You've been added as a 2IC for a squad in the Forge app. This guide walks through what you can do in the Squad Leader Portal, how a session runs, and how to keep the squad moving when the Squad Leader can't be there.
2IC stands for Second-in-Command. The Squad Leader is responsible for the squad overall — he leads, he invites, he is accountable to his church's Group Admin. You are there to back him up: run sessions when he can't, keep tabs on attendance, follow up on men who are going quiet, and keep the conversation going in between meetings.
Your access is scoped to the specific squad you've been added to. If the church runs Alpha, Bravo, and Gamma squads, each has its own 2IC — you only see the squad you belong to.
Keep the session running smoothly. Mark who showed up. Follow up on the men who need a word.
You don't need to complete Squad Leader Certification to be a 2IC. Your access is granted by the Squad Leader from the Admin tab of the portal.
The Squad Leader Portal is at contactright.co/squad. Sign in with the same email and password you use for the Forge app — there's no separate account. If you haven't downloaded the Forge app yet, create an account there first and then come back to the portal.
If you sign in and see "You don't have access to any squads", your Squad Leader hasn't added you yet as a 2IC. Ask them to go to Admin → Squad Team in the portal and add your email address.
The TODAY tab is your at-a-glance dashboard. At the top is the next scheduled session — the date, time, and how long until it starts. Below that is a snapshot of who's been active this week and how many men have sessions completed this month.
If there's no session scheduled yet, this tab will prompt you (or the Squad Leader) to schedule one from the Admin tab. Sessions need to be on the calendar before you can take attendance.
When a session is on for today, a quick-attendance panel appears directly in the TODAY tab. Tap each man's name to toggle them present. You can also add a man who showed up unannounced — look for the quick-add option in the panel.
Below attendance you'll see the last few session summaries — date, who attended, and any notes that were added. This gives you a fast read on where the squad is at without digging into each man's record.
The MEN tab shows every man in the squad. Each row shows his name, when he last attended, how many sessions he's been to, and his current status (Active / Invited / Lapsed).
To add a new man, tap Invite a Man at the top of the MEN tab. Enter his first name, last name, and email address. He'll receive an email with a link to download the Forge app and join the squad. He shows as Invited until he accepts.
Only invite men with a real email address — the invitation is sent by email. If a man prefers to join by scanning a QR code instead, share the squad's join link from the Admin tab.
Tap any man's row to see his full session history — every session he's attended, notes from those sessions, and a streak indicator. This is the fastest way to identify who needs a follow-up.
Don't wait for a man to reach out — if you see Lapsed next to his name, that's your cue. A short message in squad chat or a phone call before next session is often all it takes.
Every Forge session follows the same structure. Whether you're covering for the Squad Leader or running the session together, here's the run-sheet from start to finish.
If the Squad Leader can't make it, you run it exactly the same way. Don't skip the Rules of the Room or the warm-up — the structure is the point. Let the men know he'll be back next time.
Open the portal on your phone during arrivals or immediately after the session. In the TODAY tab, you'll see an attendance panel for the current session. Tap each man who showed up. Men not on the list can be added by tapping Add to session. Hit Save Attendance when done — this locks the session log.
After attendance is saved, you can add a session note. Keep it short — a sentence or two about anything that came up that the Squad Leader (or you, next time) should remember. It's not a transcript; it's a flag.
Notes are visible to the Squad Leader. They're not shared with men in the squad.
After each session, scan the roster for:
One or two sentences. You're writing for your future self and the Squad Leader — not filing a report. "John mentioned his dad is ill — worth checking in." That's enough.
The CHAT tab is a private group chat for your squad. It's separate from the Forge app's general chat — only men in your squad can see it. Use it to stay connected between sessions: share a word of encouragement, send a reminder about next week, or continue a conversation that started in the room.
Chat works best for brief, purposeful messages — a reminder, a check-in, a word of encouragement. Long threads or daily pings can make men feel pressure. Keep it light.
Men who allow notifications on their phone will receive a push notification when a new message arrives. If you send something important, you can follow up in person if someone doesn't respond.
If you're not getting push notifications for chat messages, open the Forge app on your phone and allow notifications when prompted. Notifications are tied to your Forge app account, not the portal browser.
As a 2IC your access is deliberately narrower than the Squad Leader's. This keeps accountability clear — the Squad Leader is responsible for the squad and needs to be the one making structural decisions.
If there's something you need to do that's not available to you, talk to your Squad Leader — they can either do it themselves or check with the Group Admin to see if your access should be updated.