Check-in station
A check-in station is a tablet (or any browser) running GCM's kiosk mode. Members walk up, find their name, and tap once. The station resets between check-ins so the next person can use it without seeing the previous one's data.
This is the lowest-overhead way to capture attendance — no staff time required during the service itself.
Hardware
Anything with a touchscreen and a modern browser works. Common setups:
| Device | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap Android tablet (8"-10") | $120, dedicated, sturdy | Software updates |
| iPad | Polished, reliable | Pricier |
| Touchscreen laptop | Already on hand | Requires a stand |
| Display + USB touch overlay | Wall-mount option | More setup |
Mount it on a stand at chest height. Plug into power. Open Chrome or Safari fullscreen — most browsers have a kiosk / guided-access mode that locks the screen to a single tab.
TIP
Tape a small sign saying "Tap your name to check in" next to the screen. First-time visitors won't know to use it otherwise.
Configure the station
- Sign in as an admin on the device.
- Go to Check-in.
- Choose:
- Meeting — which meeting to check people into (e.g. Sunday Worship).
- Date — defaults to today.
- Org unit — optional. Restrict the list to one branch if you have multiple kiosks.
- Click Start kiosk mode.
The screen switches to the kiosk view: a search box, a large keypad, and a member grid. The signed-in admin's full session is hidden behind a PIN, so visitors at the kiosk can't navigate elsewhere.
How members check in
A returning member types the first few letters of their name (or scans through the grid). They tap their photo. A confirmation pops for two seconds — green check, "Welcome, Mary" — then the screen resets to the search.
If they tap by mistake, they can tap Undo on the confirmation before it disappears.
First-time visitor capture
A button at the bottom of the kiosk reads I'm new here. Tapping it opens a short visitor form:
- First name + last name (required).
- Phone or email (one is required).
- "How did you hear about us?" (optional).
On save, a new member record is created with member type Visitor, the visitor is checked in to today's meeting, and the member.created workflow trigger fires — so your welcome workflow runs automatically (see Welcome a first-time visitor).
WARNING
The visitor form is intentionally minimal. Don't ask for date of birth or full address at the door — capture that later. Three friction-points is the empirical max for a kiosk form to actually get filled in.
Offline behavior
If your church is on Growth, Network, or Unlimited and has PowerSync enabled:
- The station continues to work without WiFi. Check-ins queue locally.
- When the connection returns, marks sync up. The unique-attendance index handles dedupes if you also marked manually while offline.
- A banner shows "Offline — N pending" so you know there's queued data.
If PowerSync is not enabled, the kiosk requires a live connection.
Exiting kiosk mode
Tap the lock icon in the corner of the kiosk screen and enter your admin PIN (set in Settings → Check-in). The full admin app reappears.
Common questions
Can I run check-in on multiple devices at once? Yes. Each device can target a different meeting and unit. We've seen large churches run a kiosk per entrance.
What happens if a member doesn't find themselves? They can tap I'm new here even if they're a returning member — the kiosk will spot the duplicate before creating a new record and offer to check in the existing one.
Does check-in mark giving too? No. Check-in only handles attendance. Donations come through the donation form or Record a donation.
Can I see who has and hasn't checked in yet? From an admin session (not the kiosk), open Attendance → today's meeting. The live list updates as people check in.
Next steps
- Set up your first Sunday service — get the meeting created first.
- Welcome a first-time visitor — make sure the workflow fires correctly.
- Bulk attendance — for when one person is doing the marking.