Best Church CRM for Medium and Large Churches

Managing a growing church community is both complex and rewarding. As your congregation expands into the hundreds or thousands, keeping everyone connected and engaged becomes a bigger challenge. Larger churches juggle multiple ministries, bigger volunteer teams, and often multiple service locations. The right Church CRM (Church Relationship Management) system can turn these complexities into opportunities. It helps streamline your administration and nurture personal connections at scale, so no one slips through the cracks. In this guide, we’ll explore the best Church CRM platforms that empower medium and large churches to support a scaling ministry with robust tools and a warm, personal touch.

Top Church CRM Platforms for Growing Ministries:

1. Church Community Builder (Pushpay) – Comprehensive people and process management built for church growth.
2. Planning Center – Modular suite of apps for flexible, scalable church operations.
3. Tithe.ly All Access – All-in-one solution combining giving, communications, and member management.
4. FellowshipOne – Enterprise-grade church management known for volunteer tracking and depth of features.
5. Realm (ACS Technologies) – Established, full-featured ChMS with strong community and accounting tools.
6. ShelbyNext (Shelby Systems) – All-in-one administration and finance powerhouse with a legacy of serving large ministries.
7. TouchPoint – Customizable platform tailored for mid-to-large churches, designed to scale with your ministry.

1. Church Community Builder (Pushpay)

Church Community Builder (CCB) is a powerful, process-driven Church CRM now part of the Pushpay family. It’s renowned for its robust people management and automated workflows, which help large churches ensure no one falls through the cracks. CCB centralizes your member data, volunteer schedules, small groups, and event registrations in one system. Medium and large churches appreciate how CCB supports multi-campus ministry and deepens engagement through organized follow-up processes. It also integrates seamlessly with Pushpay’s digital giving and mobile app tools, creating a unified ecosystem for congregation engagement.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive people database with family profiles and membership records
• Volunteer management with scheduling, process queues, and background check tracking
• Processes & Workflows to automate follow-ups (e.g. new guest assimilation or volunteer onboarding)
• Event management with online registrations, attendance tracking, and room/resource scheduling
• Check-In system for children’s ministry and attendance, with label printing and security features
• Reporting & Analytics on attendance, giving, and involvement, providing insights for data-driven decisions

Pros:

• Process Automation: CCB excels in guiding members through next steps (like visitor to member) using automated workflows. This ensures consistent follow-up and care even as the church grows.
• Scalability: Designed with medium and large churches in mind, it supports multiple campuses and large databases without sacrificing performance. Churches can manage complex ministry structures all in one place.
• Integration with Giving/App: Being under Pushpay, CCB integrates with Pushpay’s giving platform and church app. This means contributions, communication, and member data work together seamlessly, boosting overall engagement.
• Rich Feature Set: From small group management to worship service planning integrations, CCB offers a tool for nearly every aspect of church life. Long-term users often praise its depth of features for ministry needs.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: With so many features, new users and volunteers may find CCB complex at first. Staff often require training to unlock its full potential, especially when setting up custom workflows or reports.
• User Interface: The interface, while functional, can feel a bit dated and unintuitive. Performing certain tasks may require navigating several menus, which can slow down occasional users.
• Cost: Church Community Builder is a premium solution. Its pricing is typically based on church size (attendance) and feature tiers, which can become expensive for large congregations. Budget-conscious churches might need to weigh the extensive capabilities against the higher price tag.
• Limited Built-in Communications: While it handles internal messaging and notes well, CCB lacks a built-in mass email or newsletter tool – you might need to integrate with external email services for broad communications.

2. Planning Center

Planning Center is a widely-trusted church management suite known for its modular approach. Instead of one monolithic system, Planning Center offers a family of specialized apps (modules) – such as People, Services, Check-Ins, Giving, Groups, and Registrations. Medium and large churches can pick exactly the modules they need and add more as they grow. This flexibility means you only pay for what you use, and each module is excellent in its domain (for example, Services is one of the best tools available for worship planning and volunteer scheduling). Planning Center’s cloud-based platform and mobile apps make it easy for staff and volunteers to use anywhere. It’s a modern, scalable solution that adapts to churches of various sizes.

