News & Updates

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.

You want to get online giving software for your church. You know that fewer and fewer churchgoers are carrying cash or checks these days, and it’s time to consider some more hi-tech options than passing the plate. (For more on this, see tactics #5 and #15 in our list of practical ways to increase church giving.) You may feel like you’ve made a huge decision. (You have, and it’s a smart one!) But now you face an even bigger one. How do you choose an online giving software for your church? It’s a fair question to ask, and you’re not the only one asking it. Every month, there are more than 6,200 Google searches for church online donation platforms. And what do people find when they make that search? More than a dozen options! How do you choose a church giving software—and how do you know you’re making the right choice?

Tim Goetz has always been good with numbers. Growing up in California’s Central Valley, he would end up getting an accounting degree from nearby Fresno State. Afterwards, he worked for a little over two years as a financial statement auditor at Deloitte and Touché, becoming the Fresno, CA office’s internal control specialist. In early 2007, Goetz felt pulled in another direction and he went to work at one of Fresno’s largest churches, The Well, as an Executive Pastor. He quickly realized something big was missing in all of the big accounting programs — something they all couldn’t do that churches needed them to do. That something was fund accounting.

You’d think by now, it would’ve gotten easier. I’ve been going to church for my entire life. I’ve been giving to the church for most of my adult life. For goodness sakes, I’ve been working in church generosity for three years now. And I still don’t know how to talk about money. Because, let’s face it, people get weird when it comes to their wallets. Because of this, many pastors and churches simply don’t talk about it.

It’s Valentine’s Week, and that means a couple of things. First off, it means it’s cold--at least where I am. It means your social media feeds are likely cluttered with declarations of love, and/or diatribes about how V-Day is entirely arbitrary and unnecessary. And it means every blog post or “how to” article posted this week is required (by federal law) to include motifs of “love,” “affection,” and “romance.” Furthermore, since I’m the one doing the writing, you know we’ve got to talk about giving, generosity, and stewardship as well.

One of the most frequently cited and widely used reasons for the rapid growth of digital giving over the past decade is the proportionate decline in check writing during that time. And the trend continues. In fact, according to one report, we are on pace to write our final check sometime in the year 2021--a mere six years away. Nowhere is this “check-less” trend more prevalent than with millennials, 20% of whom have never written a check in their life.

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.

With the release of the new Apple TV device, Apple has opened up it's app store to developers. What does this mean for churches? If means you have a new and very exciting way to reach your congregation with videos and live streaming. Past models have been used by churches as an affordable way to share videos or content inside the building. For only $149, the church could connect it to the projector and the internet and display a slideshow or a movie.