Group Chat and City Groups

There are two kinds of group chats in the GCT app: regular group chats and City Group chats. They look similar once you are inside them, but the membership works completely differently.

Regular Group Chats

Regular group chats are best for day-of teams and other smaller groups where the chat owner needs to choose exactly who is in the conversation.

The main rules are:

• The creator needs the Create group chats church permission.
• At least one other person must be selected when the chat is created.
• The chat is limited to 32 total members, including the creator.
• The owner or an admin can manually add and remove members.

If the chat needs to become bigger than 32 people, it probably should have been a channel. That is okay. We all make mistakes.

How to Create a Regular Group Chat

1. Open Messages.
2. Tap New Conversation.
3. Choose New Group Chat.
4. Add a name and optional photo.
5. Select at least one person.
6. Tap Create.

After the chat is created, the owner or an admin can open its settings to add or remove people. The app will not allow the chat to go past 32 total members.

City Group Chats

City Group chats are connected to an official City Group. The City Group roster controls who belongs in the chat.

A City Group chat can only be created by someone who meets both requirements:

• They are a leader of that City Group.
• Their GCT account is linked to their Planning Center (PCO) profile.

Once both requirements are met, the leader creates the chat from the group's Manage tab:

1. Open Groups and select the City Group.
2. Open the Manage tab.
3. Tap Create Group Chat.
4. Confirm the chat name.
5. Choose whether Announcement Mode should be on.
6. Tap Create.

Everyone in the City Group who has a GCT account will automatically join the chat.

Auto-Join and Auto-Leave

This is the big difference:

• When someone with a GCT account joins the City Group, they automatically join the chat.
• When someone leaves the City Group, they automatically leave the chat.
• Leaders cannot manually add or remove someone from only the chat.
• If someone needs to leave the chat, they have to be removed from the City Group.
• The regular 32-member group-chat limit does not apply.

Active PCO leaders are automatically made admins in the City Group chat. Regular City Group members remain normal chat members.

The chat membership is supposed to match the City Group membership. If someone is missing, first make sure they have a GCT account and are actually in the City Group. If the wrong person is still there, fix the City Group roster.

Do not create a second regular group chat to work around the City Group roster. That gives you two chats, two member lists, and twice the confusion.

Announcement Mode

City Group leaders can turn on Announcement Mode when only leaders should post. The conversation owner and chat admins can send messages and react. Normal active members can still read and react, but their message composer is disabled.

To change it later:

1. Open the City Group chat.
2. Tap the conversation name or header.
3. Open the Info tab.
4. Turn Announcement Mode on or off.

Announcement mode should rarely rarely ever be used.

Which One Should I Use?

Common Problems

I cannot add someone to a City Group chat

That is intentional. Add them to the City Group. If they have a GCT account, the chat will update automatically.

I cannot remove someone from a City Group chat

Also intentional. Remove them from the City Group, and the chat will update automatically.

My regular group chat reached 32 people

It is full. Create a channel for a larger audience instead.

Someone joined the City Group but is not in the chat

Confirm that they have a GCT account and that their City Group membership is correct. The automatic chat membership depends on both.

I do not see Create Group Chat

Confirm that you are listed as a leader of the City Group and that your GCT account is linked to your Planning Center profile. Both are required before you can create the City Group chat.

TLDR

Regular group chat equals a manually managed day-of team with 32 people or fewer.

City Group chat equals automatic membership based on the City Group roster, with no regular 32-member limit.