Key Features:

• People database (core module) that centralizes member info, households, and pastoral notes
• Services (Worship Planning): plan worship services in detail, schedule musicians & volunteers, and share service orders
• Check-Ins: child check-in system for secure nursery/kids check-in with printing, attendance tracking, and room capacity management
• Giving: online and text giving platform with donation tracking and contribution statements
• Groups: small group management with roster tracking, communication tools, and attendance reports
• Registrations & Calendar: event sign-ups, ticketing, and facility/resource scheduling for church events
• Integrations: connects with other apps like Mailchimp (for emails) and has an API for custom integrations

Pros:

• Highly Flexible: Planning Center’s module-based structure lets a large church assemble a custom-fit ChMS. You can start with core needs and expand features as your ministry grows or new needs arise. This avoids paying for features you don’t use.
• Excellent for Worship & Volunteers: The Services module is industry-leading for worship service planning – handling song libraries, scheduling teams, and providing a mobile app for volunteers to accept or decline requests. Volunteers and staff benefit from clear schedules and automated reminders.
• User Support and Training: Planning Center provides a wealth of tutorials, an online knowledge base, and responsive support. They also offer a 30-day free trial for all modules, helping your team get up to speed gradually.
• No Long-Term Contracts: The pricing is month-to-month with no contracts or setup fees, which is reassuring for churches. You can adjust your plan at any time, and even smaller campuses or ministries can utilize a free tier for certain modules until they grow.

Cons:

• Costs Add Up: The flip side of modular pricing is that using multiple modules can become costly. A large church often needs most of the modules (People, Giving, Check-Ins, etc.), and each has its own fee. As you add many modules to cover all ministries, the total monthly cost can become significant.
• Multiple Apps Experience: Since each function is a separate app, staff might have to switch between modules (with separate interfaces) for different tasks. This can feel less unified and slightly confusing for new users, who must learn each module’s interface.
• Limited Built-in Email/Communication: Planning Center doesn’t include a robust bulk email or texting tool out-of-the-box (it relies on integrations for newsletters). For large-scale communications, you might need additional software. Some churches prefer an all-in-one solution for communications instead of piecing together external services.
• Partial Feature Overlap: Certain advanced features (like complex accounting or detailed donor management) are beyond Planning Center’s scope. Large churches with specialized needs (e.g., extensive accounting ledgers or advanced analytics) may require additional systems alongside Planning Center.

3. Tithe.ly All Access

Tithe.ly All Access is an all-in-one church software bundle that combines a Church CRM with online giving, communications, a church app, and even website builder tools. It’s designed as a one-stop platform for churches to handle everything digitally – from managing member data to sending text messages, tracking donations, and publishing sermons on a mobile app. For medium and large churches, Tithe.ly offers a compelling package: you get a comprehensive ChMS (church management system) for people and volunteer management, plus tightly integrated giving and engagement tools. This means your church can streamline vendors and have data in one ecosystem. Tithe.ly’s pricing is also straightforward (a flat subscription for all features), which can be budget-friendly for larger ministries that would otherwise pay for many separate services.

Key Features:

• People (CRM) Module: central member database with profiles, family relationships, group membership, and volunteer tracking
• Events & Check-In: tools for event registration, calendar management, and a child check-in system to secure kids ministry
• Online Giving & Donations: a full featured giving platform (web, mobile, text giving) with donor management, recurring giving, and financial reports
• Communication Tools: built-in mass texting and email to easily communicate with your congregation or specific groups, all from one system
• Church App & Website: ability to create a branded church mobile app (for sermons, media, giving, notifications) and a website builder for a modern church site
• Other Modules: small groups management, worship planning (Tithe.ly Worship), forms for registrations, and even a media library with graphics and videos for church use

Pros:

