Planning Tool #2 PLANNINGCENTERONLINE.COM

I know this is no surprise to anyone. It seems like they have the corner on 90% of the Churches in the US. I actually have nightmares of  Planning Center going bankrupt and losing the hundreds of hours I’ve spent over the years putting charts, mp3’s and other resources I’ve meticulously uploaded. There are so many features to this monthly paid service that a single blog post couldn’t do it justice but I thought that I would share some of the biggest time killers and savers I’ve learned. (Check Out the Video Tutorial)

Animatronics stink at worship

Remember going to Chuckie Cheeses as kid for birthday parties and rockin along with the awesome house band? You know, the robots that tirelessly cranked out the greatest hits of the 50’s that were tweaked for little kids to sing along to. Ever wondered if this is what it might feel like as a musician in the church?

This is not a profound truth but don’t replace people with machines. I can just hear some of you thinking but they’re always on time, never unprepared, don’t play wrong notes and won’t ever complain but it’s simply not worth it.

Planning Tool #1: EVERNOTE

These tools are not in any particular order or hierarchy.

I purchased a handy little ebook called “A Guide to Evernote for Pastors” by Ron Edmondson and it was just what the Dr. ordered. If you are not currently using this tool please do yourself a favor and download the app and the desktop version. While it is simple to use (don’t be afraid of it), it is also very robust in it’s capabilities and I can’t go into detail.

Pulling Back the Curtain

During a recent lunch with some other worship leader friends, we got to discussing some of the tools that we have found most helpful in our ministries.  As everyone was talking about their favorite tools for worship, I started seeing light bulb’s go off in people’s heads as they realized how various tools could be applied in each of their own ministries.