Attendance Tracking
Consistent attendance tracking gives your church leadership visibility into engagement trends, helps identify members who may need pastoral outreach, and provides data for planning and resource allocation. Wired Church offers multiple ways to record attendance — from manual entry in the admin panel to a self-service kiosk mode for greeters and check-in stations.
Navigate to Attendance
- Open the admin sidebar and click Attendance.
- The Attendance dashboard loads, showing today's date, recent services, and a summary of attendance activity.
- From here, you can create a new attendance session, view historical data, or access the Quick Check-In mode.
Creating an Attendance Session
An attendance session represents a single service on a specific date. Before marking anyone present, you need to create (or select) a session.
- Click New Session on the Attendance dashboard.
- Fill in the session details:
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The date of the service | Today |
| Service Type | The type of service being tracked | — (select from list) |
| Campus | Which campus this session is for | Primary campus |
| Notes | Optional notes about this session | — |
The Service Type dropdown pulls from your configured service types (Sunday School, Family Worship, Wednesday Worship, Special Service, etc.). These are managed under Admin > Settings > Service Types and can be customized for your church.
- Click Create Session to open the session for check-in.
If multiple services happen on the same day (e.g., Sunday School at 9:30 AM and Family Worship at 10:30 AM), create a separate session for each. This gives you per-service attendance data that is much more useful than a single combined count.
Marking Members Present
With a session open, the attendance entry screen displays a searchable member list.
Search and Check Method
- In the search field at the top, start typing a member's name.
- Matching members appear in a dropdown list with their photo and name.
- Click a member to mark them Present.
- A green checkmark appears next to their name, and the attendance count increments.
- The search field clears automatically, ready for the next name.
Browse and Check Method
If you prefer to work from a list rather than searching:
- Click the Browse All tab below the search field.
- The full member list appears, organized alphabetically.
- Click the checkbox next to each member who is present.
- Use the alphabet filter bar at the top to jump to a specific letter.
The browse method works well when you have a printed roster or sign-in sheet and need to transfer the data. The search method is faster for real-time check-in during service.
Quick Family Check-In
When a family arrives together:
- Search for any family member.
- When their name appears, click the family icon next to their name (or click their name and then click Check In Family).
- All members of their family group are marked present in one action.
- A confirmation toast shows which family members were checked in.
Family check-in marks all family members as present. If a family member is not actually at the service (e.g., a child who stayed home), you can uncheck them individually after the family check-in.
Quick Check-In Kiosk Mode
Quick Check-In is a simplified, full-screen interface designed for tablets or check-in stations in your church lobby.
Launching Kiosk Mode
- From the Attendance dashboard, click Quick Check-In.
- Select the service type and campus for this session (or create a new session if one does not exist for today).
- Click Launch Kiosk.
- The screen switches to a full-screen interface with large touch-friendly buttons.
Kiosk Interface
The kiosk mode is designed for speed and simplicity:
- Large search bar at the center of the screen for name entry.
- On-screen keyboard (optional) for touchscreen devices.
- Recently checked in panel on the right showing the last 10 check-ins with photos.
- Running count at the top showing the total number of people checked in.
- Family check-in — When a name is selected, the family option appears prominently.
Security in Kiosk Mode
Kiosk mode hides all sensitive data (contact info, giving, notes). The only available action is checking members in. To exit, press Escape and enter the admin password.
Mount a dedicated tablet near your entrance. The large, simple interface requires no training for greeters or self-service check-in.
Attendance Summary
After a service, the session's attendance summary provides an overview:
Session Summary Card
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Present | Number of members marked present |
| Adults | Members aged 18+ |
| Children | Members under 18 (based on birthday) |
| Visitors | Members with Visitor status who were present |
| Families Represented | Number of distinct family groups with at least one member present |
Comparing to Previous Services
The summary card includes comparison data:
- vs. Last Week — Attendance for the same service type one week ago.
- vs. Same Sunday Last Year — Year-over-year comparison for the corresponding date.
- Trend Arrow — A green up arrow or red down arrow indicating whether attendance is higher or lower than the comparison period.