• Truly All-in-One: Tithe.ly stands out by offering almost every digital tool a church might need under one umbrella. Rather than juggling a separate giving provider, a separate app, and a separate CRM, Tithe.ly provides a unified solution. This is convenient for large churches looking to minimize complexity and ensure all systems talk to each other.
• Cost-Effective for the Package: With Tithe.ly All Access, a church gets the whole suite for a fixed monthly rate (currently around $119/month for all products). There are no contracts or surprise fees, and even the basic Church Management + Giving plan is affordably priced. This flat pricing can save money for medium-sized churches that are growing, as costs won’t skyrocket simply because you added more members.
• Strong Giving and Financial Tools: Since Tithe.ly’s roots are in digital giving, their donation tools are top-notch – including features like text-to-give, pledge tracking, and even cryptocurrency giving options. Large churches benefit from detailed donor analytics and statement generation without needing an external system.
• Ease of Use: Despite its wide feature set, Tithe.ly is designed to be approachable for church staff. Many tasks (sending a mass text, checking in a child, updating the website) can be done without advanced technical skills. Plus, Tithe.ly offers free onboarding and support, which helps larger teams get trained quickly.
• Continual Improvements: Tithe.ly has been rapidly evolving, adding new features and improvements regularly (often influenced by user feedback). Churches can feel confident that the platform will stay updated with modern needs – whether that’s new communication channels or integration capabilities.

Cons:

• Jack of All Trades: While Tithe.ly provides many features, a few might not be as deeply specialized as standalone tools. For instance, the worship planning or advanced workflow automation may not be as intricate as what a dedicated platform (like Planning Center or CCB) offers. Very large churches with highly specific needs might occasionally find a particular feature lacking depth and opt for an additional specialized tool.
• Integration of Modules: Tithe.ly’s suite has grown by acquisitions (for example, they acquired Breeze ChMS and integrated it). Occasionally the experience between modules can feel distinct, and there may be slight inconsistency in interface as you move from, say, the admin side of the giving module to the people module. However, Tithe.ly is continuously refining this integration for a smoother single experience.
• Scaling Up Support: As a relatively newer comprehensive suite (compared to decades-old church software companies), very large churches should ensure Tithe.ly can handle their data volume and complexity. Most report positive experiences, but if your ministry requires complex customizations or enterprise-level integrations, you’ll want to confirm those needs with Tithe.ly’s team.
• No On-Premise Option: Tithe.ly is 100% cloud-based. This is ideal for most churches, but a few very large organizations with strict IT policies might miss having an on-premise/self-hosted choice. (This is rarely an issue nowadays, but worth noting for unique cases.)

4. FellowshipOne

FellowshipOne (often abbreviated F1) is a veteran church management system built to handle the heavy lifting for large churches. It’s known for a broad feature set covering membership, groups, volunteers, events, contributions, and even accounting. Many multi-campus and mega-churches have used FellowshipOne for its scalability and thorough data tracking. The platform excels particularly in volunteer management and assimilation processes – helping big churches recruit, train, schedule, and shepherd volunteers effectively. FellowshipOne offers both a comprehensive cloud-based system and a lighter version (FellowshipOne GO) for smaller churches, but medium and large churches will benefit most from its full capabilities. If your church needs an enterprise-level solution that can integrate many aspects of ministry admin in one place, F1 is worth a close look.

Key Features:

• Membership Management: a centralized database for all individuals, with extensive profile fields, family relationships, attendance tracking, and involvement history
• Volunteer Pipeline: tools to manage volunteers from application and background checks to placement in ministry. Track volunteer training steps, roles, and availability easily.
• Groups & Attendance: manage small groups, classes, or teams with rosters and track attendance or participation in each group
• Event Management & Check-In: event creation with registration forms, payment processing for event fees, and a child check-in system for secure nursery/kids check-ins
• Integrated Contributions & Accounting: ability to record donations, generate giving statements, and even handle church accounting and payroll within the system or via integration with financial software
• Reporting and Data Insights: robust reporting options, including custom reports, dashboards for metrics like weekly attendance, giving trends, and volunteer engagement across a large congregation

Pros:

