Church Center 101

This page is underdevelopment! Stay tuned for more updates! 

Welcome to our St. Lorenz Church Center! Church Center is a church management tool used by congregations across the country. This tried and proven tool will help St. Lorenz to share information, manage membership and giving, and make connections with individuals and groups. Scroll through this page to learn more. 

The Basics

What: Church Center is a tool to help you stay connected to our church family.

Why: It’s designed to help you better stay connected with the latest church happenings, ministries, upcoming events and other church resources.

Who: The St. Lorenz Church Center is available for all of our members and visitors. There are some member-specific pages (like the directory) and other pages (like our event signups) that are open to our community.

Where: It’s available as a mobile app and website, making it easy for you to engage with everything happening in our church, whether you’re at home or on the go.

When: Access whenever you need it. It's continuously updated with new events and information. 

How: Visit stlorenz.churchcenter.com or download the Church Center. You can search for our church by name or location and then follow the prompts to create or log into your profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I asked to login sometimes?
Depending on the device you are using or the page you are trying to access on Church Center - you will sometimes be required to login or verify your information. This is to ensure your information and the church's information remains secure. Among our St. Lorenz pages on Church Center - some are member-only and some are available for public view. Member-only pages require you to be logged in to access.

My friend says she's on Church Center - so why can't I find her in the directory?
There could be a few different reasons you're not seeing someone in the directory. First, they could have opted to be unlisted in the directory. Or you friend might be talking about Church Center but with her own home church. While they might both be called "Church Center" - each church has their own page and they do not cross between churches. If your friend did register for an event or signup with St. Lorenz, she probably does have a profile on our Church Center - however, if she is not a St. Lorenz church member, she will not access or be listed in the directory.

Background

Here's a little history of where Church Center came from and how St. Lorenz has come to know and love the platform.

Where did Church Center come from?
Before there was Church Center, a church was looking for a solution to help organize their weekly worship schedules, volunteers, timing, music sheets and more. They ended up developing a program called Services and made it available to other churches. St. Lorenz began using Services a few years ago and as the company grew - so did their platform. Now known as Planning Center, their offerings expanded from Services to full Church Management software company.

Why is St. Lorenz using Church Center?
After exploring many different options, St. Lorenz decided to work with Planning Center and launch their Church Center platform to our congregation. We already had a great relationship with the company as we had used their Services offering before. We liked that Church Center was not only a database program (i.e. church directory) but also is constantly evolving their platform to offer ways for churches and members to share information back and forth. This company is very Christ-centered and people-centered - we have a great working relationship with them and their offerings.

Your Privacy

Your privacy and protection of information is a high priority to St. Lorenz. Here is a little more information about what information exists and who can see it.

How secure is in my information?
Extremely secure!! While it might be a tad annoying at times, the reason you are asked to login and verify your information occasionally is to ensure your information and our church information remains secure.

What information of mine is on Church Center?
Church Center serves as our church management system - which means it includes our entire church directory and database information. When St. Lorenz moved our database to Church Center in early 2024, we moved all of the member information we had on file (in a different database) into Church Center. This generally includes basic contact information, membership status and who lives in your household.

Who can see my information?
There are a few church office staff members who can see most of your basic information and help to update information. They can also see if you've registered or completed a form on Church Center in case you need assistance.
 
If you opt-in to be listed in the Directory, then other members with directory access can view your selected information. Only church members are invited to the directory. By editing your Profile & Settings, you can very easily update your information and select which information you would like to share or hide on the directory.

What about my financial information?
Access to your giving history and financial information is restricted to a small, select group of administrators. Church office staff assisting you with updates to your contact information do not have access to this data and will connect you with someone who does as needed.