Relationship connection platform for churches

Every person has a story worth knowing.

Everyone in your church is in the middle of a story. Shep gives your whole team one place to keep up with it, so walking with people happens on purpose instead of by accident. Connects with your church management system or runs on its own. Built by a church team, for church teams.

Start free trial

14 day free trial. No card needed.

9:41
Activity
EC
Emily Carter
Note by Mike, 2h ago
Coffee with Emily. Her mom's surgery went well and she wants to help with the welcome team. @Rachel can you reach out this week?
🙏3❤️21 comment
RC
Ryan Cole
Baptism, 6 months ago
Six months since Ryan said yes. Worth a check-in this week.
TB
Tom Bradley
Note by Dana, yesterday
Tom is between jobs. Keeping him in prayers, checking in Friday.
🙏5
HomeActivityPeopleMore
The gap

What churches can see today.

Your church management system can tell you how many people showed up. It cannot tell you anything about who those people are becoming. So the real story of your people ends up in Google Docs, spreadsheets, Apple Notes, text threads, and the notes that live only in a pastor's head. When a team member asks “has anyone heard from them?”, nobody knows for sure.

Before
CT
Care team
5 people
Tuesday 9:14 PM
Has anyone heard from Anna Brooks?
DanaI thought Rachel had her?
Wednesday 7:41 AM
Did anyone ever call the Miller family back?Delivered. No replies.
Thursday 4:02 PM
JoshThe sheet still says March. Is anyone updating it?
DanaWhere is the sheet you're talking about? I can't find it.
Friday 8:30 AM
So does anyone know how Anna is doing?
Three questions. Four days. No answers.
With Shep
AB
Anna Brooks
Note by Rachel, today
Anna is back after two months away. Her dad is doing better. @Dana she asked about the women's breakfast.
❤️4
DWDana2h

I sat with her Sunday. She is bringing her sister next week.

MTMike1h

That is so awesome. Do you know her name? I'll make sure to say hi.

JM
James Miller
Note by Josh, yesterday
Called the Millers back. James and his wife are in Portugal all month.
MTMike20h

When do they get back?

JHJosh18h

This week. They said they will be here Sunday!

AB
Anna Brooks
Follow-up for Dana, due Thursday
Invite Anna to the women's breakfast.
AB
Anna Brooks
Seen at church, Sunday

How well are we walking with people? Shep asks it of the team, every week, about every person.

Their Story

One feed. The whole team in the loop.

Every note a leader writes builds one story the whole team can read: notes, 1 on 1 write-ups, milestones and check-ins, in the order their story was written. Mention a teammate, ask a question, tag the person you met with, react, and reply, so the team gets excited about people's wins and breakthroughs. A new team member can catch up on a person in ninety seconds. Nobody chases updates in a group text again.

9:41
CancelNew noteSave
Who
ECEmily Carter
Format
Note1:1
Note
Coffee with Emily. Her mom's surgery went well and she wants to help with the welcome team. @Rachel can you reach out this week?
9:41
Activity
EC
Emily Carter
Note by Mike, 2h ago
Coffee with Emily. Her mom's surgery went well and she wants to help with the welcome team. @Rachel can you reach out this week?
🙏3❤️22 comments
NO
Noah Owens
Note by Rachel, yesterday
Noah asked about serving on the tech team. Introduced him to Ben.
👏2
LM
Lily Morgan
Seen at church, Sunday
HomeActivityPeopleMore
9:41
‹ ActivityThread
EC
Emily Carter
Note by Mike, 2h ago
...she wants to help with the welcome team. @Rachel can you reach out this week?
RSRachel1h

Yes! Does she prefer Sundays or the Wednesday crew?

MTMike40m

Sundays. She said the 9am is her service.

Reply to the thread
  • Mention teammates
  • Tag the person
  • Ask questions right in the thread
  • Reactions and replies
Shep on iOS

One app holds it all.

A full native app, not a shrunken website. Notes get written in the parking lot, ten minutes after the conversation, while it is still true. No fishing through Google Drive or an Apple note to find what someone told you last month.