• Comprehensive Volunteer Management: FellowshipOne shines in coordinating large volunteer teams. You can track every stage of a volunteer’s journey – recruitment, background check status, training completion, scheduling, and even follow-up. This volunteer pipeline is invaluable for big churches where hundreds of volunteers serve in various roles.
• Scalable and Reliable: Designed for enterprise-scale church operations, F1 can handle tens of thousands of member records and transactions without performance issues. Multi-site churches can operate within one database and get site-specific reports, which is crucial for unified yet segmented ministry oversight.
• All-in-One Scope: F1 covers a lot of ground, meaning a large church could use it for membership, groups, events, giving, and accounting all together. This unified approach reduces the need for multiple disjointed systems. Data flows from attendance to giving to people profiles, giving church leaders a 360° view of engagement.
• Trusted Legacy: Having been in the market for many years, FellowshipOne has a track record. Many staff in church IT or administration are already familiar with it. The system has evolved with input from large churches, so it often aligns well with the practical needs of established ministries (like annual report generation, complex donation batch handling, etc.).
• Improved Accessibility: In recent years, FellowshipOne moved fully to the cloud and introduced web-based interfaces and mobile apps (for congregants and leaders). This modernized access means your team can work from anywhere and members can interact (e.g., small group members can mark attendance or update info) via mobile.

Cons:

• User Experience (UX): FellowshipOne’s depth comes with some complexity. The interface has historically been not the most user-friendly, with a legacy layout that can feel clunky. Newer staff might find it less intuitive compared to more modern software, leading to a longer onboarding time.
• Slow Pace of Innovation: Because F1 is a mature product, it hasn’t rolled out new cutting-edge features as quickly as some newer platforms. For example, things like built-in live streaming integration or native social media tools aren’t part of F1. Some churches feel it’s a bit “legacy” in certain aspects of online engagement or mobile experience.
• Mobile App Limitations: While there is a mobile app for church members (and one for leaders), these apps have limited functionality compared to using the full web interface. Larger churches that desire a highly engaging custom mobile app might opt for a dedicated church app solution in addition to F1.
• Pricing Structure: FellowshipOne usually requires getting a custom quote (especially for the full suite). Costs can vary widely depending on church size and which modules you need. It’s not the cheapest option on the market, and some features might be add-ons. This can make budgeting a bit unclear until you engage with their sales process.
• Support and Transitions: Because it’s a big system, migrating into FellowshipOne or out of it can be a significant project. Large churches have to plan data conversions and training carefully. Also, support experiences have been mixed – some report timely help, while others find that complex issues take a while to resolve.

5. Realm (ACS Technologies)

Realm by ACS Technologies is a well-established church management platform that combines the administrative power of a database with the engagement tools of a social network. It’s been adopted by many medium and large churches that value its comprehensive features and the backing of ACS Technologies (a long-standing church software provider). Realm offers an all-in-one approach: membership management, contributions, small groups, events, check-in, and even built-in accounting integration with ACS’s financial software. It also places emphasis on congregation engagement – for example, members can log in to a self-service portal or mobile app to interact, join groups, or update their info. For growing churches, Realm provides a stable, feature-rich environment to manage both the “people” side and the “numbers” side of ministry.

Key Features:

• Unified People Database: track members, visitors, and families with rich profiles, including involvement, sacramental information, talents, and more
• Communication & Engagement: built-in social features like newsfeeds, group messaging, event RSVPs, and a member directory accessible to your congregation (with privacy controls)
• Contributions Tracking: online giving integration and robust contribution management for donations, pledge campaigns, and fund accounting (ties directly into ACS financial modules if used)
• Events & Check-In: manage event sign-ups and check-in for services, classes, and programs. Realm can print badges for child check-in and record attendance seamlessly.
• Groups and Serving Teams: organize life groups, ministry teams, and classes in the system, allowing leaders to take attendance, communicate with members, and publish group events
• Reporting and Dashboards: pre-built and custom reports for membership changes, attendance trends, giving patterns, and more. Leadership can get snapshots of metrics that matter to a large church.

