Planning Center Groups is an online application that will help you manage your members, plan events, take attendance, and share resources.
You need to be a Group Leader or Administrator to log in to Groups.
There are two places you can manage your groups from--Groups Admin and Church Center. The table below shows what you can do from each interface. Click the link for a task to learn more.
| Task | Church Center | Groups Admin |
|---|---|---|
|
Add and manage members |
x | |
|
Add and manage events |
x | x |
|
Take attendance |
x | x |
|
Message members |
x | |
|
Add resources |
x | |
|
Update group settings |
x | |
|
Generate group reports |
x |
The following video shows how you can manage your group from the Admin side of Groups.
The following video shows what leaders can do in Church Center.
To manage your group as a leader, you'll need to log in to Groups Admin or Church Center.
The first time you log in to Groups Admin, you might need to set a password, depending on if you have previously set a password for one of the other Planning Center products. To log in to Church Center, you'll enter your mobile number and receive a verification code.
Add and Manage Members
You can add and manage members from the group Members tab in the Groups Admin interface.
- When someone requests to join your group, you'll receive an email notification. You can either respond via the link in that email or respond from Groups.
- Take one of these actions on selected members in the list: Email members, print a list of members, export a list of members, or remove members.
- You can either add or invite members to the group.
- If you see the Add Member button, you can click it to add a new member directly.
- If you see the Invite a new member button, you can click it to invite a member. If you would like permissions to add members directly, contact your Administrator.
- Edit the date the person joined the group.
- Click the red x to remove an individual member.
Create and Manage Events
You can create and edit events from both Groups Admin and Church Center.
To create an event in Church Center web or app, log into Church Center, go to the group's Events tab, and select the Actions button in the app or the New button on the web. Select an event to edit it.
To create an event in Groups Admin, click the Create a new event button in a group's Event's tab. Select an event to edit it.
From the event list, you can request RSVPs from your members for upcoming events and quickly view the responses.
Take Attendance
You can take attendance for a group event from either Groups Admin or Church Center starting from 10 minutes before the event begins.
Message Members
You can communicate with your group members using Group Messaging in the Church Center web or app.
First, make sure that messaging is enabled for your group and decide whether members can create new messages or only leaders.
If you don't see the Group Messaging section in Settings, you can ask your Admin to give you permission to enable messaging for your group.
You can then start discussions or post announcements for your group members Church Center.
Administrative Tasks
Some additional tools that you can use to manage your group from Groups Admin include adding group resources, updating group information from the Settings tab, and viewing reports on group membership and attendance.
Resources
The Resources tab allows you to view resources that have been uploaded and shared with your group. As the leader, you will also have the option to upload resources for your members.
When your members view the group, they will have access to the list of resources you have uploaded and they can download the resources on their end.
Some mobile iOS devices have limitations on types of files that can be downloaded.
For more information on resources, see the Add Resources for Members article.
Settings
From the Settings tab, group leaders can modify group information such as name, description, and group image, as well as the meeting location and contact information.
Reports
There are currently two different types of reports. The Overview report will give you a bird's eye view of how your group is doing as a whole.
The Attendance report will give you a closer look at the individuals in your group. As you take attendance during your events, this report will begin to populate.
For more information on reports, see the Reports article.
Need Help?
If you need any help as you're leading your group, use the ? in the upper right of any page to contact our Support Team or submit a ticket in our contact form.