When a church is looking for a church management software solution, it can be overwhelming to determine what features your church needs and which are unnecessary.
Small churches, especially, don’t need access to certain features. Some flashy features, while great for larger churches, add an additional cost that can be a burden on smaller budgets. Why pay for features you won’t use?
If you’re a small church trying to decipher what software features your church will actually use, here are some options to consider.
Must-Have Features
Utilizing a church management software (ChMS) for your small church can optimize some of your systems and keep your records organized. There are a few key features that you need to make sure your ChMS includes.
Attendance
Tracking attendance is a feature your small church absolutely needs in a ChMS. Not only does this allow you to accurately report your attendance data to your church council and district, but it also allows you to understand when your pastor should reach out to people who have not attended recently.
Offerings
Integrating your offering data into your ChMS is a great option, especially because you can tie giving to your members’ profiles. This allows you to more deeply understand trends in giving and also to easily distribute into funds or accounts. Whether your church relies on a paid accountant or a volunteer treasurer, utilizing a ChMS for your offerings makes everything secure and clear.
People Data
A church is made up of its people! Keeping an accurate record of your members’ information ensures that you can reach out to them for important congregational updates or life events. Additionally, you can tag members by interest or gifts, so you can reach out to the right people when a volunteer opportunity arises.
Unnecessary Features
Church management softwares have come a long way in the past ten years, and there are an abundance of nifty features available. These flashy features may seem like a huge selling point, but they also increase the overall software cost for your church. Here are some features that might seem attractive but probably won't be needed by your small church.
Personalized App
Odds are, your small church doesn’t need a personalized app for members to listen to sermons, take notes, and view events. While these apps can be great for some church models, they are also an expensive addition to your ChMS. This is especially true if your church is mostly composed of older members who aren't likely to easily adopt or even be interested in a personalized app.
Process Automation
Automating certain processes can be beneficial for churches where people spend a lot of time doing work that could be streamlined. For example, if your church office sends out prewritten emails to every new visitor, an automation feature might be perfect for you to utilize. However, if you have only a handful of visitors each month, and your pastor reaches out to them personally, then you don’t need to pay extra for a workflow feature like this.
Rooms & Resources
Many robust ChMS include the option to allow your church members to reserve rooms or resources (like a church van) for their events. This feature can be extremely helpful if you have many ministries, lots of rooms, or outside vendors who rent your space. However, if your church has only one or two meeting places that can be utilized, paying for this feature won’t do you any good. You’d be better off managing the few rooms and events on your own!
Looking for the perfect church management software for your small to mid-size church? We're here to help—Church360° Members is the way to go. Explore what your church could gain today with a free trial.
