Freedom251 › Church Check-In Software
Shepherd’s Staff
What Shepherd’s Staff is
Shepherd’s Staff is church management software for congregations of any size or affiliation. Its modules combine Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Finance, Scheduler, and Check-In functions. Membership records multiple contact details and produces mail merges, labels, barcodes, and reports. Attendance tracks events, absences, and enrollees, while check-in can print child name tags with unique barcodes. Contributions creates IRS-compliant giving statements and supports unlimited contributor and offering categories. Finance provides double-entry bookkeeping, an audit trail, funds, accounts, vendors, transactions, reports, and check writing. Payroll can connect through Paycor, and online giving imports are supported through Vanco. Access may be restricted by module or individual function. The software runs on Windows and the web, supports networking out of the box, and licenses allow unlimited use within one church. A full working demonstration includes sample data and full-version features. Editions are one-time purchases from 599.00 USD, with one free year of support and one software upgrade included.
Who it suits
It suits churches needing membership, attendance, giving, scheduling, check-in, and optional finance tools in one system. The editions cover congregations from 1–149 households and those with 150+ households.
What it does well
- Combines membership, attendance, contributions, finance, and scheduling
- Prints child check-in badges with unique barcodes
- Produces IRS-compliant giving statements
- Supports double-entry bookkeeping and audit trails
- Allows networking and unlimited same-church use
What to know first
- Cannot track tuition payments for individual students
- Support without a contract costs $65 per resolved issue
- Requires Windows 10 or 11 and an internet connection
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition with Finance | One-time purchase; includes one free year of support and one free software upgrade. · 150+ households · Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Scheduler, Check-In, and Finance | $1,199, paid once |
| Small Church Edition | One-time purchase; includes one free year of support and one free software upgrade. · 1–149 households · Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Scheduler, and Check-In | $599, paid once |
| Small Church Edition with Finance | One-time purchase; includes one free year of support and one free software upgrade. · 1–149 households · Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Scheduler, Check-In, and Finance | $799, paid once |
| Standard Edition | One-time purchase; includes one free year of support and one free software upgrade. · 150+ households · Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Scheduler, and Check-In | $999, paid once |
As concordiatechnology.org lists them, read 10 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Shepherd’s Staff brings church administration and financial workflows into modular editions. Its main limitation is that school or daycare income can be recorded, but individual tuition payments cannot be tracked.
Facts from Shepherd’s Staff's own pages
- Attendance and check-in
- The Attendance module tracks attendance, events, absences, and enrollees, while check-in can print child name tags with unique barcodes. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Backups and updates
- A support subscription includes backups to CTS servers and access to software updates, including security patches as released. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Contributions
- The Contributions module creates IRS-compliant giving statements and supports unlimited contributor and offering categories. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Core modules
- The software combines Membership, Attendance, Contributions, Finance, and Scheduler modules. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Finance
- The Finance module uses double-entry bookkeeping, keeps an audit trail, and supports funds, accounts, vendors, transactions, reports, and check writing. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1994 · concordiatechnology.org, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- The product supports payroll integration with Paycor and online giving imports through Vanco. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Maker
- Concordia Technology Solutions is the technology division of Concordia Publishing House, which the company says has served churches since 1869. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Membership
- Membership tools manage multiple contact details and generate mail merges, mailing labels, barcodes, and reports. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Network use
- The software can be networked out of the box, and licenses include unlimited use within the same church. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Notable limit
- The Finance module can record income from a day school or daycare, but the software cannot track tuition payments for individual students. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Platform requirements
- The FAQ recommends Windows 10 or 11 and lists an internet connection among the system requirements. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Shepherd’s Staff is PC-based church management software intended for churches of any size or affiliation. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Security
- Users can have access restricted by module or by specific function within a module. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Support
- A support contract includes unlimited phone and email support, and without one CTS charges $65 per issue resolved. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Trial
- CTS offers a full working demonstration version with sample data and access to the full version’s features. · concordiatechnology.org, 10 Oct 2026
Where Shepherd’s Staff stands on Freedom251
- Church Check-In Software#33 of 42