{"id":2997,"date":"2026-09-30T16:09:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.church.tools\/en\/?p=2997"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:10:33","slug":"v3-137-groups-newsletters-calendar-mentions-and-more-flexible-check-in-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.church.tools\/en\/v3-137-groups-newsletters-calendar-mentions-and-more-flexible-check-in-labels\/","title":{"rendered":"v3.137: Groups & Newsletters, Calendar Mentions, and More Flexible Check-in Labels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As I write these lines, the sun is once again shining through my office window. I look at the long changelog and wonder: Is it a coincidence that the developers fixed 99 bugs, or is it a tribute to this tweet by Alex Shchepetilnikov<\/a>? Either way, the changelog is long, and alongside all those bug fixes, there are plenty of useful improvements. Among other things, you can look forward to formatting and mentions in events, newsletter integrations have made their way into the new Groups module, and there is another new setting for group registrations. Let’s dive in together. \ud83e\udd3f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The old Groups module has been removed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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With this release, we’re ushering in a new era. This is the first version of ChurchTools that no longer includes the old Groups module. \ud83c\udf89 The old Groups module has been removed from ChurchTools. Work on the new \u2013 and by now standard \u2013 Groups module began several years ago, and it was clear to us that we would only switch off the old module once all the necessary features had been migrated. We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, and now it’s finally here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More content directly in the mention menu<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The mention menus in the Markdown editor now also show group content and wiki pages from a category directly. This makes it quicker to find relevant content and mention it in your text without any detours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can open the menu in the editor by typing \/<\/code>. The mention menu will open immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Disable email verification for group registrations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The next two items were among the remaining requirements for retiring the old Groups module. With v3.137, we’ve added a new option for group registrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email verification can now be disabled for registrations. This lets you decide whether a participant has to confirm their email address before completing the registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But be careful: this change can result in duplicate people in your system because, for example, people may be created directly without checking whether a person record already exists. As Uncle Ben says: With great power comes great responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Link newsletter lists to groups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Newsletter lists can now be linked directly to a group in the group settings. The member table and group membership details also show the newsletter status of each group member, for example \u201cOpt-in successful\u201d or \u201cUnsubscribed\u201d. This makes it easy to see directly within the group who receives the associated newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like in the old Groups module, a newsletter provider must be configured under System Settings > Integrations<\/em> to use this feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Create mail merges and address labels from member lists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mail merges and address labels can now be created directly from a member list. For example, filter group members by a specific status and then use exactly that selection for a mail merge or address labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Create group member fields directly in the registration form<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If you’re missing a suitable group member field while creating a registration form, you can now create it directly while adding it. You no longer have to leave the settings and create the field somewhere else first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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