If you've ever wondered whether your church is using Ministry Scheduler Pro to its full potential, you're not alone.

St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in St. Louis, Missouri, had been using MSP for more than 17 years. The basics were in place, but many of the most helpful features hadn't yet been turned on. Some volunteers didn't even realize MSP was part of parish life.

That began to change when a new parishioner—who also happened to be a longtime MSP user—joined the community and got to know the volunteers. With encouragement from the pastor and support from parish leaders, they began looking for simple ways to bring more volunteers on board and use MSP more effectively, together.

What followed was a team effort to make MSP more visible, more useful, and more helpful for everyone involved in ministry.

Here's how it happened—and how your church community can do the same.

Step One: Turning On the Tools

The first step was simply making the most of features already built into MSP.

• Enabled automated reminders and the weekly Available Positions announcements to reduce no-shows and save time.
• Hosted "Login Sunday" with a friendly "Ask Me About MSP" sign, offering in-person help after Mass so volunteers could ask questions, get logged in, and feel confident using the system.
• Published a handy MSP tips article in the church bulletin and posted on the parish website—to help new and longtime volunteers get the most out of using MSP.
• Sent a welcome Announcement personalized with login credentials, tutorial links, and steps for downloading the free MSP app so every volunteer could get started with confidence.

These simple updates helped parishioners engage with the system—some for the first time—and they started seeing the benefits right away.

Step Two: Expanding MSP Beyond the Basics

Once all volunteers felt comfortable logging in, the parish began expanding MSP to reflect more of what was really happening in ministry:

• Children's Liturgy of the Word was added as a new ministry, with subdivisions for Leads and Aides.
• Coffee & Donut Fellowship volunteers—already being assigned with the auto-scheduler—were onboarded into MSP with online access to their schedules and ministry profiles.
• Holidays like Christmas Midnight Mass and the Easter Vigil have been added as yearly services to MSP, instead of being handled separately over spreadsheets.
• Passion Narrators and Easter Vigil Lectors are now included as separate Reader ministries in MSP, making it easier to recruit, organize, and train for Holy Week.
• One-time events, like Memorials and Lenten Reconciliation, now live in MSP, with self-sign-ups replacing reply-all emails, to ease the load on coordinators and give volunteers more flexibility.

Each update has honored the way the ministries already operate—just with more support and visibility.

Step Three: Sharing Responsibility—and Building Confidence

As St. Margaret's use of MSP has expanded, so has the scheduling team.

What was once managed by a single volunteer is now shared by three active Web Admins, with ministry leaders using MSP to centralize communication and rosters. This shared access has meant:

• Less duplication and more visibility
• Consistent information for volunteers across ministries
• Easier access to accurate rosters and schedules

Best of all, it's allowed ministry leaders to spend less time tracking details manually and more time doing what matters most: welcoming, training, and mentoring new volunteers.

What Any Parish Can Take Away

Every parish is different, but many share the same goals: grow participation, save time, and make it easier to serve. Here are a few practical takeaways for any church looking to get more from MSP:

• Use what you've got: Turning on built-in features like auto-reminders can make an immediate difference.
• Help volunteers get connected: A Login Sunday or welcome email with MSP app instructions makes the system feel more approachable.
• Add special services: Holidays and holy days benefit greatly from structured scheduling—and MSP makes that possible.
• Empower leaders to use MSP: When ministry heads have access as Web Admins or Leaders, it builds confidence, saves time, and helps everyone stay on the same page.

This parish didn't start from scratch—they just worked together to take the next step.

Still Growing—Together

St. Margaret of Scotland continues to build on this momentum, with more volunteers signing up in MSP and more leaders using its tools to support their ministries.

Their story is a great reminder: revitalization doesn't require reinventing the wheel. Often, it starts by recognizing the value of what's already in place—and working together to use it more fully.

Want to take a fresh look at how your church is scheduling with MSP?

Our team is here for you—with tips, tools, and personalized support to help you do more with the powerful system you already have.
Not yet scheduling ministries in MSP? Start a free trial today!