BETTER BY SUNDAY w/ PCO
QUICK PCO TIPS, PART 2 | Mike Graff
Planning Center Online is a powerful resource time weeding through 25 different PDFs for though. PCO will auto-schedule your teams for
for your worship ministry, but there’s a lot of a single worship service, trying to figure out you within the Matrix mode for as many services
stuff under its hood. I mean, a lot of stuff. We which five are the charts they actually need to as you have open on the screen (which you can
covered a lot of turf in last month’s quick do’s- worry about. customize, up to several services at once).
wide of a resource Planning Center is, here’s Keep in mind, this doesn’t require you “hiding” How is this possible? It’s much less complex
another full list of tips that take a very short files or anything of that sort. When assigning than it sounds. Auto-schedule relies on you
amount of time to implement within PCO, but roles to your file, you’re just telling PCO to making sure that a few pieces of info are
you’ll see a huge return of value for the time you only show that file to the people who need correct: “Needed positions” for each service
spend implementing them. that file. If you never assign any roles to your (one drummer, two female vocalists, etc.)
files, that means everyone can see everything need to be included in your service, and team
(which can get cumbersome and cluttered if members must have correct role assignments
and-don’ts list, but because of how deep and
TRY OUT PLANNING CENTER’S “LIVE” MODE.
you’re not too careful). Assigning roles makes (bassist, keyboardist, etc.) and appropriate
Planning Center Live is an amazing function everybody’s chord chart experience that much scheduling parameters (“available 1x per
in PCO that simplifies the entire Planning more positive and productive! month, available 3x per month, etc.) attached
Center experience during your actual worship
to their user profile. Also, make sure team
services. Your device’s screen looks very similar USE TAGS FOR EACH SONG YOU CREATE TO HELP members are appropriately using block-out
to a stage-display screen while in Live mode, YOU PLAN WELL IN THE FUTURE. dates in the master calendar.
PCO allows you to add tags/keywords to each Once these pieces are all in place (which might
showing notes for each PCO element, timer,
what’s coming next, and much more.
song (or video) you add to your library. Adding take just a little bit of time to get right the first
If you’ve ever had a chronic problem with your tags is a super valuable thing to do if you follow time, but then it’s done!), all you do is hit the
worship services going long (or ending short) any sort of liturgy pattern and have your songs Auto-schedule button, and PCO will go to work
and you want to know where exactly the grouped by type (adoration, thanksgiving, for you! You can make any edits on what PCO
holdup is, look no further than Planning Center confession, etc). You might want to tag the automatically scheduled once the process is
Live. Live Mode will record the actual length scripture(s) each song refers to so you can look complete. Magic!
of each element and compare it with the time up book/chapter references as you plan each you had slotted in PCO for that song to take. service to see if you can land in the same place It can be very eye-opening to see how long it the senior pastor is landing.
Utilizing PCO can be easy if you are willing
actually takes to get through all five repeats of
your favorite bridge!
to invest a few minutes that will have a huge
Tagging also works for videos. You can narrow impact on how your team prepares and leads
your entire database to a few short files if you’ve the church in worshiping God. Don’t miss
DON’T FORGET TO ASSIGN “ROLES” TO EACH CHORD labeled them all appropriately. I personally tag your chance to build excellence into your
CHART AND MP3 YOU UPLOAD. my videos as “Intro Video”, “Announcement”, worship ministry with these quick tips. Go lead
“Special Event”, “Call To Worship”, “Mini- worship well!
If you’ve gone the extra mile to make specific Movie”, and “Sermon Bumper”. By searching
notes on a chord chart or recorded a special according to tag, you can hone in on what you
MP3 to help a certain team member (vocalist, want to use very quickly.
guitarist, etc.) practice their part, that’s a
wonderful thing to do! But please make sure TRY AUTO-SCHEDULING YOUR TEAM USING THE
you remember to assign who needs to see the MATRIX MODE.
file, instead of leaving that part blank. Why?
Because the entire team will have a tough
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What!?!? Artificial intelligence!?!? For real,
September 2018
Mike Graff
Chief Creative of internationally-acclaimed
Coresound Pads, and worship musician/leader for
over 20 years.
CoreSoundPads.com
WorshipMusician.com