Individual Attendance History
Every member's attendance history is tracked and visible on their profile (see Member Profiles for details). From the admin attendance dashboard, you can also look up a specific member:
- Click Member Lookup on the Attendance dashboard.
- Search for the member by name.
- Their attendance history appears, showing:
- Every service they attended, with date and service type.
- Their attendance streak (consecutive weeks with at least one attendance).
- Their attendance rate (services attended / services held) over various time periods.
Attendance Reports and Trends
Wired Church provides several built-in attendance reports accessible from Attendance > Reports:
Available reports include:
- Weekly Attendance — Totals per service type with previous-week and year-ago comparisons.
- Monthly Trend — Bar chart of weekly totals, color-coded by service type.
- Year-over-Year — Line chart comparing current vs. previous year by week or month. Useful for seasonal patterns.
- Service Type Breakdown — Percentage of total attendance by service type.
- Growth Trend — Rolling averages (3, 6, 12 months) that smooth week-to-week fluctuations.
Run the Year-over-Year report quarterly and share it with your leadership team for planning purposes.
Absentee Alerts
One of the most valuable features of attendance tracking is automatic absentee detection. Wired Church can identify members who have missed a configurable number of consecutive weeks and alert pastoral staff.
Configuring Absentee Alerts
Navigate to Admin > Settings > Attendance > Absentee Alerts and set the consecutive weeks threshold (default: 3), which service types to monitor, who receives alerts, and the notification method (in-app, email, or both).
After each session is saved, Wired Church evaluates active members who were not present. If a member has missed the configured threshold, an alert appears in the Absentee section and in the notification center.
The Absentee Dashboard
The Absentee dashboard shows all currently flagged members:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Member Name | The absent member (clickable to view profile) |
| Weeks Absent | Number of consecutive weeks missed |
| Last Attended | Date and service of their most recent attendance |
| Contact Info | Phone and email for quick outreach |
| Actions | Log a Contact Attempt, Dismiss Alert, Assign Follow-Up |
Following Up on Absences
Click Log Contact next to a member's name to record outreach attempts (calls, texts, visits). When the member returns and is checked in, the alert is automatically cleared.
Absentee alerts are a pastoral care tool. They ensure no one falls through the cracks, especially members who may benefit from a caring phone call.
Campus-Specific Attendance
For multi-campus churches, each session is tied to a campus. Reports can be filtered by campus, the dashboard defaults to the admin's primary campus, and absentee alerts respect campus boundaries. Members visiting a different campus can still be checked in there — the record notes both home campus and attending campus.
Historical Attendance Data
Migrate data from a previous system by navigating to Attendance > Import and uploading a CSV with member name (or ID), date, and service type columns. The import wizard maps columns and creates records tagged as "Imported," which are included in all trend reports and member histories.
Tips for Consistent Tracking
- Designate a check-in person — Assign a greeter to manage the Quick Check-In station each service.
- Check in during the service — Real-time check-in is more accurate than relying on memory afterward.
- Use family check-in — Saves time and ensures children are not overlooked.
- Review before closing — Scan the list for anyone missed before closing the session.
- Close sessions promptly — Close the same day to maintain data accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can members check themselves in from the portal? Currently, check-in is managed through the admin panel or the Quick Check-In kiosk. Self-service check-in via the member portal is on the feature roadmap.
What if someone arrives late? They can still be checked in at any time while the session is open. There is no time window restriction. They are simply marked as "Present" regardless of when they arrive.
Can I delete an attendance record? Yes, but only admin users with delete permission on the attendance module can remove individual attendance records. Deleted records are soft-deleted and can be restored within 90 days.
Does attendance tracking work offline? The Quick Check-In kiosk requires an internet connection. If your lobby has unreliable connectivity, consider using a mobile hotspot for the check-in tablet. An offline mode with sync capability is planned for a future release.
How far back does attendance data go? Wired Church retains attendance data indefinitely. There is no automatic purging. Historical data imported from previous systems is preserved alongside natively recorded data.