Planning Center Setup Guide for Worship Teams

What is Planning Center?

Planning Center Online (PCO) is the most popular church management software for worship teams. It helps you schedule volunteers, manage song libraries, share setlists, and communicate with your team. This guide will walk you through setting it up for your worship ministry.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Start by creating a Planning Center account at planningcenteronline.com. You'll want to subscribe to at least:

• Services - For scheduling and setlist planning (required)
• People - For managing contact information (highly recommended)

Step 2: Set Up Service Types

Service types represent the different services you schedule. Common examples:

• Sunday Morning Worship
• Sunday Evening Service
• Wednesday Night
• High School Ministry
• Special Events

Go to Services → Settings → Service Types to create your service types.

Step 3: Add Team Positions

Within each service type, create positions for your team. Typical worship team positions include:

• Worship Leader - Leads the team and congregation
• Vocals - Background/harmony singers
• Keys/Piano - Keyboard player
• Acoustic Guitar - Acoustic guitar player
• Electric Guitar - Lead guitar
• Bass - Bass guitar
• Drums - Drummer
• Sound Engineer - Audio mixing
• Projection/Media - Lyrics and video

Step 4: Import Your Team Members

Add your team members and assign them to positions they can serve in:

1. Go to People and add each team member
2. In Services, go to your service type settings
3. Click on a position and add people who can fill that role
4. Set notification preferences for each person

Step 5: Build Your Song Library

A well-organized song library makes setlist planning much easier:

• Add songs with correct titles and authors
• Set the default key and tempo for each song
• Upload chord charts and lead sheets as attachments
• Add lyrics for projection
• Tag songs by theme (praise, communion, offering, etc.)

Step 6: Create Your First Plan

Now you're ready to create a service plan:

1. Go to Services and click New Plan
2. Select a date and service type
3. Add songs to build your setlist
4. Schedule team members to each position
5. Send scheduling requests to your team

Pro Tips

• Use blockout dates - Have volunteers enter their unavailable dates to avoid scheduling conflicts
• Enable email notifications - Keep your team informed of schedule changes
• Organize by folders - Group songs by theme or album in your library
• Use the mobile app - Team members can access schedules and music on their phones

Want an AI-Powered Assistant for Planning Center?

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• "Who's on the team this Sunday?"
• "When did we last play Amazing Grace?"
• "What's Sarah's phone number?"
• "Who's blocked out on January 15th?"

Start your free trial and see how Aria can supercharge your Planning Center workflow.