In case you haven’t noticed, we use a social and interactive Web. Unless you’re one of those uber conservative (are we still using the word uber?), “I don’t put myself out there on the Web” type people, we’re totally intertwined with the Web. Between Facebook, Twitter, blogs, RSS feeds, forums, and everything else, we’re constantly interacting with both people we know and people who bring value to our work and lives. Just recently, we’ve seen this same move with church database software (kind of).
Think about it, your church database holds the records of hundreds, thousands of tens of thousands of people who have attended your church. More than likely, most of that data is wrong or outdated. Typically, the only way to get more accurate data is to get church attendees to fill out a new card and then manually update the data, which often can be confusing. The ideal solution is to have the average church attendee fix their own data. I know, there have been solutions for many years for people to log into specific pages where they could see all their stuff and update it, but rarely was there a strong/compelling reason for people to take the steps to get online just so they could keep their info up-to-date. The truth is, there hasn’t really been a compelling reason for people to do this except to occasionally sign-in to check giving records or sign-up for an event. However, in these cases, I’ve seen people not really change incorrect data when in there, and this is such a small penetration of the church that is doing this.
However, we’re on the verge of something totally new. It’s the social/interactive arm of your church’s database.
A New Concept
Most people are searching for community—not online community, but real community. Some of those already in community are looking for ways to enhance it. That’s where the social CMS is changing. They’re creating a space online where attendees can interact online with each other and the church in easy/non-threatening ways. There is space for actual small groups to continue discussions, pray for each other during the week, and plan upcoming serving projects or socials. There are tools for serving teams (such as your 9:30 toddler room volunteers) to discuss how the weekend went, discuss policies, and adjust their serving schedule without having to use e-mail lists. The best part is how easy these systems let visitors explore and interact with your church before taking that risky step of setting foot in a small group. Again, this isn’t a “virtual” community, but a reflection of community that already exists. When attendees have this kind of interaction and value from a tool like this, they’ll keep their data up-to-date. From the church point of view, not only will you have up-to-date information, but you’ll see their involvement, how they’re connected, and if you think there is some data that’s not correct, you can simply message them through the community software and have them update it.
Who Is Doing This?
The first instance I’ve seen of the social church database is The City. It’s gotten a lot of buzz the last few months as a connectivity tool developed at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Several big churches have moved to it, and more are looking at it. I totally understand why…it’s beautiful. I’ve spent many hours on The City, and it is what’s been missing. It’s a powerful tool to connect people to each other and to communicate information to the entire body in clear and concise ways. It’s a tool you don’t have to “lure” your people to use, but something they’ll want to use on a regular (if not daily basis). Seriously, The City is a bold step forward for connecting with the people who attend your church.
The second instance I’ve seen of the social church database is Fellowship One’s Table Project. I actually watched a demo last week, and I’m equally excited about Fellowship Technologies’ solution to the social media problem. Where The City is an approach to a new database for your church, the Table Project is a tool that connects to your already existing Fellowship One database (assuming you already use Fellowship One…or plan to move to F1). The Table Project is an outside tool that has partnered with Fellowship One and seems to offer most of what the City does, just in different ways. I’m a big fan of Fellowship One, and seeing this demo last week was very encouraging, something I’m really excited about.
Here’s the bottom line. I’ve gotten really excited about both of these projects. Why? Because they’re addressing a huge need that you might not have even known you had. People are slipping out the back door of your church, and these tools WILL help people get connected at your church as well as stay better connected. Honestly, I love that there are two solutions out there right now. This kind of competition breeds innovation, and that means a better product for you and me. Bottom line, I just want a tool that makes my job easier, and to a degree (in certain ways), these tools will.
What to Watch Out For
When it comes to your role and what you’re responsible for, these social church database tools are the icing on the cake. I do believe that both tools (and those yet to come out) will enhance our ministry to our volunteers and better equip them to do their jobs. However, the people who are really going to get excited about these tools are those in your staff outside of the children’s ministry. Actually, they’re all going to go nuts, especially your pastor, small group pastors, and the like. They’re going to be ready to make the switch yesterday. My word of caution for you is to hold the line.
We’ve actually been on the search for something like this for a few years now. Over two years ago, we flirted with a company that allowed us to have a Facebook-like experience that wasn’t very expensive, so we moved on it to check it out. They had plans to integrate (share the API) with a church database system so that all of it would fluidly talk together. The software turned out to be kind of lousy (totally not user friendly), and the church database system they were integrating with had some major deficiencies in areas that were essential to us as a church. So for them, it was a no-go. I wonder though, if this software we were looking at was as good (or better) than a Facebook-like experience, would we have given in to the not-so-great church software and compromised? That’s where you might have to hold the line.
When looking at the new social church database tools on the market now, you need to evaluate what it offers as well as what it doesn’t. They may do some incredible things that you’ve not been able to do up until now, but what price are you willing to pay for this newfound functionality? Here’s the scenario that is likely to play out. The new tools may be the answer to everything your small groups pastor needs, but making the switch will be a major sacrifice to the finance team as the financial tools are not as good as what they were previously using. Or in our case, the tool is a big win for small group connectivity, but is a step backward when it comes to check-in or something that affects the Children’s Ministry. Does that make sense? Moving to new tools like this will affect the whole team. Make sure you know what the implications are with the tool you’re looking at. If it negatively affects kids, then know what it is, and SPEAK UP! If it doesn’t, then all is good!
In the end, it’s an exciting time for our churches. I love the tools that are developing, and it’s going to be cool to see what develops next!
