Software has truly become an essential part of church operations over the past few years, offering everything to basic office functions and communication to high-tech worship presentations and detailed reports about membership and finances, just to name a few.

In this section, we cover four major categories of church software: church management/administration, presentation, Bible/reference and ministry scheduling.

Here are some great "take-aways" from this section.

1. Church management/administration software
The challenge of presenting the gospel to a new generation while trying to hold on to the purity of the traditional message can leave churches feeling wounded. Most churches have some part of their ministry that is suffering. First aid does exist, however, in the form of CMS software. One of the best things taking place in ministry today is the continual evolution of this software. Churches no longer are restricted to using basic databases that are little more than glorified mailing lists. Just as methods of ministry have evolved, so has software. And churches now have specific tools to support their efforts - a veritable first aid kit for ministry.

2. Presentation software
Celebrating worship through the visual arts requires much more thought than simply projecting beautiful or "cool" images up onto a screen. Weaving an interpretive thread in a series of images through a service can create a powerful range of emotion and ideas that will allow the worshipper to draw meaning from the experience. Take advantage of the software available that lets you communicate your message visually, taking it to the next level and engaging your congregation.

3. Bible/reference software
The personal computer has opened up resources and methods of Bible study that until only recently required a major theological library, not to mention weeks of time for research. Your Bible software is simply a number of books to add to your library, along with a tool to help you find and organize information that comes from those books. You could do everything your Bible software will do by hand with books and 3x5 cards, provided you just had a few lifetimes and abundant patience!

4. Ministry scheduling software
Professional software programs are now available that can drastically simplify and expedite ministry and volunteer scheduling, potentially saving your church hours upon hours of administrative labor. Moreover, in addition to scheduling the volunteers who participate in your weekly masses, these programs may also be used to schedule any other ministry volunteers, such as the drivers of a church bus route or the staff at the church coffee and bagel bar.

This special church software section identifies the types of solutions available to you as a church leader, explains the benefits of each type, and guides you through the process of evaluating and selecting a specific product for your particular needs.