Michael Visser
Founder, Parable
Michael Visser is the founder of Parable. Before building it, he served as head of data analytics for a 30,000-member, ten-campus church — where he watched capable pastors lose people they never knew were drifting, because the answers were buried across eight Planning Center products.
He writes about church data, Planning Center reporting, and the practical work of noticing people before they disappear. Parable is his attempt to make sure the next person looking for connection does not fall through the cracks.
Articles by Michael Visser
Who Gave Last Year But Not This Year: Finding Lapsed Givers in Planning Center
A practical walkthrough for pulling a lapsed-giver list out of Planning Center Giving — what the export tells you, where it stops, what to do next.
Volunteers Don't Quit. They Stop Being Available.
Almost nobody resigns from a serving team. They decline a shift, then block out three weeks — and a scheduling tool sees a gap to fill, not a person to call.
Planning Center Has Your Data. Parable Turns It Into Answers.
Parable connects to Planning Center via OAuth and syncs every night. See attendance trends, giving patterns and group engagement — all in one place.
The Reports Planning Center Can't Run (And Why)
Planning Center reports beautifully inside a product. The questions it can't answer cross two — and that's a design decision, not an oversight.
How to Find Out Who Stopped Coming to Your Church
You can feel it before you can prove it. Here's how to find the people who quietly stopped showing up — while there's still time for a phone call to matter.
I Know What It Feels Like to Be Invisible at Church
The founder of Parable shares how falling through the cracks as a kid inspired him to build tools that help churches see and care for the people they serve.
Planning Center Reporting: What You Can't See (And Why It Matters)
Planning Center reports what happened. But can you see who's drifting before they're gone? Learn why connected visibility matters for pastoring your people.
Why We Built Parable: Transforming Church Care Through Intentional Insights
Parable helps churches turn data into pastoral insight. Built by church leaders, it empowers pastors to care proactively and ensure no one is overlooked.