Bottom Line Up Front
What this is: A church-owned, online + in-person learning system (LMS) for ALCOD members — courses, lessons, quizzes, scripture memory, and certificates. Members can study on their own time or attend in-person classes; both count toward completion.
Where we are: Day 20 of 60. Foundation shipped. Site is live and locked behind a preview passcode so nothing is visible to the congregation yet.
What I need from you Thursday: three decisions on the next page — pilot approval, Training Ministry Leader name, and $25/month to keep the system from auto-pausing.
Three decisions for Thursday's meeting
- Pre-approve the Nov 18–25 pilot with 5–10 members of your choosing. We can pick names together Thursday.
- Name the Training Ministry Leader who will be the primary content admin after launch. (IT Ministry is the backup; we need the primary.)
- Approve $25 per month for Supabase Pro. Our member sign-in system runs on Supabase. The free tier auto-pauses after a week of light use, which stops the LMS. Already happened once (Oct 7–20). $25/month removes that risk and lifts the active-user cap so the system can serve the full congregation.
What ALCOD Learning will be
A single, simple place for members to grow in biblical knowledge — on their own time or in a class with the Pastor or an Elder leading it.
- Members sign up with their email — no church login required. They can study from their phone, tablet, or computer.
- Courses include lessons + quizzes + scripture memory — the system guides them from "I don't know this yet" to "I've learned this and I can prove it."
- Online + in-person both count — if someone attends your Wednesday class, the system records it. If they watch online later, that counts too. One record per student.
- Certificates are issued automatically when they finish a course and pass the quiz. Each certificate has a unique code so authenticity can be verified.
- Church leaders stay in control — the Training Ministry Leader decides what courses exist, what verses are memorized, and what the pass score should be. IT keeps the system running.
- No ads, no data sold, no outside eyes — all content and member data lives in the church's own Microsoft 365 and Supabase accounts.
What's live today
Technical foundation LIVE
- learn.abundantlifecod.org — SSL, DNS, hosted on Azure (church-owned, free tier)
- SharePoint "Church Learning" site with 10 lists for courses, lessons, questions, enrollments, attendance, progress, quiz results, certificates, interest sign-ups
- Member sign-in system — anyone can register with any email (no church login required for members)
- Backup system — snapshots every 15 min, encrypted off-site copy
Interest form LIVE & LOCKED
- Short form at /interest collects name, email, phone
- Hidden behind a preview passcode — nothing visible to the congregation yet (per your "no information shared while building" guidance)
- Writes to SharePoint; IT Ministry is notified on each signup
- Announcement email drafted and ready to send on your approval
What ALCOD Learning will do
- Online + in-person together — courses can be delivered online, in a classroom at the church, or both. Members check in through the app (code or QR), no paper sign-in sheets.
- Enroll once, stay enrolled — courses can run 1–2 years. The system tracks every student's attendance and completion automatically.
- Scripture memory module — flashcards with a Learn → Review → Master cycle, first verse set loaded by Pastor's selection.
- Quizzes and certificates — pass a course (70% default) and the system issues a printable certificate with a unique verification code.
- Admin panel for the Training Ministry — add courses, write lessons, upload PDFs/Word/PowerPoint. Approved questions can be AI-drafted from church documents and reviewed by the admin before going live.
