Group Conversations
The group chat is a space where group members can post messages and interact with each other. Use conversations to discuss topics, share updates, and stay connected with your group between meetings.
Before You Begin
- You must be logged in to your B1.church account.
- You must be a member of the group to access the group chat. See Group Details for how to join a group.
Accessing Conversations
- Navigate to the group detail page by clicking on a group from the groups page.
- Make sure you are logged in.
- Tap Open chat under the group's name, or in the Messages section, which previews the latest messages. The chat opens full screen; tap the back arrow to return to the group.
Discussions and Announcements
The group chat can have two feeds, depending on which ones your church has turned on for this group. The label above the group's name at the top of the chat shows which one you are in:
- Chat -- Discussions, where any group member can post messages and reply to others.
- Announcements -- Messages posted by group leaders that are important for all members to see. Regular members can read announcements and react to them, but only leaders can post; instead of a message box, regular members see "Only group leaders can post announcements."
When both feeds are on, an Announcement strip at the top of the chat shows the latest announcement. Tap All announcements to open the announcements feed, and Back to chat to return to discussions. (Members only see the strip once the group has at least one announcement.)
If your church has only turned on one of the two feeds for this group, the chat opens straight to that feed. If both are turned off, the group has no chat and no Messages section.
Posting a Message
- Tap Open chat on your group page.
- Make sure you are in the Chat feed (tap Back to chat if you are reading announcements).
- Type your message in the Send a message… box.
- Tap the send button (or press Enter) to share it with the group.
Your message will be visible to all members of the group.
Editing or Deleting Your Messages
You can edit or delete any message you have posted:
- Tap the more options button (⋮) under your message to open the message menu.
- Choose Edit to modify the message text, or Delete to remove it.
- When editing, the message text loads back into the input field with an Editing message note above it (tap Cancel to stop editing). Make your changes and send to save them.
- When deleting, a Delete message? confirmation appears. Tap Delete to permanently remove the message for everyone in the conversation.
You can only edit your own messages. Group leaders can also delete other members' messages; regular members only see the options on their own messages.
Reacting to Messages
In the group chat, you can react to any message with an emoji:
- Tap the Add reaction button under a message.
- Pick one of the six emoji: 👍 ❤️ 😂 🎉 🙏 😮.
Reactions appear as small chips under the message with a count of how many people used each one. Your own reaction is highlighted — tap the chip (or pick the same emoji again) to remove it, or pick a different emoji to add another. Reactions show up live for everyone in the chat.
Group conversations live in each group's chat -- the old combined Timeline feed has been retired. Activity that needs your attention arrives as a notification under the bell icon in the app bar.
Leader Features
If you are a group leader, you have additional capabilities in the group chat:
- Post announcements -- Tap All announcements (or open the chat when only announcements are on) and post messages that all group members can read.
- Remove messages -- Delete any member's message from the message menu (⋮).
- Post discussions -- You can also participate in regular discussions just like any other member.
Conversations are specific to each group. Messages you post in one group will not appear in another group's conversations.