In Cell groups, open the Encounters tab and select New encounter, or do it from the cell group’s record.

2. Choose the cell group, the date and the time. The Topic is the encounter’s name; if you leave it blank, it shows with a generic name.

3. If it repeats, choose how under Repeat: every week or every month, just like meetings. Meetings that repeat explains how.

4. Save.

An encounter’s list is made up of the people who are in the cell group on the day of the encounter. If someone joins or leaves the cell group before then, there’s no need to edit the encounter.

Only the people who lead the cell group, or who have scope over those who lead it, can schedule encounters, and only while the cell group is active.

An encounter takes place at its cell group’s house: if the house is placed on the map, the encounter’s panel shows a small map and Get directions, which opens Google Maps directions to the house.

Attendance and visitors

An encounter’s attendance is taken just like a meeting’s, with the same timing: by default, from 30 minutes before it starts until 24 hours after it ends, or within the window your church sets in Notices and deadlines. It has the same tools as a meeting’s: Mark absent, Absent only, the signs of how each person has been coming and the Quick count. Take attendance explains how.

An encounter accepts visitors: members or contacts who aren’t on the list, with Add a visitor. Visitors can also register themselves with the Visitors’ QR.

Encounters always count toward each person’s attendance. If nobody has taken attendance, whoever leads the encounter gets a notification before the list closes; if they can’t take it, the people who lead the cell group get it.

The encounter report

Every encounter needs its report: what was shared, how the group is doing, who they welcomed.

• From the encounter, select Write report.
• If the report still hasn’t been written 48 hours after the encounter, whoever leads it gets a reminder. That’s the default deadline: your church can change it in Notices and deadlines.
• Once the encounter ends, its date, its times and its place stay as they were. The report can still be written or corrected, and so can who led it, under Led by. If you can’t read the report, the button says Edit and only corrects Led by. A cancelled encounter that has ended has nothing left to correct.

On the Encounters tab, the Report column marks each encounter as Written or Not written, and the Report › Not written filter gathers the latter. The Table, Cards, By cell group and By date views sort the encounters in whatever way suits you.

Encounters also appear in the Calendar and in each person’s calendar subscription.

Permissions

Encounters have their own permissions, within Cell groups: Schedule encounters, Edit encounters and notify the cell group, Cancel, reinstate and delete encounters, Create and edit encounter series and Record who attended an encounter. To read the reports, you need View the reports of the encounters of the cell groups in their charge.