Getting Started — Initial Setup
Super AdminInitial setup requires Super Admin access
This section walks through the recommended setup sequence for a new church, from account creation to a live kiosk in your lobby.
Recommended Setup Order
Sign up and log inCreate your account at fieldlinkmissions.com/signup. Check your email for the setup link, create your password (or connect Google), and sign in at app.fieldlinkmissions.com/login.
Fill in Church InfoGo to Church Info in the left nav. Add your church name, pastor, address, and upload your church logo. Set the church location using the geocoder so the map centers correctly.
Add your mission organizationsGo to Mission Orgs and add any organizations your missionaries serve with (IMB, Wycliffe, SIM, etc.). Upload their logos for the best map experience.
Add your missionariesGo to Missionaries and click Add Missionary to enter a record directly, or click ✉️ Invite to send a missionary a link to fill out their own profile. The most important fields are Last Name, Location (search and select from the dropdown — this places the map pin), and the Show on Map checkboxes.
Choose your themeGo to Settings → Theme and pick the color scheme that best matches your church's style. Click Save Theme.
Preview your public mapClick View Map from the dashboard or open app.fieldlinkmissions.com/[yourslug] in a browser. Confirm all your missionaries appear and the map looks correct.
Set up billingGo to Subscription and set up billing before your trial expires to keep uninterrupted access. You don't lose anything by doing it early: any trial days you have left carry over and your card is not charged until they are used up.
Set up your kiosk or embed (optional)For a lobby display: go to Kiosk, generate a key, then either flash the Raspberry Pi image onto a Pi plugged into the TV or install the Windows kiosk app on the display PC, and link the display with the code it shows. For a church website, use Website Embed to embed the map on any page.
Invite your teamGo to Users and invite any staff who will manage missionaries or upload prayer letters.
Kiosk Hardware — Touch Screen Displays
For a fully interactive kiosk where visitors can tap pins and browse missionary profiles, you need a touch-enabled display driven by either a Raspberry Pi running the FieldLink image or a Windows PC (or an all-in-one touchscreen PC). Both show nothing but the kiosk and link to your account with a code on screen.
What to Look For
- All-in-one touchscreen PC — the simplest option. Monitor and computer in one unit, one power cable, no separate box to hide. Most church lobbies use something in the 32–43 inch range.
- Touch monitor + Raspberry Pi — the least to look after. Any commercial touch display with HDMI in and a USB touch connection, driven by a Raspberry Pi 5 (about $180 for the whole kit) that runs only the FieldLink display. See Setting Up a Raspberry Pi Kiosk.
- Separate touch monitor + mini PC — more flexible. Any commercial touch display paired with a small Windows PC connected via HDMI.
- Resolution — 1080p is the minimum. 4K looks great but isn't necessary.
- OS — nothing to install on a Raspberry Pi (our image is the whole system); Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) for the Windows kiosk app.
- RAM — 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended.
- Network — wired Ethernet is more reliable than WiFi, especially during services when many devices are connected.
💡 Budget option
A refurbished all-in-one touchscreen PC from any major brand works great. The kiosk app is lightweight — it doesn't need a powerful computer.
Mounting
- Wall-mounted or on a floor stand — either works. Check the VESA mount pattern on your display before buying a mount.
- Portrait (vertical) gives a directory feel. Landscape works better for showing the full map.
- For public areas, consider a lockable enclosure to prevent tampering.
Kiosk Hardware — Presentation Mode (Non-Touch TV)
If a touch display isn't in the budget, Presentation Mode works on any standard TV — no touch required. It shows the map on one side and automatically cycles through missionaries on the other.
What You Need
- Any TV or monitor — any size, no touch needed. 43–65 inch TVs work well in a lobby.
- A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 — the recommended way. A Pi 5 kit with fan case, power supply, HDMI cable and microSD card is about $180 assembled (the exact kit is in Setting Up a Raspberry Pi Kiosk). It hides behind the TV, runs only the FieldLink display and needs no computer skills to set up.
- Or a small Windows PC — any compact Windows PC with 4 GB RAM and an SSD. Plug it into the TV via HDMI. Mini PCs are popular for this since they're small enough to mount behind the TV.
- Internet connection — WiFi or wired Ethernet.
Setting up Presentation Mode
Generate a Kiosk API key, click ⚙ Settings on the key, switch the Display Mode to Presentation, choose which side the map appears on, and optionally select a theme. The kiosk URL is the same — the mode is detected automatically from the key's settings.
Setting Up Windows Kiosk Mode
One installer, no scripts. The kiosk app links itself to your account with a code on its screen and can turn the PC into a locked-down display from inside the app. Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).
