11 Must-have Features of Church Management Software

If you’re leading a church in the 21st century, then you need church management software. 

Church management software saves you significant time on admin, reduces errors, automates communication, and even creates more space for ministry. 

But choosing a church management software tool that’s right for your church isn’t easy. There are a range of options available. And most of them promise the same outcome: simplify church management. 

In the following article, we’ll talk about the seven key features you must have in a church management software. 

The Benefits of Church Management Software

Church management software, or ChMS, typically comes with a monthly subscription fee, but the price is well worth the investment. 

By using the right software, you’ll save hours of administrative labor. Not only that, but you’ll create a culture of more connection and engagement with your church members with tools designed for communication. Ultimately, the right ChMS will even help you grow your church membership and finances. 

Again, you’ll need to choose a tool that includes key features needed for church administration.

11 Key Features for Church Management Technology

1. A Customizable Contact Database

Church is all about connection. That being said, most church management tools come with a contact database for staying organized, connecting with church members, and keeping track of who’s who in your community. Using a church database, an admin can easily locate specific members and look up information such as background check renewals, child food allergies, spiritual gifts, or anything else that would be most beneficial to your church.*

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How do you know what kind of database to look for?

Your ChMS’s database should:

• Store unlimited contacts for no extra fee
• Have customizable data fields for quick search and filter
• The ability to create and share photo directories
• Be mobile-accessible!

Finally, your church’s database should be simple to use and understand. 

*Note that detailed information will only be available in databases with customizable data fields!

2. Online, Text, and Mobile Giving

Your church members are more likely to be generous if they can give online. 

Even better? Giving them the ability to make a financial gift on an app or with a text message. 

When your church management software is integrated with an online giving platform, tasks like collecting and tracking donations become that much easier.

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Your church management software should offer the ability to:

• Track donors and their gifts
• Generate reports on the financial health of your church 
• Easily create and send end-of-year tax statements

Finally, look for a ChMS that includes online giving in the monthly price.

3. Volunteer Scheduling

Churches run on volunteers. That’s why it’s so critical to retain them, recruit them, and keep them organized.

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Every church admin knows that scheduling can be one of the most significant pain points when it comes to volunteers. Coordinating with multiple volunteers across multiple ministries–kids, tech, hospitality, bookstore, security, and more–can be tricky. 

That’s why it’s so key to have a church management software that helps you schedule volunteers for specific events. Not only that, but it should help volunteers stay on the same page by sending them automated reminders before they serve.

4. Child Check-in 

One of the things that parents look most for in a church is a great children’s ministry. 

Part of an effective children’s ministry–aside from the fun, of course–is an organized environment where parents can drop off their kids and feel good knowing that they’re safe.

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That being said, you’ll want to find a church management software that provides easy child check-in and tracking. If your tool can help you print name tags (and corresponding tags for parents), that’s an added bonus.

5. Email and Text

The easiest way to connect with church members during the week? Email and text. 

Some of your church members will prefer an email. Others are more likely to open up or respond to a text message. 

In any case, you’ll want to use digital communication to connect with your church members about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, fundraising campaigns, workshops and classes, and anything else that might be relevant to your church. 

The best church management software tools will include email and text messaging so that you can quickly connect with your church members. But just because your email and text message tool is connected to a church management software doesn’t mean it should be basic.

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Your email and text tool should:

• Give you the ability to check open and click-through rates
• Schedule messages in advance, so that you can schedule out your whole month (or week) in advance
• Allow you to easily send messages to specific groups of people

The biggest benefit of having email and text connected to your ChMS? Using an email and text message tool that syncs with your contact database makes communication that much easier.

6. Groups

The ability to organize your church members and visitors into groups is a critical aspect of church management.

Even a small church will likely need to organize their people into multiple groups–possibly including church members vs. visitors, deacons, elders, volunteer leads, kid’s ministry volunteers, hospitality crew, worship team, and leadership.

The easiest-to-use church management system will focus on group organization as a key function of the software. 

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Group organization in a ChMS should:

• Give you the ability to tag people based on specific criteria of your choice
• Allow you to set up automations that automatically add people based on specific criteria (so that you don’t have to)
• Sync seamlessly with your email and text message tool (see above)

When you’re looking for an easy-to-use ChMS, focus on groups. Your church admin (that could be you!) will be grateful later on.

7. Affordable price

Most churches aren’t very large, which means they don’t have massive budgets. In fact, half of all churches in America have fewer than 65 members.

That being said, most churches don’t want to spend tons of money on software. More likely, they want to reserve their excess budget for making building upgrades, or hiring a new staff member, or starting a new ministry. 

Your ChMS should be affordable. 

What does affordable mean? 

Less than $100 per month–and preferably, less than $75. Watch out for hidden costs, too. The best church management software teams will help you move over your data for free.‍

8. Registration and Scheduling of Events

Long gone are the days of passing a clipboard down the pew to let people sign up for a Bible study, vacation bible school, or even the church potluck dinner. A good church management software allows you to organize all your ministry’s events in one place so you can see what’s happening, when it’s scheduled, and where it is.

It should also include event registration and automated follow-up options. Automated email and text reminders help ensure everyone is where they need to be at just the right time. Custom registration forms allow people to sign up (and pay) for your events. 

9. Attendance Tracking and Reporting

By tracking attendance, church leaders can identify patterns and reach out to members who may need support or encouragement, fostering a more engaged and connected community.

Attendance reports provide valuable insights into which services and events are most popular, helping you plan future activities and allocate resources more effectively.

Over time, tracking attendance helps identify growth trends, seasonal fluctuations, and areas needing attention, enabling strategic planning and targeted outreach efforts.

10. Financial Reporting

Managing church finances becomes simpler with the financial tools in church management software. It tracks donations, expenses, and generates detailed reports. This transparency helps church leaders monitor financial health, plan budgets, and maintain accountability, ensuring the church's financial integrity.

11. Leader and Member Engagement

Effective communication between church leaders and members is crucial, and church management software excels at this. It centralizes communication through emails, texts, and notifications, keeping everyone in the loop. This fosters a stronger sense of community and ensures members stay engaged and informed.

Benefits of Church Management Software

Church management software, or ChMS, typically comes with a monthly subscription fee, but the price is well worth the investment.

By using the right software, you'll save hours of administrative labor. Not only that, but you'll create a culture of more connection and engagement with your church members with tools designed for communication. Ultimately, the right ChMS will even help you grow your church membership and finances.

• Time-saving and Administrative Task Automation
• Volunteering Management
• Better Communication
• Effective Financial Management
• Creation of a Safer Environment 

Again, you'll need to choose a tool that includes key features needed for church administration.

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Get Started on the World’s Best Church Management Software

Breeze is an easy-to-use, affordable ($72 per month), and most importantly, super useful church management software.

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Breeze includes everything you need to run your church efficiently, including:

• An online giving platform, with financial reporting and tracking
• Child check-in, volunteer scheduling, attendance tracking, and more
• A customizable contact database that allows you to add as many people as you need
• An email and text messaging tool that syncs with your contact database
• Groups management, with the ability to tag people based on specific criteria
• Free data migration
• And more

To learn more about using Breeze for your church management needs, click here.

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Key Takeaways

Church management software (ChMS) saves time by automating administrative tasks and streamlines volunteer management, leading to better communication and engagement with church members. Online, text, and mobile giving, coupled with reporting and other financial management features, help maintain transparency in church finances. Secure check-in for children and events helps parents and church leaders maintain peace of mind. Choosing the right ChMS for your church should be affordable, and will help you achieve the vision and mission God has called you to. 

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Here are the 11 features every Church management Software should have:

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