Plan a Service From Start to Finish

This guide follows one Sunday from an empty calendar to the attendance count afterwards: set up the Service, add the plan, build the order of service, schedule the team, show it in Present, run it with timings, and count the room. Every step works the same on the web app and in Tech Manager.

Step 1: Set up the Service (once)

A Service is the recurring gathering, such as "Sunday Service". You only do this once.

1. Go to Plan > Services and click + Service type.
2. Type "Sunday Service" (or your name for it) and click Create.
3. Click the gear icon on the new Service's row to open Service settings.
4. Under Usual schedule, pick the Day and add each usual start time with Add time (for example 9:00 and 11:00). Click Save.

From now on, new plans for this Service start on that day and time, and extra times become the plan's Times.

Step 2: Set up your serving teams (once)

1. Go to Plan > Teams and click the Service on the left.
2. Click + Team, name it (for example "Band"), keep Church-wide — every Service or limit it to this Service, and click Create.
3. Click + Position and add each position (Drums, Bass, Lead Vocal).
4. Optionally click a position's people count to choose who can fill it, and add Leaders to hear about declines.

Step 3: Add this week's plan

1. Go to Plan > Services.
2. On the Service's row, click Copy last to copy last week's plan forward, or + Add plan to start a new one.
3. For + Add plan, check the date and time and click Create plan. To reserve the next few months at once, set Repeats to Weekly and choose how many more.

The new plan opens on its Order tab.

Step 4: Build the order of service

1. On the plan's Order tab, click Templates if you have a saved order, and pick one.
2. Click + Item for each part of the service. Fill in What is it? and How long?, then click Save.
3. For each song, select its item, click + Link a song, search, choose the Arrangement and Key, and click Link song.
4. For videos or images, select the item and click + Attach media.
5. Drag the grip at the left of a row to change the order.
6. To give the audio or video team their own notes, click Columns and add a column, then fill in Team notes on each item.

Click Print to hand out a printed or PDF copy.

Step 5: Add a second service time or rehearsal (if you have one)

1. Click the plan's Details tab.
2. On the Times card, click Add, choose Service or Rehearsal, set the times, and click Save.

Skip this if the Service's usual times already added them in Step 1.

Step 6: Schedule the team

• For this week only: click the plan's Teams tab, click + Assign on each position and pick a person. Each person is on the schedule straight away, marked Not notified yet. When everyone is in, click the Send button on the bar to email them.
• For several weeks at once: go to Plan > Services, click Matrix on the Service's row, fill the slots, then click Send. Nobody is emailed until you press Send.

Each person gets one email listing everything new for them. People answer from the email or on People > My Schedule. The guide "Schedule volunteers" covers this in detail.

Step 7: Put it on the screens

1. Open the plan's Order tab.
2. Click Present. Present builds a playlist from the songs and media you linked. On the web app it opens in a new browser tab; in Tech Manager it opens inside the app.

Step 8: Run the service with timings

1. On Sunday, open the plan and click the Live tab.
2. If there are two Times, pick the one you are running next to Running.
3. Click Start run, then Next as each item begins. Click Automatic if you want songs going on screen in Present to move the run along.
4. Click End run when the service is over and confirm. The plan now shows Done on Plan > Services, and the Live tab shows how far over or under it ran.

Step 9: Count attendance and review

1. Go to Plan > Service Metrics and click the plan.
2. Click Enter In-Person Attendance. Use Seat count to tap seats and Save count, or Auto count (camera) and Run count now.
3. On Attendance Recap, click Connect a live stream to add your online viewers.
4. Check Compared to Recent Weeks, and Follow-Up for people you didn't see.

Step 10: Get ready for next week

Open the plan's Details tab and click Copy to next week, or use Copy last on Plan > Services. The order of service, slides and cues come with it; the speaker and notes don't.

Troubleshooting

I can't find the plan I just made

Look under its Service on Plan > Services. If it is in the past, turn on Show past. Plans not linked to a Service are listed under "Ungrouped plans".

The Teams tab has no teams

The Service has no teams yet. Do Step 2, then come back.

Present opened but some items are missing

Present builds its playlist from linked songs and media. Make sure each song item shows a linked song in its Song section, and each video item has Media attached.

Good to know

• Steps 1 and 2 are once-only. A normal week is Steps 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8.
• Planning Center users: Plan > Services is your Services module, a plan's Order is the plan's item list, and the Matrix is the scheduling matrix.