Roles and Permissions
Numbered uses four named roles to control what each participant in your ward can see and do. Admins have an optional position designator that nudges a few small UX choices but doesn't change permissions. This article walks through both.
The four roles
Numbered has four capability roles. Tapping the Member row at the bottom of the picker clears every role — that's the default state.
Full access. Manages the contact list, edits the sacrament program, schedules bishopric interviews, edits ward business (calling changes, sustainings, releases), publishes events, and invites other participants. The bishopric, executive secretary, and ward clerks all hold the Admin role; small behavioral differences between them are driven by the position designator. Every ward must have at least one admin.
On a branch unit, position labels switch — see the position section.
Sees the directory and manages events. Intended for elders quorum presidents, Relief Society presidents, Young Women / Young Men / Primary leaders, Sunday School leaders — anyone who coordinates a group but isn't on the bishopric.
On a branch unit this role is labeled Branch council.
Edits hymns and musical numbers on the sacrament program. No directory access, no events. Music coordinators see the program along with everyone else, but they get inline edit affordances on the music sections only — speakers, prayers, theme, and ward business stay read-only for them.
Creates and publishes ward events. No directory access, no program access.
The default — no roles assigned. Members see the public-facing sacrament program, calendar, and ward events. No leader affordances.
Admin positions
When you check the Admin row, a small chip picker appears underneath. You can pick one of four positions, or leave it blank. Position is optional and does not change what the admin can do — it just shapes a few small UX choices.
- Bishop — labeled Branch president on a branch unit.
- Counselor
- Executive secretary
- Clerk — labeled Branch clerk on a branch unit. Covers both ward clerk and assistant ward clerk.
What position changes:
- Admins whose position is Executive secretary or Clerk are excluded from the Conducting and Presiding name dropdowns on the sacrament meeting editor. Bishop, counselor, and admins with no position set still appear.
- Picker lists order bishop first, then counselors, then admins with no position, then exec sec, then clerks. Inside each bucket, names are alphabetical.
That's it. Position doesn't gate any screen, doesn't change what an admin can edit, and doesn't appear in Firestore rules. It's purely cosmetic and ordering. If you want to label yourself by calling for other ward members to see, the simpler way is to bake it into your contact name (e.g. "Bishop Allen") — that text shows up everywhere your name does.
How the picker behaves
Every row in the picker is an independent checkbox. Tapping a row toggles only that role — no cascade, no implied checks anywhere else.
Granting Admin doesn't auto-check Ward council, Music coordinator, or Event manager — even though Admin's permissions are a superset of all of those. The picker shows you exactly what you clicked. If you want to mark someone as both Admin and Music coordinator, check both rows.
The Member row at the bottom is a one-tap reset. Tapping it clears every role and position. It shows as checked whenever no other rows are.
Permissions are additive. When a participant has multiple roles, their effective permissions are the union of every role's bundle. Music coordinator + Event manager means "can edit music AND can manage events." Admin alone already includes everything, so adding more roles on top of Admin is harmless but redundant.
Ward business access
Ward business — calling changes, sustainings, releases, ordinations, baby blessings, baptisms, confirmations — is restricted to admins. Ward council, music coordinator, and event manager don't see it.
Admins whose position is bishop or counselor edit ward business inside the leader-side meeting editor. Admins whose position is executive secretary or clerk see and edit ward business inline on the sacrament program detail screen, beneath announcements.
What's not in Numbered
Numbered doesn't sync with any external roster of who holds which calling — every role assignment in Numbered is something an admin explicitly granted in the app. Ward business in Numbered is for the upcoming sacrament meeting: the things being announced and sustained that week, not a canonical record of every active calling.