Help & guide
How to use Church Ledger. Works offline once the app has been opened.
Quick startWho can do whatAdd & find records
SummaryReports & printingGroups
Admin toolsOffline & phoneProblems & answers
System adminsWhat's new
Quick start
- Get approved. Your church admin must add the Google email you will sign in with. Ask them to use that exact email.
- Sign in. Open the ledger address your church gave you and tap Sign in with Google. There is no separate password.
- Add your first entry. Tap Add entry (if you are an admin or editor), choose Inflow or Outflow, fill in the details and tap Save entry.
- See the result. The Summary shows totals and your balance. Records lists every entry. Reports prints statements.
Not sure if you can see everything? Your role decides that. See Who can do what.
Who can do what
| Task | Admin | Editor | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| See records, Summary and Reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add entries and receipts | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Add new categories | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Edit, delete and restore records | ✓ | – | – |
| Settings, Groups, Users, Trash, Activity | ✓ | – | – |
Record visibility:
- Admins: Can see all records, including Main Church Finance and every group.
- Group members: Can see Main Church Finance records (no group assigned) and records belonging to their assigned group(s).
- Users without a group: Can only see Main Church Finance records (no group assigned). They cannot see records belonging to other groups.
Add and find records
Add an entry
- Tap Add entry.
- Choose Inflow (money in, such as tithes and offerings) or Outflow (money out, such as rent or supplies).
- Set the Date, the Amount and the Category. Need a new category? Type it under Add category.
- Pick a Group if the money belongs to a group such as Youth. Leave it empty for the main church.
- Optional: the OR number, the Giver, and a photo or PDF of the receipt.
- Tap Save entry.
Find records
Open Records. Search by note, category, OR number or amount, or narrow it with the filters (inflow or outflow, group, category, dates). Records are shown 20 per page. Use Prev and Next at the bottom.
Fix a mistake (admins)
- Tap a record's edit button to change it, or its delete button to move it to the Trash.
- Use the checkboxes to select several records and edit or delete them together.
- Deleted records stay in the Trash for 30 days and can be restored there.
- Records in a locked month cannot be changed until an admin unlocks it in Settings.
Reading the Summary
- Period buttons (This month, Last month, This year, All time, Custom) control every number and chart on the page.
- Group chooses which authorized records you are viewing. Your available records are determined by your group membership. Users without a group can only view Main Church Finance. Group members can view Main Church Finance and their assigned groups. Admins can view all groups. Selecting All groups does not grant access to groups you do not belong to.
- Main church + shared groups appears when a group has been set to show in the main church summary. Use it to watch the overall church spending when group funds come from the main church.
- Opening balance is the cash before the first record in the app. The main church and each group can have their own. The balance always adds the right openings for what you are viewing.
- The chart shows months, or days when the period is a single month. Top inflow, Top expenses and Latest records follow the same filters.
If a total looks different from what you expect, check the period and the Group choice first.
Reports and printing
- Open Reports and choose the dates (or tap This month, Last month, This year, Last year) and the group.
- Read the charts, monthly summary and categories on screen. The transactions list is shown 20 per page.
- Tap Print or save PDF for a clean statement. Untick Print transactions by category or Print full transaction list to make it shorter. In the print window choose Save as PDF to keep a file.
- Tap Save PDF to get the statement as a PDF file straight away. On an iPhone or iPad use this button: a "PDF ready" box appears, tap Share or save… and choose Save to Files, Print, AirDrop or Mail.
- Use Export to Excel or Export CSV to work with the data in a spreadsheet.
Printed PDFs and exports contain all transactions you are authorized to access for the selected period, not just the page you see on screen. Records belonging to groups outside your access permissions are excluded.
Groups (admins)
Groups separate money, for example the main church and the youth ministry. Open Groups to add a group, tick the people who belong to it, and set its optional monthly budget and opening balance.
- Main Church Finance: Records without a group assignment are visible to all approved users.
- Group members: Can see Main Church Finance records and records belonging to their assigned group(s).
- Users without a group: Can only see Main Church Finance records. They cannot access records belonging to any group.
