Churches across the country have relied on technology to maintain some level of normalcy as they continue to wade the waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. As communities begin to lift restrictions and ministries eagerly plan to reopen, some churches have found new ways of operating their church along the way.
Though it’s probably not “business as usual” for your church yet, it seems the days of being tethered to a computer in the church office are behind us. That’s why churches have utilized Realm for many of their church operations. They’ve been able to equip their staff to work whenever and wherever they’re needed. Some churches have even been successful this whole time!
Let’s take a look at how some of them are changing how they do church operationally.
Realm is designed to help you manage your church when it’s convenient for you – whether that be at home, from the church office, or anywhere.
Realm’s seamless platform allows churches to:
- manage their membership database
- oversee payroll and church accounting
- accept online gifts
- create and manage church events
- streamline processes and create workflows
- disseminate important info to staff
- communicate with the congregation and more
Churches can even control which staff members have access to certain areas of Realm. Even though you may have offered remote opportunities for your staff, you’ll never worry about staff accessing sensitive information unless you want them to.
Speaking of working remotely…
It seems that 2020 has been the year of doing church virtually. For so many churches, operating remotely was born out of necessity. However, pastors and church leaders naturally asked themselves, “How will I know what’s happening in my church if my staff will be working from home?”. Churches that previously hadn’t worked remotely before had to make changes quickly. For those whose solutions either didn’t allow remote connection, this was a difficult question to answer. However, churches using Realm can help keep staff accountable through the changelog in Realm.
The changelog tracks:
- updates to announcements
- changes to staff users
- edits to congregant information
- updates to groups and ministry areas
- edits to communications or events
- additions to contributions
- edits to discipleship tracks and more
Best of all, pastors or other leadership know exactly who made the change and when it happened. They can track these changes for up to 120 days. The changelog helps you to always know what’s happening in your church no matter where you are.
However, operating a church successfully means more than providing accountability between staff and leadership. Like any relationship – in a church or otherwise – communication is key. Some churches have relied on video communication tools but when someone can’t connect to the audio or video, what is more frustrating than that? Sometimes all that’s needed is a quick and easy way to communicate with one another. Ideally, one that ties into tools your staff is already using.
Using Realm, church staff can stay in close communication together in groups. Groups can be set up for each of your staff functions, such as your finance team, those in administration or leadership, and anyone in pastoral care. Staff can communicate in real-time from anywhere. And by downloading the Realm Connect church app, staff will be notified immediately even if they aren’t near their computer. That way your entire staff is always in communication no matter where they are.
Since you can set up groups for each of your church staff teams, you can communicate in each of the group’s news feeds. The message will be there when staff logs in, but they’ll also receive the communication in a way that best fits their preference so you know they’re always connected to your church, no matter what.
As your church continues to find its way through this season, using Realm can help keep you focused on what’s important: operating your ministry successfully and making an impact in your communities.
Read More:
VIRTUALLY STAYING IN TOUCH WITH NEW & EXISTING CONGREGANTS
OPEN YOUR CHURCH DOORS WITHOUT SAFETY CONCERNS
USING REALM REGISTRATION EVENTS TO MOVE FORWARD FROM COVID-19
