15+ Best Church Software Solutions for Virtual Success
In an increasingly digitized world, it’s important that churches like yours stay up-to-date with effective church software solutions. From weekly sermons and member management to fundraising and accounting initiatives, almost every aspect of church operations can be streamlined with the right tools in your toolbox.
That’s why we’ve compiled this guide, divided by category, to provide you with a basic overview of the different types of church software and the providers you can choose from. Feel free to jump around to the sections that interest you most, or you can read along from the top as we walk through our favorite church software solutions.
By becoming acquainted with the resources that are available to you, you can make better-informed decisions concerning the tools and strategies you choose to sustain your church operations. Make your church a better place for your staff and congregation alike by maximizing your suite of church software and investing in these powerful tools. Ready to get started? Let’s jump in!
Why Virtual Church Services and Strategies Succeed
As a result of COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines, most physical church services have been canceled for the foreseeable future. Yet for many churchgoers, weekly services and church activities are of the utmost importance to maintain a relationship with both God and their church family. That’s why it’s so crucial that churches and other religious organizations make the move to virtual services and get-togethers as soon as possible.
The Bible says that when two or more are gathered, He is there— and thanks to high-quality live streaming and other tech tools, the gathering can continue virtually and from a healthy distance! This means that your congregation doesn’t have to sacrifice your strong communal relationships, with both God and each other, to stay safe and healthy during this time of crisis.
Plus, it’s always a good idea to keep up with current technology and do what you can to bring your church into the modern era. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, churches all over the globe were turning to software solutions to strengthen and increase their reach. After all, in a world where movies, television, and other forms of entertainment are available on-demand, it only makes sense that religious resources would be as well!
Virtual Church Service Software
One of the most crucial aspects of a virtual church engagement strategy is the sustainability of weekly services through church software. Thanks to optimized live-streaming tools, you can take your church services— including sermons, bible studies, and prayer gatherings— to the virtual realm and maintain church relationships from a distance. Check out our three favorite church software providers for virtual church services:
Dacast
Overview
Dacast’s all-in-one video solution is perfect for churches of all shapes and sizes, from small-town community gatherings to megachurches.
With live streaming and video hosting software, you can bring your church services to the virtual realm with ease.
Faithlife Proclaim
Overview
Faithlife Proclaim provides churches like yours with service presentation software, sermon podcasting capabilities, and online streaming tools to effectively utilize technology to boost church services.
Plus, their integrations with other virtual church solutions like Logos Bible Software, WorshipPlanning.com, and SongSelect by CCLI help ensure that you won’t miss out on any of the usual church activities you offer during regular congregation get-togethers.
MyChurchWebsite
Overview
MyChurchWebsite provides the tools you need to create a beautifully designed and easy-to-use website for your church. You can use your website to tell supporters about your upcoming virtual services and other activities you’re hosting to keep congregants engaged.
Allow your congregation to stay in-the-know with the updated web pages, email and text communications, and social networking integration.
Fundraising Software for Churches
Most churches depend heavily on tithes and offerings from dedicated churchgoers to maintain day-to-day operations. While this funding is typically collected through the passing of an offering plate in-service, there’s no reason that giving can’t be digitized as well. Some churches even started digitizing this process before the COVID-19 crisis! So the software has been designed, built, and tested, making it easy to adopt for new users.
With the right church software, you can allow your congregation to give in the way that most conveniences them. For a more in-depth look at church giving software, take a look at this useful guide! But first, here are our top six favorites:
Double the Donation
Overview
Double the Donation is the industry-leading marching gift software solution that assists nonprofits and other organizations in maximizing corporate giving revenue in the simplest way possible.
Although many employers choose not to match donations to churches, some religious organizations (especially those providing community services like a food kitchen or educational institution) are in fact eligible to receive matching gift revenue!
Snowball
Overview
Snowball provides a complete suite of easy-to-use online donation (and tithing!) software, along with mobile giving channels, to make fundraising easier for any church or organization.
Their solution makes it easy to create forms that make it a quick and simple process for members of your congregation to give.
With text-to-give and online donation pages, churchgoers can contribute their tithes or offerings in less than a minute! Plus, with recurring gift functionality, dedicated members can set up scheduled gifts and save time on future donations.
Fundly
Overview
Fundly is a unique fundraising platform that churches, nonprofits, and individuals can use to raise funds for any cause.
