Church leaders spend Monday mornings wrestling spreadsheets instead of shepherding people. Parable was built to change that — it connects directly to Planning Center and transforms scattered church data into live dashboards, trend analysis, and actionable insights so pastors can focus on what matters most.^1
Founded by Michael Visser, a church technologist who previously led data operations at Gateway Church (one of America's largest congregations), Parable was born from a firsthand realization: churches don't need more data — they need the right insights delivered at the right time.^2 After co-founding Threefold Solutions, a Planning Center consulting firm, Visser kept running into the same limitation — he could help churches implement better processes, but couldn't give them the tools to truly see their data. Parable is his answer to that gap.^3
The platform syncs automatically with all major Planning Center modules — People, Giving, Check-Ins, Groups, Registrations, Calendar, Publishing, and Services — creating a unified view of congregational engagement.^1 Church staff can ask questions in plain English through an AI chat feature ("How many first-time guests returned last month?"), build custom reports, track year-over-year trends, and even access a full SQL data warehouse for power users who want to connect tools like Tableau or Power BI.^1 The motto — "Spirit-led, data-driven" — captures the vision: data doesn't replace pastoral intuition, it sharpens it.^4
Notable- Founded by Michael Visser (Pensacola, FL), former Associate Director of Data & Analytics at Gateway Church^3
- Co-founder of Threefold Solutions, a church technology consulting firm specializing in Planning Center migrations^6
- Integrates with all 8 Planning Center modules for a unified cross-ministry view^1
- Offers AI-powered natural language querying of church data^1
- Transparent tiered pricing based on church size, with free trial available^1
Platforms: Web
Pricing: Subscription (tiered by church size; free trial available)
