Understanding Member Types and Statuses
The difference between Member Type and Status, and where both are used elsewhere in Sermfy.
Member Type
Member Type distinguishes categories like regular member, worker, partner, or visitor-turned-member, and is used throughout Sermfy for filtering, reporting, and Communication's recipient filters.
Status
A member's status (active, inactive) reflects whether they're currently considered part of the church's active roster, this is distinct from attendance, an active member can still show up as an absentee in Follow-Up if they've missed several services.
Changing a member's status doesn't delete or hide their history, past attendance, giving, and Life Events records all remain intact regardless of current status.
Where these are used
Both Member Type and Status are available as Communication broadcast filters and as Reports filters, so you can target or report on exactly the segment you mean.
Related Articles
Creating a Family and Adding Members
Group related members into a household unit for a fuller picture of who's connected to whom.
Understanding Visitors vs Members: What's Different
Visitors and Members are separate records in Sermfy, with different fields and different capabilities.
What "Who Invited You" Actually Links
The difference between a linked Member inviter and a plain typed name, and why it matters later.
Adding a New Member
Required fields, duplicate checking, and what happens right after a member is added.