CHUMS

CHUMS stands apart in the church management software landscape as a truly mission-driven solution developed by Live Church Solutions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Unlike commercial alternatives that often start free but push churches toward paid tiers, CHUMS operates on a 'Completely Free Forever' model backed by the nonprofit's commitment to serving churches of all sizes. The platform excels at core church management tasks without the bloat that makes enterprise solutions overwhelming for smaller congregations. The member database offers robust search capabilities that let staff quickly find and filter members by various criteria including membership status, groups, attendance patterns, and custom fields. For churches transitioning from paper records or spreadsheets, the import tools make migration straightforward. Where CHUMS particularly shines is in its attendance and check-in system. The child security features include customizable name tags with parent matching codes, allergy alerts, and authorized pickup lists. Parents receive printed receipts they must present to retrieve children, adding accountability that insurance providers appreciate. The giving management module handles both one-time and recurring donations with batch entry capabilities. Staff can record cash, check, and electronic gifts, then generate giving statements for tax purposes. While it lacks direct payment processing integration like some commercial alternatives, this keeps things simple for churches that prefer handling donations through their bank. Group management covers everything from small groups to ministry teams to Sunday School classes. Leaders can take attendance, communicate with members, and track participation trends over time. The automated workflow feature helps with tasks like sending welcome emails to new visitors or follow-up reminders to group leaders. Being open-source with available GitHub repositories means technically-inclined churches can customize the platform or self-host if desired, though the hosted version works perfectly for most congregations. The 24/7 support and 99.9% uptime guarantee provide peace of mind for churches relying on the system for weekly operations.

Getting started with CHUMS takes about 30 minutes for basic setup. Visit chums.org and click 'Get Started Free' to create your account. You'll enter your church name, address, and create administrator credentials. No credit card or nonprofit verification is required. After account creation, the setup wizard walks you through initial configuration. Start by adding your campus location and service times. Then configure your membership statuses (visitor, regular attender, member, etc.) based on how your church categorizes people. Next, import your existing member data. CHUMS accepts CSV files, so export your current spreadsheet or database into CSV format first. Map your columns to CHUMS fields during import. Common fields include name, email, phone, address, and membership date. The system handles duplicates by matching on email addresses. Set up your groups structure before inviting other staff. Create categories like 'Small Groups,' 'Ministry Teams,' and 'Sunday School Classes.' Then add individual groups within each category. This organization makes reporting and communication easier later. Configure your check-in stations if using the attendance features. CHUMS works with standard computers or tablets at welcome stations. Print test labels to ensure your label printer is configured correctly before Sunday arrives. Finally, add staff accounts with appropriate permission levels. CHUMS offers role-based access, so you can give volunteers limited access to check-in while reserving financial data for administrators. Train your team using the built-in help documentation and video tutorials.