If you are interested in a quick guide about how to use the free tool, please continue reading; otherwise you can click here to start using the free tool on your own.
By now, many are familiar with church management software, or ChMS for short. The hype is real; they truly do empower your church. Most church management software can track anything in your church, like attendance, volunteers and finances. This is all great news, right?
With the growing need, countless companies have jumped in to provide their unique solution. While this explosive growth is great, it has caused a unique set of problems. The biggest of these is sifting through the seemingly endless selection. To help simplify your task and reduce the burden of digging through endless pages, MinistryTech brings you a FREE ChMS comparison tool. We provide this free resource completely impartial. We are not promoting one solution over another in this guide and have carefully avoided promoting any particular software solution. Keep reading for a quick guide on how to use it!
Overview
The ChMS Comparison Tool was designed to simplify your search. This guide will cover how to use this resource in detail through three simple steps. First you will see two simple columns. The left side is where you select your specific needs. Selecting your needs is similar to most programs; you simply check what you need. The right side is where the results are displayed. Note: Initially you will see many results on the right, but this list will automatically refresh when you begin selecting your requirements. The more selections you make on the left, the fewer results you will see on the right.
1. Define Your Requirements
You will begin your search on the left side shown in the image below. The specific options are divided into several main categories. 
Take your time reading through each option, and check the box if this is something your church needs in a church management software. To open a main category simply click the “plus” sign on the left and your will see the subcategories expanded.
Once the main category is expanded, reduce it again by clicking the small “minus” button. We recommend you collapse the main categories your are finished with, as it can get cluttered when they are all left expanded.
This is easily the most time consuming part, however, this is the most important part. Take your time reading through all of the choices. Selecting a ChMS is very important, you’ll wan’t one that suits your current needs along with future ambitions.
2. See Your Results
The fun begins! We will be focusing on the right side, as shown in the image below.
After you’ve made your selections on the left side the results will automatically refresh on the right side. To stay impartial we’ve replaced the results with “Option 1” and “Option 2.” Based on your selections, you may have only a few selections or a giant list. If you have an extremely large list, we recommend you revisit step one and get a little more specific about your church’s needs. If you are comfortable with your selections, you will now begin to select the specific software solutions. Find the solutions that appeal to you and click “select.” You may select any number of ChMSes, however, we recommend you keep the total under five for the next step. Once you select a company the button will change to “Remove” and look like the image below.
If you’ve made a mistake, simply click the remove button to unselect that software. Once you’ve chosen a couple from your results list proceed to step 3.
3. Compare
If you’ve followed the recommendations throughout the guide, step three will help you nail down the final contestants and see them side-by-side. Once a few softwares have been selected you will see a large black box appear near the bottom of your screen.
On the left of this black area you will see the choices you’ve elected. Ensure these are the final contestants that you would like to compare side-by-side. Once you are sure of this click the “Compare Now!” button on the lower right. This will refresh your page and provide a more detailed screen. This new screen allows you to compare the finalists.
On this new screen you will see a detailed list of each category drawn out. As show in the image below, you will see a simple to read yes vs. no callout for each of your choices. This should allow you to see each software’s strengths and weaknesses by comparison. Spend some time to see which of these you can sacrifice, and which ones you simply can’t live without!
Once you’ve made your way to the bottom you will see a “Learn More” button. If you click this button you will be taken to the ChMS’s website. Note: We recommend you “right-click” and open it in a different tab or window because 
if you simply click on it you will be taken away from your results. You may want to click “Lean More” to view a few of the final contestant’s websites. Once you visit the “winner’s” website you will be given much more detailed information directly from the provider.
ALSO: 5 WAYS YOUR CHURCH PLANT CAN USE TECH EFFECTIVELY
Conclusion
We hope you find this free resource helpful. MinistryTech has always been committed to bringing church leaders powerful resources that make managing your church easier. We are pleased to be able to aid you in discovery of new ideas and explore how technology can improve your ministry. Church leaders need to stay informed so we hope you enjoy the free monthly magazine, online articles, ebooks or tools like this. If you are not currently subscribed to receive the free monthly magazine, click here to sign up.
Congratulations, you’ve reached the end! You are ready to use the ChMS Comparison Tool.