9:41
Good morning, Mike
Tuesday, October 6
Check in with Ryan
6 months since his baptism

“How has your life been radically different?”

Log a noteRemind me Friday
Maya Chen turns 34
Thursday
One year since Sam joined the worship team
Sunday
Call Tom Bradley
Follow-up due Friday
HomeActivityPeopleMore
9:41
Activity
EC
Emily Carter
Note by Mike, 2h ago
Coffee with Emily. Her mom's surgery went well and she wants to help with the welcome team. @Rachel can you reach out this week?
🙏3❤️21 comment
RC
Ryan Cole
Baptism, 6 months ago
Six months since Ryan said yes. Worth a check-in this week.
TB
Tom Bradley
Note by Dana, yesterday
Tom is between jobs. Keeping him in prayers, checking in Friday.
🙏5
HomeActivityPeopleMore
9:41
‹ NoahBefore your 1:1

Noah has been around since January. He is on the tech team, asked about leading a group in March, and has been quiet since his dad's diagnosis in May.

Questions worth asking
You mentioned in March you wanted to lead a group. Where is that at?
How is your dad doing since May?
Is the tech team still a good fit, or has it become a lot?
Open follow-ups
Send Noah the group leader guide
Introduce him to Ben on the tech team
  • Write it on the spot

    A note or a private 1 on 1, entered right after the meeting or the call.

  • Take attendance

    The headcount, and by hand the people you actually saw at church.

  • Mark a milestone

    Salvation, baptism, a first small group. The celebration schedules itself.

  • Set a reminder

    For those important highlights coming up in someone's life.

  • Push notifications

    A mention, a follow-up due, a birthday on Friday. The team stays in the loop.

  • Prepare for a 1 on 1

    Their whole story and the follow-ups still open, read before you walk in.

The pastor's view

See the whole church at once.

As a pastor, you see every conversation happening across the church in one place. Not to micromanage. To know. You can see who your team is reaching, who is being celebrated, who needs a touch this week, and who nobody has heard from.

app.ourshep.com
Activity
Whole church
EC
Emily Carter
Note by Mike, 2h ago
Coffee with Emily. Her mom's surgery went well and she wants to help with the welcome team.
🙏32 comments
JR
John Reed
1:1 by Mike, yesterday
Private
Private conversation. Only Mike and Administrators can read it.
RC
Ryan Cole
Baptism, 1 year ago today
One year since Ryan was baptized.
Privacy

Some conversations stay between you and them.

Not everything belongs in the team feed. Four rules, enforced in the database rather than in a policy document.

  • 1 on 1s are always private

    Only the person who logged it and the leaders you have given Private notes access, usually your pastors, can read it. A 1 on 1 cannot be made public.

  • Nobody else sees that it happened

    A private note is not in the feed, not on the timeline, not in a count. If you cannot read it, Shep says nothing at all.

  • AI proposes, people confirm

    It reads team visible notes only, never private ones, and it never writes anything into someone's story on its own.

  • The score is never shown to the person

    The Known score is a staff view. It is for the team that is responsible, and for nobody else.

9:41
CancelNew 1:1Save
JRJohn Reed
Note1:1
John opened up about the strain at home. We prayed together. He asked to keep it between us for now.
Visible to you and your pastors
What the team sees
JR
John Reed
Note by Sarah, Sunday
Sat with John and the kids at the picnic. He is glad to be back.
JR
John Reed
Milestone, last month
Joined the Tuesday night group.

The 1 on 1 is not here. Nothing says it happened.

9:41
Good morning, Mike
Tuesday, October 6
Check in with Ryan
6 months since his baptism

“How has your life been radically different?”

Log a noteRemind me Friday
Maya Chen turns 34
Thursday
One year since Sam joined the worship team
Sunday
Call Tom Bradley
Follow-up due Friday
HomeActivityPeopleMore
Milestones

Celebrate the growth, not just the crisis.

Baptisms. Joining a team. The anniversary of the day someone said yes. Shep surfaces milestones so your team can reach out for the good moments too. Imagine it is six months after a team member's baptism and Shep reminds you. You get to ask, “How has your life been radically different?”

