Updating MPDX When a Ministry Partner Dies

Updating MPDX When a Ministry Partner Dies

It is a sad reality that Ministry Partners die. And in the aftermath, it is important to care for the family members left behind well. Making a few small administrative adjustments in MPDX can be a loving way to avoid awkward and painful mishaps like misaddressed envelopes and continued newsletter mailings.

In the instance of a Ministry Partner death, the best place to start in MPDX is that individual, family, or couple’s contact page. Here you will be able to make the following changes:

  • Mark a person as “Deceased”
  • Change the Greeting used in Exports
  • Change the Envelope Name Line
  • Change the Contact Name (if applicable)
  • Add a Task as a reminder to reach out to your Ministry Partner’s family

To Mark a Person as Deceased

Step 1: The People tab within a Contact lists each individual associated with that Contact. When a person dies, scroll to that individual and click the “Edit” next to their name. 

Step 2: When you select “Edit,” a box will pop-up where you can make and Save the needed changes:

  • The second tab, DETAILS, is where the option exists to mark a person “Deceased.”
  • Click to check the box, then Save. This change will automatically mark this person (NOT every person in the Contact) “Opt Out of Newsletter.”

Step 3: Check to make sure the change was applied. The below screenshot is how the change will appear after you mark a person “Deceased.” This action can be undone if the change was made in-error, but you will need to go to the CONTACT INFO tab in the “Edit” pop-up box and unmark “Opt Out of Newsletter” to opt that person back IN to receiving Newsletters. 

To Change the Greeting used in Exports, Envelope Name Line, Contact Name

Step 1: The Details tab within a Contact gives additional contact information such as Communications preferences. An oversight here could be an honest mistake, but acutely painful reminder of loss to a grieving ministry partner. 

Note what changes may need to be made in these specific areas:

  • Greeting (used in Export) is the set greeting for this contact that MPDX uses for Exports for Newsletters, etc.
  • Envelope Name Line is the first line in an address label for this contact.
  • Contact Name is what you regularly see in your Contacts list in MPDX. Changing this is more for your own benefit so you are not regularly seeing the name of a person who has passed away.

Step 2: Click and type to replace and edit the existing information. The changes should appear immediately. Below is an example of the changes noted above when Ministry Partners “Barry and Iris West-Allen” lost daughter, Nora. 

Step 3: Check to make sure the change was applied. 

NOTE: You will also need to manually update your Email (i.e. MailChimp) and/or Physical Newsletter lists (i.e. ChalkLine or PrayerLetters.com) Contact information if you have not turned on the Syncs with MPDX. 


Reach out to your Ministry Partner’s family (How to Add a Task)

The death of a loved one is a very significant event and a key time to show care to a Ministry Partner and/or their family members. Remembering to call, email, talk to in-person, send a letter, etc. is important to do and worth recording.

One way to do this in MPDX is using Add Task (or Log Task). Add Task and Log Task can both be found near the top right corner of a contact’s MPDX page.

When you select “Add Task” a pop-up box will appear. Entering Task Name, Action, Due Date & Time, then Save will add this Task to the Contact’s Task Tab as well as the Tasks Tab in the MPDX Top Navigation menu.