One of the most sought-after capabilities within a modern church management system is the ability to provide for rapid children's check-in. Many of the standalone check-in systems are not integrated with the rest of the church management system, thus limiting the functionality to only check in children, when, in fact, a whole set of opportunities can be capitalized on when the capabilities are truly integrated across the membership database. Here is some advice concerning what you should look for in the selection of a children's check-in system.

The Security Factors
Most importantly, a children's check-in system must provide security for the child against unauthorized pick-up. There are several aspects that need to be considered in this age of robust home computer systems. If a permanent identification card is issued by the church as a form of authorization, an estranged, computer-savvy parent could mock up a forged card that looks valid enough that an unsuspecting volunteer might release a child to him or her, especially when the child readily calls out at the sight of this person. In this day and age, any method that uses some permanent form of authorization needs to be carefully evaluated to determine whether the format can be easily duplicated using Photoshop or some other computer publishing toolset and laminated materials.

To be the most secure, a children's check-in system should not simply rely on a permanent identification component. Look for a system that automatically generates a three-digit numeric code that is unique to that check-in for that church for that day. Thus, a non-custodial parent, or for that matter any adult, could not know what code would be generated in real-time at the point of check-in. The system identifies that code as used and is not used again until the following day. Also, the chance of that same code being generated two weekends in a row for that same child are about the same as a person winning the lottery.

Additionally, the system needs to be intelligent enough to never print a receipt with the same security code. In other words, the system knows that a receipt was printed and should not allow a reprint that could make a child susceptible to being picked up by an estranged parent circumventing the system by trying to check a child in a second time.

Besides unauthorized pickup, a children's check-in system should also ensure that only volunteers who have a valid background check on file are able to check in and care for the children. This then assumes that volunteers use the system to identify themselves and check in to their positions. An integrated system will also then record attendance for the volunteers and help determine the proper ratio of care-workers to children so that over-crowding can be readily identified and dealt with. Having too many children and not enough volunteers can lend itself to the kind of chaos that is conducive to an environment that would allow an unauthorized pickup due to overwhelmed care-workers.

Another security feature of a different kind that helps a children's ministry operate is to have the check-in system track those kids who are affected by some type of allergy or phobia. By having the allergy print discreetly on the label, a teacher can quickly see who is allergic to peanuts or other types of treats or medicines, as well as children who should refrain from certain types of activities.

The Convenience Factors
A children's check-in system should provide convenience that will allow parents to drop off their children and get to the worship service or Sunday School as quickly as possible.

To accomplish this without compromising security can certainly be a challenge. The challenge becomes greater if multiple children are involved, especially when they are of different ages and attend different classes perhaps in different buildings. The system needs to be robust enough to know what child, by age, belongs in what class on campus and also what adult belongs to what volunteering opportunity so that parents can check in for all campus activities without standing in multiple lines. And, many times, the children may need to be checked in to multiple services so that parents can volunteer during one service and attend another.

Once again, a permanent identification card may not be the most convenient all the time for all people. A permanent ID card may speed up processing if a bar code is available to scan; however, cards are only good for those people who remember to bring them or who have not lost them. Thus, another form of entry must also be readily available so that people who have misplaced their cards are not processed "out of the system."

Permanent identification cards also become a problem when lost. The process to initially place a card into a member's hand is somewhat straightforward because everyone is getting one. Thus, economies of scale can be taken into account – simply get every member's household a new card as the program is rolled out. It is simply a matter of cost of the card and mailing.

However, replacing cards are not so straightforward. When someone loses their card, do they go to the church office to request a replacement?  Do they call the children's pastor? Is it more convenient to stand in line week after week or bite the bullet and get a new card? Are decisions that the attendee needs to answer for themselves? Is the exception process readily known? Easily executed? If an attendee is one who frequently loses cards, does this process hamper their attendance record?

Also, a card system can cause confusion around who gets a card. Does every household or every individual receive a card? At what age does a child receive a card for identification? If issued at the household level, when a card is scanned, the question must still be asked as to what household members are being checked in.

Convenience is also a factor when the speed of check-in is considered. A check-in process should take about as long as the conversation flow that helps determine who is being checked in to what and for how many services. The receipting process on the tail-end of that conversation should only take as long as the print time of that unique receipt. If your congregation is more high tech than high touch, we have found that self-check-in is four times faster than assisted check-in by volunteers. Self check-in also reduces the number of volunteers needed.

Convenience is an underrated aspect of a growing church. The modern church needs to be sensitive to the time pressures of its congregation, especially those of families with multiple children. How many families chose not to come to church because the hassle of bringing and checking their children into service appears to not be worth the effort? These are the people who most need to show up. The earlier a child's life can be touched, the more chance a child has to become a Christ follower, and the more chance they have to be part of a functional Christian home, now and when they are adults.

Some level of convenience of activity check-in can also be provided before a person even shows up on campus by offering activity registration on the church's Web site for those activities that require some form of registration.

Another factor to consider is the convenience to the volunteer. Finally, the system should not be burdensome to the church staff to administer and maintain.