Keep in prayers

The whole team knows who to pray for.

Tick Keep in prayers on any note and that person goes on a prayer list the whole team sees: on the dashboard, on the phone, and in the weekly summary email. Names and the one line that matters, so your team is praying for real people about real things every week, not only when a crisis makes it obvious. When the season passes, take them off the list, and the story becomes one long praise report.

9:41
Good morning, Mike
Tuesday, October 6
Keep in Prayers
EC
Emily Carter2h
Her mom's surgery went well. Recovery is slow.
TB
Tom Bradley1d
Between jobs. Interviewing Friday.
NO
Noah Owens3d
His dad's scan results come back this week.
AB
Anna Brooks5d
Back after two months away. Her dad is doing better.
View all 9
HomeActivityPeopleMore
Friday summary
This week's prayer list
  • Emily Carter: her mom's recovery
  • Tom Bradley: an interview Friday
  • Noah Owens: his dad's scan results
  • Anna Brooks: settling back in

Lands in every teammate's inbox, with the notes behind it.

Assigned shepherds

Every person has a shepherd.

Assign a shepherd to each person so someone is always responsible. No more assuming somebody else has them. Shepherds see their people, their follow-ups, and who needs a touch this week.

9:41
My people
4 people
Follow-up due. Call Grace.
EK
Emily Carter
Last touch 3 days ago
TB
Tom Bradley
Last touch 2 weeks ago
GH
Grace Hall
No touch in 7 weeks
OB
Owen Bell
First visit Sunday
HomeActivityPeopleMore
JourneysChurch plan

Every step has an owner and a next step.

Baptism, membership, joining a group, leadership. Every step has someone responsible for it and a clear next step, and Shep keeps the story. When someone stalls, Shep says so, and it says who. On completion Shep records the milestone and enrolls them in the next journey.

app.ourshep.com
Journey

Walk people through what matters: baptism, a team, a small group. See at a glance where everyone is.

Baptism1414 active9COMPLETED
1Interested5
LMLily Morgan
Rachel Stone6d
OBOwen Bell
No shepherd1d
NONoah Owens
Ben Torres3d
MCMaya Chen
Dana Wells9d
EPEthan Park
Mike Torres2d
2Class scheduled4
ECEmily Carter
Mike Torres12d
GHGrace Hall
Dana Wells30d
SRSofia Reyes
Rachel Stone8d
HKHannah Kim
Mike Torres20d
3Ready3
AWAmy Ward
Rachel Stone15d
DCDiego Cruz
Ben Torres25d
TBTom Bradley
Dana Wells4d
Baptized2
RCRyan Cole
Dana Wells45d
PNPriya Nair
Mike Torres2d
Stall nudge, sent to Dana

Grace Hall has been in Class scheduled for 30 days. You are her shepherd on the Baptism journey.

Thursday, 8:00 AM. Escalates to the pastors if nothing moves.

Completed

Ryan Cole was baptized on March 3. Milestone recorded on his story, and he is now in Join a Small Group.

The one year anniversary comes back as a celebration next March.

  • Every step has an owner
  • Stalls are named, and so is who
  • Milestone recorded on completion
  • Enrolls in the next journey
1 on 1s that remember everything

Walk into every 1 on 1 already knowing the story.

Before a 1 on 1, Shep reads their whole story and the follow-ups still open: every note, every milestone, everything the team has written. Private 1 on 1s stay private, even from the AI. Then it surfaces what matters. The follow-up someone promised two months ago. The question that never got answered. The prayer request from spring. The next step that was named and never taken. AI suggests the questions worth asking, so nothing gets forgotten or lost, and the conversation picks up where the last one left off.

9:41
‹ NoahBefore your 1:1

Noah has been around since January. He is on the tech team, asked about leading a group in March, and has been quiet since his dad's diagnosis in May.

