Top 5 Church Management Software for Small Churches in the US
It starts with a few members, a mission, and a big heart. Then the details pile up. From keeping track of member details and finances to planning events and coordinating volunteers, there’s a lot to bear. As needs grow, it can be tough to manage everything effectively. However, church management software (CHMS) can really help.
In this post, we’ll take you through the top 5 church management software tools tailored for small churches in the US in 2025. Whether you’re a pastor, a church administrator, or a volunteer, these tools can significantly lower your workload, allowing more time and energy for ministry and outreach efforts.
What is Church Management Software (CHMS)?
CHMS supports churches in managing various aspects of their operations, making everything run more smoothly. This includes everything from keeping an updated membership directory to handling donations and organizing events.
CHMS can automate many of those tasks. Some of the core features typically include:
- Member Directories: A way to maintain an up-to-date list of congregants, such as their contact information and membership status.
- Attendance Tracking: Monitoring attendance during services and events.
- Online Giving: Easy options for members to donate through tithes or special offerings.
- Event and Group Management: Organizing events, planning volunteer schedules, and tracking participation in groups.
- Communication: Allowing churches to send newsletters, reminders, and other important messages directly to members.
- Financial Tools: Features for tracking donations, calculating expenses, and generating financial reports for budgeting.
Why Small Churches Need Church Management Software
Running a small church can be especially challenging, as most smaller congregations operate with limited staff and volunteers. In addition to ministerial duties, church leaders find themselves juggling administrative tasks alongside their primary ministerial duties, which can feel overwhelming.
Here are some common struggles small churches face:
- Limited Resources: Many small churches don’t have dedicated administrative staff, which makes managing everything by hand a real challenge.
- Manual Record-Keeping: Keeping track of attendance and donations manually can be a tedious process and is often prone to mistakes.
- Finances: Managing finances can be tricky without a full-time financial professional, as there’s no one dedicated to tracking income and expenses effectively.
Church management software helps alleviate these challenges by automating many administrative tasks, giving church leaders more time to focus on spiritual matters. For a small church, affordability and simplicity are key. Small churches need software that’s powerful but not overwhelming—and priced with their budget in mind.
Top Benefits of Using a CHMS for Small Churches
Ministry doesn’t stop after Sunday service. The behind-the-scenes work can be just as demanding. The right Church Management Software (CHMS) can provide a number of advantages to small churches:
1. Save Time on Administrative Tasks
Administrative tasks can add up quickly. CHMS saves your time by automating routine jobs like attendance tracking and generating donation receipts, which can save a lot of time.
2. Improve Communication with Members
Sending out updates and reminders becomes much simpler with integrated communication tools. CHMS makes it easy to reach out to church members via email or text.
3. Track Giving and Generate Reports
Keeping precise records of donations is vital. CHMS helps track contributions and generates user-friendly reports for budgeting purposes.
4. Plan and Organize Events
Whether it’s a community service or a church picnic, CHMS can streamline the organization of events, from managing schedules to tracking attendance.
5. Stay Organized and Reduce Stress
With all your member information and financial data stored in one place, CHMS can help keep everything organized, reducing stress and chaos among staff and volunteers.
Your mission stays the same; how you manage it doesn’t have to. With the right CHMS, even a small team can run a church like a pro.
Top 5 Church Management Software for Small Churches (2025 Edition)
Here’s a rundown of the top 5 church management software options tailored for small churches. Each of these platforms is designed to make church administration easier, more efficient, and more affordable.
1. ChMeetings – Best Overall for Small Churches
ChMeetings is the best choice for small churches. It covers all the basics, including member management, donations, and event scheduling, all at a reasonable price.
Features
- Easily Updating Member Details
- Secure Online Donations
- Organizing Events Effortlessly
- A Mobile App for On-the-Go Access
- Built-in Accounting Tools for Financial Reports
ChMeetings is cloud-based, affordable, and incredibly user-friendly, making it perfect for small churches that need simplicity and power without the complexity of larger systems.
Verdict: If you’re looking for simplicity, power, and affordability, ChMeetings is the top choice for 2025. It’s a user-friendly platform that ticks all the boxes for small church management.
2. Planning Center
Planning Center offers a modular approach, allowing churches to pay only for the features they need. It’s a good fit for those who anticipate growth and want a solution that can adapt over time.
Features
- Worship Service Planning
- Managing Volunteers and Their Schedules
- Easy Event Management
- Flexible Pricing Based on Module Selection
Verdict: Planning Center is a flexible, scalable option, ideal for churches with more complex needs, but it can become expensive as you add features.
3. Breeze CHMS
Why It’s Great for Small Churches: Breeze is perfect for small to medium churches with a straightforward interface that makes church life easy to manage.
Features
- Handle donations and generate giving statements.
- Save member information and track attendance.
- Easily generate event registration or volunteer sign-up forms.
Verdict: Breeze CHMS is easy to use and works well, but lacks integrated accounting features. It’s suitable for churches that just need a light solution without the extra complicating elements.
4. Subsplash
Subsplash presents itself as a one-stop engagement platform that integrates church management, media distribution, and charitable giving into a single ecosystem. It appeals to churches that use a lot of media because of its streaming features and custom mobile apps.
Features:
- Custom mobile app with sermon streaming and event updates
- Integrated online giving with recurring options
- Basic people management and messaging tools
- Built-in live streaming and media hosting
Verdict: Although Subsplash’s church management tools are effective at media and mobile engagement, they might not be sufficient for churches that require sophisticated workflows, volunteer tracking, or strong reporting.
5. ChurchTrac
ChurchTrac is a cheap CHMS with a mix of features like financial management, event planning, and member management, so it is perfect for small churches with limited budgets.
Features:
- Plan worship services and events.
- Keep church finances in the system.
- Streamline the checking process for children’s ministry or events.
Verdict: ChurchTrac is great value for money with an excellent set of features that cater to all the fundamental church management tasks.
The Right CHMS Makes All the Difference
Choosing the right Church Management Software goes a long way in streamlining the administrative burden for small churches. PC-based, automated day-to-day work and robust member, finance, and event management tools, CHMS allows churches to focus more on ministry and less on paperwork.
For small churches, ChMeetings is the most suitable choice in 2025, having a low-cost and simple-to-use solution. Start with a free trial and see your small church grow!.
Ready to simplify church management?
Get started with ChMeetings today . It’s built with small churches in mind.
