Top 10 Best Anglican Church Management Software

You do have a ChMS, right? If not, prepare to have your world changed, and your job made much easier. Because an effective Church Management Software is among the biggest time and money savers available to any church. Let’s talk about the wide world of ChMS and how it relates to the Anglican Church.

Digital giving apps and tools

What is Church Management Software for Anglican Churches?

What’s the most useful software tool at your church? There’s probably a list of helpful resources you depend on daily, but we’re willing to wager that your Church Management Software (ChMS) is at least on the list. 

You do have a CMS, right? If not, prepare to have your world changed, and your job made much easier. Because an effective Church Management Software is among the biggest time and money savers available to any church.

Let’s talk about the wide world of ChMS and how it relates to the Anglican Church.

Why Do Anglican Churches Need Software?

Every church, regardless of denomination, has a few things in common. 

  • We all depend on tithes and donations. 
  • We all practice some form of worship. 
  • We all use volunteers.
  • We all have discipleship groups of some kind.
  • We all have people.

The question is: how do we keep track of all of these donations, worship, volunteers, groups, and people? The simple (and yet not-so-simple) answer is: Church Management Software.

This is the central system that church leaders and staff use to organize, manage, and analyze the information behind all of these important data points. Without a ChMS, your church is forced to do all of these tasks manually and separately.

How Do Church Management Systems for Anglican Churches Work?

Every Church Management System is essentially a large database that keeps track of all the key information within your Anglican Church. But more than that, the ChMS is built specifically with the church in mind so that it accommodates things like worship, volunteers, and tithes.

These systems have most of the key features built-in and they even integrate with many of the other technology you’re already using. But you still need training and regular maintenance of these systems to keep them working properly.

Key Features to Consider in a ChMS for Anglican Churches

Comparing different Church Management Software is not always like comparing apples to apples (Garden of Eden variety or otherwise). Each ChMS is created differently, just like each Anglican Church is unique.

However, there are still a few key features that are important to look at when selecting the right ChMS for your church:

  • Adaptability: how well does it fit your church or change to meet your needs?
  • Cost: how much does the system cost and can you afford it?
  • Usability: how easy is it to use?
  • Customer support: how accessible is their team to help you with troubleshooting?
  • Training: how much onboarding support do they offer your team?
  • Integrations: what other digital tools does it connect with?

How We Chose the Best Software for Anglican Churches

There is no right or wrong choice with ChMS for any Anglican church. Therefore, there’s no right or wrong way to create a list of best Church Management Systems to choose from.

When compiling this list, we selected some of the top ChMS based on their balance of pros and cons, the price, and how well each fit for the Anglican Church specifically.

Top 10 Best Anglican 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. Churchteams</a>

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

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

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

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

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

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

<a href="#list-10" class="toc-link">10. Fellowship One</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.

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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 per month.

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<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://go.churchteams.com/">3. 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
  • Can be 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.servantpc.com/servantkeeper/index.php">4. 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.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.shelbysystems.com/">5. 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.wildapricot.com/">6. 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
  • The platform is used by more than 26,000 organizations

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://www.elvanto.com/us/">7. 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 each donation
  • There can be difficulty when searching for individual church members
  • The mobile version of the software is more limited and harder to navigate

Price of Elvanto

Elvanto is $72 a month for access to all features on the platform.

<a class="listicle-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://pushpay.com/">8. 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 listed.

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

Pros of FlockBase

  • Better specifically for smaller churches
  • A 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.fellowshipone.com/">10. 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.

Which Church Management System for Anglican Churches Should You Choose?

Key Takeaways

  • Every ChMS is different, just like every church.
  • There are a few key similarities with Church Management Systems that are important to consider when making your choice.
  • Price isn’t always the most important piece, but it’s still a consideration.
  • Take your time to review some options. Test them out with your team and discuss them all internally before starting the investment of onboarding.
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Anglican Church Management Software FAQs

What Is the Best Way to Manage Church Finances?

The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil (that’s a paraphrase from 1 Timothy 6:10), but managing money well is still a valuable part of a successful church. You don’t have to love money, but you still must handle it wisely and honorably.

One key step is having an internal accounting system. Follow industry best practices and ensure that there is a separation of duties to prevent any potential fraud. Hire people in financial roles (or recruit if they’re volunteers) whom you can trust. But also give them appropriate oversight to reinforce accountability.

There’s far more to church finances than just that. However, you can also remember that a ChMS is a major tool for your church finances. Putting your financial records in one place makes it that much easier to manage. 

How Do You Run a Successful Church?

Managing a church is different from running a business, however, there are plenty of similar principles. Having the right leaders and systems in place is a big first step. 

Whether you’re a large or small church, build processes that aren’t dependent on one person. Keep records and documents that allow someone else to take on any role within your ministry. This protects you in the case of turnover or illness.

There are plenty of bad ways to run a church. It’s worth taking the time to learn from mistakes (of yourself or others) and grow your church in a way that is admirable and sustainable.

How Do I Create a Church Database?

An effective Church Management Software essentially operates like a church database. All of your important information is stored in one place. So how do you manage this database?

Start by understanding what information you want to store. Make a list with your team and figure out what you already have or need to obtain. Import the information on hand and spend time (yes, this takes time) verifying that it’s correct.

As you grow and things change, be sure to update your database accordingly. Appoint someone (or a group of people) whose job it is to maintain these records. Create ways for people in your church to share their new information so that you have reliable data.

<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/FAQPage"> <div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"> <h2 itemprop="name">What Is the Best Way to Manage Church Finances?</h2> <div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"> <p itemprop="text">The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil (that’s a paraphrase from 1 Timothy 6:10), but managing money well is still a valuable part of a successful church. You don’t have to love money, but you still must handle it wisely and honorably. One key step is having an internal accounting system. Follow industry best practices and ensure that there is a separation of duties to prevent any potential fraud. Hire people in financial roles (or recruit if they’re volunteers) whom you can trust. But also give them appropriate oversight to reinforce accountability. There’s far more to church finances than just that. However, you can also remember that a ChMS is a major tool for your church finances. Putting your financial records in one place makes it that much easier to manage. <a href="https://www.breezechms.com/">Visit breezechms.com</a> </p> </div> </div> <div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"> <h2 itemprop="name">How Do You Run a Successful Church?</h2> <div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"> <p itemprop="text">Managing a church is different from running a business, however, there are plenty of similar principles. Having the right leaders and systems in place is a big first step. Whether you’re a large or small church, build processes that aren’t dependent on one person. Keep records and documents that allow someone else to take on any role within your ministry. This protects you in the case of turnover or illness. There are plenty of bad ways to run a church. It’s worth taking the time to learn from mistakes (of yourself or others) and grow your church in a way that is admirable and sustainable. <a href="https://www.breezechms.com/">Visit breezechms.com</a> </p> </div> </div> <div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"> <h2 itemprop="name">How Do I Create a Church Database?</h2> <div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"> <p itemprop="text">An effective Church Management Software essentially operates like a church database. All of your important information is stored in one place. So how do you manage this database? Start by understanding what information you want to store. Make a list with your team and figure out what you already have or need to obtain. Import the information on hand and spend time (yes, this takes time) verifying that it’s correct. As you grow and things change, be sure to update your database accordingly. Appoint someone (or a group of people) whose job it is to maintain these records. Create ways for people in your church to share their new information so that you have reliable data. <a href="https://www.breezechms.com/">Visit breezechms.com</a> </p> </div> </div> </div>