Pros:

• Integrated Administration and Community: Realm is unique in that it doesn’t just handle admin tasks; it also gives church members a portal to engage. For large churches that want to foster community, Realm’s ability to have members log in, join groups, and communicate can help make a big church feel more personal and connected.
• Strong Accounting Integration: Backed by ACS Technologies, Realm can integrate with ACS’s church accounting software. This is a big plus for large churches with complex finances – contributions recorded in Realm can flow into accounting, and financial staff can trust that reports align with giving data.
• Reliable Vendor Support: ACS has been serving churches for decades. With that comes a certain stability and support structure. Big churches often mention that ACS support reps understand church needs. There are also regional user groups and training workshops, reflecting an established user community.
• Full-Featured and Customizable: Realm covers membership, volunteering, events, and giving out-of-the-box. Additionally, it allows for custom fields and flexible configuration. If your church needs to track a specific piece of data (like baptism dates, or ministry involvement status), you can add fields and reports to accommodate that.
• Security and Permissions: For larger churches with multiple staff and volunteer leaders accessing the system, Realm offers granular role-based permissions. You can ensure that sensitive data (like giving records or counseling notes) are only seen by authorized personnel, while ministry leaders can update attendance or small group info relevant to them.

Cons:

• Complexity: Because Realm is so comprehensive, it can feel overwhelming to new users. Small church teams sometimes find it too much, but even in a large church, staff may use only a subset of features initially. A phased rollout and good training are important to avoid confusion with such a broad system.
• Cost & Contracts: Realm typically requires contacting ACS for pricing, and it may involve an annual contract or subscription tier based on church size. The pricing model can be complex (especially if adding on accounting or payroll modules). Large churches should be prepared for a potentially higher investment, comparable to other enterprise church systems.
• Less Agile in Updates: Realm, while solid, isn’t always the quickest to adopt the newest trends in technology. For instance, more modern mobile app experiences or cutting-edge integrations might show up later in Realm’s updates compared to newer competitors. Some users feel it’s a bit traditional – very reliable in core functions, but not as innovative in things like real-time analytics or unique engagement features.
• Migration Effort: If a church is transitioning to Realm from another system, migrating historical data (years of contributions, membership records) can be labor-intensive. ACS typically offers data import services, but it’s an aspect to plan carefully, especially for a large church with a lot of legacy data.
• User Experience Variability: Different parts of Realm have slightly different interfaces (due to the wide scope). Some areas are slick and modern, while others feel utilitarian. Users have noted that certain tasks, like configuring custom reports or adjusting accounting settings, can be less intuitive and might require help from ACS support.

6. ShelbyNext (Shelby Systems)

ShelbyNext is the cloud-based church management offering from Shelby Systems, a company with a long history of serving large churches (Shelby’s older on-premise software was a staple in many mega-churches for finance). ShelbyNext is an integrated platform that covers membership, groups, giving, events, and finances in one solution. It aims to bring the reliability and depth of Shelby’s back-office tools into a modern, user-friendly package for today’s churches. Medium and large churches that value strong financial modules and a trusted name often consider ShelbyNext. The platform is designed to handle the multi-faceted needs of bigger ministries – from tracking thousands of members’ information to running GAAP-compliant accounting for church finances, all under one roof.

Key Features:

• Membership & Attendance: robust people database with attendance tracking, visitor follow-up workflows, and child check-in for services or events
• Contributions & Finance: a full fund accounting system (general ledger, accounts payable, payroll, etc.) integrated with contribution tracking and online giving. Financial reports are tailored for nonprofit/church needs (audit-ready).
• Event Management & Facilities: tools to schedule events on a calendar, manage room reservations and resources (so multi-campus or large facilities stay organized), with the ability for members to register for events
• Communication: built-in mass email and texting capabilities to reach out to members or specific groups, plus automated notifications (for event reminders or contribution receipts)
• Volunteer Management: schedule volunteers for services and events, although these features are more basic compared to some specialized systems
• Mobile App: ShelbyNext Membership app for congregants to connect (view directory, giving, groups) and for leaders to take attendance or look up member details on the go

Pros:

