I Don’t Do Computers!

Posted By Mary Hollifield on Oct 1, 2014

In our first PowerChurch training session, the Treasurer, Freida (72 yrs old), walked in carrying checkbook and spiral notebook, and firmly commented, “Before we begin, I need to let you know I don’t do computers!” Off to a great start…. She had been diligently and accurately recording contributions, making deposits, and paying the bills for many years. The issue was not accuracy, but efficiency and proper time stewardship. The Pastor wisely agreed that Freida would continue to keep her manual records while we setup and maintained a duplicate set of records in PowerChurch. All went well until the end of the first month, when the reports printed from PowerChurch were processed within less than five minutes —while Freida worked for two days to produce her reports. End results were the same for both methods. The following Sunday, Freida asked if she could just sit in and observe the contributions entry. She was absolutely fascinated with the ease and efficiency of the process. By the next Sunday, when we walked into the finance office, Freida was sitting in front of the computer, ready and waiting. “Okay,” she stated, “where do I begin?” Six months later, not only was she entering contributions and making deposits, but she was paying bills and printing reports —all from PowerChurch. (I’m not sure what happened to the spiral notebook.) One year later, Frieda was showing others how to enter contributions in PowerChurch.       The accounting system in PowerChurch Plus was designed specifically for use in churches. While there are advanced features for those with a CPA on staff, the program allows you to maintain auditable books, while spending as little time focusing on the nitty-gritty as possible. A degree in accounting is not a requirement, but it does help to know that PowerChurch Plus uses principles of fund accounting to balance all of your accounts and produce reliable, clear audit trails. For more information on this invaluable church management system, go to www.powerchurch.com Photos and names have been used with...