Build an Order of Service

The Order of Service editor is where you build your service run sheet. Each service instance can have a plan with typed items (Welcome, Worship, Offering, Message, Prayer, etc.), staff assignments, durations, and notes. Plans can be pre-populated from templates.

Prerequisites

• A materialised Service Instance (from a Service Pattern)
• SUPER_ADMIN, LEAD_PASTOR, PASTOR, or ELDER role
• WORSHIP_LEADER has read-only access to plans

Step-by-Step

1. Navigate to Order of Service

1. Open Gather from the header mega menu
2. Click Order of Service
3. The list shows all service instances with their plan status
4. Click on a service to open the plan editor

2. Understand the Editor Layout

The editor has a timeline view showing all plan items in order. Each item is a coloured card displaying its type icon, label, assigned person, and duration. The header shows the service name, date, and total plan duration.

3. Auto-Populate from a Template

If a plan template is linked to the service pattern, the plan is automatically populated when the service instance is materialised. Templates are managed under Settings → Gather → Plan Templates.

4. Add Plan Items

1. Click the + Add Item button below the plan timeline
2. Select the item type from the available options:
   • Welcome — Opening greeting
   • Worship — Song/worship set
   • Offering — Tithes and offering collection
   • Message — Sermon or teaching
   • Prayer — Prayer time
   • Announcements — Church announcements
   • Response — Altar call or response time
   • Closing — Benediction or dismissal
   • Custom — Any other element
3. Enter a Label for the item (e.g. “Sermon: The Good Shepherd”)
4. Set the Duration in minutes (default: 5)
5. The total duration in the header updates automatically

5. Assign Staff to Items

1. Click the assignment area on any item to open the staff picker
2. The picker has two modes:
   • User mode — Search and select from registered staff members. Shows name and role (e.g. “Lead Pastor”, “Worship Leader”)
   • Text mode — Type a name for guest speakers or external participants not in the system
3. Selecting a user sets assignedUserId; typing a guest name sets assignedTo
4. These are mutually exclusive — assigning a user clears any guest text, and vice versa

6. Add Notes and Series Information

1. Click on any item to expand it and add Notes (visible to staff on the plan)
2. In the plan header area, you can set:
   • Series Name — The sermon series title
   • Series Week — Which week of the series (e.g. Week 3)
   • Scripture — The key passage for the service
   • Staff Notes — General notes visible to all plan viewers

7. Lock and Save

1. Click Save to persist all changes
2. The plan can be locked to prevent further edits — toggle the lock status in the editor
3. Locked plans show a LOCKED badge and disable editing controls

What’s Next