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Restore Church: Build Your Site Brick by Brick [Review]


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I have been building websites since I was in seventh grade, which was two decades ago – a fact that I'd rather not dwell on. Back then, I did everything the hard way: HTML 3.0 coding. My only visual cues coming in the way of Microsoft Frontpage, which should tell you a lot. Eventually, I found my way to WordPress, and I've never looked back. Recently, I've started building websites for churches, and in my work, I came across a theme I'd never seen before, so I thought I share it with ... Read More

Innovation or Profitability: Which Should Determine The Future of Church Technology?


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Quietly powering many churches in America, Church Management Systems (ChMS) impose opportunities and limitations. Recent acquisitions and mergers between the largest industry players have led to an increasingly closed environment. As for-profit organizations, they are locking into profitable and even exclusive agreements with debit/credit card processing partners in the pursuit for increased revenues. This all comes with a price tag of higher costs and lower innovation. At the mercy of the ... Read More

Top 20 WordPress Plugins [Infographic]


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What are your favorite WordPress plugins? The kind of plugins you can't live without or those that make your WordPress life easier? This list of 20 of the most popular WordPress plugins is interesting. Some of these I would never install, some I nod my head in agreement, while others I should go take a look at! ... Read More

The Green Bay Packers of Church Management?


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Love them or hate them the Green Bay Packers are unique. How so? Many people don’t realize it but the Packs are the only publicly owned non-profit team in the NFL. In the truest sense they are owned by their fans. So how does this relate to Church Management Systems? Simple… there’s a new player in town, one that also is a non-profit, and while not technically owned by its fans (only 4 states allow a non-profit to sell shares), views its community of churches as owners. Last year the Spark ... Read More

The Case for Church Management Software: Check-In


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For the past few months we have been covering the main features of a ChMS (Church Management Software). We started with financials, followed up with membership, and now we look at one of my favorite features: check-in. This is an essential piece in the ChMS puzzle and is usually included in many of the top church management software systems. As in previous posts, we’ll be using By the Book as a case example as we talk about the finer points of a ChMS check-in system. “Check-in” is commonly ... Read More

Updating WordPress [Infographic]


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With WordPress approaching 25% of running all websites on the Internet, it has become a target for any of its vulnerabilities. Being such a popular CMS has its good and bad qualities. This being the bad. However, the flip-side, is that WordPress is always feeding updates to keep sites safe and secure—before the Internet bad guys can "drop-in" on your install. Take a look at these numbers: ... Read More

The Case for Church Management Software: Membership


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Last month we began to look at the fundamental aspects of a ChMS (Church Management Software), starting with financials. Remember, since most ChMS financial modules integrate with your more popular financial apps, this isn't something that should be quickly overlooked. Your ChMS is not a replacement for Quickbooks, it's a way to enhance it. Now let's get to the core of what a ChMS has to offer, as before, using By the Book as a case example. ... Read More

The Case for Church Management Software: Financials


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In the world of ChMS’ (Church Management Software), probably the least flashy of all the features is the financial element. However, it happens to be one of the more practical elements that a ChMS has to offer. Not only during tax time and some of the daily operations of the church, but often for the members as well. The feature set included in the many different ChMS’ vary, so for the sake of arguing the finer points of a using a ChMS for your church, we’ll be using By the Book as a case ... Read More

The Top Church Management Software (ChMS) Solutions


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Does your church use ChMS (Church Management Software)? I would curious to know what percentage of churches use a ChMS solution. This is often overlooked or ignored by smaller churches, as it seems like something only a large or mega church would need. But the truth of the matter is, a church of almost any size can benefit from using ChMS. The key in that statement would be “use.” Unused programs, apps, and tools never help if they’re never used and never reach their full potential if they’re ... Read More