How to Launch Church Center in Your Church: A Complete Planning Center Setup Guide
Are you new to Planning Center and wondering how to roll out Church Center to your congregation? Or maybe you’ve used a few features but haven’t fully embraced it across your church community?
This guide will walk you through how to set up Church Center, launch it effectively, and encourage your members to use it regularly. Plus, we’ll share best practices and a rollout timeline to make your launch smooth and successful.
For real-life examples, visit https://churchkit.io — a resource packed with inspiration from churches already using Church Center.
What Is Church Center and Why Should Your Church Use It?
Church Center is the mobile and web app from Planning Center that helps churches stay connected with their members. It’s a one-stop hub for giving, event registration, group communication, volunteer scheduling, and more.
Here’s what your congregation can do with Church Center:
Give and manage donations. Members can give online using debit or credit cards, Apple Pay, or ACH transfers. They can also view giving statements and manage recurring donations.
Join groups and stay connected. Church Center makes it easy to find and join groups based on life stage, location, or other needs. Group leaders can take attendance, share resources like study guides, and start chats with members.
Register for events. People can view upcoming events, register, and even pay within the app.
Manage volunteer schedules. Volunteers can accept requests, view their schedules, and chat with their teams.
Check in kids securely. Parents can start the check-in process on their way to church, and then scan a code at the door to finalize and print labels.
Update profiles and directory listings. Members can edit their contact info, manage household details, and choose what to share in the church directory.
Watch sermons and take notes. Church Center supports livestreams, on-demand messages, and interactive sermon notes — perfect for remote or on-the-go engagement.
How to Set Up Church Center in Planning Center Publishing
Church Center essentials, including app setup, home page management, and engagement analytics, are available for free through Planning Center Publishing. Upgrade your plan to unlock advanced features, including custom pages and themes, interactive message notes, and channels to watch your service.
Overview of Publishing Navigation
When you first log in to Publishing, you will see the main options available across the top:
Pages: Manage your home page and custom pages.
Sermons: Add livestreams, on-demand messages, and sermon notes.
Analytics: Track engagement and page visits.
Customize: Tailor navigation, icons, page names, and branding, which you can do by uploading your church logo and choosing app colors.
Promoting Church Center to your Congregation
Planning Center has made a variety of promotional materials available to you for use, including QR codes to download the app, custom videos, slide templates, and logo files. Here’s how to find them:
1. Open Planning Center Publishing.
2. Select Customize from the top navigation.
3. Select the Mobile App tab at the top of the page.
4. Scroll down to view and download assets.
Church Center Rollout Timeline: Four Phases to Success
Before You Launch
If your church is new to Planning Center, ensure your data migration is completed before you launch Church Center to your congregation. Otherwise, duplicate profiles will be created when users create a new account in Church Center.
Phase 1: Internal Prep (Weeks 1–2)
Objective: Make sure the staff and key volunteers are fluent in Church Center before launch.
Steps:
Confirm basic configuration.
Determine your Church Center URL, logo, and brand colors.
Decide what is featured on your home page (locations, service times, etc.).
Verify permissions for admins, group leaders, and staff roles.
Choose products for initial launch.
We recommend a phased rollout rather than launching everything at once. Start with three or four core features such as Giving, Groups, and Event Signups on launch weekend. Then add additional features, such as kids pre-check or a church directory, in the coming weeks to keep the excitement going.
Once you’ve decided which products will be utilized at launch, confirm they are set to be visible on Church Center (e.g., groups are listed, registrations are set to be included on the signups page, check-ins locations have pre-check enabled, etc.).
Train internal users.
Hold a one-hour Church Center demo with staff.
Walk through Giving, Groups, Signups, and Check-Ins from the app side.
Ensure the team can explain why Church Center matters and its benefits.
Soft test with leaders.
Invite staff and 10–20 trusted volunteers to log in, give, or register.
Collect feedback (ease of login, clarity of options, errors).
Fix branding, typos, or confusing labels before public rollout.
Phase 2: Pre-Launch Communication (Week 3)
Goal: Build anticipation and help people know what’s coming.
