FAQ & Troubleshooting

Account & Authentication

How do I create an account?

Visit the 1st Flock sign-up page to create your personal account. You'll authenticate through our secure identity provider, set up your profile, and then either create a new church or accept an invitation to join an existing one.

I forgot my password. How do I reset it?

On the login page, click the "Forgot Password" link. You'll receive a password reset email at the address associated with your account. Follow the link in the email to create a new password.

How does two-factor authentication work?

Multi-factor authentication is required for every 1st Flock account. When you first sign in, you'll be guided through setup — choose an authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator) or SMS text codes. After that, you'll provide a verification code in addition to your password when logging in. You can manage your authentication settings later from Settings > Security in any 1st Flock application. If you lose access to your authenticator app or phone, contact support@1stflock.com to verify your identity and restore access — there is no self-service reset for multi-factor authentication.

I can see some apps but not others. Why?

Application access depends on your role and your church's subscriptions. The Billing & Subscriptions app requires the Church Administrator role. The Finance app requires the Finance Admin permission. The Church Management app requires an active Church Management subscription. If you believe you should have access to an application you can't reach, contact your church administrator. See Roles & Permissions for the full access matrix.

How do I switch between churches?

If you belong to multiple churches, use the church switcher dropdown in the header of any application. Selecting a different church updates all data, permissions, and features to reflect that church's configuration. Your role may differ between churches.

Subscriptions & Billing

What subscription plans are available?

1st Flock offers two primary subscription products — Church Management and Finance — which can be purchased individually or bundled together at a discounted rate. Each product has multiple tiers. Add-ons for additional storage, database capacity, and DNS services are also available. Website hosting is its own plan, priced per website (see below). Visit the Subscriptions page in the Billing & Subscriptions app to see current pricing and options.

How much does website hosting cost?

Website hosting is one plan: $9.99/month or $99.99/year for each website. Drafting a website is free — you start paying when you publish it. Each website is its own plan, so an organization that runs two websites has two plans.

Every website includes unlimited visits, 10 GB of media storage per website, its own address on 1stflock.com, and highly available hosting.

Connecting your own domain is free. After you publish, point the domain at your site from wherever you manage its DNS today. If you would rather we manage your domain's DNS for you, or you want to register a new domain through us, those are separate paid services.

How do I upgrade or downgrade my plan?

Navigate to Subscriptions in the Billing & Subscriptions app. Select the tier you'd like to switch to. The system will show you a pricing preview with any proration adjustments. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades are applied at the start of the next billing cycle.

Can I switch between monthly and annual billing?

Yes. On the Subscriptions page, you can change your billing interval at any time. Annual billing offers a discount compared to monthly pricing. The change takes effect at the end of your current billing period.

How do I update my payment method?

Go to Payment Methods in the Billing & Subscriptions app. You can add new payment methods, remove existing ones, and change which method is set as primary or backup. Your primary method is used for all recurring charges.

What happens if my payment fails?

If a charge fails, 1st Flock will attempt to charge your backup payment method (if one is set). You'll receive a notification about the failed payment. You can also manually retry failed payments from the Invoices page. If payments remain unresolved, your subscription may be affected.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Navigate to Subscriptions in the Billing & Subscriptions app and select the cancel option. Your subscription will remain active until the end of the current billing period. You can reactivate at any time before the period ends.

Where can I find my invoices?

All invoices are available on the Invoices page in the Billing & Subscriptions app. You can view invoice details and download PDF copies for your records.

Church Management

How do I add members to my church?

There are three ways to add members: add them individually through the Members page, import a batch via CSV upload, or migrate from another platform (currently Planning Center is supported via the Data Migration wizard).

How do I import data from Planning Center?

Navigate to Data Migration in the Billing & Subscriptions app. Select Planning Center as your source, authenticate with your Planning Center account via OAuth, and follow the wizard through the extraction, review, and import steps. The wizard saves your progress so you can close the browser and return later.

How do groups work?

Groups let you organize members into any grouping that makes sense for your church — small groups, committees, ministry teams, volunteer crews, and so on. Groups integrate with Communications, so you can send messages to an entire group with a single action. Groups are managed by staff and administrators.

How does the check-in kiosk work?

Kiosk Mode provides a full-screen check-in interface designed for lobby tablets or dedicated check-in stations. Staff or administrators activate it from the footer of the Church Management app. The kiosk shows today's events and allows attendees to check in using their personal PIN or through a member name search. An exit code (configured in Children's Ministry settings) prevents unauthorized exits.

Can members check themselves in?

Yes. Members can set up a personal PIN on their profile, then use that PIN at a check-in kiosk to check in to events. This provides a self-service option that reduces the burden on staff at busy events.

How do I send a message to my congregation?

Navigate to Communications in the Church Management app. You can compose messages and send them via email or SMS to individual members, groups, or your entire congregation. Communications is available to staff and administrators.

