DOING CHURCH , SIMPLIFIED
How a large church quickly — and easily — streamlined multiple software applications into one allpurpose tool for maximum efficiency
Tim Gamache
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
It ' s a common scenario in many churches : those who choose the various software applications do so because they provide a specific functionality . The result : inefficiency .
TrueNorth Church in North Augusta , SC , was no exception .
As Business and Operations Director Tim Gamache explains , the church was using one application for its small-groups ministry ; another for services planning and management ; and a third for volunteer management . Additionally , a payment processing platform was in use at the church . As a result , TrueNorth was using each tool for a specific functionality — but not optimizing every available function . So , in late 2019 and early 2020 , church leaders aimed once and for all to streamline all these functionalities into a single platform .
Necessity : the mother of invention Leaders at TrueNorth were facing particularly significant inefficiencies when it came to database management . “ If we wanted to send out a church-wide communication , we had to manually collect contact information from every application we were using , manually eliminate redundant information , and manually import the data into our email application for sending ,” Gamache says . “ Those inefficiencies manifested themselves not only in communication , but any time we needed to reference our church family database for any purpose .” Now , with Churchteams , they are able to filter recipients by dozens of criteria , which lets them laser-focus their email communications . This efficiency is crucial , especially when sending year-end contribution statements , for example . “ We used to manually print , package , address and send every statement at the beginning of every year ,” Gamache says . “ For the past two years , we have processed automated email contribution statements , which has saved time , money and effort .”
T2C is top of mind The application ’ s text-to-church functionality was particularly attractive , as well — and something Gamache and 32 other staff members , ministry leads and volunteers at TrueNorth now use often . According to Gamache , this “ fantastic ” tool is used for all event registration , as well as for giving , connection with first-time guests , prayer requests , and small group inquiries ( to name just a few ). “ Everything we do as a church that requires connection with our church family is initiated through text-to-church ,” he says . “ It has been a game-changer .”
Volunteer management made eas ( ier ) Additionally , TrueNorth ’ s adoption of the Churchteams platform contributed to the development of a new volunteer module — an essential tool for a large church with a healthy volunteer base .
Photos by Luis Morera
4 CHURCH EXECUTIVE