- Admins: Can access records across all groups and Main Church Finance.
- Show in the main church summary (optional) lets admins include that group's figures together with the main church on the Summary.
- If the main church gives money to a group, record it with a clear category such as "Transfer". In the combined view it counts as both an outflow and an inflow.
Admin tools
These are in the Settings tab, and in More on a phone.
Users and roles
Open Users, type the person's Google email, choose Admin, Editor or Viewer and tap add. Use the exact email they sign in with. To remove someone, remove them from the list. You cannot remove yourself.
Opening balance
In Settings, enter the cash the main church had before the first record. Each group's opening balance is set in its Groups card.
Categories
Manage the inflow and outflow categories in Settings. Editors can add a category while entering a record, but cannot remove or change existing ones.
Close the books
Pick a month and tap Lock. Every month up to and including it becomes read-only. Unlock all reverses it.
Recurring entries
For items that repeat monthly, such as rent. They are added automatically the next time an admin opens the app on or after the due day.
Import records
Upload an Excel or CSV file with the columns Date, Type (Inflow or Outflow), Category, Amount and Note. Optional columns are Group and OR No. Group names must match a group that already exists.
Cash reconciliation and data check
Type the cash you actually counted and tap Check Variance to compare it with the app's balance. Data check points out possible problems, such as duplicate entries.
Backup
Under Backup & restore, download a full backup (.json) or an Excel copy of all records and keep it somewhere safe, for example on Google Drive. Do this regularly.
Activity log
Shows who did what over the last 90 days.
App lock
Set a PIN that is asked when the app opens. It protects the app on that phone or computer only.
Offline use and installing on your phone
Offline status on this device: checking…
- First time: open the ledger once while you have internet. The app saves itself on your device.
- Without internet: you can open the app, look at records and reports, and add entries. The banner at the top says you are offline. Your changes are kept on the device and are sent automatically when you are back online.
- Sign in needs internet the first time. After that you stay signed in on this device.
- If you change records offline, open the app online soon after so others can see them.
Install it like an app
- Android (Chrome): menu (⋮) → Install app or Add to Home screen.
- iPhone (Safari): Share button → Add to Home Screen.
- Computer (Chrome or Edge): the install icon at the right end of the address bar.
Problems and answers
It says my email is not on the approved list
Your church admin has not added that Google email yet, or added it with a typo. Check which Google account you picked, then ask the admin to add that exact email under Users.
Sign-in does not open, or says "this website address is not allowed"
Allow pop-ups for the site and try again. If the message says the address is not allowed, tell your system administrator: the site's address must be added in Firebase under Authentication → Settings → Authorized domains.
It says my church is suspended
The system administrator paused your church. No data is lost. Contact them to reactivate it.
Printing does not work on my iPhone or iPad
iPhones and iPads cannot open the normal print window from an app added to the Home Screen, and it is unreliable in Safari. Use Reports → Save PDF instead, then tap Share or save… and choose Print or Save to Files.
I cannot edit or delete a record
Only admins can edit or delete. Or the record is in a locked month: an admin can unlock it in Settings.
I deleted something by mistake
Ask an admin to open Trash and restore it. Records stay there for 30 days.
My totals do not match
Check the period buttons and the Group choice at the top of the Summary. Also check the opening balances in Settings and in Groups.
I do not see the Add entry button
Viewers cannot add entries. Ask your church admin to change your role to Editor if you need to.
Who can see our church's records?
Only the people your church admin approved. Other churches cannot see them. The system administrator can manage churches and their admins, but cannot open any church's records.
I belong to two churches
An email address can belong to one church. Use a different Google account for the second church.
For system administrators
- Sign in at the system admin page with an account listed under
superadminsin Firestore. - Create a church with its name and the first admin's Google email. Tell that admin to sign in at the normal ledger address.
- From each church card you can add or remove church admins, rename the church, or suspend and reactivate it.
You cannot see any church's records, groups, settings or activity. That is by design. To remove a church's access, suspend it.
What's new
Church Ledger · Open the ledger