If you have any part to play in managing a church, you’ve experienced the frustrations and complications of that process. Thankfully, there is an assortment of church management software tools available to make your job easier. In this article, we’re going to look at one of the newest and most popular church management systems: Rock RMS.
We will cover everything you need to know. This way, you can make an informed decision on whether or not Rock RMS is right for your church.
Do you have questions about its pros, cons, features, integration, pricing, and anything else? Those will be answered here! At the end, we will also compare it to other church management software programs. Everything you need to know about Rock RMS is right here, so let’s jump in.
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Table of contents
Finding the Right Management System For Your Church
First, what makes a good church management system? The answer is entirely dependent on the church.
Churches range greatly in sizes and are structured in all kinds of different ways. So there isn’t one church management software that fits all.
Instead, it’s important to find the right management system for your church specifically. Your church has its own needs, and its own vision of what a management system needs to be.
A Church’s Needs
A lot goes into church administration. So a good church management software system should meet the needs of organizations and church members so you can foster a vibrant community.
We are going to look at how proficiently Rock RMS manages all of those various needs. These include tracking attendance, managing a calendar, organizing volunteers, workflows, project management, messaging, online giving, and everything else.
“Tech-Savvy” Team Member
One major aspect of utilizing church management software is having someone on your team that is proficient with technology and software operation.
Church management systems have different levels of complexity when it comes to the technical side of things.
Innovative features are great, but does your team know how to use them? Knowing how adept your team is at managing software and sophisticated operations is important when choosing the right church management system.
We will look at the technological hurdles required to operate Rock RMS, as well as how it compares to other church management systems.
Now that we know what to look for in finding the perfect church management software for your church, let’s dive into the complete Rock RMS review to see if it will be suitable for your church.
Rock RMS Overview
Rock RMS is a church management system that helps churches manage all aspects of their organization. Its features (which we will go into in more depth below) are as vast and varied as the needs of a church.
It prides itself on being the one-stop shop for all a church needs, without requiring the use of additional systems or programs. Rock RMS is famous for its ease of use, free price tag, and use across all sorts of devices and platforms.
Rock RMS gets its name from Matthew 7:24-27, in which Jesus tells his listeners to “build their house on a rock.” The company leaders believe that churches should be built on a solid foundation, and strives to provide that.
It is community-oriented, and its systems are built around the people in the church: leaders and church members. It is created by the church for the church, so they understand the needs, issues, and challenges a church faces.
In the subsections below, we will cover the pros, cons, and much more, so you can decide if Rock RMS reviews align with your church’s needs.
Customizability
Rock RMS can look, operate, and feel just the way you want it to. Whatever your church’s particular needs, Rock RMS offers custom solutions. You can tailor the system to your church and its operations. This can be very beneficial to churches of all types and sizes.
Scale
Rock RMS can be used to help manage a small church, a big church, and a church transitioning in size. There are also systems in place that allow for a church to transfer their data from whatever program they were using previously onto Rock RMS, though this does require someone that is tech-savvy.
Ease of Use
Rock RMS is friendly to operators that don’t have much tech experience, has a user interface that is clear and easy to understand, and works across all platforms. So whether your church uses laptops, desktops, tablets, phones, or all of the above, Rock RMS works seamlessly on all of them. This can be very useful for churches with limited hardware or a limited hardware budget.
That being said, certain systems within Rock RMS can require someone who is more “tech-savvy”. Specific features are more complex, and usually require someone who has a solid understanding of software and technical expertise, or at least someone with the time to learn.
A church that has many needs and wants to access Rock RMS for its more detailed features will need someone with the skill to do so.
Tech Specifics
Here are some details on Rock RMS and its technological specifications. Rock RMS supports:
- Windows
- SaaS
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
- Mac
- Web-based applications
- Is cloud-hosted
- Only supports the English language
- Provides training in the form of articles and webinars
Customer Support
A common complaint of Rock RMS is that it has a weak customer service system on its own. Thankfully, it has a large and vibrant community of users for customer support. They should be able to help you with any questions or problems you may have while using the program.
Rock RMS is also constantly updated, with two to three major updates a year, so a better customer support system may be arriving soon.
Getting into contact with the Rock RMS customer support team can be difficult. While usually whatever answer you are looking for can be found in its vast active community support, the inability to directly contact company support can be frustrating for some churches.
