Planning Center

Planning Center has become the gold standard for church management software by doing something clever: instead of one monolithic system, they offer specialized modules that churches can adopt as needed. This approach means you pay only for what you use while benefiting from seamless integration between modules. Planning Center People serves as the foundation - a member database with excellent usability. Track individuals and families, manage communication lists, and monitor engagement through attendance and giving patterns. The directory features allow members to update their own information, reducing administrative burden. The free tier supports basic usage, making this an accessible starting point. Planning Center Services revolutionized how churches coordinate worship teams. Schedule volunteers with automatic conflict detection, share chord charts and lyrics, enable team communication, and run rehearsals from song plans. Volunteers access schedules from their phones, confirm availability, and receive automated reminders. For churches with volunteer worship teams, this module alone justifies adopting Planning Center. The Check-Ins module handles children's ministry registration and event attendance. Parents check in via kiosk stations or their phones, children receive printed name tags with security codes, and staff track ratios and room capacity. The system handles allergies, authorized pickup lists, and special needs notes. First-time family registration flows smoothly. Giving provides online donation processing with recurring giving, text-to-give, and ACH transfers. Donors access giving history and year-end statements. Churches receive funds quickly with transparent fee structures. The giving dashboard helps track trends and campaigns. Groups manages small group rosters, attendance, and communication. Leaders access their group from dedicated apps. The group finder helps newcomers discover and join groups matching their interests and location. Registrations handles event signups with customizable forms, payment collection, and capacity management. Use it for VBS registration, retreat signups, class enrollments, or any church event. Calendar and Rooms help manage facilities and scheduling, preventing double-booking and coordinating church-wide activities.

Start at planningcenter.com and create a free account. The setup wizard asks about your church size and which features interest you. Begin with People (the member database) - it's free for basic use and connects to all other modules. Import your existing member data via CSV file. Map columns from your spreadsheet or export to Planning Center fields. Run the import in test mode first to preview how data will appear. Clean duplicates before import to avoid merging issues later. Configure your campus(es) and service times. Define membership statuses that match how your church categorizes people - visitor, regular attender, member, etc. Set up lists for communication segments like volunteers, small group leaders, or new members. Decide which paid modules to add based on your needs. Most churches start with Services for worship team coordination or Check-Ins for children's ministry. Each module has its own pricing tier based on church size, typically starting at $14-19/month for the smallest churches. For Services, set up your team positions (worship leader, vocalist, guitarist, etc.), add team members, and configure notification preferences. Create your first service plan by adding songs from Planning Center's library or importing chord charts. For Check-Ins, configure your locations and rooms, set up label printers, and test the check-in flow. Train children's ministry staff on the volunteer-facing side - managing rooms, checking ratios, and handling first-time guests. Each module includes guided setup and excellent documentation. The Planning Center community forums provide additional support from experienced church admins. Budget time to learn each module's capabilities - the interface is intuitive but features run deep.