Top 10 Best Baptist Church Management Software

What is Church Management Software for Baptist Churches?

From megachurches to small rural congregations, every Baptist church has one thing in common—people. We need people to attend, serve as volunteers, give, go on mission trips, and everything in between. Yes, all churches have people.

So how do you keep track of these people and their various interactions with your church? The simple answer is by maintaining a Church Management Software (ChMS).

A good ChMS acts like a database that keeps track of any different data points you need to know about your community. Think of it as a way to digitally shepherd your flock.

Why Do Baptist Churches Need Software?

You know from experience that leading a church can be a challenge. You have your plate overflowing with responsibilities. But you can’t leave the management of your people to chance. That’s why every Baptist church should be using some form of ChMS.

When used properly a Church Management Software helps you to:

Track Sunday morning worship attendance
Keep updated records of member contact information
Accept and report on tithes and giving
Manage volunteers and even worship setlists
Communicate with groups through digital platforms

There are some aspects of the church that shouldn’t be automated or fully digitized—like discipleship or fellowship. For everything else, there’s a ChMS.

How Do Church Management Systems for Baptist Churches Work?

Church Management Software acts just like a database—storing all of your important records and information in one central place for your team. Every person has a record with fields for attendance, groups, volunteering, giving, and more.

Best of all, ChMS systems have been specifically customized for the church. These tools are better than using an Excell spreadsheet or a CRM tool like Salesforce because they’re built with Baptist congregations like yours in mind.

With that said, there are a number of ChMS options to choose from. Selecting the right one for your church comes down to a few key features.

Key Features to Consider in a ChMS for Baptist Churches

If you’ve worked in the church for long, you’ve probably encountered at least a few ChMS tools. They might look different, but they each have plenty of similarities. These are some important considerations that set them apart when making your decision:

User-friendly: how easy is the program to use?
Cost: does the price of the system work within your budget?
Functionality: does the system have the features you need and expect?
Reporting: how robust or understandable are the report capabilities?
Integrations: what other platforms does the ChMS connect with?

How We Chose the Best Software for Baptist Churches

When composing this list of ChMS options, we considered the key features above, as well as how each tool fit with Baptist Churches specifically. The needs of your church are similar but still unique when compared to other denominations like Catholic parishes or Anglican congregations.

Take a look at the top 10 list to see some of the pros and cons of each. This isn’t a comprehensive collection, but it’s a good starting point for Baptist Church ChMS options.

Top 10 Best Baptist Church Management Software

<a href="#list-1" class="toc-link">1. Breeze ChMS</a>

<a href="#list-2" class="toc-link">2. Tithely</a>

<a href="#list-3" class="toc-link">3. FlockBase</a>

<a href="#list-4" class="toc-link">4. WildApricot</a>

<a href="#list-5" class="toc-link">5. Pushpay</a>

<a href="#list-6" class="toc-link">6. Churchteams</a>

<a href="#list-7" class="toc-link">7. Fellowship One</a>

<a href="#list-8" class="toc-link">8. Shelby Systems</a>

<a href="#list-9" class="toc-link">9.Elvanto</a>

<a href="#list-10" class="toc-link">10. Servant Keeper</a>

1. Breeze ChMS

Pros of Breeze ChMS

A single monthly price that includes all features
Simple to use interface that’s easy to learn
Extensive knowledge base for training

Cons of Breeze ChMS

Simpler ChMS that doesn’t have some of the more robust features
The mobile application can be limited on features

Price of Breeze ChMS

Breeze ChMS costs $72 per month. There are no other tiers or pricing options to choose from. The cost includes all of their features for unlimited users with no onboarding fees.

2. Tithe.ly

Pros of Tithe.ly

Unlimited number of people in the database for the same cost
Connects to other products in the Tithe.ly suite of solutions
Easily customizable for your church with different options

Cons of Tithe.ly

It works best if you’re using the other Tithe.ly products
The challenge of understanding multiple different integrated platforms
Lack of reporting data in some areas like email communications

Price of Tithe.ly

Tithe.ly’s ChMS option costs $72 per month with a $149 one-time setup cost. This can also be bundled with the rest of the Tithe.ly suite for $119 monthly.

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<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.flockbase.com/">3. FlockBase</a>

Pros of FlockBase

Better specifically for smaller churches
Simple interface is easy to use and learn
Self-hosted options for a one-time cost

Cons of FlockBase

The user interface looks outdated
Features might not be robust enough for a larger congregation

Price of FlockBase

They have two different pricing models based on locally-hosted or cloud-hosted solutions. Cloud-based prices range from $24 to $59 per month, while the desktop options range from $139 to 269 one-time costs.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.wildapricot.com//">4. WildApricot</a>

Pros of WildApricot

Plenty of integrations with tools like WordPress, Google Workplace, and Quickbooks
A strong database platform that is used by organizations outside of the church

Cons of WildApricot

More features means a steeper learning curve
Their customer support can be slower to respond
WildApricot is not exclusively built for churches

Price of WildApricot

The cost of WildApricot depends on the number of contacts and admins. This begins at $60/month for up to 250 contacts and extends to $350/month for up to 5,000 contacts.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://pushpay.com/">5. Pushpay</a>

Pros of Pushpay

Their software focus is on giving, which makes donations and finances easier.
They have a strong customer support team with good responsiveness.
The user interface is easy to learn while also being fairly robust.

