From scheduling church meetings, to planning events, to keeping the pastor organized, a Church Secretary’s job is never done. Instead of getting frustrated by the many task on your list, let’s focus on some tools to help you get better organized! Here are 3 tools to help you be more efficient so you can spend time where you enjoy it most. I want to help you be more effective in your ministry so you have time to focus on the people in your congregation and community.
Resource Page – Church Toolkit
I have been working on a resource page / tool kit that is now available! I have spent several hours creating the Church Toolkit to provide you with resources that will help you be more effective in your ministry. I will be updating and adding relevant items as I know what is needed most. If you would like access just sign up here.
3 Tools I Am Using Now
In the mean time I wanted to share these 3 Tools that I use on a daily basis. One of the biggest challenges that I face is time management and prioritizing tasks. It is easy to let distractions take over your day if you don’t have a plan in place. Using these resources has helped me tremendously!
These tools will help you with:
- Time Mangement
- Prioritizing Tasks
- Program Planning
- Following up with visitors
Calendar
Having a calendar is essential for any church or ministry. I personally use Google Calendar. You must have a gmail account to access this but it is absolutely free. Using an online calendar can be a huge asset. You can sync it with your computer, phone, and tablet to have easy access. With Google Calendar you can add additional calendars. For example you can have the pastors calendar in one color, staff responsibilities in another color, and a separate printable version to handout to the congregation. You can even share a calendar with the pastor or the entire staff so that everyone is aware of upcoming events. (how to print google calendar)
If you are partial to using a paper planner you can download and print this Monthly Planner for free. It even includes a few tips for church planning
If you have a need for an Appointment Scheduler check out Timetrade.
How to prioritize your calendar – block time into admin, focus time, and
To Do List
There are so many apps available that can help you track your to-do list. I have been using Evernote for several months now and it works good for me. You can create notebooks, lists, and reminders as well as add attachments to your note; such as a website or even a photo. You can add a date and time and it will give you a notification on your phone. There are free and paid versions available. I have been using the Free Basic Plan and it works great for me. I use it for personal reminders as well as work related items. If this doesn’t appeal to you, do a quick search to find what works best for your needs.
If you are more of a paper person check out this free Weekly To-Do List!
Project Planning
I have recently started using Trello to help me with project planning and tracking specific tasks. Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards (sort of like Pinterest). In one glance, Trello tells you what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where something is in a process. Here is an example of how a youth ministry is using Trello.
Following up with Visitors
A lot of churches are using Trello to help track visitors and create a follow-up plan. You can add a “card” for each family and include ages of their children, interests, address, etc. You can then share this info with a committee or staff to check off each step such as: send a thank you for visiting card, text with service times, or send an email that explains the ministries available at your church and how they can get involved. You decide the appropriate steps you want to include and customize your own Trello board.
You can download this How-To Worksheet on setting up Trello to follow-up with visitors.
