Questions about getting started

Do I need a credit card to start?

No. Groups is free for every church, up to 25 people in groups. The other parts start with a 30-day free trial that needs no card. A church planting on Pioneer pricing has free months instead. See Turn parts on and off.

What does Trellis cost?

Groups is free to start, and each other part has its own monthly price. You pay per church, not per person who signs in. The Pricing page has every price.

Can I try it before I put our church's information in?

Yes. Open the demo church from Bring your people, or from the Trellis website. It's a practice church called Riverside with a full week in it, yours for seven days. Nothing in it emails anyone. See Your first week.

How do I bring our people over from Planning Center or Breeze?

Export your people as a CSV file from the other system, then open People, press Add many and upload it. You match the columns and see the first rows before anything goes in. See Add your people.

What if I import the same list twice?

Anyone whose email the church already has is left as they are. People without an email can come in twice, so check Duplicates in People afterwards.

Do people need a password?

No. Trellis emails a link or a code each time someone signs in. Anyone who wants a password can set one under Your profile. See Signing in.

Does everyone in the church have to sign in?

No. Most people on your list never sign in, and Trellis still keeps their record, groups and giving. Staff and leaders sign in to do their work. Members can sign in to see their week, their groups and their giving, if you invite them.

How do members get in?

Two ways. In People, press Invite to Trellis to email invitations, or hand out The member link on a slide or in the bulletin. See Add your people.

Who should be an admin?

Whoever looks after the church's setup and billing. Have at least two, so roles and billing never wait on one person. The last admin can't give up the role. See Who can do what.

Can one person have more than one role?

Yes. Tick as many roles as fit on Team. An admin who also leads a group sees both.

Can I belong to more than one church?

Yes. One email can be on several churches' teams. Trellis asks Which church? when you sign in, and Switch church in your menu moves between them.

We meet in more than one place. Does Trellis work for us?

Yes. One church can have several campuses, sharing one set of people, one team and one bill, and each list can be narrowed to one campus. See More than one campus.

Is there a Trellis app for my phone?

Trellis runs in your phone's browser, laid out for a phone. You can put it on your home screen so it opens like an app. See Trellis on your phone.

Can I change our church's web address?

Not from Trellis yet. You pick it when you start the church, so choose with care. If you need it changed, press Get help in your menu.

What does Silas do, and do I have to use him?

Silas reads what leaders and directors write and suggests the entries; a person always checks them and presses Done. He's off until an admin turns him on, and he comes with any paid part. See What Silas does.

Where do I get help?

Open your menu: Help center is here, Get help writes an email to Trellis support, and Report a problem tells us something isn't working. See Something isn't working.

Still stuck? Ask Silas