Management (ChMS)

Bob Goff founded a law firm, wrote a New York Times best-selling book and serves as the honorary consul for the Republic of Uganda. The guy gets things done. But every Thursday he quits something. We could learn something from Bob. Maybe your church needs to quit: Quit that social media account with three followers. Quit locking up your Wi-Fi with a password. Quit pretending email isn’t important. Whatever your church is struggling with, give yourself permission to quit.

While each Christian denomination has slightly different needs, Catholic churches have unique needs that are unique to their faith and require their own specific church software to adequately handle and 'speak' the language of Catholicism well. Over the years, several Catholic-focused church software solutions have emerged to serve this branch of Christianity specifically.

The age old question that business and churches alike need to answer as they look at new systems is “web-based” vs “installed.” Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each solution as well as some available hybrid solutions. Web-Based Church Management Software There are many advantages of using web-based software. The most obvious is the ability to access the software from any computer or mobile device that has an internet connection. So if you want to use your iPad, no problem. Want to use your Windows 10 machine, no problem. As long as you have a browser and internet connection you will be able to access your system. This also gives you the flexibility to use the software from home, the office or even at Starbucks.

Planting a church is hard work. In the early stages, a small group of people handles the brunt of the workload. Sunday set-up, child care, budgets, communications, you name it. Resources may be low, but solutions are still necessary. Thankfully, technology can help ease some of the burdens.

Ministry Brands, a growing Christian software company, announced today it has acquired ACTIVE Network’s faith division, including its Fellowship One® software product that provides a suite of programs to smoothly integrate church administrative functions. By acquiring ACTIVE’s faith division, Ministry Brands adds more than 4,500 churches to its portfolio.

The core of a missional community is a group of believers who live and experience life together like a family. In a physical family, who live under one roof, keeping in contact amidst all the busyness can be a challenge. Extend that family beyond your household and keeping contact can prove problematic. Technology is a great way to unite the relational and organizational needs of a missional community. When applied strategically, it can deepen your relationships by keeping you informed about life issues and needs.

Open source software is software that is basically free to use, change and share by anyone. Made by many people, it has the potential to become more than any one person or company could plan for. When it comes to church software, a number of open source solutions exist.

Maybe this year, you are making some resolutions and commitments that are all new—really stretching yourself and your church. Or maybe you are making the same resolutions you made last year but failed to accomplish. If you fall into the latter category, you aren’t alone.