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Settings reference

Rules

The church's serving rules. The scheduler follows them when it proposes a schedule, and checks them on every change, sub and trade. The checks use your settings and Planning Center's data; they help the leader who approves, and don't certify that requirements are met (the leader's approval is the confirmation).

In the app: Settings → Rules

Adults per room

How many adults each room needs, unless a room has its own numbers (room staffing).

Default
2
Values
1 to 6
Example
Two, for the two-adult rule.

Nursery rooms

The age groups that are nurseries; reports and some checks treat them separately.

Default
none
Values
age groups
Example
SS 0-1 and FS 0-2.

Per-room staffing

For an age group, its own minimum and maximum adults, and how many kids one adult covers. With kids per adult, the scheduler staffs a room for the kids expected (from Check-Ins counts) and alerts when it's short on the day.

Default
none (adults per room for every room)
Values
per age group, min, max and kids per adult
Example
SS 2-3 needs at least 2 adults, at most 4, and one adult per 6 kids, so 14 kids expected means 3 adults.

A woman in every room

Every room has at least one woman among its adults. Teens and observers don't count for it.

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
On, as most child-safety policies ask.

Only these rooms need a woman

Limits the rule above to these age groups. Empty means every room.

Default
every room
Values
age groups
Example
Nursery to 2nd grade only.

Youngest age to serve

The youngest an adult volunteer can be, from Planning Center birthdates. 0 means no minimum.

Default
0
Values
0 to 25
Example
18, if the church's policy asks for adults only.
Planning Center needs
Viewer in People (birthdates)

A background check counts for

How many years a background check counts when Planning Center has no expiry for it. 0 means Planning Center's own expiry.

Default
0
Values
0 to 10 years
Example
3, if the insurer asks for a check every 3 years.

The People Date field you record each check's date in

For churches without a screening provider connected to Planning Center. Arkrooms reads each person's check date from this People Date field, and it runs out after the years above. A provider's check comes first, then this date, then People's "Passed background check" box, which never runs out. An admin can set the date from Teams. Only admins see the dates; leaders see whether someone is cleared.

Default
Background Check Date
Values
a People field's name, up to 60 characters
Example
Background Check Date, added once in People → Fields as a Date field.
Planning Center needs
Viewer in People, added as a collaborator on the field's tab; to set it from Teams, “Arkrooms can change Planning Center”

Couples serve together

Couples (from Planning Center households, or the roster's "serves with") are scheduled in the same room on the same Sunday.

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
The Carvers always serve together in the 2s.

Training required

Only people with a current children's ministry training date can be scheduled.

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
On; the training day planner keeps dates current.
Planning Center needs
People custom field for the training date (collaborator on its tab)

A passed background check

Only people with a passed background check in Planning Center People can be scheduled.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, for a church whose policy requires checks for everyone in children's ministry.
Planning Center needs
Viewer in People; a background check manager for the status and expiry

Background checks are managed outside Arkrooms

For a church that runs its checks in another system. Arkrooms doesn't check them, and the walkthrough, Settings and the safety report say "managed outside Arkrooms" instead of "not required". Ticking it turns off the background check rule above; turning that rule back on (or choosing Strict) clears it.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, when the denomination's screening office keeps the records.

Use how often people asked to serve

Honours each volunteer's "how often" preference from Planning Center Services (every other week, once a month…).

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
Ann asked for once a month, so she isn't scheduled twice in one month.

Training lasts

How many years a training date counts.

Default
3
Values
1 to 10 years
Example
2, if the church retrains every other year.

Other certifications

Certifications besides CM training that someone needs to serve, each kept as a date in its own Planning Center People custom field (for example a denomination's Safe Sanctuaries course). Arkrooms reads the date with the roster and never stores it; someone with no date, or whose date has run out, isn't scheduled, and the serving record for your insurer shows each one.

Default
none
Values
up to 5, each a name, the People field's exact name, and how many months it's valid (1 to 120)
Example
Safe Sanctuaries, in the People field "Safe Sanctuaries Date", valid 24 months.

Everyone serves the main service once a block

Each volunteer serves the main service at least once in their block, so nobody always misses worship… or always serves it.

