Since the beginning of SBCC, we know that so much “church” life lives outside of a Sunday morning; it happens in every connection we have. So in the fall of 2024, we made some shifts in our digital connection tools and created a Discord server. For more information about our server, as well as some tips and tricks on getting the most out of your experience (ex: enabling/disabling notifications), read below or watch this video tutorial created by our team.
What is Discord?
Discord was created for community building, specifically in the gamer community, and offers the flexibility and safety we need for SBCC’s digital community. SBCC has a server (which, for a lack of better terms, is basically our own app and one-stop shop for SBCC related info) and in the server there are different channels (different groups for different topics/functionalities) each with different security measures. For more information on our channels, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Safety is of the utmost importance to us and Discord offers a variety of safety and privacy settings that allows SBCC, and each of you, to determine your experience on the app. While we require first name, last name, and photo for verification purposes to become a “verified member”, you can further choose to disable DMs, friend requests, and more.
How to join the channel and become a verified user
Make sure to add your first name, last name, and photo to your profile to see the Collective, Forum, and Care channels (all “Verified Users” can view and contribute to these channels).
- Click the Join Our Discord link to launch a web browser or the app.
- When prompted, use your real first and last name as your “Display Name” and input your birthdate (this is simply to make sure you are over 13 years old and you can feel free to use something other than your real birthday).
- Complete re-captcha.
- Input an email address (this will be your login email) and password. Go to that email address and confirm/claim your account.
- Add a profile picture
- On desktop app or website: click on your Display Name in the bottom left hand corner and then click on “Edit Profile”. Click on the button that says “Change Avatar” and then click on “Upload Image”. Make sure to click “Save Changes”.
- On mobile app: click on the “Me” button at the bottom right of your screen and then click on “Edit Profile”. Click on the button that says “Change Avatar” and then click on “Upload Image”. Make sure to click “Save Changes”.
- As soon as our team notices you’ve joined and uploaded a photo, you will be designated as a verified user and will see additional channels show up. You should always be able to see the What’s Happening, Lobby, and Contemplative Prayer channels. Please also take the time to read the Community Guidelines.
Enabling Notifications and Muting Channels
- Make sure that Discord notifications are enabled on your laptop or phone in system settings. Even if you do not have notifications set-up, you can see that there are new posts in a channel if the channel name is bolded.
- In the Discord app or website, you can mute or enable specific notifications for individual channels. Instead of muting a channel, we recommend setting the notification settings to “Nothing”.
- On desktop app or website: right click on a channel and hover over “Mute Channel” or “Notification Settings”. To mute permanently, click “Until I turn it back on”. For notifications, you can select “All Messages” (which includes replies to posts), “Only @mentions” (when someone mentions you), or “Nothing”.
- On mobile app: swipe right on your screen to make the channels appear, touch and hold the channel name, and follow the instructions above.
