Planning a service & auto-fill
This is where SundayPlan earns its keep: instead of a spreadsheet and a round of phone calls, you describe the service once and let the auto-fill engine suggest who serves. You stay in charge — the engine suggests, you decide.
1. Create the service
Create a new service with a date, a time and a name — "Sunday service 11:00", "Christmas Eve", whatever fits. Most churches plan several weeks at a time; that's fine, each service is its own plan.
2. Add the roles you need
List what needs to be staffed: sound, projection, two on welcome, kids' church, and so on. The roles draw from the teams and skills you set up earlier (see Inviting volunteers & teams), so the right people are considered for the right jobs.
3. Let auto-fill suggest the rota
Run auto-fill, and the engine fills the open roles with a suggestion. It isn't random — it weighs several things at once:
- Skill — only people who can do the job are suggested.
- Fair rotation — the same people aren't picked every single week.
- How often people serve — so no one quietly ends up carrying everything.
- Burnout — heavy stretches are spread out over time.
- Fixed pairs — people who serve together (say, a married couple on welcome) stay together.
4. Review conflicts and adjust
Look the suggestion over before anything goes out. Watch for double-bookings, people who have said they're away, and anyone serving more often than feels right. Swap people in and out by hand — the engine's suggestion is a starting point, not a verdict. Nothing is sent to any volunteer until you choose to send it.
5. Send it out
Happy with the plan? Send the requests, and every volunteer gets a personal link to answer with one tap — no account needed. That whole flow is covered in Messages & magic links.