The Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make When Selecting a Church Management Software (CMS) System

Transcription

1 W H I T E P A P E R The Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make When Selecting a Church Management Software (CMS) System Selecting the ideal Church Management Software (CMS) system for your church can be a daunting task. A poor selection can place a high burden on your church s resources both from a time and financial standpoint potentially hindering your church s ability to minister. However, the right selection will not only make your church more efficient but it can also make it more effective in fulfilling its core biblical purposes. It is important to avoid the common mistakes that other churches have made when selecting a CMS system. To increase your likelihood of making the best choice, review each of the top 5 mistakes below and follow the suggestions and recommendations that we offer for each. MISTAKE #1 : Selecting a system that is not powerful or flexible enough Before selecting a CMS product, be sure to make a list of the features and capabilities that are most important to you today. In addition, it s important to try to identify what additional functionality might be necessary for your church in the future. Obviously, you won t always know what you ll need down the road. But, often times, based on your church s vision and strategic planning, you will have some idea of the types of new elements that may enter the picture. For example, a smaller church may feel that there are certain processes or tasks that are easy enough for them to manage manually based on their current size today. However, if they have a vision to grow by 50% over the next 3 years, these same tasks may potentially cause a serious administrative burden if they continue without an automated system Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 1 of 9

2 Once you have identified your feature list (present and future), you ll want to separate the must haves from the nice to haves. For example, the ability to generate photo directories might be a must have for your church. However, you may have a very particular layout and format that your church has always used for your photo directory. Maintaining this same layout and format may be a must have, but more than likely it is a nice to have. Before labeling an item as a must have, be sure that there is a good reason. Remember, that That s the way we ve always done it is typically not an adequate reason by itself. Now that you ve separated your feature list into must haves and nice to haves (and you are certain that all of your must haves are truly must haves ), you will want to use this list during your selection process to eliminate those CMS products which fall short of your must have requirements. A spreadsheet such as the example below works well for this type of analysis. MUST HAVE Features Present CMS Product #1 CMS Product #2 CMS Product #3 Feature ABC Yes Yes No Yes CMS Product #4 Feature DEF Yes Yes Yes Next Version Feature GHI No Yes Yes Yes Feature JKL Next Version Yes Yes Yes Future Feature MNO Yes Yes Next Version No NICE TO HAVE Features Present Feature PQR No No No No Feature STU Yes Yes Yes No Future Feature VWX No Yes Yes Yes Feature YZ No Next Version No No Particularly when it comes to the must have features, if your own analysis finds a particular CMS product lacking a specific feature, you may want to contact the CMS 2006 Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 9

3 vendor to confirm this. This ensures that you did not inadvertently miss the feature during your evaluation. Even if the CMS vendor confirms that their product does not meet a must have requirement today, they may be planning on implementing the feature in the next version of their product. You can denote this in your spreadsheet with Next Version. However, keep in mind that while a CMS vendor may state that they expect the feature to be added to the product, most CMS vendors typically won t put a guarantee on this especially in terms of the implementation timeframe. It is crucial that the CMS product you select meets all of your present and future must have requirements. If not, your church may potentially find itself in one or more of the following situations: Performing time-consuming manual work outside of the CMS product Maintaining one or more separate databases from the CMS product, creating disunity among your leadership and staff Failing to keep good records, causing frustration and disorganization Missing opportunities to enhance the discipleship process Missing opportunities to encourage and promote fellowship opportunities Missing opportunities to get your members plugged into ministry using their gifts, skills, and interests 2006 Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 9

4 MISTAKE #2 : Selecting a system that is too difficult to learn and use While power and flexibility are crucial elements in selecting an appropriate CMS system for your church, it is just as important to select a system that is not overly complex, difficult to use, or intimidating. Unfortunately, the most powerful CMS products on the market today also tend to be the most difficult to use and learn. Sadly, with some CMS products, spending days in costly training seminars is nearly a requirement. Software is really as much an art as it is a science. Unfortunately, this makes the ease of use factor very difficult to measure. Two competing CMS products may appear nearly identical based on their feature chart. However, they may provide the user with extremely varied experiences. Ideally, you want your CMS system to be a tool that is utilized by your entire staff and leadership team. Typically, your team will consist of individuals with varying levels of computer knowledge and data entry experience. You need a CMS system that will be usable by the person on your team with the least amount of experience. Otherwise, as soon as someone on your team finds your CMS system to be too complex and frustrating to use, they ll likely begin finding other methods for completing their tasks. This typically results in them turning to another database or organizational tool that is totally separate from your CMS system causing inefficiencies and disunity among your team. The key here is finding a CMS product that strikes an appropriate balance between power/flexibility and simplicity/ease-of-use. An ideal CMS system will be designed in such a way that the power & flexibility of the product do not get in the way of the basic functionality. The power & flexibility are there but they re tucked away just beneath the surface ready to be easily utilized if and when necessary Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 9

5 As you are evaluating CMS products, consider whether you are able to use the products without having to refer to user manuals or help files. A well-designed, intuitive product will be surprisingly easy to use right out of the box. Nearly every CMS vendor will claim that their product is easy to use. Unfortunately, it really takes sitting down in front of the product to determine this for yourself. As a result, you should insist that all CMS vendors being considered supply you with a full working demo of their product. A full working demo allows you to use the product on your own with most (if not all) of the features available for you to sample before purchasing the product. This is really the only way to measure how intuitive and easy to use a product may be. It s also important to get feedback about the ease-of-use aspect from the other members on your team who will be using the product. It is particularly important to include those who are the most likely to feel intimidated or uneasy about using a CMS product. If possible, it is also wise to seek out references for each of the CMS products you are considering and specifically ask them their opinion about how easy (or difficult) the product is to use and learn. When contacting references, it is typically best to speak with churches that are of similar size and denomination. MISTAKE #3 : Neglecting reporting, outputting, and data analysis features When evaluating a CMS product, it s important to consider the full process of how you intend to use the system beginning from data entry all the way through to reporting and other output options. Many times, churches will evaluate and measure a CMS product solely based on the data entry and data maintenance aspects. When initially starting out with a CMS product, the data entry features will be at the forefront since you may have a lot of data entry work in order to initially populate the database. However, over the long run, the reporting and output capabilities of the product are likely to be the most important elements 2006 Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 9