Build roadmap to December 1
| Date | Sprint | What ships | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 | Sprint 1 | Foundation — site, domain, SharePoint lists | Done |
| Oct 14 | Sprint 2 | Interest form live and locked, announcement drafted | Done |
| Oct 21 | Sprint 3 | Member sign-in, course catalog, lesson viewer | In progress |
| Oct 30 | Sprint 4 | Admin panel + first biblical course seeded (Bible Foundations: 3 lessons, 10 questions) | Planned |
| Nov 7 | Sprint 5 | Quiz engine (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in) | Planned |
| Nov 14 | Sprint 6 | Scripture memory flashcards | Planned |
| Nov 21 | Sprint 7 | Certificates + ALCOD Dashboard "Learning" tab | Planned |
| Nov 18–25 | Pilot | 5–10 trusted members use the system under your authorization | Needs your approval |
| Nov 25 | Sprint 8 | Full end-to-end testing and polish | Planned |
| Dec 1 | Sprint 9 | Full presentation to you — demo + feature wishlist | Planned |
Discovery data (why this matters)
13 Elders and Overseers responded to the Oct 6 discovery survey. Key findings:
- 11 of 13 said current training happens primarily through Sunday sermons and Wednesday service — not a dedicated program
- 6 of 13 said there is no structured training program at ALCOD today
- 11 of 13 said attendance is tracked on paper sign-in sheets
- 6 of 13 said there is no formal recognition for members who complete training
- 12 of 13 wanted content ownership to rest with the Training Ministry (with IT support)
The LMS fills a real gap — it isn't replacing an existing mature program.
Pilot plan (Nov 18–25)
- 5–10 trusted members — ideally a mix of leadership and congregation, both age-ranges
- They use the real system end-to-end: register, take Bible Foundations, pass the quiz, earn a certificate
- They give feedback on language, pacing, ease of use, trust
- Pilot runs under your explicit authorization — nothing public to the congregation during this week
- Dec 1 presentation will include real pilot feedback instead of hypotheticals
Budget
Approved $300
- $200 — Claude API (AI question drafting)
- $100 — contingency / supporting tools
- Approved by Co-Pastor via email, Sept 29
Spent to date $0
- All services currently running on free tier
- Claude API purchase deferred until first admin document is uploaded (Sprint 4)
New ask: Supabase Pro $25 / month
- Member sign-in system auto-pauses on free tier after 7 days of light use. Already happened once (Oct 7–20).
- $25/month on Pro removes that risk, adds daily backups, and lifts the active-user limit so the system can serve the full congregation.
- Alternative: keep manually resuming the project weekly. Not sustainable.
Key decisions made so far
- D-08, D-09: The LMS is church-owned — the GitHub source code and the member database both live under the church's own accounts (itministry@abundantlifecod.org), not Rothstein's personal accounts.
- D-10, D-11: The LMS supports both online and in-person training. In-person classes continue; the system supplements, it doesn't replace them. Attendance is taken through the app only, in-person or online.
- D-12: Nothing visible to the congregation during the build — the interest form is hard-locked until you approve launch.
- D-13: Pre-approved pilot Nov 18–25 so the Dec 1 meeting has real feedback (requires your sign-off this Thursday).
- D-14: Dual-admin model — Training Ministry Leader (primary) + IT Ministry (backup) — reflects the dominant pattern from the discovery survey.
- D-15: Default passing score 70%, with per-course override for ministries that want higher.
17 governance decisions logged to date. Full log available on request.
Risks and how we're managing them
Infrastructure fragility
- Free-tier auto-pause already happened once
- Mitigation: Supabase Pro ask (above)
Content gap
- Discovery confirmed ALCOD has very little digital training content today
- Mitigation: Rothstein writes Bible Foundations as the pilot course; admin panel supports uploading PDFs when Training Ministry Leader is ready
Single-person dependency
- Only Rothstein knows the system today
- Mitigation: dual-admin (D-14), full documentation on handoff by Dec 1
Adoption uncertainty
- No way to predict how members will use it
- Mitigation: pilot (Nov 18–25) gives us real-member feedback before any announcement
Bookmark this page. This briefing updates as the project moves forward — the status, roadmap, and open questions here will always reflect the current state. You can revisit anytime.
Last updated: 2026-10-20 · ALCOD Learning project briefing · Prepared for Pastor Fox
Live site: learn.abundantlifecod.org (preview-locked until approved) · Project owner: Rothstein Campbell (ITMinistry@abundantlifecod.org)