Questions worth asking
You mentioned in March you wanted to lead a group. Where is that at?
How is your dad doing since May?
Is the tech team still a good fit, or has it become a lot?
Open follow-ups
Send Noah the group leader guide
Introduce him to Ben on the tech team
9:41
‹ NoahAfter your 1:1
Suggested next steps
Pair Noah with a co-leader for the fall group
This week
AcceptEdit
Check in on his dad after the scan
In 2 weeks
AcceptEdit
Ask Ben to lighten Noah's tech rotation
Before Sunday
AcceptEdit
  • Built from their story and milestones
  • Open follow-ups surfaced
  • Suggested questions
  • Next steps you approve
Connections

People who are connected stay.

Research from What Every Pastor Should Know (Gary McIntosh and Charles Arn) found that new people who stay make an average of seven friends in their first six months. Those who leave make fewer than two. And the first year decides: 82% of church members who drop out leave within it, most near the six month mark or the twelve month mark. Dropout is not random. Shep keeps the relationships your team knows about on each person's story: a spouse, a group leader, a serving teammate, a friend. Add them as you learn them, and see at a glance who is surrounded and who is standing alone.

7 friends in 6 months.

That is the difference between staying and leaving.

82% leave in the first year.

Most near the six month or twelve month mark.

EC
Emily Carter
5 connections
DC
David Carter
Spouse
RS
Rachel Stone
Group leader
BT
Ben Torres
Serving teammate
AB
Anna Brooks
Friend
MC
Maya Chen
Friend
GH
Grace Hall
1 connection
DW
Dana Wells
Shepherd

Nobody on the team has recorded a friend, group, or team yet.

The Known score

How well do we know them?

It does not score the person. It scores the team, and how well they are walking with them. A Known score from 0 to 100, and every point is explainable, built from the story your team has already written: 1 on 1s, notes, milestones, whether someone has a shepherd, how recently someone had a real touch, and, when your church management system is connected, group and serving attendance. If there is no history, we assume the person is floating, and that is the point. No spiritual score. No leaderboard. Giving never touches it. New people get a grace window before they are scored at all. It is never shown to the person. It is for you. When someone starts to drift, you see it early, while it is still a conversation and not a loss.

  • 1 on 1s and notes
  • Time since last touch
  • Assigned shepherd
  • Milestones and connections
  • Group attendance
    With database sync
  • Serving attendance
    With database sync

Shep reads the story. Your team makes the call.

9:41
TB
Tom Bradley
Shepherd: Dana
Why this score?62
Last touch22/30
Notes and 1 on 1s9/15
Shepherd15/15
Connected16/25
Serving0/15

Never shown to Tom. This is how well we know him, not how he is doing.

Needs someone
GH
Grace Hall
No touch in 7 weeks
DP
Daniel Park
No shepherd assigned

New people get a grace window before they are scored at all.

Who Shep is for

An intentional journey from the day someone says yes.

Shep is for churches that want to be intentional about their relationships and build a culture of strong discipleship by putting people first. For pastors, staff, group and team leaders: everyone who is already walking with people. When your team can see the whole story, discipleship stops being accidental.

Growing in faith

Every person rooted in scripture and walking with someone who knows their story.

Growing in relationships

Friends, a group, a shepherd. The connections that keep people here.

Multiplying on teams

Every leader raising up the next one, and seeing it happen.

Built inside a real church team at C3 Church Orange County, in the middle of the work it is meant to serve.

Pricing

Pay for the people who run it. Shepherds are free.

Every plan includes your Owner, Admins, and Leaders, the people who run it. Add more for a flat price per user. Group leaders and volunteers who shepherd a few people join free, as many as you have. 14 day free trial, no credit card.

Annual is two months free.

Team

For a team shepherding its own list of people.

$49per month

4 users included, then $12 per month each. Shepherds are always free.

Everything a team needs:
  • Up to 75 people
  • Add people by hand or import a spreadsheet
  • Notes, follow-ups, and Their Story
  • Assigned shepherds
  • Team activity feed with comments and reactions
  • Milestone celebrations
  • Keep in prayers list for the whole team
  • Known score and who needs a touch this week
  • AI 1 on 1 prep: questions, follow-ups, next steps
  • Up to 5 journeys
  • Web and mobile
Most popular

Church

For the whole church, synced with your database.

$79per month

6 users included, then $12 per month each. Shepherds are always free.

