Our church has adopted a new kind of record-keeping (database) called REALM®
Click the “+” signs below to learn more.
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Realm is simply an updated version of the administrative tools our staff uses to run the daily operations of our church. This new and improved system is designed to be more user-friendly and will add more ways for our staff and our congregation to communicate and connect as a church, all while leaving current methods in place.
Realm Connect can be accessed by staff, pastors, and the congregation from any location with an internet connection, allowing for church to happen anywhere, any time.
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It is up to you to determine how much you want to make this part of your experience with our church, but of course we encourage you to actively participate! With this system (similar to our old system), you will be able set up automatic giving, see your giving history, manage your contact information, and connect easily with others in our congregation, all from a computer or mobile device!
Realm provides a secure online environment for our church. The system requires each user to log in with an email address and a password. This creates a unique profile. Your profile contains everything you want people in our church to know about you. Your profile also enables you to join a small group, RSVP to events, track your giving, update your contact information, change family details, set notification preferences, or replace that outdated family photo.
By keeping your information current, you are helping our staff, group leaders, and our church community.
Realm also has the capability to help us with groups, classes, and ministry teams, gatherings, volunteer opportunities, and more!
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If you are already in our database, instructions for the roll-out of the new system will happen via email.
1. The first email you will receive will “opt” you in to our FPC Members and Friends Directory. This means that staff, members, and regular attenders of our congregation will be able to see your name, contact information, family members, photo (if we have one on file), and birthday (don’t worry, not the year!).
2. The second email will be an invitation to sign in to this new system. It will prompt you to create a new password. Then using that email address and new password, you will have access to the new system using a computer.
Optional:
IF you would like to take it one step further for the convenience of being able to access the new system from a mobile device, there is an app you can download for free! Those instructions are below.
If you are not currently in our database, but would like to be added, please contact the Church Office.
If you are new and want to join Realm, contact the Church Office and we’ll email you an invite!
Once you have set up your profile, you will be able to:
Give Through Realm
Review your giving history or make new donations online or on your mobile phone. Simply sign in to look over your year-to-date giving, check pledge progress, print a contribution statement, or make a new one-time or recurring donation. It’s always available and kept secure in an easy-to-use online environment.
If you set up a recurring gift via credit card using the old system, you don’t need to do anything; that credit card information has already transferred to the new system. However, if you need to update any information (amount, frequency, or credit card information), you will need to create a login with this new system (Realm) or call the Church Office.
Make a gift in Realm from your computer
Log into your Realm Profile
Click the Giving Tab on the left side of your screen.
Click the big blue button labeled “+Give”
Enter your gift/gifts, the fund to which you want to give, the frequency, and when you want your gift to start
Update your giving method (Credit / Debit / ACH Bank Draft). You can add multiple giving methods.
Click Give to complete!
Make a gift through Realm through a mobile device (see instructions below on how to download the app)
Log into your Realm profile on the Realm Connect App
Click the Giving Tab on bottom of your screen
Once the giving page has opened, click the ‘Make a Gift” button (for your security, you may be prompted to log in again)
Enter your gift/gifts, the fund to which you want to give, the frequency, and when you want your gift to start
Update your giving method (Credit / Debit / ACH Bank Draft). You can add multiple giving methods.
Click Give to complete setting up you auto gift.
DOWNLOAD THE realm APP (for free!)
The easiest way to access Realm is on a mobile device. Although it’s not required, it certainly is a popular and convenient way to connect.
update your Privacy Information and Settings
You have complete control over who can see your contact and personal information.
Contact information is never public, searchable on the Internet, or sold to outside parties. Any information you elect to make visible to your church family is always protected behind a login.
Authorized staff will always have access to your profile information.
You and certain authorized staff may update your profile informatoon. In some cases, your group leader may update your contact information if you have made it visible to group leaders.
For safety reasons, sharing contact and personal information for children under 18 is limited.
Parents determine whether or not to display their child’s name in the church directory.
Children under 13 may not participate as separate users and will not be able to sign in.
What Other People May View
By default, the viewing of your contact and personal information is limited to staff members, FPC members, and regular attenders. If you choose to be more private, you can customize how people see specific information.
Contact Information: Name, Address, Phones, and Email.
Personal Information: Marital Status, Family Position, Member Status, but you also have the option of sharing your birthday, gender, allergy information, and skills with people in your church.
If you are a group leader or host an event, certain contact information may be visible regardless of the settings you choose.
Birthdays are required for children (as a means to prohibit access), but it’s up to you if you want to share the birth date with your church family.
Privacy Settings Explained
Everyone—Like a church directory listing, everyone in our church will be able to see whatever profile information is marked as visible to everyone.
My Groups + Group Leaders + Church Staff—This setting means information will only be shared with the people you are involved with at church. This is the default setting.
Group Leaders + Church Staff—You would use this setting if you wanted to keep some profile information hidden from anyone who is not a group leader or on staff.
Church Staff Only—This seeng effectively removes you from the church directory. Your information will only be available to authorized church staff.*
Custom Privacy—Choose different privacy levels for specific contact fields and personal information. You can do this in two places: when you edit your profile information or when you manage your privacy settings.
Family Privacy—A family member with a primary position such as “Head” or “Spouse” can change privacy settings for other members of the family and opt family members into the church directory.