Scout help center
These guides cover getting Scout running and keeping it that way.
You can also email us at support@scout.church
Getting started
Set up your church and your team.
Importing people
Bring your existing people data into Scout.
People & notices
Your directory, and what Scout notices about the people in it.
- Working your list on the dashboardWhat's on the dashboard each morning, and what to do with each row.
- Finding people in your directorySearch, filters, and pulling up the group of people you need.
- Reading a person's profileEverything on one page, and where to write down what happened.
- What Scout's statuses meanConnected, Needs Attention, At Risk, and what Scout is actually claiming.
- Deciding who hears whatMinistry areas and the care set: who a notice is addressed to, and why that isn't the same as who can see it.
Groups
Small groups, classes, and ministries.
- Creating a groupSet a group up, and make sure your church can find it.
- Members, leaders, and join requestsBuild the roster, name your leaders, and answer requests to join.
- Recording what happened at a meetingGroup attendance, leader reflections from churchHQ, and what Scout does with them.
- What members see of your groupsBrowsing, requesting to join, and the limits worth knowing about.
Services & scheduling
Plan Sunday, build the Run of Show, and get your volunteers scheduled.
- Scheduling volunteersFill this Sunday's slots, send the asks, and handle the answers.
- Setting up a serving teamTeams, positions, and the counts that create the empty slots.
- How Scout suggests volunteersWhat the ranking actually reads, and what it doesn't.
- Setting up your first serviceTemplates, service times, and how Scout keeps six weeks ahead.
- The calendarServices and events on one month grid, and who sees which half.
- Building a Run of ShowSections, elements, durations, and the dual time columns.
- Sharing the Run of ShowGet the order of service to people who have no Scout login.
Check-in
Run a Sunday morning check-in.
Giving
Online and offline gifts, funds, and recurring giving.
- Set up Stripe ConnectConnect your church's bank account to receive online gifts.
- Recording offline giftsLog cash and check gifts by hand so they sit in the same donor history as online giving.
- Year-end giving recordsExport every gift for the year, and what Scout does not do for you at year end.
- Get the 2.2% nonprofit rateApply for Stripe's 501(c)(3) rate and save about 0.7% on every card gift.
The member app
churchHQ: what your congregation sees on their phone.
- Serving requests and the scheduleWhat a volunteer sees when you schedule them, and how they answer.
- Giving from the appThe Give tab: one-time gifts, recurring gifts, and their limits.
- What your church sees in the appA tour of churchHQ, including the parts that aren't there yet.
- Getting your church into the appYour church's link, the app stores, and what a rollout takes.
- Notifications and profileWhy a member isn't getting notified, and what they can change themselves.
Announcements
Post to your church, and know who actually received it.
- Posting an announcementWrite it, choose who sees it, and check that it landed.
- Who receives an announcementWhy the number is smaller than your congregation, and how to make it bigger.
- Letting leaders post to their own teamTeam and group leaders can message their own people from churchHQ, with no staff access.
Roles & permissions
Who can see what, and how to change it.
Billing
Manage your Scout subscription.
Troubleshooting
Quick fixes for common issues.