Everything in Team, plus:
  • Unlimited people
  • Church management system sync: people, households, attendance, groups, serving
  • Known score with group and serving attendance
  • Early drift warning
  • Connections across the church
  • Unlimited journeys

Multisite

Several campuses, or a bigger team.

Let's talk

Users to fit your team. Shepherds are always free.

Everything in Church, plus:
  • Multiple campuses
  • Roles and permissions
  • Priority support

Swipe sideways to compare all three plans.

Compare plansTeamChurchMultisite
Users included46Custom
Extra users$12 per month each$12 per month eachCustom
ShepherdsFree, unlimitedFree, unlimitedFree, unlimited
People75UnlimitedUnlimited
Church management system sync
Attendance, groups, serving
Notes, follow-ups, Their Story
Assigned shepherds
Team activity feed
Private 1 on 1s
Milestone celebrations
Keep in prayers
Who needs a touch this week
Known score1 on 1s, notes, milestonesPlus group and serving attendancePlus group and serving attendance
AI 1 on 1 prep
Journeys5UnlimitedUnlimited
Connections
Roles and permissions
SupportEmailEmailPriority
FAQ

Questions pastors ask us.

Does Shep replace our church management system?
No. Your database stays the system of record. Shep syncs from it and adds the relationship on top.
Which systems does Shep sync with?
Planning Center today, with more church management systems coming. Not on one? The Team plan runs on your own people list.
Don't see your church management system listed?
Tell us which one you use. We are always growing and want your feedback, so we can get Shep into the hands of as many churches as possible. Send us a note, and in the meantime the Team plan runs on your own people list.
Do we need Planning Center?
No. The Team plan runs on your own people list: add people by hand or import a spreadsheet, build households, and mark who is in a group or serving on a team. Connect Planning Center whenever you are ready, on the Church plan, and everything your team has written stays.
Who counts as a user?
Your Owner, Admins, and Leaders: the staff and group leaders who run Shep. Every plan includes some, and each one past that is a flat price per month. Shepherds, the group leaders and volunteers who only see the people assigned to them, are free on every plan, as many as you have.
Can people see their own Known score?
No. It scores the team, not the person, and it is never shown to the person.
Are pastoral notes private?
1 on 1s are always private. Only the person who logged it and the leaders you have given Private notes access can read them. Nobody else sees that the conversation happened. Any other note can be marked private too.
How do prayer requests work?
Tick Keep in prayers on any note. That person goes on the Keep in Prayers list on the dashboard and in the phone app, with a one line summary of what to pray for, and into the weekly summary email. Anyone who can see the note can take it off the list when the season passes.
How does the Known score work?
It does not score the person. It scores the team, and how well they are walking with them. Shep reads the story your team already logs (1 on 1s, notes, milestones, whether someone has a shepherd, recent touches) plus group and serving attendance when your database is synced, and shows how well someone is known. No history means we assume they are floating. New people get a grace window before they are scored. On the Team plan, two checkboxes, In a group and Serves on a team, stand in for attendance. No spiritual score. No leaderboard. Giving never touches it. It is never shown to the person.
Does AI write notes for us?
No. AI proposes, people confirm. It reads team visible notes only, never private ones, and it never writes anything into someone's story on its own. Before and after a 1 on 1 it suggests questions, follow-ups, and next steps; your team decides what to keep.
What counts as an active person?
Anyone shown in Shep. Your database may hold thousands of records; only the people you bring into Shep count toward the plan. Hide someone, or leave their membership status off in Membership mapping, and they stop counting.
What happens if we grow past 500?
Sync keeps running. We will reach out about the Multisite plan. Nothing gets cut off.
What happens at the end of the 14 days?
Pick a plan and Shep keeps going. If you have not picked one yet, nothing is charged and nothing is deleted: your people and notes stay right where they are, read only, until you do. Cancelling later is one click in your billing settings.
Can we start on Team and upgrade later?
Yes. Connect your database any time and your notes and follow-ups stay.

No one walks alone.

Disciples get made one person at a time. Shep gives a team what that takes: the story, the next step, and enough visibility to keep showing up.

14 day free trial. No card needed.