How do background checks work?

Navigate to Background Checks in the Church Management app or access them from the Staff page. Select a staff member or volunteer, initiate the check, and track its progress. Background checks are processed through a secure third-party provider and progress through pending, in-progress, complete, or failed stages.

Donations

How do I set up donations for my church?

Church administrators set up donations through the Donations Setup page in the Billing & Subscriptions app. The onboarding wizard walks you through creating a merchant account, configuring your donation page, and setting up funds. Once complete, your church can accept donations immediately.

What payment methods can donors use?

Donors can contribute via credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) or bank transfer (ACH). Both options are available on the public donation page and within the Church Management app.

Can donors give to specific funds?

Yes. When creating your donation page, you configure which funds are available for donors to select. Donors can choose a single fund or split their donation across multiple funds in a single transaction.

How do recurring donations work?

Donors set up recurring donations by selecting the recurring option on the donation page or in the Church Management app. They choose a frequency and provide their payment details. Donations are then processed automatically on schedule. Donors can manage or cancel their recurring donations from the My Donations section of the Church Management app.

How do I download my tax statement?

Navigate to My Donations in the Church Management app and look for the tax statement download option. Statements are generated annually and include your church's EIN along with a summary of all your donations for the year, formatted for tax filing purposes.

How are processing fees handled?

Processing fees are deducted from each donation before the net amount is deposited to your church's bank account. Card transactions incur a percentage-based fee plus a small fixed amount. ACH transactions typically have lower fees with a per-transaction cap. Fee details are visible in the Donations Setup page.

Can I refund a donation?

Yes. Finance Administrators can issue refunds from the Transactions page in the Finance app. Select the donation transaction and confirm — the full amount is returned to the donor's original payment method, typically within 2-5 business days. A card donation that hasn't settled yet is voided instead, with no processing fee charged. A bank (ACH) donation can be refunded once the original payment has cleared. If you need to refund only part of a donation, contact support@1stflock.com and our team can help.

Finance

What is the difference between bank-connected and manual ledger mode?

Bank-connected mode automatically imports transactions from your linked bank accounts via Plaid, providing a real-time view of your finances. Manual mode lets you enter transactions by hand. You can switch between modes at any time. See Ledger for details.

How do I link my church's bank account?

Navigate to the Ledger page in the Finance app and click "Link Bank Account." You'll be guided through Plaid's secure authorization flow to connect your bank. Once linked, transactions are imported automatically.

What are allocation rules?

Allocation rules automate the process of assigning transactions to specific funds. You create rules that match transactions based on their description or category, and the system automatically allocates matching transactions to the designated fund. This saves time compared to manually categorizing every transaction. See Rules for details.

Can I export financial data?

Yes. The Ledger, Transactions, and Reports pages all support exporting data as CSV files. The Reports page also supports PDF export. These exports are useful for sharing with your finance committee, church board, or accountant.

How do I generate financial reports?

Navigate to Reports in the Finance app. Select the report type (Transactions, Fund Summary, Donation Analytics, or Reconciliation), set your desired time range, and the report will generate automatically. You can then view it on screen or export it.

Troubleshooting

The payment form isn't loading

Ensure that your browser's ad blocker or content blocker is not interfering with the payment form. The payment widget loads via iframes that some browser extensions may block. Try disabling extensions temporarily. In particular, the Adobe Acrobat browser extension is known to interfere with payment dialogs.

I'm seeing an "Access Denied" message

This means your account doesn't have the required role for the application or feature you're trying to access. If you're trying to access Billing & Subscriptions, you need the Church Administrator role. For the Finance app, you need Finance Admin permission. Contact your church administrator if you believe your access level is incorrect. See Roles & Permissions for the full access matrix.

My subscription features aren't showing up

Make sure your church has an active subscription for the relevant product. Some features require a Church Management subscription, while others require a Finance subscription. Check with your church administrator to verify your subscription status.

Transactions aren't appearing in my ledger

If you're in bank-connected mode, verify that your bank connection is still active on the Ledger page. Bank connections can occasionally require re-authentication. If you're in manual mode, transactions must be entered manually. Also check your date range filter — it may be excluding recent transactions.

My donation page shows an error

Verify that the merchant account onboarding is fully complete by checking the Donations Setup page in the Billing & Subscriptions app. All requirements in the checklist must be satisfied for the donation page to function. Also ensure your church has an active Finance subscription.

Dark mode isn't applying to the payment form

The payment form should automatically match your application's theme. If it doesn't, try toggling your theme off and on again in the Settings page. The payment widget receives theme information from the application and should update accordingly.

Still Need Help?

If you can't find the answer to your question here, reach out through the live chat widget available in every 1st Flock application, or email us at support@1stflock.com. Our support team is happy to help.