User Support Forum

Cathy, I will send you an email with some of the codes that we use.

I also am setting up our membership section. I would lke to ask others how they use the custom codes. My email is :barbarafreeman@pineybaptistchurch.org

Barbarafreeman wrote:I also am setting up our membership section. I would lke to ask others how they use the custom codes. My email is :barbarafreeman@pineybaptistchurch.org

FWIW ... Powerchurch comes with a set of standard Mailing List and Personal Profile codes that are a pretty good start for categorizing your membership and visitors.

Now, there are many different custom codes and dates that can be used throughout the system. If you have specific questions Its best to ask it here, in this manner you'll get your answer, along with others who may have the same type of question.

While we've been users for awhile, I would not mind seeing what other churches use as well. New question, How do most churches handle people who move, leave the church? You don't delete do you?

jstark1 wrote:While we've been users for awhile, I would not mind seeing what other churches use as well. New question, How do most churches handle people who move, leave the church? You don't delete do you?

You really can't delete if you have Contributions data on them. These records must be maintained for 4 years. What we do is list them as Member-Trans/Remvd on the Mailing List records, and the same on the Personal Profiles.

Then on reports we make sure we filter these out of the results.

We handle them the same way as Neil is doing it. I don't believe we've ever deleted a family/member record. You'd be surprised as to how often someone needs to know a little tidbit about someone who has left the congregation.

This is something I am interested in as well. If you or anyone else have samples of the types of codes you found successful, I would very much like to get a copy. We are using PC 10+ and have some information entered by several former office personnel which I am now trying to filter and conform. It's a job. Any help would be appreciated.

I am interested in suggestions for the mailing categories on the integrated data entry screen. Also, I would appreciate ideas for the personal profiles status category. Currently, we have selections of member, member in-active, visitor, attender-regular, etc. Anyone have different ones?
Thanks
Georgia

These are the ones that are loaded as default in Personal Profiles:

Deceased
Friend of Congregation
Member - Active
Member - Inactive
Non-Member - Active
Non-Member - Inactive
Visitor

We've also found these useful for Mailing List codes. At another church we added a code for 'Newsletter' for those families that are not members, or are former members who have transferred out of state, that we send the monthly newsletter to.

I'm thinking about adding a custom code 'Area Churches' because we mail things to local churches and I'd want to filter this, or keep it separate from membership stuff. Does this make sense to you?

Sounds good to me! We have similar situation.

I bumped this to the top of the forum again as I received an email from a user asking for a list of the custom codes I've used.

There is a list of the membership codes we currently use at Connellsville Presbyterian in a previous entry listed above, but I'll list all that I have in the program here. May not be many, but if anyone has additional, please list them here for others use.

Mailing List Codes

Mailing Category
Deceased
Faith Finders
Friend of Congregation
Member - Active
Member - Inactive
Member - Transf/Remvd
Military
Non-Member - Active
Non-Member - Inactive
Visitor

Mail Code
In the Military
No Longer Attends ?
Notified of Move
PO Returned Mailing
Send No Pledge Info

Who Visits
Rev Zampella


Personal Profile Codes

Marital Status
Divorced
Married
Single
Unknown
Widow/Widower

Personal Status
Deceased
Family Group Member
Friend of Congregation
Member - Active
Member - Inactive
Member - Transfer/Rmvd
Non-Member - Active
Non-Member - Inactive
Visitor

Note These next four are required for the PC(USA)'s annual report.

Join Reason
Confirmation/Profession
Letter of Transfer
Other
Reaffirmation of Faith

Loss Reason
Certificate of Transfer
Deceased
Other

Disabiliies
Hearing
Mobility
None
Other
Sight

Race/Ethinic

Black
Hispanic
Native American
Other
White/Caucasian

More next rock.

Activities & Skills Module Note Many of these are the defaults that come with the program, we never deleted them as you never know if you'll need them in the future.

Activity Department
Adults
Children
Church Officers
Church Secretary
Committees
Education
Music
Recreation
Senior Adults
Singles
Skill / Interest
Trustees
Worship
Youth

Activity Type
Bible Study
Choir
Church Secretary
Committee
Deacons
Elders
Prayer Group
Skill / Interest
Small Group
Sunday School
Trustees
VBS
Worship Service
Youth Group

Default Role
Assistant Teacher
Church Secretary
Commitee Chairman
Helper
Member
Teacher
Trustees
Youth Sponsor

While doing this little exercise, cutting and pasting from default reports, I just realized something. There is no way to get a printed report of the Custom Codes used in either the Visitations Module, or Contributions.

Something easy to whip up that could be added to the wishlist ??

I've added that to the wishlist. Doesn't sound like it would be hard to add.