CP Sync provides deep integration with Planning Center Online (PCO), allowing you to synchronize groups, events, and other data with your WordPress website.
Setting Up the PCO Integration
Prerequisites
- An active Planning Center Online account you can sign in to
- Administrator access to your WordPress website
- CP Sync plugin installed and activated
Connect to Planning Center
CP Sync connects to Planning Center through Church Plugins. On the Connect tab there is no Client ID, Client Secret, or callback URL field.
- In your WordPress admin, go to Church Plugins → CP Sync.
- Open the Connect tab.
- Set Church Management System to Planning Center Online.
- Under PCO API Configuration, click Connect. The line above the button reads Click the button below to initiate the OAuth flow and connect to Planning Center Online.
- A new window opens at churchplugins.com, which sends you to Planning Center. Sign in there and authorize the connection. The window returns to WordPress and closes.
- The Connect tab shows a success notice that reads Connected.
Reload the CP Sync page to see which account is connected. The notice then reads Connected to {organization} as {person} when Planning Center returns both names, or Connected to {organization} when only the organization name is available. {organization} and {person} are those names, not text you type.
To disconnect, click Disconnect. The Connect button comes back. Click Connect to sign in again. If the Connect button does not come back, reload the page and click Disconnect again. To disconnect Planning Center while another system is selected, switch Church Management System back to Planning Center Online first, then click Disconnect.
Changing Church Management System while you are connected leaves the Planning Center connection in place. CP Sync only syncs from the system currently selected. The tab says Switching platforms does not disconnect Planning Center Online — its connection and settings are preserved.
After you are connected, the same tab shows a Sync section. Choose what to sync, then click Save all Settings:
- Sync Groups — When enabled, groups are synced from your ChMS to CP Groups.
- Sync Events — When enabled, events are synced from your ChMS to The Events Calendar.
- Sync Sermons — When enabled, sermons are synced from your ChMS to CP Sermons. This toggle is off until you turn it on.
If the companion plugin is not active, that toggle is disabled. Its help text is Requires the CP Groups plugin, which is not active on this site., Requires The Events Calendar plugin, which is not active on this site., or Requires the CP Sermons plugin, which is not active on this site.
Configuring Data Synchronization
Groups Synchronization
Group sync needs the CP Groups plugin to be active. If it isn’t, the Sync Groups toggle is disabled and the Groups tab doesn’t appear.
Group sync settings are on the Groups tab of Church Plugins → CP Sync. The tab appears after you connect to Planning Center, while Sync Groups is on.
- Open the Groups tab.
- Under Group Tags to Sync, choose the Planning Center tag groups you want on your site. Each selected tag group is added to your groups as its own filter, named after the tag group, with its tags as the options. For example, a “Life Stage” tag group becomes a Life Stage filter. Tag groups you don’t select are not added.
- Choose Visibility: Only Visible in Church Center (default) syncs only groups published on Church Center; Show All does not filter on Church Center visibility.
- Optionally, limit which groups sync. On screen the filter reads Pull Groups whereAll or Anyof the following match. There is no separate Groups heading. Click Add Condition to add a condition on Name, Description, Group Type, Location, Enrollment Status, Enrollment Strategy, or Visibility. For Group Type, the comparisons are Is, Is Not, Is Empty, Is Not Empty, Is in, and Is Not in. With no conditions, every group allowed by Visibility syncs.
- Click Save all Settings. The button stays disabled until you change a setting.
Groups that stop matching your filter are deleted from your site, and come back as new posts if they match again later. Switching Visibility back to Only Visible in Church Center removes unlisted groups that were already synced.
