Church Related Software Index

Every time I hear somebody asking for help in adapting a standard database package to keep track of church members, I want to cringe. I once did the same thing, thinking that the cost of commercial church management packages wasn't worth it. Since then, I have come to see the folly of trying to re-invent the wheel. Now, I advise people to check out the assorted church membership packages already on the market. For one thing, they've all had to face up to issues (like blended families) which an individual (or even a committee) might not think of when designing a system. For another thing, most of what you pay for (if you do pay) with a commercial church management package are things like bug fixes, new features, and support. In addition, many of the vendors have things like user conferences for training and so on, newsletters, and other ways to help users get the most out of the product. An individual offering to design a system might be thinking in terms of a project which they can design, install, and then move on, and might not be prepared for the amount of "after sales" hand-holding that the church will need.

Fortunately, I have been collecting information on church related software since 1987, when my home church first got a computer. In fact, that's why I started CAMsoc in the first place: there are literally hundreds of church related software packages out there, but it took me a year and a half to discover the first hundred in the database. No church should have to put in that much time to find the software they need.

Prices and distribution methods for Christian software vary wildly. Some packages, such as integrated, multi-user church management systems with lots of bells and whistles, cost multiple thousands of dollars, and are only available through the developer's sales agents. At the other extreme, there are freeware Bibles (usually with the King James Version, because it's not copyrighted any more) which you can download from shareware repositories. It will take some time to roll out individual pages for all of the software packages in my database, so keep checking back to so how much I have completed. In the meantime, if you have a specific type of software that you need, contact me and let me know the type of software you need, and the operating system you are using. I will make your request a priority for rolling out new pages.

Platforms Covered:

• Amiga: Software which runs on the Amiga, from the original version marketed by Commodore, through the variants sold by various subsequent owners, to the currently shipping models.
• DOS: Software which runs under PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS, Novell DOS, Caldera DOS, Concurrent DOS, and other operating systems designed to be "IBM compatible."
• Linux: Software which runs under Linux, UNIX, FreeBSD, and other UNIX-descended operating systems.
• Macintosh: Software which runs on Apple Macintosh (and compatibles), either in "Classic" (MacOS 9 and earlier) or OS/X.
• OS/2: Software which runs under IBM's OS/2 operating system.
• Windows: Software which runs under Microsoft Windows.
• Multiplatform Resources: Fonts, graphics, Java applets, web-based tools, and other resources which can be used across computer platforms.

Types of Software Covered:

• Accounting Software: This does not include generic accounting software, but rather software specifically designed for church use. Some packages are designed to add fund accounting features to standard packages, and some are designed to include everything.
• Bible Software: This includes everything from a copy of the King James text with a search engine to "library software" with multiple Bible versions, the Hebrew and Greek texts, lexicons, commentaries, and other Bible study tools.
• Bible Atlas Software: This includes software to display maps of Bible lands, sometimes with extra tools such as the ability to select which places are marked.
• Books on Disc: This category is similar to the Bible Software category, except that it covers any other books made available electronically.
• Church Management Software: This includes software for keeping track of church members, starting with simple databases for keeping track of names, addresses, and telephone numbers, right up to "do everything" packages, which may include multiple functions covered in the other categories.
• Clip Art, Fonts, & Graphic Software: This includes everything related to the look of printed material created by churches. Note that clip art files (and, to a lesser extent, fonts) can be used in many different operating systems, so if you are looking for something in this category, be sure to check the Multiplatform Resources page, as well as the page for your operating system.
• Donation Management Software: This includes software to keep track of donations and (in some countries) issue income tax receipts or apply to the tax authority for "grant in aid" funds. Note that this function is frequently included in Accounting Software and Church Management Software, but there are a number of "stand-alone" donation management packages, which I list separately to avoid confusion.
• Music Software: This includes things like databases for filing sheet music for the choir, scheduling software for worship teams, collections of chorus lyrics in the format of your presentation software, and MIDI software.
• "Quote of the Day" Software: This includes software designed to pop up a window with some kind of daily devotional content, whether Bible verses, inspiring quotes, a short devotional, or some other kind of "Thought for Today" content. Some packages are designed to pop up during the boot process, to give you an inspiring thought as you start your work day, and others act as screen savers.
• Worship Software: This includes software designed to assist with the worship service, by helping to plan the service, schedule participants, or for use during the service itself, such as presentation aids for use during the sermon or announcements.
• Other Software: No matter how many categories I come up with, somebody somewhere will think of something I didn't. All the stuff which doesn't fit into any other category goes here, until I get so many examples of one kind that I am forced to add a new category.

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