• All-in-One Admin Powerhouse: ShelbyNext truly combines church management and church accounting in one system. This is a standout benefit for large churches – financial administrators can work in the same system that pastors use for member care. It eliminates double-entry and ensures everything from donations to expense reports is interconnected.
• Financial Expertise: Shelby has decades of experience in church finance, so ShelbyNext’s accounting module is robust and tailored to churches (handling designated funds, offering statements, budget tracking, etc.). Large ministries with complex finances appreciate having these tools built-in instead of using a generic accounting software.
• Scalable Database: ShelbyNext can manage very large numbers of records and transactions. It’s built to support multi-campus churches with separate reporting per campus as well as combined data views for central staff. The system’s architecture can handle growth without significant slow-downs.
• Long Track Record: Many big churches trust Shelby because of its long history. ShelbyNext carries forward that reliability but in a modern web-based format. Knowing that a product has been refined over years (and isn’t a brand-new startup) can give churches confidence in stability and support.
• Resource Management: For churches with large campuses or multiple venues, ShelbyNext’s facility and resource scheduling tools help avoid double-booking rooms or equipment. Everything is tied into the central calendar, which is helpful for operations staff coordinating a busy church schedule.

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve: Users often report that ShelbyNext is not as intuitive as some newer church apps. The depth, especially in finance, means there’s a lot to configure. Training is definitely required to use it effectively. Large teams might have to spend extra time learning how to run certain reports or set up workflows.
• User Interface Issues: Some parts of ShelbyNext’s interface feel dated or cumbersome. For example, performing simple tasks can sometimes involve navigating through several screens. This can frustrate staff who want quick, simple interactions – the UX isn’t the slickest.
• Volunteer Management Gaps: While you can schedule volunteers, ShelbyNext’s volunteer module isn’t as feature-rich as others. Large churches with extensive volunteer coordination (multiple teams, complex rotations) might find the volunteer scheduling and communication features a bit limited or clunky.
• Mobile Experience: ShelbyNext does have a mobile app, but feedback has indicated the mobile user experience, especially for admin tasks, is underwhelming. Some administrative functions don’t translate well to mobile, so staff often need to use the desktop web version for full capabilities.
• Support & Documentation: Instead of a modern searchable knowledge base, Shelby historically provided PDF manuals. This has improved over time, but some users still find it hard to quickly find answers on their own. Timeliness and quality of support responses can vary, which is a consideration when something mission-critical arises in a large church setting.

7. TouchPoint

TouchPoint is a church management system designed specifically with mid-to-large churches in mind. It originated from a large church’s internal needs, which means it understands the complexities that bigger congregations face. TouchPoint is offered as a cloud-based solution that is highly customizable – churches can tailor fields, workflows, and even some functionality to fit their ministry processes. It provides a solid set of features for membership management, contributions, and events, but also distinguishes itself by offering a church-branded mobile app experience. For growing ministries that want flexibility and are willing to invest in configuring a system to their unique needs, TouchPoint is a compelling choice.

Key Features:

• Customizable Member Database: track members, guests, and volunteers with custom attributes. You can configure the database structure to a significant degree (add custom fields, define special statuses, etc.) to mirror how your church categorizes people.
• Mobile App Platform: TouchPoint includes the ability to deploy a white-label mobile app for your church. Members can download your church’s app to check in, give, register for events, or receive announcements – all powered by TouchPoint on the back end.
• Contributions Management: record donations, integrate online giving, and generate contribution statements. While TouchPoint can integrate with various giving providers, it also supports its own giving functionality (including options for donors to cover processing fees).
• Groups and Ministry Engagement: manage small groups, classes, and ministry teams. Leaders can take attendance via the app and communicate with their group members. The system tracks involvement so staff can see who’s engaged and who might be slipping away – great for pastoral follow-up in a large church.
• Automation and Notifications: set up automated workflows (for example, trigger a follow-up task when a new family joins, or reminders to leaders to submit attendance). Also, send mass emails or texts to targeted lists directly through TouchPoint.
• Analytics: dashboards and queries that allow you to dig into data – for instance, find people who haven’t been to any event in 3 months, or analyze giving by demographic. The query tools are powerful for a data-minded church staff.

