Using Planning Center to Prepare for Fall Events
If you're anything like us, you're still packing up decor from VBS, so thinking about Fall events might not be on your radar just yet. But here’s the thing—Fall is coming, and it’s coming fast. That means it’s almost time for trunk-or-treat nights, youth retreats, chili cook-offs, and Thanksgiving outreaches.
For most churches, Fall is one of the busiest (and most exciting) times of year - it can also be one of the most overwhelming. Between juggling ministry calendars, managing volunteers, and trying to stay on top of communication, it’s a lot - but you don’t have to do it all alone. With a little planning, and some help from Planning Center, you can head into the season feeling prepared instead of panicked.
Let’s walk through how Planning Center can help you pull off your Fall events with clarity, confidence, and minimal chaos.
Why Planning Center Is a Game Changer for Fall Ministry
First, let’s talk about what Planning Center is (beyond that app you might only open on Sunday mornings to check your volunteer schedule). It’s more than a database or a place to organize worship sets. Planning Center is a full toolkit built for churches like yours—where things move fast, people matter most, and every event has the potential to create connection.
Fall events often require a lot of moving pieces: booking rooms, signing people up, collecting payments, organizing volunteers, sending reminders, and—oh yeah—making sure everything runs smoothly on the big day. Planning Center helps you do all of that in one place.
It gives your team a single, shared space to organize rooms, schedule volunteers, manage registrations, and communicate with attendees. No more guessing who’s bringing what, wondering if anyone signed up, or digging through old emails to find event details.
Let’s Break It Down
1. Start with Calendar: Reserve Your Rooms and Resources
The best place to start? Calendar. Whether you’re planning a one-night community event or a multi-day retreat, get it on the church calendar first. That means locking down your spaces (no more double-booking the fellowship hall), reserving any resources you’ll need (tables, sound equipment, popcorn machine—you know, the essentials), and making sure your event fits well with everything else already happening at church.
Assigning someone as the event owner or manager keeps things from falling through the cracks. Now you’ve got the “where” and the “when” in place, and your team can start building around that.
2. Build Your Volunteer Teams in Services
Once the date and location are settled, it’s time to gather your crew. Whether you need greeters at the door, people to help with parking, or someone to refill hot chocolate, your volunteers are the heartbeat of your event. And let’s be honest—they’re also the ones you’re texting at the last minute when you forget something.
Planning Center Services lets you create custom teams and roles for your event. You can assign people directly or open sign-up positions so folks can sign up themselves (which, bonus, gives them ownership). Services also handles scheduling, sends automatic reminders, and lets people block out dates when they’re unavailable. Fewer awkward last-minute cancellations? Yes, please.
One of our favorite features is the ability to reuse templates. If this is an event you’ve done before, you don’t have to start from scratch every time. Just duplicate last year’s setup and tweak it as needed.
3. Need Sign-Ups? Use Registrations
If your event involves RSVPs, payments, or participant details, Planning Center Registrations will save you hours of admin time. You can create a form that asks all the right questions (Do they have allergies? What size shirt do they wear? Are they coming to the family dinner too?). You can also set capacity limits, collect payments, and send confirmation emails automatically.
The best part? On the day of the event, you’ll know exactly who’s coming—and you’ll have all their info right where you need it.
4. Don’t Forget Communication
Once the logistics and volunteers are in place, you’ll want to start sharing details with your people. And not just once—multiple times, in different ways, to make sure everyone knows what’s going on.
This is where Planning Center really shines. You can use People Lists to group volunteers, registrants, or families, and send them emails tailored to their role. Need to send arrival instructions to your parking team? Done. Want to remind families to bring blankets for the movie night? Easy.
Workflows are also super handy for follow-up. You can send thank-you emails to volunteers the day after the event, set reminders to check in with new guests, or even automate surveys to gather feedback.
For last-minute changes (because we all know those happen), connecting with a texting service like Clearstream or Text In Church can be a lifesaver.
5. Use Check-Ins for Safety and Simplicity
If your event includes children, or just has a lot of moving parts, using Planning Center Check-Ins is a great way to stay organized and keep people safe. Kids get a name tag with any special notes (like allergies), parents get a pickup label, and you can easily track attendance.
You can also use Check-Ins for volunteers or general attendance if you want to track who came. That kind of data is super helpful when you’re planning next year’s event or doing follow-up.
Helpful Tips to Make It All Run Smoother
Start early. We know, we know—easier said than done. But if you can start planning at least 6–8 weeks ahead, it gives you plenty of time to promote the event, recruit volunteers, and open registration without the stress.
Lean into the tools you’ve already used. If you hosted this event last year, reuse your templates and teams to save time.
Plan for the follow-up. A thank-you note, a quick “we’re glad you came” email, or even an invitation to come back on Sunday can go a long way in making guests feel like part of your church family.
And finally—ask for feedback. People love to feel heard, and you might learn something that helps you make your next event even better.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Fall is an incredible season for church outreach. People are open to connecting, kids are back in school, and families are looking for meaningful ways to spend time together. It’s a prime opportunity to create memories, invite people into community, and share the love of Jesus in tangible ways.
But you don’t have to burn out trying to do it all yourself. Planning Center gives you the tools to stay organized, lead well, and serve your people without the last-minute scramble.
Alicia Osgood
Support & Implementation Specialist, Threefold Solutions
P.S. We assist with coaching, training, strategy, and support.
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