Planning Center

Planning Center is a church management platform that brings several areas of church administration into one platform. Churches can manage member records, plan worship services, organize events, coordinate volunteers, and track donations. It also supports ministries such as groups, children's programs, and facility management. Users can use individual Planning Center products or combine them based on their administrative needs. 

What Is Planning Center Best For? 

The platform stands out for its 'Check-Ins' feature. It keeps a child's location and contact details off the security label a parent holds, even though that same information appears on the child's own name tag. Medical notes, like allergies, print directly on the child's tag, so staff have access to important information. At pickup, matching security codes help staff confirm that children leave with the correct parent or approved person. 

How Much Does Planning Center Cost? 

Planning Center price starts at $15/month for all of its products. For teams below 20 members, the platform is available for free of cost. 

It follows a pay-as-you-go model, where pricing depends on the selected products. 

Its products include: 

• Services 
• Registration
• Giving 
• Check-ins 
• Groups 
• Calendar 
• Publishing 

Besides the aforementioned paid plans, the vendor also offers a free People plan. 

Apart from the base fee, organizations should expect the following additional costs: 

• Payment Processing Fees: 1.4% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30/transaction 
• International Card Processing: additional 0.8% to 1.5%/transaction 
• Text Messaging: $0.02/text 
• Text2Give Number: $5/month 
• Music Stand Add-On: $5–$10+/month 
• Check-In Hardware: $200–$1,500+ one-time 

Users generally consider the platform reasonably priced for its capabilities, particularly because they can select subscription levels for individual modules. However, some reviewers find it slightly expensive and note that moving between pricing tiers can result in relatively large cost increases. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

Planning Center Integrations 

Planning Center software can integrate with multiple third-party tools such as: 

• Mailchimp software
• PraiseCharts 
• Protect My Minister 
• BoxCast 
• RehearsalMix 
• SongSelect 
• Checkr
• AboutYourPeople

How Does Planning Center Work? 

Once you logged in to the platform, follow these steps and start using its features: 

• Add records to ‘People’ 
• Build a service plan in ‘Services’ and assign volunteers to roles 
• Set up a check-in station in ‘Check-Ins’ and choose what prints on each label 
• Record a donation in Giving, either online or as part of a batch 
• Open a group's page in Groups to take attendance and log who attended 
• Reserve a room in Calendar for an upcoming event

Who Is Planning Center For? 

Planning Center mainly caters to: 

• Religious institutions 
• Nonprofit 
• Education 
• Government administration

Planning Center Use Cases 

Based on our analysis of user feedback and documented Planning Center features, these are key scenarios where this software is a well-suited option. 

1. Worship Teams Planning Services 

Planning Center can be used by worship teams to build service plans and prepare musicians for upcoming services. Teams can arrange service items, schedule musicians, upload chord charts and audio files, and track who has accepted or declined a serving request. Reviewers particularly value having schedules and preparation materials available together before each service. 

1. Children’s Ministries Managing Check-Ins 

Children’s ministries use to check children in from mobile devices and print name tags wirelessly when they arrive. This gives staff a practical way to record attendance and identify checked-in children during services. Users praise the ease of kids’ check-in process and wireless name-tag printing. 

1. Multi-Campus Churches Coordinating Services 

Planning Center helps multi-campus churches schedule bands and other ministry teams across several weekly services. Its Matrix view displays multiple services and team assignments on one screen, so staff can see which positions still need volunteers across upcoming dates. As per user feedback, Matrix view helps compare 10+ weekly services side by side. and schedule teams for months in advance. 

1. Church Staff Handling Events And Registrations 

Church teams can use the Planning Center to organize event registrations alongside attendees and member information. Teams can use it for church events, ministry sign-ups, and other activities that require advance registration. Reviewers also highlight having registrations and congregation data within the same software suite. 

Is Planning Center Right For You? 

Planning Center is a good fit for churches that want services, children's check-in, giving, and member information within one system. The platform holds SOC 2 Type 1 and supports two-step verification for account protection.

Beyond this, it offers a Planning Center MCP that connects AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to the People account. Instead of manually digging through a workflow, a staff member can just ask the assistant a question and get answers from current account data. 

Furthermore, charitable giving is also worth considering due to a 2026 tax change. Taxpayers who take the standard deduction can now deduct cash donations up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. Due to this reason, churches may therefore see more members requesting donation records for tax purposes. Planning Center Giving helps with this by generating donor statements that document their contributions. 

Still deciding if Planning Center is the right fit? Call us at (661) 384-7070 for further guidance.