Introducing Church Center
Restoration is in the midst of transitioning to a new church management system, Church Center. By the end of this transition, we will no longer be using Church Community Builder (CCB). A key part of this transition is online giving: going forward, all online gifts will be processed on the new platform. We are asking that all parishioners with repeating gifts create repeating gifts in Church Center and stop their gifts in CCB no later than June 30, 2024. By doing so, you allow us to meet our meet our operating budget and continue church operations at full capacity.
Executive Director Kat Downs wrote to the congregation about this change. Read her letter below.
Repeating Gifts
Many parishioners have automatic repeating gifts set up in CCB. By June 30, new repeating gifts need to be created in Church Center and old ones in CCB need to be stopped. Any repeating gifts not transferred to Church Center when our CCB subscription ends will bounce, and Restoration will not receive the funds.
When cancelling your gift in CCB, note the date of your next gift. If the next gift is in June, please set your first gift in Church Center for a date in June. This is crucial and will ensure we can meet our operating budget for June.
When creating a new gift in Church Center, make sure to create an account—this will allow you to easily edit your gift in the future. Please also ensure your gifts is designated to the Operating Fund.
One-Time Gifts
All one-time gifts will now be processed through Church Center, which can be accessed by clicking “Give” in our website’s menu. Please create an account when you make your first gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: This is confusing! Where can I go for help?
A: Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate this transition. Please reach out to Callie Goyer by email or schedule a phone or Zoom call with her on Calendly.
Q: Why are you making this switch?
A: Church Community Builder (CCB) is making some changes that would reduce its functionality for both our staff team and the congregation. We currently use Planning Center to plan our services and schedule Sunday volunteers. For some time, we’ve known that moving everything over to Planning Center would be a positive change, and the changes at CCB made us realize that now is the time to do it. Church Center is the congregation-facing side of Planning Center.
Q: Do I have to create a Church Center account?
A: No, but we recommend that you do. Having an account will allow you to give via ACH transfer, save payment methods, and easily access your giving history. Over the next few months, we will continue rolling out additional Church Center features for which it will also be helpful to have an account.
Q: Why am I being asked to cover the processing fee for my transaction?
A: Credit card processing fees are a significant expense for Restoration. For example, in our last fiscal year, we spent more on these fees than we did on running our children’s ministry. By covering your processing fees, you are helping us free up some of the money that we currently spend on processing fees for use in other areas.
Q: Why can I only see my giving history through the end of 2023?
A: We have not yet imported any giving history from 2024. Once we have fully transitioned all one-time and recurring gifts to Church Center from CCB, we will do a final import of all 2024 giving history. This will happen well before the end of 2024, and all giving statements for 2024 will be distributed via Church Center.
Q: I don’t currently have a recurring gift to Restoration set up. Should I?
A: While this is a matter of personal preference, we heartily recommend it if you give online regularly. Because we don’t have an annual pledge drive, we rely heavily on recurring gift data to help us project our income.
Q: I currently give by check or donor-advised fund. Do I need to do anything?
A: Giving by check and donor-advised fund will not be affected. However, we recommend that you create a Church Center account. This will allow you to access to your giving history and be helpful over the next few months as we roll out additional Church Center features.
Q: I already have a Planning Center Services account because I’m a volunteer. How is this different?
A: Services and Church Center are two distinct parts of the Planning Center ecosystem. However, Church Center incorporates some Service features by enabling volunteers to see their schedule and sign up to serve. Most liturgical volunteers will find that Church Center and scheduling emails from our team are all they need, but musicians may find that they need more information about the service than they can find in Church Center. If this is you, you will want to continue using Services as you have been.