Support & Documentation

Learn how ChurchPulse works and get answers to common questions.

Overview PCO Integration Check-In Visitor Management Self Check-In FAQ

What is ChurchPulse?

ChurchPulse is an attendance and visitor management module that integrates directly with Planning Center People. We're designed specifically for small and medium-sized churches who want simple, effective attendance tracking without the complexity of larger systems.

Think of ChurchPulse as an extension of Planning Center People that adds:

  • Event-based attendance tracking with recurring event templates
  • Fast staff check-in interface for welcome desk volunteers
  • Visitor capture and follow-up with full contact information
  • Self check-in via QR code or kiosk mode
  • Attendance reports with CSV export and person history

Planning Center Integration

ChurchPulse connects directly to your Planning Center People account using OAuth. When you sign in, we securely access your people and household data to power the check-in experience.

Membership Type Expectations

ChurchPulse is built on opinionated membership type expectations to clearly distinguish between members and visitors in your congregation:

Members

People in PCO with membership type set to exactly "Member"

Visitors

People in PCO with membership type set to exactly "Visitor"

Note: People with other membership types (e.g., "Regular Attender", "Inactive", custom types) will not appear in ChurchPulse check-in lists. This allows you to maintain other membership categories in PCO without cluttering your attendance tracking.

What We Sync

  • From PCO: People, households, membership types, contact info (for self check-in lookup)
  • To PCO: New visitors (as people with "Visitor" membership), contact details, and follow-up notes
  • To PCO: "Last Attended" date synced automatically to a custom field when someone checks in

Setting Up "Last Attended" Sync

ChurchPulse can automatically update a custom date field in Planning Center whenever someone checks in. This makes it easy to identify inactive members and track engagement trends.

Step 1: Create a Custom Field in PCO

  1. 1. In Planning Center People, go to Settings → Custom Fields
  2. 2. Click New Field Definition
  3. 3. Name it something like "Last Attended" or "Last Check-In"
  4. 4. Set the Data Type to Date
  5. 5. Save the field

Step 2: Configure in ChurchPulse

  1. 1. Go to Settings → Organization
  2. 2. Find the Planning Center Integration section
  3. 3. Click Load PCO Fields to fetch your custom date fields
  4. 4. Select your "Last Attended" field from the dropdown
  5. 5. Click Save PCO Settings

How it works: When someone checks in (either via staff check-in or self check-in), ChurchPulse immediately updates their "Last Attended" field in PCO. If the sync fails for any reason, a catch-up process runs every 15 minutes to retry.

Staff Check-In

The staff check-in interface is designed for volunteers at your welcome desk or greeters with tablets. It provides a fast, intuitive way to check in members and add new visitors.

For Members

  • 1. Search by name or browse households
  • 2. Check in individuals or entire households with one tap
  • 3. Recent attenders appear at the top for faster check-in

For New Visitors

  • 1. Click "Add Visitor" to open the registration form
  • 2. Enter name, contact info, and optional follow-up details
  • 3. Visitor is checked in and can be synced to PCO from the event report

Tip: The check-in interface shows Members in blue and PCO Visitors in purple, so your greeters can quickly identify who's new to your church.

Headcount & Party Size

ChurchPulse helps you track actual attendance beyond just check-ins:

Manual Headcount

Enter a head count to track actual attendance. The system will show you the difference between your manual count and the number checked in, helping identify unaccounted attendees.

Visitor Party Size

When adding a visitor, you can specify how many people they represent. This is useful when a family checks in together under one name—their party size is counted toward total attendance.

Visitor Management

ChurchPulse distinguishes between three categories of attendees to help you track follow-up effectively:

New Visitors (Emerald)

People added through ChurchPulse who haven't been synced to PCO yet. These are your top priority for follow-up.

PCO Visitors (Purple)

People already in Planning Center with membership type "Visitor". These are returning visitors who've attended before.

Members (Blue)

People in Planning Center with membership type "Member". These are your regular congregation members.

Syncing Visitors to PCO

After an event, visit the Event Report to review attendance and sync new visitors to Planning Center. When you sync a visitor:

  • A new person is created in PCO with membership type "Visitor"
  • Email, phone, and address are added as contact info
  • A note is added with the event details, family info, and their responses (first visit, looking for a church, etc.)

Self Check-In & Kiosk Mode

ChurchPulse offers a public self check-in page that can be used two ways:

Mobile Check-In via QR Code

Display a QR code in your lobby or bulletins. Attendees scan with their phone and check in themselves using their phone number or email.

Lobby Kiosk

Set up a tablet or touchscreen at your entrance. Attendees look up their household and check in without needing volunteer assistance.

How Self Check-In Works

  1. 1 Attendee enters their phone number or email to look up their household
  2. 2 Household members are displayed - they select who's attending
  3. 3 Confirmation screen shows successful check-in

First-time visitors can also self-register through the kiosk, providing their contact information and optional follow-up details.

Getting Your QR Code

In your organization settings, you'll find a downloadable QR code that links directly to your self check-in page. Print it on bulletins, display it on screens, or post it at your entrance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Planning Center account?

Yes, ChurchPulse is built specifically for churches using Planning Center People. You'll sign in with your PCO account, and ChurchPulse will pull your people and household data directly from PCO.

What permissions are required in Planning Center?

You need to be a People Manager in Planning Center to use ChurchPulse. This allows the app to read people data and create new visitors when syncing.

Why don't I see all my people in the check-in list?

ChurchPulse only shows people with membership type "Member" or "Visitor" in the check-in interface. People with other membership types (like "Regular Attender", "Inactive", or custom types) are excluded. This is by design to keep your check-in list focused on your active congregation.

If you need someone to appear, update their membership type in Planning Center to "Member" or "Visitor".

How often is people data refreshed from PCO?

People data is cached for 1 hour to keep the check-in interface fast. You can manually refresh by clicking the "Refresh People" button in the check-in interface. Changes made to PCO (like adding new members) will appear after the cache expires or after a manual refresh.

Can multiple users check in at the same event?

Yes! Multiple volunteers can use the staff check-in interface simultaneously on different devices. The self check-in kiosk and mobile check-in can also be used at the same time. Attendance is updated in real-time across all devices.

Is there a mobile app?

ChurchPulse is a web application that works great on tablets and phones. There's no separate app to download - just open it in your browser. For the best experience, we recommend using modern browsers like Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

How do recurring events work?

You can create Event Templates for recurring events like "Sunday Service" or "Wednesday Bible Study". Specify which days of the week and the default time. ChurchPulse automatically generates upcoming event instances from your templates, so you always have events ready for check-in.

Can I export attendance data?

Yes! From any Event Report, you can export the attendance list to CSV. The export includes attendee names, check-in times, and their type (Member, PCO Visitor, or New Visitor). This is great for record-keeping or importing into other systems.

What's the difference between headcount and check-in count?

The check-in count is the number of people who formally checked in (either via staff check-in or self check-in). The headcount is a manual count you enter to reflect actual attendance.

ChurchPulse shows you the "unaccounted" number—the difference between your headcount and check-ins. This helps identify how many people attended but didn't check in, useful for understanding check-in adoption and true attendance.

What is visitor party size?

When adding a new visitor, you can specify how many people they represent. For example, if the Smith family of 4 checks in together, you can create one visitor card for "John Smith" with a party size of 4.

This party size is factored into the calculated attendance, so your total attendance count accurately reflects the number of people present, not just the number of check-ins.

Still have questions?

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