To drive adoption, promote Church Center across multiple channels:
Pre-Launch Email: Share that the church will be launching Church Center and give a brief highlight of features. Be sure to communicate that launch details and instructions will be shared soon via email and during in-service announcements.
Sunday Slide or Video Teaser (15–30 seconds)
Social Media Posts (Snippets of content from pre-launch email)
Talking Points for Staff/Volunteers: Include important highlights such as: Church Center is your new [church name] portal — one app where you can check in your kids, give, sign up for groups, and register for events.
Phase 3: Public Launch (Week 4)
Goal: Kick off with clear, consistent messaging across all channels.
Weekend Service Launch Elements:
From the Stage: Do a 90-second live walkthrough or play the Planning Center Publishing video promo (download from the Publishing Customize/Mobile App tab page).
Physical Handouts: Place “Download the Church Center app” cards in every seat or hand out at entrances. Include a step-by-step instruction manual with screenshots of the signup process.
Digital Signage or Slides: Include slides with a QR code to download the app in your pre-service announcement loop or add to screens in the lobby.
Personal Interaction in the Lobby: Schedule staff or key volunteers to be available in the lobby to demonstrate how to use the app, answer questions, and assist with issues.
Website Banner: Advertise on your home page (Get the Church Center app today: your new home for everything [Church Name].).
Email Blast: Send out an overview of features and a step-by-step guide to getting started.
Phase 4: Post-Launch Engagement (Weeks 5–8)
Goal: Drive adoption through repetition and visibility.
Strategies:
Keep QR codes visible in the lobby and slides for four–six weeks.
Reference Church Center in announcements (“Sign up on Church Center!”).
Use email and push notifications (leading to the app) for the next big event.
Train greeters, next steps volunteers, and group leaders to help people install the app.
Run a “Church Center Challenge.” Encourage members to sign up for an event through the app to win a gift card or similar challenge.
Continue to slowly roll out additional features, such as kids pre-check, interactive message notes, or a church directory. Advertising “new features” after launch will encourage those who have not engaged yet to take the leap.
Metrics to Watch (Analytics in Publishing and Widgets in Home App):
Percentage of attendees who log in or give through Church Center.
Number of app downloads (approximately equal to number of log ins).
Giving transactions migrated from legacy systems.
Ongoing Communication After Your Launch
Even after your launch is complete, you should continually reference Church Center to keep it top of mind for your congregation. Everyone who attends should know that Church Center is your hub for everything related to your church, and this includes new visitors who arrive after your launch.
Here are the top strategies for success:
Make it the only option. Use Church Center as the single call to action for all announcements. Avoid providing alternative ways to access information.
Add it to your announcement script. Ensure every announcement ends with: “Sign up/find more info in Church Center.”
Promote consistently. Mention Church Center multiple times every weekend — from giving and next steps to signing up for events.
· Train annually. Hold yearly training sessions to remind leaders how to use Church Center, teach about new updates, and onboard anyone who joined the church in the past year.
Set clear expectations. Frame Church Center as the hub for everything at your church. Make it clear that this is where things happen, not just an optional tool.
When implemented consistently, you can achieve engagement rates above 70%. Church Center can become the new normal, not just among tech-savvy young adults, but also among older members.
Church Center FAQ & Troubleshooting
Can we use Church Center as our church’s website? The technical answer is yes, but we don’t recommend this approach. Think of your website as visitor-focused and Church Center as regular attendee/member-focused. Read more about this topic here.
What if someone can’t log in? Have them try “Sign in with phone number” and check for typos in Planning Center People.
Can someone give without the app? Yes, via your Church Center web link.
What if someone can’t find our church? Ask them to allow location or search by zip code and church name.
How do households work? One login can manage multiple family members.
How do I fix missing family members? Confirm their household is correctly set up in People.
Conclusion: You Can Do This
Launching Church Center is one of the best ways to streamline communication, increase engagement, and simplify giving and event registration in your church. With a thoughtful rollout and consistent promotion, your congregation will quickly see the value and start using it every week.
Need help getting started? Visit https://churchkit.io for examples, templates, and inspiration from churches just like yours or reach out to info@threefold.solutions for customized support, strategy, coaching, and training.
Kristin Emerson
Client Success Specialist, Threefold Solutions
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