Inbox
The Inbox lets staff send and receive private messages with the people in your church — visitors, attendees, and members. Each conversation is one-on-one: staff to person. It is not a group chat or a broadcast tool.
The Inbox is visible only to Admin and Leader users. Members and visitors see their side of the conversation through the Member Portal.
Access the Inbox
Click the Inbox icon in the top right of the Passport navigation bar. A badge on the icon shows how many unread messages are waiting.
The Inbox opens in a two-panel view:
- Left panel — your list of conversations
- Right panel — the selected conversation thread
Start a new conversation
- Click the + button at the top of the conversation list.
- In the To field, start typing a person's name. Select them from the list that appears.
- Type your opening message in the First message field.
- Click Send.
The conversation appears in your list and the person receives the message in their portal.
You need at least two characters before names appear in the search results.
Reply to a message
- Click any conversation in the left panel to open it.
- Read the thread. Messages from staff appear on the right in blue. Messages from the person appear on the left in grey.
- Type your reply in the message field at the bottom.
- Press Enter to send, or press Shift + Enter to start a new line.
Find a conversation
Type a person's name in the Search by name… bar at the top of the conversation list. The list filters as you type.
Open a person's profile from a conversation
Inside any conversation, click View profile → in the top right of the message panel. Passport takes you directly to that person's profile page.
Conversation list details
Each conversation in the list shows:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name and avatar initial | The person you are messaging |
| Message preview | The last message sent, prefixed with You: if staff sent it |
| Relative time | When the last message was sent (e.g., "5m ago") |
| Person type | Visitor, attendee, or member |
| Unread badge | Number of unread messages from the person |
Who can use the Inbox
| Role | Can read | Can send |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Yes | Yes |
| Leader | Yes | Yes |
| Other staff roles | No | No |
| Portal members/visitors | Their messages only | Yes (to staff) |
The Inbox icon only appears in the navigation for Admin and Leader users.
Frequently asked questions
Can a person message us first? Yes. Portal users can initiate a conversation with their church staff. When they do, it appears in your Inbox immediately.
Is the Inbox shared between staff? Each conversation is tied to the staff member who started it. Other staff members with Admin or Leader roles can see all conversations in the shared Inbox.
Can I delete a conversation? Not at this time. Conversations remain in the list until the feature adds archive or delete support.
What if the person's name doesn't appear when I search? The person must already have a record in Passport. If they are not in the directory, add them first and then start a conversation.
Next steps
- See who needs a message — The Guests hub surfaces guests nobody has contacted.
- Send the routine ones automatically — Guest Journeys.
- What members can do — Members cannot start a thread — see the Member Portal.