Group Message Notifications
When your church posts a message in a group you have joined, Passport can notify you automatically. You choose how you want to hear about it — by email, text, or push notification — and you can turn each channel on or off at any time.
This applies to messages in fellowship groups, small groups, and any other groups your church offers through the portal.
Open your notification settings
- Open your Member Portal using the link your church sent you.
- Tap the profile icon or your name in the portal navigation.
- Select Notification preferences (or Message types if your portal uses that label).
- Look for the Group announcements row in the list.
Turn notifications on or off
The Group announcements row shows three columns:
| Column | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Notifications sent to your email address on file | |
| Text | SMS messages sent to your phone number on file |
| Push | App notifications if you have added the portal to your home screen |
Tap the toggle or checkbox in each column to enable or disable that channel. Changes save immediately — there is no Save button.
What triggers a notification
A group message notification is sent when a leader or member posts a new message in a group you belong to. You will not receive notifications for groups you have not joined.
:::tip Joining groups To join a group, open the Connect tab in your portal and tap Join next to any open group. Groups that require approval show a Request to Join button instead — a group leader will approve your request. :::
If you are not receiving notifications
Check these common causes:
- Email or phone number missing — Passport can only notify you through channels that have a valid address or number on file. Ask your church office to confirm your contact information is up to date.
- Notifications are turned off — Return to Notification preferences and confirm the channel you want is enabled.
- You have not joined the group — You only receive notifications for groups you are a member of.
- Device or email filters — Check your spam folder or your device's notification settings if email or push notifications are not arriving.
For staff: how group message notifications work
When a group leader or member posts a message in a group, Passport automatically sends notifications to all group members who have that channel enabled in their preferences.
Staff do not need to manually trigger notifications. The delivery happens in the background as soon as the message is posted.
To see which groups a person belongs to, open their profile in Passport and check their group memberships.
Next steps
- Where members change this — The Member Portal, under their profile.
- Set the groups up first — Groups.
- Reach somebody directly — The Inbox is for one-to-one messages.