What are the minimum system requirements for Shepherd’s Staff?

Windows 2000 or higher
Pentium III processor or equivalent
128 MB RAM (stand alone)
256 MB Ram (network)
100 MB hard disk space

We recommend:
Pentium III class or equivalent
512 MB RAM
Microsoft Office
Laser or Ink Jet Printer
Internet connection

Is Shepherd’s Staff network ready?

Yes, our program can be networked right out of the box. Since the release of Shepherd's Staff 2007 all licenses are for unlimited use within the same church.

Do you offer a free trial of your software?

We offer a full working demonstration version of our software that allows you to view all of the features of the full version. We have even included sample data to give you real world examples. We even offer a Quick Start guide that will let you jump right in and start working like a pro. You can download the demo and Quick Start guide by clicking here or call a sales representative to request a demo on CD 1-800-325-2399.

How long does will it take to download the demo?

About 20–30 minutes with a 56K modem and approximately two minutes with a broadband connection. Speed can vary based on Internet traffic.

Does Shepherd’s Staff offer any security features?

As much or as little as you need. You can restrict user access to an entire module or specific functions within a module.

Can I E-mail members or groups within our church with your program?

Shepherd's Staff makes it easy to E-mail an individual, specific groups or the entire congregation within Shepherd's Staff. You can even attach reports so your officers and board members can keep up to date. Shepherd's Staff also works with our newest product MemberConnect to provide a complete church managament and communication package for your church.

Can I import Shepherd’s Staff data into my PDA?

It is possible to get information like names, address and phones numbers with our export utility.

Can Shepherd’s Staff help me with our church photo directory?

We have an export utility that is compatible with all major photo directory companies. You can also create and print your own photo directory.

Some of our staff prefers to work at home. Can Shepherd’s Staff accommodate this?

Yes, many functions within the program are designed specifically for that purpose. The Finance module works independently from all other modules so all of the functions contained within can be done from a remote location then imported in to the main database. The same can be done with Attendance and Offering batches. Future releases of Shepherd’s Staff will allow you to work in any module from a remote location in real time.

What about record keeping for families with different names?

Shepherd’s Staff is designed to accommodate blended families. It is easy to keep track of separate last names and alternate addresses and phone numbers.

Can your software do payroll?

Yes, by linking with Quick Payroll from Inuit you can easily manage your payroll as well as be certain you are using the most up-to-date withholding and tax figures from the payroll software experts.

Information on Quick Payroll can be obtained at www.payroll.com or by calling 1-800-544-1328. You can even download a free demo.

For more information on linking Quick Payroll with Shepherd’s Staff click here.

Payroll can also be done within Shepherd’s Staff by utilizing the traditional liability account method.

We have just confirmed with Intuit that as of 8/20/2007 the Quick Payroll software has been discontinued. They will continue to support current customers but new customers will not be accepted.

The Shepherd’s Staff development team is currently reviewing other payroll options.

We have a small congregation. Is our church too small for Shepherd’s Staff?

Our software is currently being in used in churches with 50 members as well as churches with membership exceeding 10,000. We recognize the special needs of small churches as well as missions and start-up congregations. We offer a Small Church Edition at a surprisingly low price to meet those needs. Just click here for more details.

Can you track tuition payments in Shepherd’s Staff?

You can record income from a day school or day care program in the Finance module. We are currently working on tuition-tracking software that will work with Shepherd's Staff. Check back for more information.

How often do you release upgrades?

Updates to the program are released throughout the life of the product, as they become viable to our users. Just like your church, we are a ministry-based organization, and as such, our ministry goals and plans are dictated more by the needs of our constituents than by any hard and fast schedule.

We log every suggestion and feature request we receive from our users and incorporate them into our development team's plans for enhancing the product to keep pace with the progress of the technology and our users' needs.

This leads to the periodic release of Program Upgrades (major changes to the entire program), Feature Packs (enhancements to portions of the program) and Service Packs (modifications to the program addressing specific issues).

All of these releases are made on a schedule and with one singular goal in mind: to make sure Shepherd’s Staff is always up to the task of supporting your ministry. We never release “upgrades” just to generate sales, as some companies do, only to support our churches.

Can our current data be converted to Shepherd’s Staff?

Yes. Membership data such as names, addresses, dates, etc. can be converted to Shepherd’s Staff. At this time we are unable to convert financial data. Our technicians can even complete your data conversion for you for a small fee.

Do you offer training?

We conduct hands-on interactive training classes in various cities across the United States as well as in our training center in St. Louis. For additional information on training and a list of training sites click here.

Do you offer technical assistance?

Most definitely! In fact, the quality of our support is one of the many reasons we stand out above other church management software. Our technicians are available to answer all types of questions. From basic “how-to” questions to helping you set up your network, our friendly technicians are always willing to take the time necessary to assist you. We also offer tips and shortcuts via E-mail. Just click here to sign up.

I’m ready to buy. What do I do?

Just call one of our sales representatives at 1-800-325-2399 or email us at softwaresales@shepherdsstaff.org.