Encouraging use of PowerChurch

[BrianShoe]

Sounds like this is a topic worthy of starting a new thread.

In his response to my post in the thread about User Codes, foxygramps wrote:

foxygramps

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 4:26 am Post subject: user codes

From many of the posts I read, and the problems of getting the users to adapt to PC+, I get the strong feeling that many of us suffer from "the tail wagging the dog" problem.
Get used to hand holding, cajoling, and some times demanding change.

I'd be interested to hear how PC+ gurus at other churches have approached this issue - my guess is that it's pretty common.

Several years ago, our Finance Committee discovered an issue with non-communicating "pockets" of information (church directory file, mailing labels in a Word document, address info in a contributions-tracking spreadsheet), and bought PC+ in order to establish a single, common place for the address and contribution info.
We also set up our network over the past summer - a different topic, but getting the organization accustomed to that is an issue that intertwines with this one.

Now, what we're finding appears to be hesitancy to use PowerChurch for the precise things we bought it to do. We in the Technology Committee have agreed to counter this resistance by:
1) doing as much of the initial data setup as makes sense, so the secretary (who only works part-time) won't have the initial activation barrier of entering a slew of data
2) conducting multiple, in-person, limited-scope training sessions - not just for the secretary
3) "selling" use of PC+ to as many committees or groups as we can think of - this involves not just telling them what it can do, but SHOWING them the specific output (class lists, committee service history).
Of course, this requires effort (my effort) to do the initial configuration and data entry.
4) attempting to recruit a hands-on user from each of the areas - Religious Education, membership, B&G - to take "ownership" of the data relating to that area. We can't let PowerChurch be the program that only Brian and Melanie know how to operate.

Does anyone else have thoughts on the task of getting congregation and staff acceptance of PowerChurch?

Brian Shoemaker
First Parish Unitarian Universalist, Canton MA
Unofficial PowerChurch application support

[cpjansen]

We brought in PC+ specifically for accounting. I was first introduced to it while working in the personnel committee and asked the secretary to keep track of who has served in elected positions and when they started and ened their terms.

In the past year I became treasurer and found that the previous treasurer had also asked for the Equipment Inventory to be kept up to date and I'll be asking the new department heads to do that again this year.

My best ally has been the church secretary. Since she needs to be able to pull information together for the pastors. I try to spend an hour with her once a month to point out ways that PC+ can make her job easier (and in turn provide information the pastors are looking for).

It's a slow way to make progress, but putting too much in front of staff seems to overwhelm them pushing them back to spreadsheets, databases and word processors.

I guess I'm also shielding the rest of the committees from it by having the secretary work with it.

[Randy B]

Great question. As far as congregational acceptance, I am not sure what you mean by that. They elect a treasurer or leadership to do a job. Leadership has the responsibility to get the tools or make the case to get the tools to do their job. With the ease of exporting to MS Word or EXCEL, reports that the congregation never had available is the best way to ensure their acceptance.

Staff is an easy one. Make them part of the selection process. When I did this I compared several products and listed the attributes in a chart to take to the pastor and deacon board. I also had a laptop set up with demo disks in case they wanted to see something. I had previously done this with the church secretary. She knew we were going to change and I wanted her to have a say in the change.

Everything for me worked out well. The secretary cooperated, the Pastor and deacon board got reports they never had before and the congregation saw things they never had been privy to. PowerChurch made this possible by providing me the data but it takes the mindset of full disclosure from those in leadership to finish the job.

[Zoraleigh Ryan]

This is a good quesiton and buy in is a key factor in the success or failure. I came on board after we started using PC for contributions and family data/mailing labels.

Our church body is only a few years old and we have a Sunday attendance of <200 persons. We just purchased a building and have a limited budget with several new programs in the works and a lot of ideas. We already own this product-lets use it to the fullest. When we maximize its use, then I'll provide options and ask them to be involved in the selection process of new software.

I'm trying to emphasize to Staff (4-5) and other leadership the benefit of integration and trying to use more components of PC. This will compliment updating other areas. I'm looking for ways to assist them so the data will become valuable to them. Once they see benefit, they will be more apt to contribute to the input.

Hope this helps you in your quest!