Guide to Choosing Church Management Software (ChMS)

June 27th 2011

Before we get the cart before the horse, let’s first answer the question: “What is Church Management?”

Church Management is directing/managing people and programs to accomplish the desired goals and objectives of the church. Because the ministry of church management has a divine origin, and a divine facilitator we look to our Lord to provide and guide us in this.

We would be greatly mistaken if we thought that our efforts alone will help us to reach our goals. “Unless Christ builds the church we labor in vain…” Psalm 127:1

Unlike the business sector, Church Management works largely with a volunteer base which is becoming more mobile each day. Yet most volunteers expect the church to keep up with what is offered in the business sector in the way of management tools. While there are some tasks in Church Management that software/IT-service cannot begin to meet, there are some tasks that can be greatly benefited by the right program.

Now we can ask the question, “What should I look for in a church management software (ChMS) program?” A good ChMS program will provide you with the features you need without imposing upon you the features you don’t need. The programs that are the most intuitive generally are created by those who KNOW firsthand what is required in church management. For the most part they are easy to spot.

Ten Features every ChMS should include:

  1. Easy for both staff and volunteers to use
  2. Online Secure Accessibility making it possible to work outside the church.
  3. Daily Auto Back-ups of all your ChMS data on secure vaulted servers
  4. Household and Member Management –Contact Information with Custom Field Options
  5. Communication Tools i.e. email, mass email, e-newsletter creation, mailing labels, etc…
  6. Attendance Record Keeping for all Services, Meeting and Events
  7. Small Group/Ministry Management
  8. Demographic Reports
  9. Contribution Entry and Management
  10. Data Export for Custom In-house Reports

Other Features/Services that are nice to have:

  1. Great 24/7 Support with Knowledge Base and Feedback Features
  2. Data Import Service
  3. Mobile Connectivity – iPad/Tablets, Smart Phones etc…
  4. Multiple Browser and Operating System Compatibility
  5. Pledge Tacking and Management
  6. Integration Capable

 

Mike Smith
Church Office Online