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User Relations

ChurchBuddy can track relationships between people in your organization (family members, spouses, parent-child relationships, etc.). This helps you manage family connections, coordinate scheduling, and maintain organization records.

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Overview

User relations allow you to:

• Add Relationships - Define relationships between users (husband/wife, parent/child, sibling, etc.)
• Automatic Reciprocals - The system automatically creates reciprocal relationships
• View Relationships - See relationships in user profiles
• Remove Relationships - Remove relationships when needed

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Relationship Types

ChurchBuddy supports various relationship types:

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Spousal Relations

• husband → wife
• wife → husband
• spouse → spouse (symmetric)

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Parent-Child Relations

• father → child
• mother → child
• parent → child
• son → parent
• daughter → parent
• child → parent

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Sibling Relations

• brother → sibling
• sister → sibling
• sibling → sibling (symmetric)

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Grandparent-Grandchild Relations

• grandfather → grandchild
• grandmother → grandchild
• grandparent → grandchild
• grandson → grandparent
• granddaughter → grandparent
• grandchild → grandparent

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Aunt/Uncle Relations

• aunt → niece/nephew
• uncle → niece/nephew
• niece → aunt/uncle
• nephew → aunt/uncle

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Cousin Relations

• cousin → cousin (symmetric)

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In-Law Relations

• father-in-law → son-in-law/daughter-in-law
• mother-in-law → son-in-law/daughter-in-law
• son-in-law → father-in-law/mother-in-law
• daughter-in-law → father-in-law/mother-in-law
• brother-in-law → brother-in-law/sister-in-law
• sister-in-law → brother-in-law/sister-in-law

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Generic

• related - Generic relationship type (used as fallback)

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Adding a Relationship

To add a relationship between two users:

1. Go to People → Find the person you want to add a relationship to
2. Open their profile or detail view
3. Find the Relations or Family section
4. Click ”+ Add Relation” or “Add Family Member”
5. Select the related person by their email address
6. Choose the relationship type (how this person is related to them)
7. Click “Save” or “Add Relation”

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Example

If John ([email protected]) wants to add his wife Jane ([email protected]):

1. Go to John’s profile
2. Click ”+ Add Relation”
3. Enter Jane’s email: [email protected]
4. Select relationship type: “wife”
5. Save

The system will automatically:

• Add Jane as John’s wife
• Add John as Jane’s husband (reciprocal relationship)

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Reciprocal Relationships

ChurchBuddy automatically creates reciprocal relationships when you add a relation:

• When you add “John is Jane’s husband”, the system automatically adds “Jane is John’s wife”
• When you add “Alice is Bob’s mother”, the system automatically adds “Bob is Alice’s child”
• When you add “Charlie is Dave’s brother”, the system automatically adds “Dave is Charlie’s sibling”

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Reciprocal Mapping

The system uses a mapping to determine reciprocal relationships:

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Viewing Relationships

Relationships appear in user profiles. To view relationships:

1. Go to People
2. Find and open a person’s profile
3. Look for the Relations or Family section
4. You’ll see:
   • List of all their relationships
   • Related person’s name and email
   • Relationship type
   • Links to view related person’s profile

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Relationship Display

Relationships are displayed showing:

• Related Person - Name and email of the related person
• Relationship Type - How they’re related (e.g., “Wife”, “Child”, “Sibling”)
• Profile Link - Link to view the related person’s profile

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Removing a Relationship

To remove a relationship:

1. Go to the person’s profile
2. Find the Relations or Family section
3. Find the relationship you want to remove
4. Click the delete/remove icon or “Remove Relation”
5. Confirm the removal

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Requirements

To add a relationship:

• Both users must exist in the organization
• Both users must be in the same organization
• You must have permission to edit user information
• You cannot add a relationship to yourself

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Use Cases

User relations are useful for:

1. Family Coordination - Track family members for scheduling and coordination
2. Communication - Send messages to families or groups of related people
3. Scheduling - Consider family relationships when creating schedules
4. Records - Maintain accurate organizational records
5. Permissions - Use relationships for permission and access control (if configured)

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Best Practices

1. Be consistent - Use the same relationship types consistently (e.g., always use “spouse” or always use “husband”/“wife”)
2. Use specific types - Use specific relationship types (e.g., “mother” instead of “parent”) when possible for clarity
3. Verify emails - Ensure email addresses are correct before adding relationships
4. Review regularly - Periodically review relationships to keep them accurate
5. Remove outdated relations - Remove relationships when they’re no longer applicable
6. Document changes - Keep records of relationship changes if needed for your organization

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Troubleshooting

Can’t add relationship:

• Verify both users exist in the organization
• Check that both users are in the same organization
• Ensure you have permission to edit user information
• Verify email addresses are correct

Reciprocal relationship not created:

• The system automatically creates reciprocal relationships
• If you don’t see a reciprocal, check the related person’s profile
• Verify the relationship was saved successfully

Relationship already exists:

• Each user can only have one relationship entry with another user
• To change a relationship type, remove the existing relationship first, then add it again with the new type

Can’t find relationship section:

• Not all organizations may have this feature enabled
• Check with your organization owner or admin
• The feature may be available in person detail views depending on your organization’s configuration

Wrong relationship type:

• Remove the incorrect relationship
• Add it again with the correct relationship type