6 to your database. If you can t get the data out of the system in convenient and useful ways, it won t be a truly helpful tool. So, while ease of data entry is certainly important, you must also consider how easy (or difficult) it is to pull the data out of your database for items such as letters, s, mailing labels, form letters, giving statements, directories, and important statistical charts and graphs. MISTAKE #4 : Considering only their particular needs and responsibilities You may be searching for a CMS solution to meet a particular need or task that you are currently facing for example, the pastor has asked you to put together a pictorial directory. While that need (generating a pictorial directory) will be a major factor in determining which CMS product is best for you, don t base your selection solely on your particular need. Take a broader look by considering the needs of the others on your church leadership team. In other words, consider how a CMS product can potentially help you and your church in ways beyond your immediate and specific need. There are many significant advantages to having all your team members utilize a common system. Is a CMS product already in use at your church? If so, see if this product can meet your specific need. If it cannot, speak with the others from your leadership team and see if it makes sense to replace the current CMS product with another that will be a better fit for your church. If your need is truly a must have requirement, and your church s current CMS system does not meet this requirement, it makes sense to research and consider a replacement. You may find that your church is already utilizing several different databases, spreadsheets, and/or manual methods. You don t want to add to this problem by implementing yet another isolated system. Instead, replacing these multiple methods with a single CMS system would be a great opportunity to improve efficiency and build unity among your team. The important thing here is to collaborate with the others on your team so that the solution implemented will be a good fit for the entire team Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 9

7 MISTAKE #5 : Limiting CMS as a tool only to reduce the administrative burden Church management software is a wonderful tool for reducing the administrative burdens facing today s churches. The desire to simplify the day-to-day church office tasks is typically the main reason that a church is initially drawn to search out a CMS solution. However, your CMS system shouldn t stop there. CMS has the potential to allow your church to do things that were just not possible in the past - things that will enhance your ministry efforts, and help your church fulfill its core biblical purposes. For example, let s suppose your church is having a men s breakfast meeting this coming Saturday morning. The purpose of the event is to build Fellowship and unity among the men in your church. You included an announcement about this event during the last weekend s worship services, and you included a notice in last week s bulletin/program. However, as the week goes on, how many of the men will have forgotten details such as the time and location? How many have forgotten about the event altogether? A simple reminder delivered Thursday or Friday would ensure maximum participation on Saturday morning. With the bulk capabilities of today s CMS systems, you can deliver a personalized reminder to the men in your congregation in just a minute or two. Some CMS systems even integrate with phone message delivery systems enabling you to send out these types of communications by phone again within minutes. So, by using your CMS system to send out these simple reminders, you have utilized your CMS 2006 Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 9

8 system to help increase Fellowship biblical purposes. enabling your church to better fulfill one its core As another example, consider the Ministry purpose. Using a CMS system, you can record the various giftings, talents, and skills of your members. You can then use the CMS system to match these individuals with various ministry opportunities that exist within your church. Suppose you have recorded in your CMS system that Susan has a talent for playing the piano. Let s also suppose that your Childrens Department has a need for someone to play the piano for the 2 nd Grader s Sunday School class each week. A simple query into your CMS system will identify Susan as a perfect candidate to fill this ministry opportunity. Dr. Thom Rainer (President of Lifeway Christian Resources) in his research for his book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, found that more than any other factor, peoples service in ministry in the church keeps them coming back each week. So, we are talking here about using your CMS system to truly impact lives - using it for true Kingdom building work - and not just simply managing the paperwork. The two examples above are just a small sampling of how your CMS system can empower your church to live its mission. Don t overlook this. When searching for a CMS system, look beyond the basic people tracking capabilities. Look for features that are tied to your church s core biblical purposes Fellowship, Ministry, Evangelism, Discipleship, Prayer, and Worship Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 9

9 Make sure you include your pastor(s) in the evaluation and decision making process. They will typically be a great resource in identifying areas where a CMS system might be used to enhance the ministry of your church, and they will help you think outside the box. Realistically, fully applying a CMS product into your ministry will take some effort on your part. However, the impact will be well worth the extra time spent. Although it may not be necessary, it is a good idea to ensure that the CMS vendor offers training and support options in the event that you need assistance with applying the CMS product to your particular church s needs. Many CMS vendors are now offering customizable web-based interactive training that is much more cost effective than in-person training sessions. Finally, ensure that the CMS vendor you select has a vision for helping churches that includes going beyond just reducing their administrative burden. Look for a vendor with a heart and passion to partner with churches helping them fulfill their core biblical purposes. Reducing the paperwork is certainly important. However, increasing Kingdom work should really our true target and goal. ABOUT HELPMATE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS Since 1997, Helpmate Technology Solutions has been providing churches with church management software solutions and related services. Our products have been specifically designed to assist in growing healthy churches - while greatly simplifying & automating church administrative tasks. Our client base includes churches across the United States (in all 50 States) and world-wide as well (in 20 countries). Find out more about our company, our products, and our services by visiting our website at or by calling Helpmate Technology Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 9