The Human Care Factors
A modern children's check-in system should also provide real-time attendance tracking and reporting. This allows the church staff to quickly assess who was present and who was not. By following up in a timely manner, parents are amazed that such a large church recognized that they missed and that someone cared that they missed. Also, the church staff has story after story that illustrates the need for that kind of follow-up because some form of dysfunction had penetrated a family in which the church could offer some assistance and care.

No matter how extensive a congregation database is, if the information is not current and accurate, then the information has limited or no value. If it is believed to be accurate and is not, perhaps it even provides "negative value." Once again, showing proactive concern about the quality of service the church is offering to its congregation is a human touch that many people view as caring.

The Strategic Factors
Extend check-in beyond children. Measurement is a key component of improvement. Without measuring current performance, attempts to improve performance can be antidotal at best. Measurement of participation in ministry, children or adult, is a key determinate of whether a ministry is in fact providing value to the congregation.

However, the most important reason to conduct check-in is not to know who attended or how successful a ministry is. The most important reason for check-in is to know who did not attend, but who should have been there. It is one of Jesus' most known parables about how the shepherd left the 99 to find the 1. But the shepherd had to know what 99 sheep were actually in fact in the fold to know that one was missing. When someone is a regular and then begins to not show up, many times, there is a ministry opportunity at hand; perhaps it is illness, dysfunction in the family or a discouraged spirit.

But one of the toughest things within any church is the measurement of assimilation of the congregation. And assimilation does not include just the first 12 weeks of a visitor's integration into the baseline ministries. True assimilation starts when a visitor first attends all the way through their different life-stages and the ministries in place to support.

By checking in all activities, the church can begin to monitor the effectiveness of its assimilation process. It can show what visitors are just beginning to start the process of assimilation, what members are moving on to the subsequent classes and what members are moving into small groups, volunteerism, lay-leadership, etc. This level of information is extremely important when a church needs to make vital decisions about expanding its leadership base, volunteer or staff, as well as when it must identify the right people during an expansion campaign or even how much space to build in the new wing.

In summary, to help stimulate growth in a seeker friendly church, everyone knows that a children's check-in system needs to provide top-notch security and be convenient to the customer. However, it is not what a check-in system does that determines the value to church and its congregation, but rather how the system does it.

All check-in systems cannot scale up to process the volume associated with a large church.  Look closely at the inherent processes of a check-in system before purchasing. Make sure that it is easy to use for your volunteers. Look to see that it is integrated so that attendance reporting and ministry measurement is an integrated component. Also, check to ensure that only the information required for check-in is presented to the volunteer, do not allow other information to be displayed that might infringe on someone privacy.

Jeff Hook is the chief executive officer and president of Fellowship Technologies, www.fellowshiptech.com.

Product Roundup

Long Range Systems
Long Range Systems offers affordable on-site pagers designed to add another layer of protection to church nurseries.
* When parents drop their child off at the nursery, they're given an LRS numbered pager.
* If their child needs them during the worship service, the pager lets them know by silently flashing or vibrating.
* This system also helps ensure child safety because children are only released to parents carrying the correct numbered pager.
LRS also offers the Butler II paging system.
www.pager.net/rpn

Protect My Ministry
Protect My Ministry is one of America's leading background screening companies serving faith-based organizations. The company specializes in helping ministries implement and maintain a thorough background screening process. The program can help ministries:
* Select the right people for ministry
* Prevent any new or further abuse
* Avoid financial liability and legal risks
With nearly a decade of experience in the background screening industry, Protect My Ministry is focused on serving the specific needs of ministries and committed keeping children safe.
www.protectmyministry.com

Rest Easy from Signs Plus
The Rest Easy nursery paging system is great for churches and for parents. The system makes it easy to:
* Secure a church's nursery
* Put parents at ease
* Minimize service interruptions
* Increase service attendance
The system helps to create a strong first impression, as parents see that a church values a safe and secure environment. Some churches have seen as much as a 200 percent increase in attendance in the nursery once the program was in place. 
www.signsplussigns.com

Parent SEEKER
The Parent SEEKER product line is provided by SEEKER Communication. The helpful sales consultants guide the churches in picking the right system for their church, either large are small. The SEEKER Paging Systems are used in children's ministries to assure parents that if their child needs them, the children's workers can notify them anywhere on the church campus. This year, SEEKER introduced an Easy Check In Software, allowing for additional security. The Web-based solution provides for:
* Speedy check in
* A variety of labels
* Ministry record tools
www.parentseeker.com

JTECH's ParentPass
JTECH's ParentPass nursery paging system was designed specifically for the unique needs of the church environment and was developed from actual customer feedback with input from church nursery workers and children's ministry leaders. Key features and benefits ParentPass brings to your church include:
* Strong pager vibration
* Robust, two-piece "cell phone style" clip
* New vibe/flash option
* Out-of-range and search features
* Long-life, rechargeable NiMH battery technology
www.churchnurserypagers.com

Fellowship Technologies
Fellowship Technologies' flagship product, Fellowship One, is a Web-based, enterprise-level church ministry system built by a church for dynamic growing churches. This Software as a Service (SaaS) takes the burden of server and system maintenance, upgrades, and administration off of the church. Fellowship One functions to help churches manage the information and process requirements of its congregation, including:
* Children security
* Congregation relationship management
* Contribution management
* Real-time attendance
* Volunteer applications and management
* Activity registration
www.fellowshiptech.com