Getting Started with Planning Center Online: A Complete Implementation Guide
Planning Center Online (PCO) has become the gold standard for church management systems, and for good reason. With over 75,000 churches using the platform, it's proven itself as a reliable, comprehensive solution for everything from volunteer scheduling to donation management. But getting started can feel overwhelming—where do you begin?
After helping dozens of churches successfully implement Planning Center Online, we've identified the key steps that make the difference between a smooth transition and a frustrating one. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
Why Planning Center Online?
Before we dive into implementation, let's quickly cover why so many churches choose PCO:
- Modular Design: Only pay for what you need. Start with Services and add modules as you grow.
- Intuitive Interface: Your staff and volunteers can learn it quickly.
- Mobile-First: Excellent mobile apps for iOS and Android.
- Strong Integration: Works well with other church tech (livestreaming, accounting software, etc.)
- Active Development: Regular updates and new features.
- Stellar Support: Their support team is responsive and helpful.
Phase 1: Planning Your Implementation (Week 1-2)
1. Assess Your Current Situation
Start by documenting:
- What systems you currently use (spreadsheets, other ChMS, paper)
- Who manages what (worship scheduling, groups, check-in, etc.)
- Your pain points (double-entry, communication gaps, manual processes)
- Your data quality (how clean is your member database?)
Pro Tip: Don't underestimate the data cleanup phase. If you're migrating from another system, spend time now cleaning up duplicate records, outdated information, and inconsistent formatting.
2. Choose Your Modules
Planning Center offers several modules:
- Services: Worship service planning and volunteer scheduling (most churches start here)
- People: Member database and communication
- Groups: Small group management
- Registrations: Event registration and forms
- Check-Ins: Child check-in system
- Giving: Online and text-to-give donations
- Calendar: Church-wide calendar
- Music Stand: Chord charts and sheet music for worship teams
Our Recommendation: Start with Services if you have volunteer scheduling pain points, or People if you need to get your member database organized first. Don't try to implement everything at once.
3. Identify Your Champions
You need three types of people:
- Executive Sponsor: A staff member (ideally lead pastor or exec pastor) who can remove roadblocks
- Project Manager: Someone detail-oriented who will drive the implementation
- Module Owners: Staff members who will be responsible for each module you're implementing
Phase 2: Initial Setup (Week 2-4)
1. Set Up Your Account Structure
Organizations and Services
- Create your organization in PCO
- Set up your service types (Sunday morning, Wednesday night, etc.)
- Configure service times and locations
Teams and Positions
- Create teams (Worship Team, Tech Team, Kids Team, etc.)
- Define positions within each team (Vocalist, Audio Engineer, Greeter, etc.)
- Set scheduling preferences for each position
Pro Tip: Use PCO's "tags" feature extensively. Tags help you filter and find people quickly. Common tags include instrument skills, scheduling preferences, and training status.
2. Import Your People Data
This is where many churches struggle. Here's the right approach:
Step 1: Clean Your Data First Before importing anything into PCO:
- Remove duplicate records
- Standardize phone number formats
- Verify email addresses
- Update outdated information
- Decide on your household structure
Step 2: Use the CSV Import Planning Center has excellent CSV import tools:
- Download the template from PCO
- Map your existing data to PCO's fields
- Import in small batches first to test
- Review and fix any errors before importing the rest
Step 3: Verify and Enhance After import:
- Have each staff member review their area's data
- Add photos (this makes PCO much more useful)
- Assign people to teams
- Add relevant tags
3. Configure Workflows
One of PCO's biggest strengths is automation:
Services Workflows:
- Auto-decline if someone's already scheduled
- Auto-accept for regular volunteers
- Send reminder emails 3 days before
- Send reminder texts 1 day before
Check-Ins Workflows:
- Auto-print labels on check-in
- Send pickup alerts to parents
- Flag medical/allergy information
Giving Workflows:
- Auto-send receipts
- Create recurring giving options
- Generate giving statements
Phase 3: Training Your Team (Week 4-6)
Staff Training
Schedule focused training sessions:
Session 1: Overview (1 hour)
- PCO philosophy and module overview
- Basic navigation
- Mobile app installation
Session 2: Module-Specific Training (2 hours per module)
- Deep dive into the modules you're using
- Hands-on practice with real scenarios
- Q&A time
Session 3: Advanced Features (1 hour)
- Reporting and analytics
- Workflow automation
- Integration with other tools
Pro Tip: Record your training sessions. New staff members will thank you later.