What Syncs for Each Group
There is no field mapping to set up. CP Sync fills in each group automatically. Where the Data Mapping page already names a CP Groups field, the table uses that name.
| Planning Center | CP Groups |
|---|---|
| Name | Title |
| Description | Content |
| Header image | Featured image |
| Location full address | Meeting Location |
| Schedule | Meeting Time Desc |
| All leader names, comma-separated | Group Leader |
Group contact email when set, otherwise the email of the first leader who has one (filterable via cp_sync_pco_group_leader_email) | Group Leader Email |
| Group type | Type (default label Type) |
| Tags in the tag groups you selected | The matching option in that tag group’s filter (for example, Life Stage: Adults) |
| Church Center URL | Group Details (the View Details link) |
| Enrollment closed, or enrollment auto-closed | Group is Full |
On CP Groups 1.2 or newer, leaders are saved as Group Leaders rows instead of Group Leader and Group Leader Email. Each row keeps that leader’s own name and email. If no leader has an email, the group’s contact email is put on the first row. A failed leader fetch leaves the leader fields unset and preserves the values already stored.
Events Synchronization
Event sync needs The Events Calendar plugin to be active. If it isn’t, the Sync Events toggle is disabled and the Events tab doesn’t appear. The tab appears after you connect to Planning Center, while Sync Events is on.
- Go to the Events tab in the PCO settings
- Choose your Event source: Pull from Calendar, Pull from Registrations, or Calendar AND Registrations
- Set Tag groups, Visibility, and Calendar Filters (Pull from Calendar or Calendar AND Registrations), or Registration Filters (Pull from Registrations or Calendar AND Registrations)
- Click Save all Settings
Caution: If you switch Event Source to Pull from Calendar from Pull from Registrations or Calendar AND Registrations, the next sync permanently deletes upcoming Registrations-sourced events — including events that are still running today. Past events (already ended) are kept. Events with Prevent sync from updating this post checked are kept, so lock any Registrations events you want to keep before you switch. Coming from Pull from Registrations, Calendar events then import as new posts. Coming from Calendar AND Registrations, the Calendar copies stay and the duplicate Registrations copies are removed, leaving one Calendar copy of events that were in both. Switching to Calendar AND Registrations keeps existing Registrations posts; an event present in both apps imports twice.
In CP Sync 1.0.0 and later, events keep their real times, and past events are kept by default.
Calendar Settings: Visibility
When your Planning Center Event source is Calendar or Both, the Calendar Settings section includes a Visibility option:
- Only Visible in Church Center (default) — Keeps events that Planning Center marks as visible in Church Center. Events that are hidden from Church Center are not synced.
- Show All — Does not filter on Church Center visibility.
A few things to know:
- Events set to Link Only in Church Center still sync when Only Visible in Church Center is selected.
- If the Calendar Filters builder is left empty, no extra filter rules run (Church Center Visibility still applies).
- When the Event source is Registrations only, there is no Visibility setting.
For a short release summary, see What’s New in CP Sync 1.0.0.
How Event Text Maps from Planning Center
- The event’s Summary in Planning Center becomes the short text shown in calendar listings that display a summary (for example, The Events Calendar list view and the Events Calendar Shortcode & Block listing).
- The event’s Description becomes the text on the event’s own page.
- If you edit only the Description, listings that show a summary keep the old Summary text. Update the Summary in Planning Center too.
- If you clear the Summary in Planning Center, the old short text currently stays on your site.
Advanced Settings
- Filter Data: Apply Calendar Filters and other filters to control which data is imported
- Import Schedule: Configure automatic sync schedules
- Logging: Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting
Troubleshooting PCO Integration
- Connection window: On the Connect tab, click Connect. If the browser blocks the window, the tab shows Failed to open authentication window. Make sure your browser allows popups. Allow popups for your site and click Connect again. If you close the window before finishing, the tab shows Authentication window was closed. Click Connect to start again. To sign in with a different Planning Center account, click Disconnect, then Connect.
- Missing Data: Verify that your PCO account has the necessary modules, and review Visibility and Calendar Filters if Calendar events are missing
- Rate Limiting: PCO limits API requests; adjust your sync frequency if needed
For more help, see the Troubleshooting guide.