Flock Book
A Notebook Is a Fine Way to Keep Church Records, Until the Church Grows, the Notebook Goes Missing, or the One Person Who Understands It Moves Away. Many Pastors Reach the Point of Looking For a Church App. Here Are Seven Questions to Ask, Whichever One You Choose.
1. Will It Help Me Care For People?
Many Church Systems Are Built Around Accounts, Giving and Administration. Those Have Their Place. But Ask First: Will This Help Me Remember, Call and Visit the People God Has Given Me? If a Tool Does Not Change What You Do on Monday Morning, It Will Not Change Your Church.
2. Will My Team Really Use It?
The Best System Is the One People Open. Ask an Elder Who Is Not Comfortable With Technology to Try It. If They Can Find a Family and Make a Call in a Minute, You Are on the Right Track. If They Need a Training Course, It Will Soon Be Forgotten.
3. Does It Work on a Phone?
Pastoral Care Does Not Happen at a Desk. It Happens at the Hospital, on the Road and at the Church Door. Check That the Phone App Is Complete, Not a Cut-down Copy. Check Too That There Is a Website For Office Work on a Bigger Screen.
4. Does It Come to Me, or Must I Go to It?
A List You Must Remember to Open Will Often Stay Closed. Look For Reminders That Reach You on Your Phone Each Morning, and That Reach Your Team Too.
5. Who Can See Our People’s Information?
This Is the Most Serious Question. Your Records Hold Children’s Names, Phone Numbers, Addresses, Sickness and Prayer Needs. Ask Whether the Records Are Private to Your Church, Whether Team Members Can Have Different Levels of Access, and Whether the Company Sells Information or Shows Adverts. Read the Privacy Policy.
6. Can We Afford It, Every Year?
Look at the Full Price, and Whether It Rises With Each Member or Each User. A Price Per Person Can Become Very High as You Grow, and Growth Should Be a Joy and Not a Bill. Check That the Price Is One Your Church Can Keep Paying.
7. Does It Work Where We Are?
If You Are Outside North America or Europe, Check This Carefully. Does It Accept Your Country’s Phone Numbers, Dates and Currency? Is There a Free Trial, So You Can Test It With Your Own Families Before Paying Anything?
Try Before You Decide
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Proverbs 27:23 (KJV)
Choose a Tool That Helps You Do That. Enter Ten Real Families and Use It For Two Weeks. By Then You Will Know.
About Flock Book
We Built Flock Book With These Questions in Mind. It Is on Phone and Web, and It Covers Your Whole Team For One Price. You Can See All Its Features and Try It Free For 14 Days. But Please Ask These Questions of Any App You Consider, Ours Included.
