When a group requires approval, tapping Join sends a request rather than joining. Somebody has to answer it.
Who answers
The group's leader, from the group's own page. This is the point of resource-scoped leadership: the person who actually knows whether somebody belongs in that group is the one deciding, not the church office.
Admins and editors can also approve, which is your fallback when a leader is away.
The failure mode worth planning for
An unanswered request is worse than a declined one. Somebody asked to join your church's Tuesday study, heard nothing, and drew a conclusion.
Two habits prevent it:
- Tell leaders it is their job when you make them a leader. It is not obvious, and nobody reads a settings page to find out.
- Check the pending requests yourself now and then, especially for groups whose leader is new or busy.
If a group has no active leader, turn approval off. An open group somebody can actually join beats an approval-only group nobody is answering.
Members and followers
A group has two kinds of people in it, and the distinction matters more than it sounds.
A member is on the roster. They count for attendance, and if the group requires approval they need it.
A follower keeps up with the group without being on its roster. They see what is posted, but they are not counted absent when they do not come — and they are always approved automatically, regardless of the group's approval setting.
Following is for the person who moved away and still cares about their old group, or who wants to see what a group is like before committing. It is also the honest answer for somebody who will never attend but wants to pray for the people who do.
Declining someone
There is no notification framing that makes a decline feel good, so do it as a conversation rather than a click where you can. For a group with a real safeguarding reason to be selective, that conversation is the point — the button is just the record of it.
Leaders and co-leaders
A leader can name a co-leader, which is worth doing early. Two people answering requests is the difference between a group that responds within a day and one that responds when somebody remembers.