Your ChMS solution simply is not working for you. The software is not supporting your ministry effectively and your staff may question openly whether it is an effective tool to enable ministry. Most likely, there is widespread dissatisfaction amongst your staff, and many may be using their own individual, non-ChMS tools to accomplish their ministry work. Some important questions to consider are: Are you currently using a ChMS that lacks important functionality to support your specific ministry processes? Are you using a ChMS that may be adequate for your needs but was not implemented and configured properly for your environment? Are the problems you are experiencing partially an issue of unclear processes or ineffective communication between various ministry departments?

YOUR BEST NEXT STEP: You will most likely need to engage in a thorough ministry review process in which all departments clearly define all of their ministry needs and processes. You can then engage in a search for the ChMS tool that most closely corresponds to the specific needs you have defined. ChMS systems are not all the same and will not be equally appropriate or helpful for you. An effective review process should contain the types of elements included in the Enable ChMS Selection Process that we undertake for our clients. You can conduct this review yourself or seek outside expert guidance. Enable would love to assist you with this process in whatever manner is most helpful to you, either in a direct facilitation/management role, in an advisory capacity, or in some combination of both.

Based on where you are, here are some free resources that would be particularly helpful to you at this point: Which ChMS is Best, Where to Start: Your Church’s Unique Strategy, and 10 Keys to ChMS Success.

Your ChMS is working “just OK” for you, and results amongst your staff are very inconsistent. Some staff members are comfortable with your ChMS and like it well enough, but many still are not fans. Some key ministry processes and systems may not be well implemented into your ChMS, or your ChMS may lack entirely some important functionality you need. The degree of adoption of the ChMS as the primary ministry management tool may be inconsistent between departments. Churches scoring in this range usually have staff that are using their own individual, non-ChMS tools to accomplish their ministry work.

YOUR BEST NEXT STEP: As with the group above, you may receive great benefit from engaging in a thorough, all-department review process in which you define all of your ministry needs and processes. You then can proceed down one of two paths, depending upon your unique circumstances. You can (1) begin a process to search for a new ChMS that most closely corresponds to your specific needs or (2) you can engage in an optimization process that allows you to get the most out of the ChMS platform that you currently use. The optimal strategy will depend upon your situation. Enable can help you identify key areas for improvement while also helping your staff achieve alignment around key tools and ministry processes.

Based on where you are, here are some free resources that would be particularly helpful to you at this point: ChMS Optimization, Which ChMS is Best, and 10 Keys to ChMS Success.

Your ChMS is mostly adequate for your needs and you are in a decent position, but there are still lots of opportunities for improvement. You probably are not looking to jump out of your current ChMS and make a drastic change, but you do need to address some key issues. You may very well need a plan for improved training and ongoing improvement, especially as you have staff growth, turnover, multi-tasking, etc. There may still be a few areas where staff use workarounds to track information outside of the ChMS. These workarounds cause data silos that require extra work and data reconciliation to provide accurate reports. By defining all of your detailed ministry needs and processes in a systematic way, you can achieve much needed clarity. You will then be positioned to optimize your current ChMS and recap the benefits of the effort that you have already put into learning, customizing, and training on the specifics of your software.

YOUR BEST NEXT STEP: Because you scored in this range, your best step forward is likely an optimization process that mirrors the the Enable ChMS Optimization Process that we undertake for our clients. You are enjoying some success and your ChMS is meeting many of your needs. You don’t have a strong need to change software at this point. Optimizing what you currently have is likely your best strategy. We can serve you in a direct facilitation/project management role, in an advisory capacity, or in some combination of both. Our goal would be to help your staff improve its utilization of your ChMS and bring together any other ministry tools you use so that your team, fully aligned, can work better together.

Based on where you are, here are some free resources that would be particularly helpful to you at this point: Single Source of Truth, ChMS Integrations, and ChMS Champion: The Most Powerful Move You Can Make.

Congratulations! Your ChMS seems to be working pretty well for you. You are in the enviable position of being able to focus upon optimization and improvement. While your ChMS may be working very well for you in most departments and areas of ministry, you may have individual departments that are struggling or are looking for some additional functionality, reporting, etc. You may also benefit from a discussion of the alignment between your current ministry processes and any new demands deriving from church growth or evolving ministry efforts, plans or goals that you are pursuing.

YOUR BEST NEXT STEP: We consult with churches all the time about how they can better leverage technology to support the work of ministry. We would love to talk with you about ways to extend and optimize your ChMS software and technology strategy in order to make things even better for your staff and for those you serve!

Based on where you are, here are some free resources that would be particularly helpful to you at this point: ChMS Champion: The Most Powerful Move You Can Make, ChMS Integrations, and Intro to Data Analytics for Churches.