Being a religious organization, any financial issue that rise in connection with a church is often treated with some degree of uneasiness. It has been deeply ingrained in our psyche that religion and money shouldnt mix. However, all churches operate in the real world and the reality is that money is involved in any organizations day-to-day operation, religious or not. Any pastor or parish priest will attest to this ” from simple cash flow concerns such as daily collections, monthly payroll or even electricity expenses, to a windfall such as a parishioner leaving a huge chunk of his fortune to his parish, running a churchs finances is not a simple task.

It is a reality that when it comes to money matters, a church should be run like any business. Successful businesses use the latest technology in their operations and churches shouldnt be any different. Software companies have recognized this need and have developed a variety of church accounting software.

Primarily, the church accounting software is designed to improve a churchs accounting process. Because this software allows automation, it is convenient to monitor the cash flow of a church. Using the right software makes it easy to manage funds that come in such as daily collections, pledges, contributions, income from church projects, accounts receivables, among others. Expenses such as water and electricity bills, employee salary, church equipment maintenance, and insurance can also be easily tracked down, thanks to the accounting software for churches.

A church accounting software can also address transparency issues that rise from running the finances of a church. Parishes typically have no external auditing in place to check how their funds are being managed. Most accounting software programs are easy to use and accessible to multiple users. These software programs also allow recording of any change in the entries. Such features make audit trail possible, allowing church officers to regularly audit the accounting system of their church. That way, the accounting officer or treasurer of a church would not be tempted to mismanage the funds or be accused of such practice.

Administrative efficiency will also be improved. Entering, maintaining, and accessing any financial information can be done easily. Generating various kinds of reports will take only up to a few hours instead of days. Also, preparing the church budget for any event or expenses will become an easier task. Church members will also benefit from this modern system especially during tax time. Religious organizations are tax-exempt. Records of donations, tithes, or both from church members can easily be accessed and printed out in case a parishioner will request for such report for tax purposes.

A number of software programs can aid in the non-financial aspects of church management. For example, an accounting software program can be used to monitor church attendance and church activities such as weddings, baptisms, and funerals.

In conclusion, one must not separate the secular aspect of the church from its spiritual side. By using a sensible approach in taking care of its financial resources, a church puts itself in a better position to serve its flock.

Managing a Church’s finances can be extremely challenging, especially on a limited budget. To make things worse, the economy is currently down meaning your church probably isn’t receiving as many donations as before. Finding some free church accounting software could save your church money.

In the wild world of the Internet you will find several sites that claim to give away free software for churches, but these sites can be misleading. Below is a list of some of these sites as well as their true cost.

The author is not the owner of any of these sites. The author only hopes to save time for those who may be interested in accounting software for churches.

Churchradius.com

Church Radius offers their accounting system via Internet. To use their church accounting software for free, your church must access the Internet.

This is a great deal; a major drawback, however, is the fact that having all of your church’s information stored on the Internet can be dangerous. Another drawback is that web-based software is frequently plagued with annoying banner ads. A necessary evil to provide the software for free.

Sunday Software

Sunday Software is a well known site for anyone serious about church software. Unfortunately the site doesn’t actually make or sell any church accounting software. Nonetheless the site does have some great resources for churches.

Churchtrac.com

Churchtrac’s software appears very user friendly. They also offer free software for small churches. In other words, if your church has less than 100 members the software is free. After 100 members the software is no longer free.

Churchbizonline

Churchbizonline is actually what shows up first if you type in “free church accounting software” into Google (at least it was the day in which this article was written). The site actually only contains a link to Open Office. Open Office is the free version of Microsoft Office. It has nothing to do with church accounting software.

Like most things in the commercial world, your church will probably have to spend some money to get quality accounting software. There are some free options, but quality varies. All the best in managing your Church’s finances.