Pricing
Rock RMS is completely free. It has a free trial available if you want to play around with it and its systems. However, there is no cost to go full-in and incorporate all its features. This is one of the most attractive qualities of Rock RMS, and makes it a perfect option for churches with little to no budget available for a church management system.
Rock RMS Features
Primary Features
Rock RMS boasts a number of possible features for your church to use. That includes, but is not limited to:
- Tracking Attendance
- Calendar
- Custom Email Templates
- Workflows
- Managing Volunteers
- Event Registration
- Multi-Campus Support
- Unlimited Users
- Group Management
- Individual/Family Management
- Online Giving
- Messaging (Email and Text)
Rock RMS features even extend beyond the ones listed above. If your church is looking for a management system to tackle any or all of those things, then that’s a good sign that Rock RMS could be for you.
Open-Source
Rock RMS is open source software, meaning it is completely free to use and manipulate for anyone. Open-source software gives users the right to use, change, and distribute.
This means that Rock RMS is not only free but very customizable. It also means that it has a huge development network supporting it, where a user can find answers and solutions to any problems they may run into while using it.
All in all, Rock RMS being an open-source system makes it very valuable to churches with a limited budget. It also means that with the right time investment, users can deal with anything that comes their way in operating the system.
Relationship Management
Rock RMS has a vast system that allows you to manage the people in your church. Individuals can have bios and tags, as well as data recorded on them and their activities within the church.
For church management, records can also be grouped up into units such as Small Groups, Families, or whatever your church needs. Adding notes and information onto these individuals or groups is easy and secure.
Rock RMS also uses a simple and effective check-in system, which is available across all devices. This extends to event registration and more, and all of this can automatically connect with calendars, schedules, and spreadsheets. This allows you to track engagement, monitoring patterns and building structures to guide individuals or groups through membership.
Data and Automation
Rock RMS utilizes systems that allow you to track and manage data in a way that is easy and visible. Due to the ability to automate workflows, communications, or whatever you need, nobody will slip through the cracks. And all of this connects back to a collection of user-friendly tools that allow you to navigate data you have collected.
Rock RMS has a central concept they call “Data Views“. These allow you to produce reports using simple tools that require little to no proficiency with technology or coding. These build on each other, meaning it is rare you will ever have to produce duplicate or near-duplicate reports.
Content Management
Rock RMS boasts an easy-to-use website creator tool that allows churches to create a personalized website with zero coding experience. It’s super customizable, allowing web designers to edit the look, layout, and content on the site. It also has an accessible Calendar tool, which can directly connect to your website, events, and promotions.
Donation Management
Rock RMS has its very own systems that can record and process payments for you. From giving, donations, events, and more, Rock RMS covers all the management of finances. Generate reports on transactions and create pledge and subscriptions systems allowing users to set up recurring payments.
Integration
Rock RMS integrates with many programs, including but not limited to:
- Stripe
- SecureGive
- Microsoft Word
- SignNow
- Payflow Pro
- Twilio
- Microsoft Exchange
- Pushpay
- Trello
- SendGrid
- Amazon Cloud Storage
- Microsoft Excel
- Zapier
- Planning Center Online
- Google Maps
- Mailchimp
If your church needs its group management software system to integrate with any or all of the above programs, Rock RMS may be for you. For a full list of Rock RMS integrations, check out the link here.
Comparisons to Other Programs
So how does Rock RMS compare to other church management programs? Here we will list the most popular alternatives to Rock RMS and their various pros and cons. This way, you can decide on the right system to fit your church’s needs. You can also check out our full list of the 9 Best Church Management Software Platforms for 2022.
Planning Center, a very popular management system, is considered easier to set up than Rock RMS, but is more expensive. The same goes for popular systems like Breeze, Text-Em-All, DialMyCalls, Realm, and Clearstream.
Compared to systems like Church Community Builder, FellowshipOne, or TouchPoint Church Management Software, Rock RMS reviews beat them out in almost every regard.
Churchteams is not only easier to set up than Rock RMS, but also has better customer support, if that is something important to you.
Conclusion: Should Your Church Use Rock RMS?
And there is our complete Rock RMS review! We hope that this review was able to break down Rock RMS for you and give you all the info you need to make an informed decision about it.
Rock RMS has been a game-changer for many churches that were in need of an affordable and solid church management system. Hopefully, it can be a game-changer for you and your church as well. Every church is different though, so this review should have helped you figure out if Rock RMS is the right system for you.
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