Choosing a new church management system can often feel like a thankless chore. Is it worth the effort of switching from your current solution — even if what you have isn’t sustainable?
You shouldn’t have to feel stuck.
In “What to Know Before You Switch: 10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a New Church Management System,” our church technology experts unpack the top things to consider while you’re evaluating a new system.
Complete the form to watch the webinar replay.
VBS. Giving slowdowns as members go on vacations. Mission trip fundraising. Prepping for Promotion Sunday.
The summer is a unique season for the church with specific challenges and opportunities. The good news is, church management technology has evolved some awesome tools that not only help you survive the summer but set you up for a successful fall.
In this webinar, we unpack:
… And so much more! Don’t miss this chance to equip your church for a fruitful summer season.
Complete the form to watch the webinar replay.
An effective ChMS will empower you to develop deeper relationships with your church members. But if your current church management system isn’t getting the job done, that’s a problem.
Evaluating systems can be a headache.
That’s why we put this goody together for you.
Download our latest ebook, “What to Know Before You Switch: Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a New Church Management System,” to learn the key questions you need to ask when choosing a new church management system.
Here’s what you can expect to learn:
Complete the form to download our latest eBook. Don’t wait to start asking the right questions about how church management tools can help you better engage and minister to your church.
Anyone who has ever lost a Word document they were working on because they forgot to save the file or their computer suddenly shut down knows the painful heartbreak of lost data. It’s a soul-crushing experience. You have something so valuable and then, in an instant, it’s gone.
What will happen to your old data is a too-often-overlooked element of switching church management systems. Here’s what you don’t want to happen: You don’t want to fall in love with a software on the front-end, only to find out on the backend you’re not going to be able to bring over the data that you thought you could. That’s why you have to ask the right questions early in the process.
When it comes to data conversion, what are the things you need to think about as your explore new church management systems? Start with these questions:
1. What data do you need to bring over?
What data do you have that it’s critical you bring over to the new system? This is an important thing to know and may even help determine which systems you choose to explore further (it could be a non-negotiable).
Make sure you ask software salespeople upfront, what kind of data can I bring over? Giving history? Attendance history? And what might be lost if I switch to this software? Know what the situation is with each software, so you can ask yourself and your team the next questions…
2. What would losing your previous data mean?
What’s it going to mean for your team if you can’t bring over your giving history? Or what if you can bring over last year’s giving data, but you can’t bring over any previous years? What’s it going to mean for your small group leaders if you can’t access attendance history from last year? What’s the impact level?
For some churches, losing past data might not be a big deal. It may be easily accessible from another space when necessary. For other churches, it may be a big deal. Your team may need to access that data for all sorts of things. That’s why you want to make sure you ask whoever’s telling you about the software, am I going to be able to bring over the data that I need?
3. What are the hidden costs of lost data?
Going back to the previous conversation about cost, how much will it cost your church if you lose your previous data or if you can’t have all your data in one place? Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean how much money will it cost you. Is it going to cost your team time and aggravation?
For example: If there’s ever a question about who attended camp back in 2015, the person who’s checking will have to go to a separate system to find that data. It may seem like a small hassle in the moment. But, over time, small hassles tend to pile up and become big hassles. And that can come at a cost.
Switching over to a new church management system isn’t only about what happens to your data moving forward. It’s about integrating your existing data to make it convenient and accessible for your team. You want to make sure you can bring over information from previous systems without losing what’s important.
Learn more valuable insights about shopping for a new church management system by downloading our free content paper “What to Know Before You Switch” now.
Our current age of rapid technological advancement has made it an exciting and precarious time to be in the business of sharing the message of Jesus Christ. It’s exciting because the opportunities to reach people are more abundant than ever. It’s precarious because so much is happening so fast.
In some ways, this means keeping your church’s message in front of members has never been easier. As our screens multiply, so do the opportunities for connection. Live streaming via social media, podcasts, voice-activated devices, and other tools enable us to reach people at any place and time.
At the same time, our attention is more fragmented than ever—divided between family, friends, co-workers, church, and civic commitments. Even our screen time is fractured. For example, recent statistics reveal that some 60 percent of adults use the internet on their mobile devices while watching television.
The growing number of channels raises profound implications about the changing infrastructure of relationships. We know that discipleship happens between bent heads over clasped hands in living rooms, coffee shops, and hospital sickbeds. However, those points of connection are increasingly driven via digital channels.
While nothing can replace the power of face-to-face interaction, the reality of our blended online and offline existence means that the church must evolve its tools to fit that framework.
One result of the multitude of digital channels and tools is a new wealth of data about who people are, what they care about, and where they spend their time. Some estimates say that 90 percent of all the data in the world—that’s including all recorded history—was created in the last two years.
Like it or not, the data-driven age is upon us. Your church has an incredible opportunity to responsibly put user-generated data to work making smarter decisions. Your data can help tell you what your members want and where to focus your attention. But in order for your data to be useful, it must be:
1. Accurate
Proverbs tells us that in an abundance of counselors one finds wisdom. The data that lives inside your church management system is one such counselor, and is one of the most unbiased sources of truth about your church—with one caveat: Your data must be accurate.
Many churches have been using church management technology for several years now, but they are frustrated. A development stall in the industry has caused many systems built for churches to lag far behind what is possible with commercial contact management systems. This has caused an increase in inaccurate data.
2. Accessible
In some cases, ministry staff and church members have stopped using their current church management system and now their data is out of date. Other churches have adopted new technologies to solve specific ministry pain points, but the data that resides within those systems doesn’t sync with the others.
These headaches have made too many church databases a source of embarrassment for church administrators. What’s more, they prevent church leaders from gaining a complete picture of who attends the church, how they are participating in your programs, and what drives them to deepen their commitment.
The church is meant to be an integral part of our members’ lives between Sundays. That’s how spiritual maturity develops and how the body best serves the wider community. To accomplish this, today’s churches need to make a greater effort to stay connected with members.
That all starts with your church management system. An effective ChMS will enable you to tap into the power of digital and data to develop deeper relationships with your congregation members. That can have a profoundly positive impact on your church—both today and moving into the future.
Download our content paper “What to Know Before You Switch” today to learn the key questions you need to ask when choosing a new church management system.
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