Frequently Asked Questions

Ministry Support has received questions about the following items. If you have any further questions, please email us at support@bridgeway.cc.

Items Ministry Leaders have suggested we START doing:

• Enable attachments to be added to the Event & Resource Request (ERR) upon submission.

DONE

• Offer an ERR project plan review meeting on a day other than Thursday to accommodate various work schedules.

  • Since the Project Review Team is made up of employees, our meetings take place during the workday. We understand that this may not always align with your schedule. If you're unable to join virtually for a brief 20-minute meeting between 2:30–4:00 PM, please rest assured that your Employee Point of Contact (EPOC) can attend on your behalf to address any questions from the team.
    
    To ensure a smooth process, it’s important that you connect with the Ministry Support Project Manager before the review meeting. They will either try to schedule it at a time that works for you or gather any necessary details to share with the team in your absence. Our goal is to make this as seamless as possible for you while ensuring your input is valued and represented.

• Our EPOC should attend at least once a ministry leadership meeting

  •  This has been shared with EPOCs and they have committed to attending at least one Check-In per year

• Emailing the questions before the planning meetings 

  • The Ministry Support Project Manager is committed to asking as many forseeable questions as possible before the Project Planning Team review. Ministry Leaders are asked to commit to meeting at least a week before the Project Team meeting so there is time to consider all aspects of the event.

•  Provide a glossary of acronyms

  •  MST - Ministry Support Team

  • PPT - Project Planning Team

  • ERR - Event & Resource Request

  • WAM - Worships Arts Ministry

  • BSM - Bridgeway Student Ministry

  • BK - BridgeKids

    1. The Ministry Support  Team covered acronyms extensively at the January 2026 Check In. If you have more acronyms that should be added to this list, please email us at support@bridgeway.cc

•  Allow attachment to be added to ERR submissions

  • There is a space for comments at the end of the ERR where links may be placed. We are limited by the PCO platform. However, you may speak with the Ministrt Support Project Manager about any relevent attachments during your quick call and you may upload anything important to the Basecamp once it is opened.

• Send a "save the Date" for potential ministry leader events sooner and then follow up

  • All ministry leader events are scheduled at the beginning of the ministry year and posted on lead.bridgeway.cc as well as located at the bottom of every Newsflash sent to volunteers. The Newsflash is now resent to anyone who doesn't open in three days after it is initially sent as a reminder.

• Offer a more effective way to inform when training will take place for starting life groups or ministries

  • The Leadership Ministry regularly shares when classes are taking place with people who have yet to take thos classes. Life Group leaders are informed of training if they are part of the Life Group group. Any platform training is available by emailing support@bridgeway.cc.

• Get back to phone calls, in-person communication

  • In-person connection is always best. This is why we have endeavired to have four times a year when the miistry leaders can connect in person. However, it wold be very difficult to call all 150 ministry leaders each time we want to give out information.  This is why we depend on the Newsflash to get you information and for you to connect with your EPOC regularly. If you do not speak with your EPOC in person regularly, we encourage you to reach out to them or their supervisor to make an appointment.  We are confident it's a matter of multiple responsibilities and not because of a lack of desire to meet and help you.

•  Send text messages as well as emails as a means of communication

  • At this time, the Bridgeway phone platform is not equipped to send mass text messages. Individual Communications team members are not able to send greater than 150 text messages to people at the same time, and we would not ask them to send individual text messages. Thus, unfortunately, for now, text messages are not an option - but we hope them to be soon.

• Allowing more volunteer feedback

  • Bridgeway welcomes volunteer feedback. We could not reach as many people as we do without you and your contributions are critical to the success of Bridgeway's mission and vision. The best way to share your feedback regularly is to complete a project evaluation form.  these are sent out after events for more than 80% of events and the form is ALWAYS available on lead.bridgeway.cc/admin.  You may fill it out any time.  Volunteers may also submot support tickets to support@bridgeway.cc, email their  EPOCs, and attend quarterly Leader Check-Ins to ensure their voices are heard.
    
    
    
    
    

Items Ministry Leaders have suggested we STOP doing:

• • Late reimbursement submissions.

First and foremost, thank you for your generosity and commitment to making our ministry events a success. We truly appreciate the time and resources you invest, and we want to do our part to ensure reimbursements are processed as quickly as possible. Here are a few ways we can work together to streamline the process:

1. Plan Ahead with Monica – When possible, please coordinate with Monica for any supplies you need. She can purchase items in bulk, find great deals, and—most importantly—use a Bridgeway credit card, eliminating the need for reimbursements. Simply communicate your anticipated needs during your Project Review, and she’ll ensure everything is ready for you, allowing you to focus on the heart of your ministry.

