Every ministry has a handful of questions that matter to them and nobody else. Our children's church asks if a child has dietary restrictions for snack time. Our worship team asks which instruments a member plays. Our missions team asks whether a member has a current passport.
None of that belongs in a generic members schema. All of it matters.
Where custom fields live
On the member list hero, click Custom Fields. That opens the configuration screen where an admin with the right permission can define tenant-specific fields — text, select, checkbox, date, and more. You decide the label, the type, and whether the field is required.
Once defined, the field appears automatically in the relevant section of the manage-member form for every member in your tenant.
Where it pays off
The real magic happens in the data explorer. Custom fields are flattened alongside the standard fields in the pivot table. That means your worship team can pivot "Instruments Played" (a custom field) against "Center / Campus" and instantly see where the coverage gaps are.
A cautionary note
Resist the urge to add 40 custom fields in your first month. Every field is a question someone has to answer, every time. Start with three to five that your ministry actually uses for decisions. Add more only when a genuine need surfaces.
Good custom fields make the member record feel like it was built for your church. Bad ones make the form feel like a government application. Choose wisely.