Download the installerIn the admin panel under Kiosk, expand 💻 Windows Kiosk App and click Download installer. Copy it to the display PC, sign in there as an administrator and run it. Windows may show a blue SmartScreen box because the installer is new to it: click More info, then Run anyway, then Yes on the permission prompt. The app opens by itself when the install finishes.
Link the displayThe app shows a 6-character code. Back in the admin panel click 🔗 Link kiosk next to the key for this display (create one first with + Generate Key if needed) and type the code. The map appears on the display within a few seconds.
Turn on kiosk modeOn the display press Ctrl+Shift+K, click Turn this PC into a kiosk and accept the administrator prompt (it can open behind the full-screen window — press Alt+Tab if nothing seems to happen). A progress bar shows each step; it takes about half a minute. The app creates a dedicated FieldLinkKiosk Windows account that signs in automatically at boot and shows only the kiosk, disables sleep, and switches on automatic updates. When it finishes it asks to restart — say yes.
Verify after restartThe PC should boot directly into the kiosk, and the key shows ● Online on the Kiosk page. To exit, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete → Switch user and sign in with your administrator account.
If anything changes laterDeleted or changed the key? The display shows a new code by itself; click 🔗 Link kiosk and type it. See Recovery & Troubleshooting for every scenario.
Setting Up a Raspberry Pi Kiosk
No computer to maintain. A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 boots from a microSD card that holds nothing but the FieldLink display: no operating system to set up, no account, no kiosk mode to switch on. The TV shows a code, you type it into the admin panel. It works for touch and presentation displays alike, joins Wi‑Fi from your phone, and updates itself overnight.
What to buy
- Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB) kit — the CanaKit Essentials Kit (about $170) has the Pi, a fan-cooled case, the 27 W power supply, a micro HDMI cable and a 32 GB card. CanaKit's pre-assembly service (about $10) in the same order means it arrives built. The button below puts both in your CanaKit cart in one go. A Pi 4 you already own works too.
Pop-up blocked? Click these two links, then open the cart.
- A computer to write the card — anything with an SD card slot or a USB card reader, and the free Raspberry Pi Imager (Windows, Mac or Linux).
- The TV or touch screen — HDMI in. An Ethernet cable to the router is the most reliable connection; Wi‑Fi is fine and takes a minute to set up from a phone.
Download the imageIn the admin panel under Kiosk, expand 🍓 Raspberry Pi Kiosk and click Download image. The panel shows which build it is and its checksum. The file ends in
.img.xz and is written to the card as-is — do not unzip it.Write the cardOpen Raspberry Pi Imager. Choose Device → your Pi model. Choose OS → scroll to the bottom → Use custom → the downloaded file. Choose Storage → the microSD card. Click Next, answer No when it offers to apply OS customisation, and confirm. Writing takes a few minutes. (Flashing several cards? The panel's Copy Imager repository URL lets Imager list the FieldLink image itself.)
Plug it inCard into the Pi, HDMI to the TV (on a Pi 4 use the micro HDMI port nearest the USB‑C connector), the Ethernet cable if you have one, then power. Switch the TV on first. Within about a minute it shows Link this display to FieldLink and a 6-character code.
No network cable? Connect it to Wi‑Fi from your phoneWith no cable the TV shows a QR code and a network named FieldLink-XXXX with a password. Scan the QR code with your phone's camera to join that network; a page opens by itself (if not, open
http://10.42.0.1/ in the phone's browser). Pick your church Wi‑Fi, type its password and tap Connect the display. Your phone drops off the setup network — that is expected — and the TV shows the code within about 30 seconds. A wrong password brings the QR code back with the reason; just try again.Link the displayBack in the admin panel click 🔗 Link kiosk next to the key for this display (create one first with + Generate Key if needed) and type the code. The map appears within a few seconds and the key shows ● Online. That is the whole setup.
Later onThe settings screen opens with Ctrl+Shift+K on a keyboard, or by pressing and holding the top-left corner of the screen for four seconds with a finger or the mouse (a ring fills up while you hold). It shows status and the IP address, changes Wi‑Fi, checks for and installs updates, restarts the display, shows the log, and can factory-reset it to a fresh code. Updates otherwise arrive on their own overnight; a new build never needs a new card.
💡 Power and cooling
Use the power supply from the kit and a fan-cooled case. A phone charger under-powers the Pi, which shows up as a sluggish map rather than an error. Power cuts are harmless: the display boots straight back into the map, and rejoins Wi‑Fi by itself.
💡 See the Kiosk & Embed section for full details
The Kiosk section covers all package options, display modes, QR codes, and per-key settings in depth.