2. Submit Receipts Promptly – If you do make a purchase and need reimbursement, please submit your receipts within the same month of purchase. Delayed submissions can create a domino effect, leading to processing delay.

3. Use the Correct Event Code – Always include the designated Code for your event. If you're unsure which code to use, James Ayers (James.Ayers@bridgeway.cc) is happy to assist.

4. Align with the Budget – Ensure your reimbursement request matches the budgeted amount for your event. Any inconsistencies may require additional review, which can slow down the process.

5. To further support you, our team is now checking the system more regularly to address reimbursement requests promptly.

• Eliminate multiple emails after an event is approved.

We suspect the multiple emails is due to a volunteer leader being the primary on a calendar event and being invited to the Basecamp.  As one may imagine, there are multiple responsibilities that go into managing a project. As the lead, you want to be informed of all that is happening with your project. However, if you would like to minimize the number of emails you receive or proactively check them and stop all notifications, you may adjust your notifications in PCO and Basecamp.  Please email support@Bridgeway.cc and MST can help you.

Items Ministry Leaders have suggested we CONSIDER doing:

• • Increase clarity for ERR date submissions.

All due dates for ERRs are published at the beginning of the ministry year in August. We have them at the bottom of every Ministry Leader Newsflash, on lead.bridgeway.cc/events, and on the form itself.

It takes four weeks to properly process a request and any events rushed result in substandard support, promotion, and success. This is why we ask for ERRs to be done early, understanding that sometimes there are exceptions.

Here is the schedule for the 2025-2026 ministry year:
ERRs for Events through August 31, 2025 were due April 9, 2025. (If you have not submitted an ERR, please do ASAP)

ERRs for Events through December 31, 2025, are due August 31, 2025

ERRs for Events through Feb 28, 2026 are due October 31, 2025

ERRs for Events through June 30, 2026 are due January 31, 2026

• • Women’s Retreat

We are doing this in 2026! Retreats are a fantastic way to focus on spiritual renewal, building unity within your team, vision casting and strategic planning, rest, personal growth, and discipleship. Please speak with Minister Tracey (or whoever provides the spiritual oversight for your ministry) if you would like to help coordinate this. Look for the link to the registration on bridgeway.cc/events coming soon!

• • Changing some of the required (*) points on the ERR form to optimal when they don’t pertain to the ministry or event.

For those of you who do not hold monthly events or very complicated events, we have a simplified ERR. When this is submitted, you will schedule a time with James, the Project Manager, so he can ask you questions that only pertain to your event so you don’t have to worry about all of those irrelevant questions.

After James learns about your details, he will let you know if we need to schedule a project review meeting. We are hoping this will streamline the process for you.

• • Posting the questions to the ERR and updating as necessary.

We have posted a Google Doc with the current ERR questions for your preview. Keep in mind that many of these questions are conditional and will only be visible if you answer in the affirmative to a previous question.

ERR Questions for Your Preview

• • Consider changing/revamping ERR.

As previously explained, we have simplified the ERR for people who do not have frequent programs, and everyone will be meeting with James so that he can ask all relevant questions. We hope this will help you have a more personalized experience.

• • Too Complicated: Either need more training offered to use project plan. Or get something more user-friendly.

We think this question may be referring to Basecamp. If that is the case, please know that you may email us at support@bridgeway.cc to schedule training. As with any new platform, it takes a bit of practice, but we are confident you will love Basecamp when you get to know it.

If you feel that something else is too complicated, please email us support@bridgeway.cc and share specifically how we can help you.

• • Having staff on-site during an event.

The Ministry Support team is now on sight on Saturdays when there are more than 50 people in attendance at Events. We understand how important it is for you to be supported and want your program to be seamless.

Because most of our team is hourly, please understand that on the weekends when they are on sight on Saturday, they will have one less day in the office during the week. We want you to be aware of this in case there may be a delay in communications. Thank you for understanding.

• Ministry Fair is Ineffective. Please revamp.

Ministry Support ran a survey in the Newsflash for several weeks in the Fall of 2024, asking for feedback on the Ministry Fair. We received no submissions. After two months, we archived the form. If a ministry leader has suggestions for a better, more effective way to showcase all of the ministry options here at Bridgeway, we are very open to your ideas. And would welcome the opportunity to speak. Please send an email to support@bridgeway.cc with your suggestions.

More FAQs are on the way... Keep checking back!