Plan Your First Service

Create your first worship Program, add hymns, and build a Service Order from scratch.

This walkthrough takes you from an empty church to a draft Program with songs in the Service Order — the core AdoraPlan workflow.

Quick Start

1. Add at least one hymn: Hymns → Add Hymn → Create new hymn.
2. Create a program: Dashboard → Create Service (or Programs → Create Program).
3. Pick Custom (or a Template) and set date, ministry, and Service Type.
4. Click Save as Draft to open the editor.
5. On Service Order, click Add Hymn/Song and add your hymns.

---

How-to Guide

Step 1 — Add a hymn

1. Open Hymn Library

   Click Hymns in the sidebar.

2. Create a song

   Add Hymn → Create new hymn. Enter a title and lyrics, then save.

See Hymns & Songs for imports and catalog browsing.

Step 2 — Create the program

1. Start the wizard

   From Dashboard, click Create Service, or go to Programs → Create Program.

2. Choose Custom

   On the Custom tab, select your Ministry and Service Type, then set Date and Time.

3. Save

   Click Save as Draft. You are redirected to the program editor.

Step 3 — Build the Service Order

1. Add songs

   On the Service Order tab, click Add Item → Add Hymn/Song and select the hymns you created.

2. Add activities

   Use Add Activity for welcome, sermon, offering, or other segments.

3. Reorder

   Drag rows into the order you will follow on Sunday.

Step 4 — Next steps (optional)

When you are ready	Action
Assign volunteers	People tab → Roster
Notify the team	Header → Finalize & Notify
Rehearse lyrics	Header → Present
Pick a date visually	Calendar → click a day → New Program

You can also click a date on Calendar to create a program with the date already filled in.

---

Related

Programs

Deep dive into publishing, printing, and sharing.

Dashboard

Track completeness for your next service.

Calendar

See your new program on the schedule.