Your church can easily create a crowdfunding page that lets you solicit contributions from your congregation and the greater community.
Your church can share the page on your social media accounts to encourage your followers to donate.
With social sharing, customization, and optional giving reward levels, Fundly has the features your church needs to raise money for any project.
Donately
Overview
Donately provides churches and other organizations with the online giving tools they need to streamline giving and grow their annual and campaign revenue with ease.
With online donation pages for tithes and offerings, recurring gift functionality, and powerful data reporting tools, Donately is an effective church software provider for all of your fundraising needs.
Soapbox Engage
Overview
Soapbox Engage is an online fundraising platform that works with churches, advocacy groups, charities, associations, and businesses.
By offering donation tools, event planning software, and powerful marketing data, you’ll have everything you need to effectively reach your network of churchgoers and donors.
CloverGive
Overview
Funding your ministry can be simple with Clovergive’s suite of fundraising software and online donations tools.
Thanks to a system with quick setups, timely deposits, and top-notch security features, Clovergive is the platform specifically designed to make church giving easy.
Church Management Software
Running a church often involves juggling a lot of moving parts. Between keeping up with congregants, managing memberships, welcoming visitors, and more, it’s crucial that you employ the right tools and resources to keep your church afloat. Here are our suggestions for the best church management software solutions:
Vision2
Overview
Vision2 is an effective church software provider that enables church growth by providing streamlined giving solutions, powerful engagement and communication tools, and efficient office management resources.
CongreGATE
Overview
CongreGATE provides church management software, so you can record and track your congregation’s attendance and engagement with features such as a member directory, attendance tracking, duty rosters, and more.
With their unique member interaction tracker, you can store all your church member engagements in one location.
The features offered by CongreGATE were designed specifically for churches, so you’ll have all the necessary tools to enhance your marketing strategies. Plus, your church members can use the directory and contact information to stay connected with the other members of their church family.
Church Windows
Overview
Church Windows has helped over 12,000 churches of different sizes and denominations record and manage information for their congregations.
By offering tools such as membership reporting, event scheduling, and donation tracking, Church Windows provides the foundation of church software you need to maintain an effective organization.
Church Accounting Software
What many people don’t know is that leading a church is often a lot like running a small business. While the methods of obtaining revenue differ dramatically, both churches and small businesses need to track income and expenses, budget, and use effective accounting tools to manage the operations of the organization.
Accounting software can streamline the financial management aspects of running a church. Let’s walk through our favorite church accounting software providers:
ShelbyNext
Overview
ShelbyNext offers financial cloud-based software to help nonprofits stay up-to-date on their bookkeeping and accounting.
They offer tools to track basic financial information in your general ledger. Plus, with features like payroll, fixed assets, and purchasing management, you can better get a handle on the regular operational expenses for your church.
Along with financial management features, ShelbyNext also offers web-design, fundraising, and other services.
FlockBase
Overview
Flockbase is a software provider with powerful accounting tools that can help your church organize your finances more effectively.
The team at Flockbase has created tools with true fund accounting in mind so that you can track and manage your employees’ payroll, maintain an accurate ledger, build effective budgets, and check your fund balances.
In addition to accounting services, Flockbase also has a church management system so you can integrate your entire church software ecosystem for better results.
QuickBooks
Overview
QuickBooks is an accounting software provider that is used by nonprofits, small businesses, and freelancers alike.
With church-specific software, you can use their services to track your finances in a simple and effective way.
Your church can keep all of your accounting data, bank synchronization, bill payments, and payroll all in one place with QuickBooks’ tools for ease-of-use.
Our Top Resources for Churches
With the right resources, you can bring any church to the next level in terms of service broadcasting, fundraising, managing, accounting, and more. That’s why it’s so important that your team begins to make valuable investments in church software as soon as possible.
For more information, check out the following top resources for churches and organizations like yours:
26+ Best Fundraising Ideas for Churches
Are you looking for unique and engaging fundraiser ideas to raise more for your congregation?
Check out our favorites right here to get inspired and start planning the ultimate church fundraiser!
The Ultimate Guide to Corporate Giving
Corporate giving programs are a largely untapped source of revenue for nonprofit organizations everywhere.
Luckily, Double the Donation is the industry leader in matching gifts and other forms of corporate revenue.
20+ Top Member Management Tools
The most important part of any church is its people. Yet effectively managing an entire congregation can be difficult.
Check out these member management tools that can simplify everyday operations in your church.