Pros:

• Tailored for Large Churches: TouchPoint’s design reflects the needs of bigger churches. It scales well for a large database and offers features like multi-campus support and complex volunteer management that growing churches require. The system architecture allows for thousands of records and concurrent users without performance hits.
• High Degree of Customization: A standout benefit is how much you can tailor TouchPoint. You’re not locked into rigid fields or workflows. Tech-savvy churches can even use TouchPoint’s API or custom script options to extend functionality. For a large church with unique processes (perhaps a specific way of tracking discipleship or a custom assimilation pipeline), TouchPoint can likely be bent to fit those needs.
• Mobile App Engagement: Having your own church app included is a big plus. Large congregations often invest in separate mobile apps – with TouchPoint, it’s part of the package. This can boost engagement as members have a convenient way to interact (check in to events, find groups, give donations) via your app, and it keeps your branding in front of them.
• One Database for All Data: TouchPoint acts as a single source of truth for your church’s data. Instead of scattering information in different tools, everything from attendance to giving to volunteer rosters lives in one system. Staff can get a holistic view of a person’s involvement across the board.
• Community and Support: TouchPoint, while smaller than some competitors, has an active community of larger churches that use it. They often share best practices and even custom add-ons. The company’s support is known to work closely with churches on solutions, which can feel more like a partnership – helpful when you’re trying to do something custom or complex.

Cons:

• Not a Full Marketing Suite: TouchPoint focuses on church management core functions, but it doesn’t include things like a website builder or advanced media management. Churches will still need a separate solution for their website or if they want elaborate email marketing designs. In other words, it’s a strong ChMS, but not a total “digital ministry” suite like some all-in-ones (no built-in website tool, for example).
• Annual Pricing Model: TouchPoint typically charges a single annual fee (often based on church size). This can be a large up-front cost and a longer commitment than month-to-month plans. Some churches may find the lump sum approach and contract a bit restrictive if they prefer more flexibility or need to justify a big line item in the budget.
• Setup and Configuration Effort: The flipside of customization is that initial setup can be intensive. A large church might need to allocate significant staff time (or hire TouchPoint’s team) to configure the system exactly right, migrate data, and create the desired automations. This isn’t a plug-and-play scenario; it’s more like implementing a powerful, but complex, solution.
• Interface Complexity: TouchPoint is quite powerful, but some users note that the interface is not as modern or slick as some newer systems. There are a lot of menus and options, which can be daunting. Non-technical staff might feel it’s geared a bit more toward an IT or database mindset. Proper training is a must to realize its benefits.
• Limited International/Multisite Features: While it handles multi-campus, TouchPoint might not have as many global or multi-language capabilities out-of-the-box compared to some systems designed for international organizations. If your large church has, say, different language congregations or international campuses, you’d want to verify that TouchPoint can accommodate those scenarios smoothly.

Choosing the Right CRM for a Growing Ministry:

Every medium and large church has its own culture, priorities, and challenges. The “best” Church CRM for your ministry will depend on factors like your church’s size, budget, technical capacity, and the specific problems you’re trying to solve. All the platforms listed above are robust and geared toward supporting growing congregations — but each has its unique strengths:

• Need deep process management and integrations? A solution like Church Community Builder might be ideal.
• Prefer flexibility and modular tools? Planning Center could be your best fit.
• Want an all-in-one ecosystem? Tithe.ly All Access offers everything under one roof.
• Focused on volunteer coordination? FellowshipOne provides advanced volunteer pipelines.
• Value a long-established system? Realm or ShelbyNext bring decades of experience.
• Looking for customization and a branded app? TouchPoint has you covered.

When evaluating a Church CRM, involve both your tech-savvy staff and your ministry leaders. Ensure the system you choose is one your team will actually use and embrace. Many of these platforms offer demos or trial periods — take advantage of those to get hands-on experience. Also consider the support and training each company provides; rolling out a new CRM in a large church is a project in itself, so partner with a vendor that will guide you through it.

Finally, remember the goal isn’t just better data management — it’s better ministry. The right CRM will free your team from administrative overload and equip you to connect more personally with individuals, even in a big crowd. Whether it’s spotting a member who slipped away, quickly mobilizing volunteers for a new campus, or celebrating a generous giving season with accurate reports, a good Church CRM helps your growing church stay organized, informed, and relational. With the help of these tools, you can focus on what matters most: advancing your mission and caring for the people God has entrusted to you.