Volunteer Training
Keep it simple:
- Create a 1-page quick-start guide
- Focus on the mobile app (most volunteers will use this)
- Show them only what they need: accepting/declining scheduling requests
- Make yourself available for questions the first few weeks
Phase 4: Go Live (Week 6-8)
Soft Launch Strategy
Don't flip the switch on everything at once:
Week 1:
- Launch with one team (pick your most tech-savvy team)
- Schedule everyone manually in PCO
- Watch for issues and gather feedback
Week 2:
- Add 2-3 more teams
- Start using automated scheduling requests
- Continue refining workflows
Week 3-4:
- Launch remaining teams
- Enable volunteer self-scheduling
- Turn on all automation
Communication is Key
Over-communicate during launch:
- Send weekly update emails
- Create a FAQ document
- Host "office hours" where people can drop in with questions
- Celebrate wins (show how much time PCO is saving)
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
After implementing PCO at dozens of churches, we've seen these mistakes repeatedly:
1. Rushing the Data Import
The Mistake: Importing messy data and planning to "clean it up later" The Fix: Clean first, import second. It's 10x harder to clean data after it's in PCO.
2. Over-Complicating Team Structure
The Mistake: Creating too many granular teams and positions The Fix: Start simple. You can always add complexity later. If you're debating whether to split something into two teams, keep it as one for now.
3. Ignoring the Mobile App
The Mistake: Training people on the web interface when most will use mobile The Fix: Mobile-first training. The app is excellent—use it.
4. Not Setting Clear Scheduling Policies
The Mistake: Leaving scheduling preferences unclear The Fix: Document your policies before launch:
- How often should people serve?
- How far in advance will you schedule?
- What's the deadline for declining?
- Who do they contact with issues?
5. Trying to Implement Everything at Once
The Mistake: Buying all modules and launching them simultaneously The Fix: Start with 1-2 modules, get them working well, then add more.
Advanced Tips for Success
Once you're up and running, these tips will help you maximize your investment:
1. Use Tags Strategically
Create tags for:
- Skills (Guitar Level 1, Guitar Level 2, etc.)
- Availability (Available Sundays, Available Weeknights)
- Training status (Background Check Complete, Shadow Training Needed)
- Preferences (Prefers Morning Service, Prefers Evening Service)
2. Leverage Block Scheduling
Instead of scheduling week by week:
- Schedule in 4-6 week blocks
- Send all scheduling requests at once
- Give people visibility into their full schedule
3. Create Custom Reports
PCO's reporting is powerful:
- Track volunteer engagement trends
- Identify people who haven't served recently
- Monitor attendance patterns
- Generate custom reports for staff meetings
4. Integrate with Other Tools
PCO plays well with others:
- Connect to your accounting software (QuickBooks, Realm)
- Integrate with your livestream platform (Planning Center Live)
- Sync with your website
- Use Zapier for custom integrations
Getting Help
Planning Center Resources
- Planning Center University: Free video training courses
- Help Docs: Comprehensive documentation at planningcenter.com/help
- Support Team: Live chat support during business hours
- Facebook Groups: Active community of PCO users
When to Hire a Consultant
Consider bringing in expert help if:
- You're migrating from a complex legacy system
- You have 1,000+ member records to migrate
- You need custom integrations
- Your staff is too busy to manage the implementation
- You want to compress the timeline
At WTX Labs, we've helped churches of all sizes successfully implement Planning Center Online, handling everything from data migration to staff training to ongoing optimization.
Your Next Steps
Ready to get started with Planning Center Online? Here's what to do:
- Sign up for a free trial at planningcenter.com
- Start small - pick one module to pilot
- Clean your data before importing
- Get your team on board - identify your champions
- Plan your training - schedule dedicated time for learning
Planning Center Online is an incredibly powerful tool, but like any tool, it's only as effective as your implementation. Take the time to do it right, and you'll have a system that serves your church for years to come.
Need Help Getting Started?
At WTX Labs, we specialize in Planning Center Online implementation and training. We've helped churches transition from legacy systems, clean up decades of data, and build workflows that save hours every week.
Whether you need full implementation support or just want someone to review your plan, we're here to help. Contact us to discuss your church's needs.
About the Author: The WTX Labs team has implemented Planning Center Online at churches ranging from 100 to 5,000+ members, with expertise in data migration, workflow automation, and staff training.
Have questions about Planning Center Online? Drop us a note—we'd love to help!