Web-Based Church Management Software Offers Flexible Options
By Lauren Hunter

Today’s churches have many options when choosing a new church management software system (ChMS). One of the fastest-growing options is the Web-based ChMS. Some of the reasons for the increase in popularity of the Web-based ChMS are the removal of the burden on the church’s IT department to continually update and maintain the database, unlimited access to users from any Internet connection, and a total package of integrated services that make real sense for ministry.

The ChMS is also no longer being viewed as a stodgy application that is only good for record keeping and database management. Today’s modern Web-based ChMS is now seen as a community building tool that can be used to track spiritual gifts for the purpose of putting people in the right areas of ministry, connecting church members and attendees online through community portals, easily updating your church’s Web site, and integrating administrative functions with real world communication tools.

Regardless of the size of your church, Web-based ChMS options are available. In fact, Web-based applications are often more easily scalable than desktop software, since they have been built with flexibility in mind in order to grow with your organization without additional upgrades needed. This can be especially beneficial to churches that experience rapid growth over a short period of time.

In keeping with current technological trends, some Web-based management software systems have made the leap to incorporate Web 2.0 advancements into their product offerings. This allows them to provide over and above the typical ChMS applications, such as membership management, attendance record keeping, and calendar and resource management. Some Web-based ChMS providers are now able to provide solutions for tracking small groups, uploading content to the organization’s Web site, tracking outreach and assimilation, and providing secure check-in services for pre-school and children’s ministries.

Community
Because some Web-based ChMS providers are built on a technological framework that supports online community, additional communication features can be used to engage and connect members of a church’s small groups. These groups within your church can use the online software to set up private group pages with discussion boards, private calendars, and more. The goal of these functions is to create a greater sense of community within a larger body, to make a large church able to retain the small church level of community. For large churches, this is a real plus because people can search for specific small groups based on the location or time the group meets. All groups can also communicate online at any time of day or night to stay connected.

However, it’s not just the small groups that benefit from this level of connectedness, but every member of your congregation. Each church attendee can be issued a login and password so that they can enter the management system and access their personal profile information (a record kept for each individual within the church) much like many of the popular online communities that exist today, such as Facebook or MySpace. Unlike these communities, however, information stored within the ChMS is totally secure. This means that members can tell you without worry what they want you to know about themselves, including personal data such as preferences about the services and events they regularly attend, how they wish to serve, what their spiritual gifts are, and more.

Here is a word of caution, though. When looking for a Web-based ChMS, be sure to find one that doesn’t limit users or records within the system. This allows churches to extend their communities to as many people as necessary and provide them with access  from anywhere in the world where there is access to the Internet.

Features
Web-based ChMS systems offer a host of valuable features for churches. A few of these features include event management, public and private online calendars, membership management, streamlined methods for entering contributions, financial reporting, online giving integration, group management, and individual profile management. Some systems even offer process and workflow management, which helps track new visitor assimilation and other processes, as well as report sharing that is designed to allow designated leaders and staff to access frequently used reports without contacting the system administrator.

In addition to these internal tools, some ChMS providers offer Web tools to integrate data such as public calendars, group search features, and membership access to your management application from your public Web site.

Overall, there is a blurring of lines between traditional church management and contemporary communication methods. Instead of a church secretary or administrator being burdened with being the sole gatekeeper of all the data surrounding a church, the entire church can share this responsibility and build community at the same time by utilizing some of the advancements present in many Web-based church management solutions.

Packages
Many traditional desktop church management solutions are delivered in modules, meaning that you have to purchase each portion of the software individually: people management, financial management, volunteer management, etc.

With many Web-based software systems, the package is all-inclusive. It just makes sense to log in and access all portions of church management life in one place. Instead of having to open up separate programs on your desktop computer, the user simply logs in once and has access to all portions of the software for which they are given permission to view.

This also holds benefit in terms of the software’s cost. With some traditional desktop applications, each module is an additional charge. Add in support and training, and the cost can be overwhelming. With a Web-based ChMS, providers often include all costs in one amount (some offer several choices of feature-rich packages based on church’s size and needs), and the user has access to everything upfront, including service, training, and support.

Overall, a Web-based ChMS offers many benefits. Any church that is interested in empowering their staff by reducing the amount of time spent on administration, while building community within their organization, should seriously consider taking a look at Web-based ChMS solutions.

Lauren Hunter is a freelance writer and owner of Lauren Hunter Public Relations, www.laurenhunter.net. Church Community Builder is an enterprise-level, integrated Web-based church management system, www.churchcommunitybuilder.com.