AI Assistant Connection

Ask your AI about your church. Trellis keeps the answers inside your permissions.

Connect Claude or another AI app to Trellis. It's read-only today and limited to what each person can already see. Write, create, and update abilities are coming soon.

How it works

  1. 1

    Copy your Trellis address

    In Trellis, open Profile → Connected AI apps and copy your church's address.

  2. 2

    Add it in your AI app

    Add the address as a custom connector in an AI app that supports them, for example Claude.

  3. 3

    Sign in and approve

    Sign in to Trellis as you normally do, then approve the connection.

What you can ask

Answers always depend on the permissions of the person asking.

Any member or volunteer

What events are on the calendar next week?
What volunteer opportunities are open right now?

Group leader

Who is in my small group?

Worship or service planner

Which songs haven't we played in the last six months?
What's the order of service for this Sunday?

Administrator or pastor

What follow-ups are assigned to me?
Who has registered for the fall retreat?
Which groups is Sarah Johnson in?

Trust and control

  • Ask instead of click

    Get answers from Trellis without navigating menus.

  • It only sees what you can see

    The AI gets exactly your access. Role and permission changes apply immediately.

  • Read-only

    It can look things up. It can't change records, send messages, or move money.

  • You're in control

    You approve each connection on a consent screen and can disconnect any app instantly from your profile.

  • No password sharing

    You sign in to Trellis normally and approve. The AI app never sees your password.

What's included, and what isn't

What the assistant can look up

Read-only, and subject to your permissions.

  • Included: People and households
  • Included: Groups and group members
  • Included: Events, calendars, and event registrations
  • Included: Attendance
  • Included: Follow-ups
  • Included: Volunteer opportunities, team assignments, and personal availability
  • Included: Service planning and the song library
  • Included: Form submissions (metadata only) and projects
  • Included: A search across the platform

What it never sees

Deliberately not shared with AI apps.

  • Not shared: Street addresses
  • Not shared: Birthdates
  • Not shared: Secondary contact details
  • Not shared: Pastoral or admin notes
  • Not shared: Form answers
  • Not shared: Financial or giving data
  • Not shared: Email, text messages, documents, or check-in records

Coming soon

From looking things up to getting things done

Today your AI assistant can look things up. We're working on letting it create and update records too, such as logging a follow-up. These abilities will respect each person's existing role and permissions, and you'll stay in control of every connection.

Frequently asked questions

Can the AI change my data?

Not today. The connection is read-only, so it can't create, edit, send, or delete anything. Write, create, and update abilities are coming soon, and they will follow the same role-based permissions.

Can it see everything in Trellis?

No. It sees only what the person who connected it can see, and some sensitive fields are never shared. For example, a member sees fewer tools than an administrator, and service planning, attendance, forms, and projects need the matching permission.

Is financial or giving data included?

No.

Who can connect an app?

Any signed-in user, but each person gets only their own level of access. Contact details such as email and phone follow each person’s contact-visibility settings.

How do I stop it?

Go to Profile → Connected AI apps and choose Disconnect. It takes effect immediately.

Where does the data go?

Answers are sent to the AI app you connected, and are handled under that app provider's terms. We recommend leaders follow their church's policies on AI tools.

Which AI apps work?

Any AI app that supports custom connectors (MCP). Claude is one example.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI apps connect to tools and data.

For technical evaluators: this feature uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Read how we approach AI generally in our AI Principles.

See it with your own ministry

Book a one-on-one demo and we'll walk through connecting an AI app to Trellis.

Schedule a Demo →