7 Questions Before Buying Church Financial Software

Written by Keith Hamilton

How do you determine which financial software is the best for your church?

Church Administration Handbook - Third Edition

There are seven questions that a financial leader should ask when purchasing new church financial software.

1. Does church financial software meet your church’s needs?
A financial software package should be targeted to your size of church. Why spend thousands of dollars on software if the church will never use all the elements of the software. Purchase only the software elements that the church will realistically use.

2. Are other churches in your area using the same financial software?
This is an important element in considering which financial software is important for your church. The church treasurer or financial secretary should have access to other local individuals that she can contact to ask simple questions without having to call the software’s customer service department. The questions she might ask another local treasurer might be as simple as how do I enter a certain type of expenditure or what accounting codes did you enter for this expenditure.

3. How much does the financial software cost?
The initial purchase cost may be only part of the real cost of the software. Make sure to find out how much up-dates and on-going customer support will cost. Find out what the cost of training classes will be for current and new financial leaders.

4. How easy is the financial software to use?
Some church financial software requires the user to have accounting experience; while other software does not require special knowledge. Determine which software meets the needs of the church for the next three to five years. A related question is if the current financial leaders were not able to perform their financial duties due to an extended illness, would the church have qualified leadership to fill the void? Would the other financial leaders be able to use the church financial software?

5. Does the software company provide phone support?
If so, how much does the phone support cost? What is the average wait time for phone support? How many software issues are solved on the first call? Some financial software companies do not offer any support while others offer extensive phone support. Determine which better meets the needs of the church.

6. Does the software provide for an audit trail?
Every year the church needs to conduct a financial review of the church’s financial records. The software should provide for a secured method that traces transactions that cannot be erased to help provide an audit trail for the church’s financial review team.

7. Does the software automatically provide a backup of its data?
If so, is the backup on-site or off-site? The church financial records must be backed up on a regular basis. Numerous church financial records have been lost through computer malfunctions, theft, fires, or human error. The financial software should provide a means to help safeguard the church’s financial information.

The task of purchasing church financial software is not easy. Once you select a software package, it will be difficult to change software if it does not meet the needs of the church. Take the necessary time to make sure the best decision has been made for the long-term financial health of the church.

Note: LifeWay endorses Logos Church Management Software.

For more information on this and other LifeWay OneSource programs visit our Onesource page.

About Dr. Hamilton

Keith Hamilton, D.Ed.Min, CFP, CRPC is with the Georgia Baptist Convention. He has written several publications on establishing church designated funds, managing your household finances, and protecting your church and ministry from identity theft. Check out www.churchfinancialservices.org for more help. Other articles by Keith...