Manage Circle Join Requests

When members request to join a Circle (small group), the request enters a review queue. Leaders and administrators can approve, decline, or waitlist requests from a central page. This guide covers the full triage workflow.

Prerequisites

• At least one Circle configured with join requests enabled
• SUPER_ADMIN, LEAD_PASTOR, PASTOR, or TEAM_LEADER role

Step-by-Step

1. Navigate to Join Requests

1. Open Circles from the header mega menu
2. Click Join Requests
3. The page opens with the Pending tab selected

2. Understand the Tabs

The page organizes requests into five tabs, each showing a count badge:

• Pending — New requests awaiting review
• Approved — Requests that have been accepted (member added to group)
• Declined — Requests that were rejected
• Waitlist — Requests placed on hold, typically when the group is full
• Withdrawn — Requests the member themselves cancelled

3. Review a Request

1. From the Pending tab, each request shows:
   • Member name with avatar
   • Circle (group) name they want to join
   • Time since the request was submitted (e.g. “3h ago”, “2d ago”)
2. Use the search bar to filter requests by member name or group name
3. Click on a request to open the review panel

4. Make a Decision

1. In the review panel, select a decision:
   • Approve — Accepts the request and adds the member to the Circle
   • Decline — Rejects the request
   • Waitlist — Places the request on hold
2. Optionally add an Admin Note explaining the decision (e.g. “Group is at capacity, will open next quarter”)
3. Click Submit to execute the decision
4. The request moves to the corresponding tab and the tab counts update

5. Withdraw a Request (on behalf of a member)

1. If a member asks to cancel their request, select the request and click Withdraw
2. The request moves to the Withdrawn tab
3. This is distinct from declining — withdrawal indicates the member changed their mind

What’s Next