A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post on managing the list of Events on your Website, App, and Text-to-Church keyword all in one place.  Click here to read more about how this three-in-one functionality works saving time for staff responsible for communication.

Since then we added the keyword RESOURCES to separate these links from EVENTS.  This also matches the functionality in the Member App.

The Member App was created to make it simple for members to manage their giving, serving, groups, events, and resources—all from their phones. At the same time, we know that some people may find it more convenient to access these features on a computer, laptop, or tablet. 

Managing events on multiple communication platforms is easier than ever with Churchteams. 

With our latest upgrade, you can create or update an event in the database, and it automatically shows up and drops off, according to the dates you set: (1) the link Events Calendar on your Website or FB page, (2) your Member App, and (3) your Text-to-Church EVENTS keyword list!  

This is game-changer functionality for staff responsible for church communication.  Instead of a task list reminding them to add or remove event promotions in multiple places, they simply create the event in the Churchteams database and let our automation do that work for them.

One of the distinctives people love about Churchteams is our attention to our clients.  You are the ones using the software day in and day out.  What you say to us matters.  We listen.

Here are 2 registration,  2 data management, and 3 communication upgrades that illustrate this point. 

Review them here, then click on any that sound interesting to learn more.  If you're a regular Churchteams user, they might (1) save you some time, (2) help you communicate more clearly, or (3) help you empower your leaders.

These recent releases showcase the incredible responsiveness and creativity of our support and development teams. We've rolled out fantastic upgrades that make your experience smoother and more efficient.

Now, you can easily maintain a history of contributions while keeping your database clean. We've developed a faster, more up-front way to prevent duplicates when manually entering a new person.  And now, making a registration payment is even more convenient—with just a click from an email or text, users can securely pay using a saved card.

These are just a few of the ongoing improvements we’ve recently released. Check them out!

Six weeks ago we released our New Look, User Interface.   Thank you for all the kind responses and encouraging words about it.  We share that excitement.

Some of the upgrades below are on our classic pages, but upgrades on pages that have already been upgraded will ONLY be available in the new User Interface.  I.e., we won't be upgrading classic pages that have already been upgraded to the new UI.  This is a great reason for your pastors and staff to Opt-in to the New Look if they haven't already.

One week from today, you'll have full access to the new look for Churchteams.  We recommend making the switch to the new beta version as soon as you log in.  We've worked hard on this and want you to see it.  If you do and want to switch back to the classic version, you'll have an option to do that any time. 

In preparation for that we thought a "before and after" video might be helpful for clients to get a better idea of the change.  And those of you who are not clients will enjoy seeing the difference a new look can make.  Check it out.

In the blog post a couple of weeks ago, I told you something big is coming next month.  It was really great to get the emails and calls with questions.  We love that interaction with you guys!

And today, we're ready to tell all of you what's coming to Churchteams on October 1st.  OUR NEW LOOK!! That's right, we are making updates to the user interface!

Coming October 1:  A New User Interface

Labor day weekend marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.  For churches it is also the start of a new ministry season. 

Our team is excited about kids going back to everything from preschool to college.  We are excited about college football. We are excited about what God is doing at our churches and in our small groups.  But, there is a special excitement in the air for our team as we start September this year.

Most of us would prefer to take a shortcut than to have to walk the long way around.  It conserves both time and energy while taking us directly to our desired destination.  At its best, church software is a shortcut for staff and church members. 

Just as landscape professionals consider traffic patterns when designing sidewalks, software professionals analyze usage patterns when creating action walkways.

These five recent upgrades are the result of patterns we've seen and been alerted to in recent months.  Three of them are based on staff usage.  Two of them are based on member usage.

1. Mass update group role from within a group (Staff) 
2. Mass update group info from the browse groups page (Staff)
3. Require recurring payments (Staff)
4. Spouses can see and manage family volunteer schedules (Members)
5. Edit recurring contribution designation and amounts (Members)