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
On, so the early-service regulars still serve the main service sometimes.

At most this many places per block

The most places one person fills in a block.

Default
2
Values
1 to 8
Example
2, so nobody serves every Sunday of a 2-Sunday block twice over.

Schedule around away dates

Nobody is scheduled on a Sunday they blocked out in Planning Center or marked away in Arkrooms.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, for a church whose volunteers keep their blockouts in Planning Center.
Planning Center needs
Scheduler of the kids' teams, or Editor in Services

Away dates go to Planning Center

An away date marked in Arkrooms also becomes the volunteer's own blockout in Planning Center, written as them.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, so a volunteer marks a Sunday away once and both places know.

Ask the team about away dates

This many days before a block, its team is emailed once to mark the Sundays they can't do. 0 means never.

Default
21
Values
0 to 60 days
Example
21, three weeks before each block.

How often I serve goes to Planning Center

The preference a volunteer sets on My schedule is written to their positions on the kids' teams in Planning Center, as them.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, so Planning Center and Arkrooms agree on "once a month".

One team, each person serves about every

With one team serving every Sunday, how often each person serves.

Default
2
Values
1 to 8 weeks
Example
3, so each person serves about every third Sunday.

One team, at most this many Sundays in a row

With one team, the most Sundays in a row anyone serves.

Default
2
Values
1 to 8
Example
2.

Only these membership values can serve

Only people whose Planning Center membership is one of these can be scheduled. Empty means anyone on a team.

Default
anyone on a team
Values
Planning Center membership values
Example
Member, so regular attenders who aren't members yet aren't scheduled.
Planning Center needs
Viewer in People

Observers

Leaders can add someone to a room to watch and help for a Sunday, never counted as an adult; a first step before serving.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
A new volunteer observes the 2s twice before joining the rotation.

Observers in one room, at most

The most observers in one room on a Sunday.

Default
1
Values
1 to 3
Example
1.

Ready to serve after observing

After this many observed Sundays, the person is ready to serve - a badge, and their leaders and the admins hear it once.

Default
2
Values
1 to 8 Sundays
Example
2.

Observers need a background check

Observers need a passed background check in Planning Center first. Training isn't needed.

Default
on
Values
on or off
Example
On.

Place new volunteers as observers

When a block is made, each new volunteer on its team (never on an approved schedule, not able to serve yet) observes a room with two or more adults on its Sundays, one a Sunday, until they've observed enough to be ready. A leader can still move or remove them.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, so a new volunteer's first Sundays are always with an experienced pair.

Publish observers

Observers are published to Planning Center too, as the Observer position (add it to each team first).

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, so observers get Planning Center's own reminders.

For a team, where its leaders serve

An admin's choice for one team, overriding the setting below.

Default
use the setting below
Values
per team, in rooms, not in a room, or backup only
Example
Red's leaders float; every other team follows the default.

Where team leaders serve

For every team without its own setting above. "Each team's leaders decide" lets a team's leaders pick on their Teams page; until they do, their team serves in rooms. A leader not in a room is on the schedule as Leader on duty.

Default
each team's leaders decide (new churches); in rooms (churches set up before October 2026)
Values
each team's leaders decide, in rooms, not in a room, backup only
Example
Grace leaves it to the teams; Blue's leaders chose to float so they can help any room that's short.

Teens help

Teens (under 18) can be scheduled as extra helpers in a room that has its adults. They never count toward the room's adults or the woman-in-room rule.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, for a church with a youth helpers program.

Teens in one room, at most

The most teen helpers in one room.

Default
1
Values
1 to 3
Example
1.

Teens serve with a parent

A teen serves only when an adult of their household serves that service.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On, so teens always have a ride.

A household serves the same service

Adults of one household are scheduled at the same service, so it's one trip.

Default
off
Values
on or off
Example
On.

A parent in their own child's room

Any (no rule), prevent (never in their own child's age group) or enforce (when they serve a service that has their child's age group, they're in that room). Uses the children's ages from Planning Center households, read only for this.

Default
any
Values
any, prevent, enforce
Example
Prevent, for a church whose policy keeps parents out of their own child's room.
Planning Center needs
Viewer in People (households)