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Planning Center Integration

GatherCMS's Calendar module is powered entirely by Planning Center Calendar. Planning Center is the single source of truth for all event data — GatherCMS syncs that data automatically and displays it on your church's website. GatherCMS is read-only for calendar data; no event management happens in GatherCMS itself.

What Gets Synced​

The following data is imported from Planning Center Calendar into GatherCMS:

  • Events — event names, descriptions, image URLs, registration URLs, and public/private status.
  • Event Instances — each individual occurrence of an event, with its own start and end date and time.
  • Tag Groups — the organizational containers for tags (e.g., "Ministry Area," "Event Type").
  • Tags — individual tag names and their public/private visibility settings.
  • Event-Tag Associations — which tags are assigned to which events.

How the Sync Works​

When the sync runs, GatherCMS processes data in the following order:

  • Tag groups are imported or updated first.
  • Tags (within those groups) are imported or updated next.
  • Events are imported or updated.
  • Event instances for each event are imported or updated.
  • Tag-to-event associations are applied.
  • Each event's Starts At date is recalculated to reflect its next upcoming instance.

New events and instances are created in GatherCMS when they appear in Planning Center. Existing records are updated when they change. Events deleted in Planning Center are soft-deleted in GatherCMS — they no longer appear on your website but remain in the system and can be seen under the Trashed filter in the Staff Portal.

Sync Timing​

  • Events typically appear in GatherCMS within a few minutes of being created or updated in Planning Center.
  • The same timing applies to instances, tags, and tag associations.
  • After the sync completes, an additional wait may apply if a Publication Delay is configured in Calendar Settings.

What You Can and Cannot Do in GatherCMS​

You can:

  • View and search the event list.
  • Filter by published, featured, or trashed status.
  • Open events to see their details and upcoming instances.
  • Mark or unmark events as Featured.

You cannot:

  • Create events.
  • Edit event names, dates, descriptions, or images.
  • Add, edit, or delete event instances.
  • Create, edit, or delete tags or tag groups.
  • Change an event's public/private status.
  • Assign or remove tags from an event.
note

For any of the actions listed above, make the change in Planning Center Calendar. The next sync will bring the updated data into GatherCMS automatically.

Troubleshooting Sync Issues​

  • Event not appearing after creation in Planning Center — wait a few minutes and refresh. If it still does not appear after 15 minutes, verify the event is saved and not in draft status in Planning Center.
  • Event showing in Staff Portal but not on website — the event may not have a public tag, or it may still be within its publication delay window. Check both in Planning Center Calendar and in Calendar Settings.
  • Event data looks stale (old dates, old description) — check Planning Center for the current version. Changes typically sync within a few minutes. If data is significantly out of date across many events, contact your GatherCMS administrator.
  • Deleted event still showing in Staff Portal — deleted events are soft-deleted rather than permanently removed. They appear under the Trashed filter but are not visible on your public website.
note

The sync runs automatically on a schedule and cannot be manually triggered from the Staff Portal. If you believe the sync has stopped running entirely or data is consistently out of date across all events, contact your GatherCMS administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions​

We use Planning Center for internal-only events. Will those appear on our website?

Only events that are marked as public in Planning Center and have at least one public tag will appear on your website. Events marked as private, or events with only private tags, will not be visible to website visitors.

Is there a way to prevent a specific event from appearing on our website without deleting it in Planning Center?

Yes. In Planning Center Calendar, either mark the event as private or remove all public tags from it. Either change will cause the event to stop appearing on your public website after the next sync.

We deleted an event in Planning Center but it still shows up in GatherCMS's event list. Why?

Deleted events are soft-deleted in GatherCMS, meaning they are preserved for record-keeping rather than permanently removed. They will not appear on your public website. You can view them in the Staff Portal by enabling the Trashed filter.

How do I update an event's description, date, or registration link?

Make the change in Planning Center Calendar. The next sync — typically within a few minutes — will update the event in GatherCMS and on your website automatically.

Can Planning Center send partial data — for example, updating only an event's name without affecting its instances?

Yes. The sync updates each data type independently. A name change in Planning Center will update the event name in GatherCMS without affecting its instances or tag associations.