Churches, like all other organizations, today are navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape. With growing staff teams composed of paid staff and volunteers, multi-campus coordination, and a constant stream of ministry events, the need for clear, efficient communication has never been greater. Churches increase the likelihood of clear communication when they strategically employ specific technology tools and ensure that all staff members are operating from a thorough, consistent, and accurate base of data. 

Today, there are a multitude of technology apps, services, and solutions that provide churches with more power and utility to support ministry than ever before. This is both good and bad – good, because such technology can significantly enhance capabilities and save time; bad, because the ready availability of free or low-cost options means that many staff teams procure these solutions on an ad hoc basis. 

When these types of ad hoc decisions are made, without reference to a unified strategy or plan, the result is that a dozen spreadsheets or applications may exist across various departments – all containing essential activity information or contact details, such as phone numbers, addresses, and emails. When this type of data is "siloed" in this fashion, leadership is unable to see a comprehensive picture of church members and their activities, interests, and discipleship journeys. 

Churches must therefore put into place a unified technology plan and roadmap ensuring only the best applications for their specific church's use are in place and all the data in the various apps is coordinated and available to those making ministry decisions. While there are numerous standalone apps for tasks such as accounting, giving, and service planning, the two "workhorse" applications for most churches are their church management software (ChMS) and their collaboration suite, e.g., Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, etc. (While our partner churches utilize a variety of collaboration tools, Microsoft Teams has emerged as the most useful and powerful for most of them.  Nonetheless, the principles we discuss regarding Teams will apply to other collaboration suites as well.) 

Microsoft Teams and Church Management Software (ChMS) are very different applications designed to accomplish separate objectives. While both powerfully support church operations, the real opportunity in their use lies in recognizing how these tools complement each other to create a more unified, effective ministry workflow. The trick in employing technology for ministry is two-fold.  First, the church should not employ an ad hoc, sprawling, unstructured use of technology as discussed above.  Second, each tool should be utilized for the specific function at which it excels, avoiding a "square peg-round hole problem."  

Below, we provide a quick summary of the primary use and function of Microsoft Teams and your ChMS system, and how best to utilize these two powerful tools. 

Microsoft Teams: Your Vehicle for Real-Time Collaboration 

Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration platform that excels in real-time communication. It's where your staff can chat instantly, communicate on video calls, share files, and brainstorm ideas. For example, when planning a significant outreach event, your ministry team might use Microsoft Teams to hold kickoff meetings, assign roles, and collaborate on promotional materials. It's fast, flexible, and ideal for dynamic teamwork, especially when staff are remote or spread across campuses. 

ChMS: The Engine Behind Ministry Execution 

Once the planning turns into execution of ongoing ministry operations, your ChMS becomes the hero. We have written before about the necessity of making the ChMS your "Single Source of Truth." Your ChMS is designed to manage activity and "people" data.  It is geared to handle structured ministry operations, e.g., registering attendees, scheduling volunteers, sending targeted emails, tracking attendance and engagement, etc. 

Continuing the outreach example, once you finalize the event details, you use your ChMS to manage registrations, send reminder texts to families, and ensure every volunteer is in the right place at the right time. It's not built for chat; it's built for clarity, visibility, accountability, and long-term ministry impact. 

When Tools Work Together, Ministry Wins 

If you are not utilizing these two primary applications in a way that provides a positive and workable experience, your staff will likely develop their own strategy. They will likely look for "workarounds" or other apps that they feel they can manage more easily. (They are not being rebellious; they are just trying to be efficient!) You can then end up with the situation we described above: many different staff and departments doing their own thing, maintaining a hodgepodge of disparate applications, data sources, and silos that are never truly unified. 

This scenario defeats the entire purpose of investing in technology to enable ministry! It means that the leadership of the church will not have the data to provide the complete picture of their individual congregants and community. A comprehensive view of this kind is necessary to serve and minister optimally. 

The most effective churches create alignment between platforms by intentionally designing, managing, and developing a coherent technology platform.  They then spend a lot of time and effort training their staff in all of the components of the platform. With staff turnover and the passage of time, churches cannot rely on one brief training stint at the time that such technology is first implemented. They must make ongoing training a priority if they are to reap all possible benefits from the technology investments they make – this is just good stewardship. 

What does this look like in practice? As an example, we may encourage our church partners to use Microsoft Teams to coordinate their weekly staff meetings, where department heads share updates and collaborate on upcoming initiatives. After the meeting, action items are documented and linked to their ChMS workflows, ensuring that those responsible can properly track and execute follow-ups, volunteer assignments, and communication tasks. This structured collaboration eliminates confusion about where information "lives" and helps staff stay focused on ministry rather than chasing down details. 

Another example could involve a church managing a multi-week VBS program. Microsoft Teams is used to coordinate curriculum planning, share lesson files, and communicate with teaching teams in real time. However, when it comes to parent communication, volunteer scheduling, and attendance tracking, everything flows through the ChMS. By clearly defining what each system is responsible for, the church can avoid duplication, dropped balls, or technology frustration.  This kind of intentional design and implementation can create a seamless experience for both staff and families. 

Avoid the Pitfalls of Siloed Systems 

When systems and data are "siloed," mistakes multiply and staff waste time searching for files, duplicating efforts, or sending messages through the wrong channels. When Microsoft Teams and your ChMS are aligned, however, your staff knows exactly where to go for collaboration versus execution. Calendars are synced, finalized documents are linked to ChMS records, and communication flows naturally. Regardless of how many and which apps make up your specific technology platform, clarity is non-negotiable. 

Simplify Ministry Through Systems Alignment 

Technology should simplify ministry, not complicate it. If your team is struggling with tool overload or unclear processes, it's not a people problem; it's a systems design or alignment issue. By helping each tool play to its strengths, you're building a communication strategy that supports ministry growth rather than holding it back. 

Need help aligning Microsoft Teams with your ChMS? We specialize in helping churches streamline operations, reduce tech frustration, and equip staff with the right tools for ministry. If you're ready for a more effective strategy, we'd love to talk.