Top 21 Church Management Software Solutions of 2018

Posted on 20th Nov 2018

Article By: Finances Online

Churches and other religious organizations have evolved to the point that managing them now requires more than just a church leader calling the shots. As these entities grew, so did the processes involved in running them. Simple tasks that used to be accomplished by a single individual have become more complex that such is no longer the case.

It is for this reason that automation of these processes became the norm of modern day religious groups, which lead to the development of church management software. This tool has proved to be an invaluable means of automating church processes such as common management, administrative, and reporting tasks. This system streamlines everyday church processes, encourages collaboration and facilitate communication.

Available both as comprehensive and standalone platforms, such software can prove to be beneficial to any size of church. It is very useful in managing membership and mailings, events, fundraising, and report generation. It can also facilitate cost reduction and is able to track congregation growth. 

With all these benefits, it is prudent to ask how should one choose such a software? To accomplish this, one should come up with a shortlist of candidate software to be evaluated. From there, you may opt to avail of free trials to get a full picture of the tool’s features and functionalities. Many vendors provide free trials and these are usually the best ones out in the market.  

Another thing you can do is determine if the solution is targeted at organizations your size. Many software of these type may be fit for small churches, hence, carrying with them limited features. However, for medium and large churches, more advanced systems may be called for. These solutions offer additional features that include accounting and reporting capabilities. They can also monitor spending and automate giving and offer fixed asset tracking, payroll and taxes.

It is worth noting that one very important area the software facilitates is electronic giving which provides members, sponsors, and contributors online giving options to their church or nonprofit organization. The statistics below show that smaller churches are lagging in this area, a process which otherwise can be streamlined and automated by a good church management solution.

Credits: rustylewis.net

Still, for megachurches, which may have memberships of more than 2,000, systems that provide a single database, which can be accessed from any device are highly recommended. Such solution can help leaders track and report from anywhere to manage church programs and events. It can also facilitate communication among volunteers and members.

More and more religious organizations have been adopting church management software. In fact, the global market for such solution is expected to grow to at a CAGR of 9% through 2021. An increased demand from countries such as Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea and Australia is seen to drive this growth.