This morning we released an upgrade to automate important database changes that need to happen when someone is marked as deceased.  Usually this comes up because a surviving family member has received a letter, an email, a giving statement or some other communication that includes their deceased loved one's name or other information. 

Tags: New Release, Best Practices

QR (Quick Response) codes are the future.  At least that's what we were told - 10 years ago.  But, they never really took off.  We tried them. You probably tried them. 

 

They did not go away, but their adoption definitely sputtered.  However, two events in recent years seem to be catalizing QR codes to their promised level of prominence.  

Tags: Text-To-Church, Best Practices

Most of us think of Excel about like we do the grocery store - you just go there  when you need something.  Others consider it their office and work in it all the time.

Tags: Misc. Insights, Best Practices

We all know that trust is foundational to successful relationships.  It is also foundational to a successful relationship with your database.  If you don't trust the data, you don't trust what the data tells you.  That's a problem.

Tags: Church Management Software, Best Practices

As the Andy Williams song (Youtube) tells us, this really is the most wonderful time of the year.  But, like everything else in 2020, the pandemic is making us re-think how we do Christmas services and events. 

(verse 3) There will be services for reserving and childcare for serving.  Families wary to go.  Because of scary Covid stories and tales of the gories of viruses long, long ago. 

Tags: Best Practices

An important feature in facility management software like eSpace from last week is the ability to require approval for use of a room or resource.  Many churches need a similar process for approving personnel and purchases.  A client asked me last week if we had a way to provide this process in Churchteams so that their staff could keep everything in one software.

Tags: Giving, Best Practices

 

Ministry structure that was once strong and vibrant can collapse just like this barn. A lot of factors go into this.  Bad design. Poor materials. Hubris. Apathy. Accidents. Finances. Disease. Vision leakage. Personnel change. Weather. 

 

I'll leave it to others to diagnose. I just know it is a real thing.  We see it all the time in our work with churches as their accounts with us mature and are used more broadly. 

 

Almost since the beginning of the company I've said that the two primary roles of church software are: 1) to help define structure that reflects the church's strategy, and 2) provide feedback that informs vision.  Vision drives strategy. Strategy drives structure. Structure drives feedback. Feedback informs Vision. This is the cycle of ministry praxis.  Any missing or lame segment, over time, can bring down the house. 

 

Tags: Best Practices

Churchteams was built around the idea of growing a church using groups as the common building material for every ministry. This means that everything that involves more than one person is managed as a group. 

Every worship service, small group, class, committee, ministry team, leadership team, service team, mission team, event, and even assimilation step is managed as a group. 

This is one of the design constructs that makes our software unique, powerful and user-friendly.  Once understood, ministry rocks of all sizes are formed together to become a solidly built organization.

Tags: Small Groups, Best Practices

 

Tags: Text-To-Church, Best Practices, Email Marketing

I was so encouraged by this email from Kelly, a church admin assistant, in response to How we help the church be the church.

"Thanks for all of your help during this time. We have had two families already connect using the set-up in Churchteams. One from our church and the other is un-churched. They happen to live right across the street from one another and hooked up after seeing the link on FB. Thank you for all of your help in getting our church ready for serving our community during these difficult times."

Tags: Best Practices, Church Software Review