PCO Tips: How to Set Up and Track Workflows in Planning Center People
Every church has processes — how they follow up with new guests, onboard volunteers, or prepare people for baptism. The problem is, without a clear system, those processes often live in someone’s head, a random spreadsheet, or a stack of sticky notes on a desk.
Workflows in Planning Center People can transform the way your church cares for people.
Workflows help you assign tasks, track progress, and make sure nobody slips through the cracks. They bring structure and accountability to your follow-up processes, so your team can focus less on chasing details and more on ministering to people.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to set up and track workflows step by step, plus share best practices that will help you turn systems into ministry wins.
Why Workflows Matter
Think of a workflow as your digital checklist with people attached.Each step represents part of the process someone goes through: a guest getting a follow-up call, receiving an email, or being invited to an event.
Without workflows:
Guests get forgotten.
Volunteers fall through the cracks.
Staff waste time guessing who’s responsible for what.
With workflows:
Clarity. Everyone knows the next step.
Accountability. Tasks have owners and deadlines.
Consistency. Every person gets the same level of care.
Step 1: Creating a Workflow
To create a workflow in PCO People:
Go to the Workflows tab.
Click New Workflow.
Name your workflow based on the process (e.g., “New Guest Follow-Up,” “Volunteer Onboarding,” “Baptism Preparation”).
Add the steps your team needs to take.
Pro Tip: Start simple. You can always add more steps later. A three-step workflow that’s used consistently is better than a ten-step workflow that overwhelms your team.
Step 2: Adding Steps to the Workflow
Each workflow is made up of steps. A step could be:
Send a welcome email.
Call the new guest within 48 hours.
Invite them to coffee with a pastor.
Enroll them in a Next Steps class.
When you create a step, you can assign it to a person or a team. That way, responsibilities are clear from the start.
Pro Tip: Include both digital and relational steps. For example, don’t just send emails, make sure someone makes a personal phone call or face-to-face connection.
Step 3: Assigning and Tracking People
When someone fills out a form or is manually added to a workflow, they appear at Step 1. From there, your team moves them forward as each step is completed.
Assign follow-up steps to specific staff or volunteers.
Set due dates to keep things on track.
Add notes to capture context (e.g., “Had a great phone call, family has three kids”).
Pro Tip: Use the auto-advance feature for steps that happen instantly (like sending an automated email). This keeps people moving without bottlenecks.
Step 4: Automating with Triggers
One of the most powerful features in workflows is the ability to connect them to forms and other parts of PCO.
For example:
A guest fills out a connect card form → they’re automatically added to the “New Guest Follow-Up” workflow.
A volunteer applies to serve → they’re dropped into the “Volunteer Onboarding” workflow.
Someone registers for baptism → they start in the “Baptism Prep” workflow.
Pro Tip: Automation doesn’t replace people; it supports them. Use automation for the predictable tasks so leaders have more time for relational ministry.
Step 5: Reviewing and Measuring Progress
Workflows aren’t just about assigning tasks; they also give you data.
Track how many people are in each step.
Identify bottlenecks (e.g., lots of people stuck in step three of the process).
Celebrate wins (e.g., 20 guests completed the workflow this month).
Pro Tip: Review workflows monthly. If a step consistently slows people down, ask if it’s really needed or if it could be simplified.
Creative Examples of Workflows
Workflows can serve almost any process in your church. Here are a few practical examples:
New Guest Follow-Up: Capture info → Send a thank-you email → Make a phone call → Invite to coffee → Enroll in Next Steps.
Volunteer Onboarding: Application → Interview → Training → First time serving → Add to schedule.
Prayer Requests: Assign to prayer team → Follow up with person → Record answered prayer.
Care Requests: Intake form → Assigned pastor → Counseling session → Ongoing support.
Membership Process: Sign-up → Orientation class → Pastoral interview → Membership confirmation.
Pro Tip: Don’t overload your team with dozens of workflows. Start with the top three to five processes your church uses most often and build from there.
Best Practices for Effective Workflows
Keep steps actionable. Each step should be something someone can actually complete (“Send an email” vs. “Make them feel welcome”).
Use deadlines. Follow-up loses impact the longer you wait.
Assign ownership. Every step should have a name attached to it.
Integrate with forms. Let your connect cards and sign-ups feed directly into workflows.
Train your team. Make sure staff and key volunteers know how to use workflows consistently.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Overcomplicating steps. If your workflow looks like a 40-step maze, nobody will use it.
Forgetting to check it. Workflows only work if leaders actually log in and update progress.
Not customizing. Copying another church’s workflow without adapting it to your context can backfire.
Ignoring feedback. If your team says the system is too heavy, adjust it. Workflows should serve people, not burden them.
Final Thoughts
Workflows in Planning Center People are a discipleship tool as well as an administrative feature. They help you ensure that every guest is followed up with, every volunteer is trained, and every care request gets a response.
When systems work, people don’t fall through the cracks. And when people don’t fall through the cracks, they feel seen, valued, and connected.
At the end of the day, workflows aren’t about tasks; they’re about people. And with PCO, you can build systems that free your leaders to do what they do best: love and shepherd people well.
Tim Cruz
Guest writer, Threefold Solutions
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