Recently I met with a pastor who had inherited an expensive online member database that no one in the church knew how to use, or in any likelihood would ever use.
The tool was built and priced for large churches, and for whatever reason, someone in the church (before his time) had signed up the church for this tool. They were paying for 10% of its functionality, and are never likely to use more than 20%. It was a poor decision, that was costing the church money.
Does this sound like a situation your church or ministry organisation has been in?
Decisions around tools and technologies aren't easy decisions to make, but the impact on church budgets when bad decisions are made are often long-lasting. What churches need are some general principles to guide the process of selecting technology - website development, member databases, presentation software, etc.
I suggest five to you now.
1. Don't compromise on your 'must haves', in order to acquire your 'nice to haves'
When I was selecting a member database for my church, I wrote out a list of what we needed, and what we'd like. Needs and wants are very different, and without a clear list of what you need, you may be bamboozled into choosing a solution that ticks of lots of your 'wants', but doesn't satisfied some (or many) of your needs. The database I eventually selected was a needs-satisfier. It didn't satisfy most of the wants - but it was also free. I tossed up paying more for features that might be useful, but not necessary, but I couldn't justify it. Know what it is that you need, and don't allow features that would be nice to have sway you from your requirements.
2. Don't let the 'tech guy' drive the bus
In most churches or ministry organisations there will be at least one person who has incredible technical skills in one or more areas. They might be a programmer, or a software developer, or a website designer. People without technical skills can be tempted to think that someone with technical skills in one area, is an expert in all technical areas. I've been in meetings (not at my church, I hasten to add) when it's been decided that a website needs to be developed and so everyone turns to the guy who 'knows a lot about computers' for advice. Setting up a network and developing a website are very different skills. But there's a more important reason. The project should be driven by the person or people who have a vision for what problem needs to be solved. Technology is the end-point, and most of the work should be in identifying the problem and considering how that problem will be fixed. So work out what your church needs in a member database, and then find people to go and find out what solutions are available. People with different technology skills can then be called on for their advice - what's possible, what's not possible, what security concerns exist with different solutions - but they should act as advisers and implementers, rather than vision-setters and requirement-developers.
3. Don't build a tool in-house
In churches, it's not uncommon for someone to put their hand up to build whatever you need. "Need a database? I know my way around Access!". "Need a website? I've built a great custom content management system from scratch!". The benefit of accepting these offers is obvious - you get a solution for free. The problems are often only seen further down the track, when the person who built the solution leaves, and there's no one else at the church who knows how to work with an Access database. If your solution is highly dependant on one person, think long and hard before accepting their offer. While their offers are very gracious, you need to think about how future needs might be met (e.g. maintenance and development - and what happens when something goes wrong), and not just your current requirements.
4. Don't make a decision based on price When it comes to technology and pricing there are two common mistakes:
- "It's free therefore we've got nothing to lose (and it's within our budget!)". Free doesn't mean that it will meet your needs. Free doesn't mean there aren't costs - maintaining an inadequate free solution may in fact be more expensive than using a paid solution. Free looks very appealing to churches and ministries who often run on the smell of an oily rag, but beware of choosing a solution based on the $0 upfront price tag.
- "It costs lots of money, therefore it must be awesome". It can be equally tempting to think that because a solution costs a lot of money that it will be good. There are numerous situations where we don't buy this logic (it's one reason why luxury brands survive!), but it can be all too easily accepted when choosing technology. A solution is good if it meets your needs - regardless of what the price is.
5. Be realistic about how the technology will be used
In the example I cited at the start of this post, their member database is incredible. The list of features is impressive, and the possibilities for members of the church to engage with one another online during the week using this database are endless. However, people at the church just aren't interested. I had similar doubts in the research I did for a database at my church - there are a number of great solutions out there that facilitate online community, but we have enough trouble getting people to read our weekly email newsletter! I wanted to think that my church would make use of these features, but I had to be realistic - it just wasn't going to happen any time soon (regardless of how much I pushed the benefits), and it wasn't a good use of money to pay for features that in all likelihood would never be used. Likewise, you could pay for an amazing file server with all the bells and whistles - but will any of those features ever be used? Realism isn't as exciting as idealism, but it saves money and frustration.
These are my reflections after working for and with a variety of different organisations, and speaking with many pastors and administrators. What principles would you offer to churches and ministry organisations?
Photo credit: Katerha