Cons of Pushpay

This is usually considered one of the more expensive options on the market.
Most churches are required to sign a long-term contract to signup.
The focus on giving can sometimes overshadow the other features of the platform.

Price of Pushpay

Pushpay offers three pricing tiers for their ChMS—core, advanced, and complete—based on what features you need. The specific pricing for these tiers is not publically listed.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://go.churchteams.com/">6. Churchteams</a>

Pros of Churchteams

Large knowledge base that makes training easy
Strong email drag-and-drop creator similar to Mailchimp
Text-to-Church is a custom full texting suite built into the system
No long-term contract so that you can cancel the plan month-to-month

Cons of Churchteams

The database is created around groups, which can be limiting
The software can be challenging to use on a Mac computer
Difficult to use on a mobile device

Price of Churchteams

Churchteams has a more complicated pricing structure based on features and how many people are in the system. This starts at $37/month for the Starter plan with up to 200 people and goes up to $227/month for the MVP plan with up to 10,000 people.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.fellowshipone.com/">7. Fellowship One</a>

Pros of Fellowship One

Churches can create custom attributes to organize people how you’d like
Uses an open API that makes it possible to connect to other platforms
Extensive reporting that can pull a wide range of analytics

Cons of Fellowship One

Cancelation requires a 60-day notice and paying out the remainder of your contract
Customer service can be harder to reach with issues
A more complex UX that requires a learning curve

Price of Fellowship One

Fellowship One does not list public pricing and develops contracts based on individual churches. However, they do have a 30-day free trial so you can test the system.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.shelbysystems.com/">8. Shelby Systems</a>

Pros of Shelby Systems

They offer flexible pricing based on the size of your congregation
The features and price are optima for bigger churches
Good hardware options like barcode readers, check-in tools, and finger scanners

Cons of Shelby Systems

The desktop app does not work with Mac computers
More features means a more difficult time to learn with more training required

Price of Shelby Systems

Shelby Systems’ pricing is based on the size of your church starting around $35/month.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.elvanto.com/us/">9. Elvanto</a>

Pros of Elvanto

Flexible enough to handle churches of many sizes, all for one flat monthly rate
Integrates with a wide range of tools including Mailchimp, Stipe & PayPal
Customer service is quick to respond and address any issues

Cons of Elvanto

Pricing includes a transaction fee for giving
Difficulty with searching for individual church members
The mobile version of the software is more limited and harder to navigate

Price of Elvanto

Elvanto costs $72 per month for access to all of its features and unlimited seats.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.servantpc.com/servantkeeper/index.php">10. Servant Keeper</a>

Pros of Servant Keeper

Relatively easy to learn for your entire team
Offers options for either a cloud solution or on-site hosting
Good value for the price based on features

Cons of Servant Keeper

Limited reporting options and no automated workflows
Accessing from the desktop app requires a separate license per computer

Price of Servant Keeper

Servant Keeper offers a small church option at $250 for up to 50 families. Their unlimited plan is $499 plus an initial fee for unlimited users. There is also a $50/computer license fee.

Which Church Management System for Baptist Churches Should You Choose?

Key Takeaways

All churches should strongly consider using a Church Management System to help with the daily administrative tasks of running a church.
Baptist Churches have plenty of good options when selecting a ChMS, but making the right choice requires time and careful consideration.
Onboarding and training with the tool is an investment that will pay off over time.

Baptist Church Management Software FAQs

Why Do Churches Need a Church Management System?

Without Church Management Software, the handling of administrative tasks is left to your team. This requires a good deal of manual work that will cost time, which could be better spent helping your congregation and community. Using an effective ChMS saves you time and makes your church more efficient and effective at carrying out your mission.

Do Churches Have Apps?

Whether or not a church should have a mobile app largely depends on your situation. This is also a technological investment that can be beneficial. However, you should only consider an app if it provides added value beyond your mobile website. Apps are primarily aimed at existing members, whereas websites tend to better serve guests and new members. Treat them as separate platforms with different values and features.

Which Church CRM Is Easiest to Use?

This is a highly subjective question based on individual users and personal preferences. Breeze ChMS in particular prides itself on ease of use and simplicity. This sometimes comes at the cost of extra features or more robust reporting. The easy user interface is aimed at appealing to all congregations, especially smaller churches with a smaller staff.