Of course, we think we offer the best church software—all the companies in this industry do. But that doesn’t mean there’s one super “best” solution that’s truly the best for every church. Ultimately, each church has to engage in some software-sleuthing to find the one that’s best for them.
We feel a great deal of sympathy for churches trying to solve the significant challenges they face, including the dilemma of finding the best church database software, so we’ve rounded up 3 guidelines that could help you find YOUR “best” church software (even if it’s not Fellowship One):
1. Remember, there is NO silver bullet.
When you see many church software choices that, together, have the ability to do everything you want, it’s easy to imagine that there must be one of them that can do it all. Such is not the case.
That’s why it’s vital that you prioritize your church’s top software needs and separate them from your wish list. Keeping your priorities in mind can help you avoid the faulty software approach that Lindsey Hines, former database administrator for the Rock Church, observes:
2. Consider the grapevine, but be willing to investigate anyway.
The church software blogosphere is a jungle! There’s a lot of talk out there from people who undoubtedly have trustworthy experiences. However, if all of it was completely applicable to everyone, how would most ChMS providers still be in business?
Churches have vastly disparate needs and use products in many different ways. It may be just as useful to talk to someone who is successfully using the products you’re evaluating than to listen solely to negative press. Case in point:
3. Don’t just kick the tires; go for a test drive.
You’ve read everything you can find about the software solutions on your list (and may be more confused than ever), but have you seen them yet? Do you understand how they work or know what they look like? Maybe you’re interested in taking a peek but wish you could avoid the aggressive sales routine.
If so, we’d like to invite you to a special Fellowship One Virtual Guided Tour.
In less than an hour, you’ll get to see the lay of the land and what’s on the fast-approaching horizon. You can interact as much or as little as you like, and get your questions answered.
If you’re not in the market for church management software just yet, or you decide it’s definitely not The One for you, you won’t be pestered. If you’re interested–and we hope you are!–click the button below to get all the details, then register. See you there!
P.S. We also offer a great resource called “Questions You Should Ask Every ChMS Provider” that provides talking points to help you compare church software in the areas of:
- Implementation (or Data Transitioning)
- Data Security
- Reporting
- Features
