Off you go on an epic quest, full of danger (not really), mystery (maybe a little) and success (hopefully!). Your tools? A sharp mind and the wonders of the Internet. Your companions? Only those with the courage to join you. Your goal? Find church management software (ChMS).
Shopping for ChMS is no trip to the grocery store, and if you go about it the wrong way, it could be more like a dark fantasy novel. But fear not! This article will give you the weapons you need for this journey.
First of all, if you’re looking for ChMS, there are probably certain processes in your church that you’d like to automate or improve. They might be related to accounting, event planning or membership management; whatever they are, you know church management software will be a big help. These processes are addressed by almost all ChMS packages, so if you knew that already, you’re off to a great start!
On to the next step. Narrow your search by considering size, denomination and price range. These three things should lead you down the right path. If you are a large Catholic church with a medium-sized budget, you shouldn’t buy software for small Baptist churches. Simple as that.
Now let’s consider other ChMS features (not the basic functions listed above) that allow you to do tasks much more easily. For example, many ChMS programs come with:
- Mobile apps and social media tools
- Online and virtual church services
- Multisite management
- Volunteer management
- eGiving and/or eCommerce integration
- Member self-service
- Worship planning
- Payroll management
- Integration with content management systems
Do any of those sound nice? Do any sound essential? It can be tough to draw the line between “need” and “want” when you see all the cool things technology has to offer. Make sure that the features on your list of wants match the processes of your church.
On the other hand, it’s also easy to forget the importance of certain tools in growing your church: A great example is the use of mobile apps. Though they might seem extraneous, don’t underestimate the services they provide, like mobile giving.
A recent survey from Action for Children found that “more than 50 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed said that the introduction of services like text and online donations has encouraged them to donate spontaneously.”
Imagine what giving like that would do for your church! This doesn’t mean that every feature on that list is indispensable, but give each one a close look before deciding it’s unnecessary.
Now that you have that list of must-haves, you can start searching for software. You know what you want, so just Google it and you’re good to go. Right? Wrong!
Google is a fantastic tool, but you’re going to have to dig a little deeper to find the real treasure of ChMS. There are lots of helpful blogs, websites and magazines that can point you in the right direction.
Found some software options? Great! Now it’s time to put them to the test. This is the demo stage. Most ChMS programs have demos available, hopefully where you can talk to a representative and ask important questions. Make sure to come up with some questions beforehand so you’re ready to go when it starts—don’t let the sales rep run the show. Better yet, download a free trial and do a test run on your own.
Here’s another tip: Write up a scorecard so you and your software buying team can easily compare notes on different packages.
As you begin to narrow down your list to two or maybe three shining stars, it’s time to look at price. You’ll notice pretty quickly that there are several price points for most software packages based on the features they come with. This is a good thing because you can upgrade as your church grows.
But, don’t forget to negotiate. You’ve worked hard to get here, so find out what the bottom line really is. Then compare again. There’s almost always one that stands out above the rest.
Now you’re prepared for the journey that lies ahead; knowing what awaits you is half the battle. Now go! Slay dragons! Climb mountains! And unearth the treasure of your church management software.
