Questions about Serving

Who can open Serving?

The office (admins, staff and anyone with the Serving role) sees every area. A director sees only the areas they direct. Volunteers see their own serving under Your serving. See Set up serving areas and teams.

What's the difference between an area and a position?

An area is a team with a director, like Kids or Production. Positions are the jobs inside it, like Sound and Slides, each with how many a service needs. See Set up serving areas and teams.

Do directors need their own sign-in?

Yes. A director signs in with their own email, and Trellis links it to their person record by that email. Without one, their name shows "no login yet" on the area. See Invite staff and leaders.

Does asking someone send them an email straight away?

Yes, as long as your church has reminders on. The "Can you serve?" email goes the moment they're asked, and the reminder before the day asks again if they haven't answered. See How volunteers answer.

Does a volunteer need a Trellis account to answer?

No. The buttons in the email open a page where one press answers, with no sign-in. The link works only for that person and that day. See How volunteers answer.

When do reminders go out?

Before each day, at the time an admin sets under Serving, Settings. A church starts at two days before, at 9 am, in its own time zone. See How volunteers answer.

Someone can't come. Can they swap with another volunteer?

Not yet. They say no, from the email or in Trellis, and the seat opens again for the director to fill. See How volunteers answer.

Can I ask the same team as last week?

Yes. Before anyone is asked for a day, the office's main button on it reads Ask [last date]'s team. It asks everyone who was on the last day with the same name and didn't say no. See Schedule volunteers.

How do I add every Sunday for the next few months?

When you add a service, set Repeats to how many times and every how many weeks. Each one starts with its areas' usual seats. See Schedule volunteers.

Why can't I ask anyone for last Sunday?

A day that has passed is a record. Nobody new can be placed on it; its write-up records who served. See The serving day.

Who can read a day's write-up?

Only the office and the directors of an area serving that day. It names who missed and why, so volunteers can't see it. See The serving day.

Does Silas change anything when he reads a write-up?

No. Silas fills in a sheet for you to check, and nothing changes until you press Done. See The serving day.

Can Silas place our new volunteers?

He can suggest where they go. When two or more people are waiting and Silas is on, Place with Silas on Volunteers has him match everyone waiting to the areas short of people. The office checks each one, and nobody is placed until you press the button at the bottom, which says how many: Place 6 people. See Take in a new volunteer.

Can I keep track of background checks?

Each volunteer's page has a Background check cleared date the office can fill in. Trellis doesn't run checks or remind you when one is due. See Take in a new volunteer.

What happens when I remove someone from Serving?

They come off every roster and the volunteer list. Their person record stays in People. See Take in a new volunteer.

Is Worship planning part of Serving?

It's its own part, built on Serving: it plans on Serving's calendar, so a church needs both. See Plan a service and Pricing.

Still stuck? Ask Silas