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First Church had a snoopy office worker who gained access to member contribution files and employee payroll records. What can be done to keep sensitive information confidential yet accessible to the appropriate people—especially when computer files are networked in a church?

In the early days of software, safeguarding information from prying eyes was a concern, says Kip Trout, sales and marketing manager for computer products at Concordia Publishing House, which produces Shepherd's Staff software. Since then, companies have built security features into their systems.

For example, Shepherd's Staff software comes with a full audit trail, which provides a user history documenting who has accessed which software modules and at what times.

With any church-management system, it's important that the system administrator use the utilities function to assign passwords and check off the minimum number of boxes giving user access, at least in the beginning, Trout says. He also encourages regular monitoring of user IDs and passwords to maintain the integrity of a system.

In the new world of Windows, a system of passwords can be assigned to specific pieces of software, says Maureen Wygant of Computer Helper, creator of Church Windows software. "Various parts of the program can be worked on by different people," she says. If you're networked, these parts can operate simultaneously.

Each segment of the program can offer three levels of access: no access, read-only access, and full access. For example, a volunteer at Wygant's church has full access to Sunday attendance records. She can input data into the system, but she cannot access any financial or payroll records. Similarly, a pastor may have full access to membership information but not to contribution records.

Only a system administrator can assign passwords and authorize levels of access. That way, even the snoopiest worker won't get into mischief by scrolling through church records.

Central Church attracts all kinds of worshipers to services, which include a highly traditional Sunday morning service, a contemporary seeker service, an MTV-style service for college students, and special worship events. How can a leader possibly keep all the worship planning on track as well as manage the volunteers necessary to do music, drama, and backstage support?

It's a challenge but not an insurmountable one, says Greg Moyer of Servant PC. He suggests the first task of a worship leader is to gather as much information as possible about people involved in various aspects of worship. WorshipPro, a software product for worship leaders published by Servant PC, is especially helpful for that. The system incorporates names and addresses along with user fields to create customized files on each person.

WorshipPro also deals with the more tedious areas of worship administration, such as copyright management and scheduling. It helps with music arranging and transposition, overhead production, and music filing according to theme, title, author, or tempo. Worship pastors can use such software to free up time so they can focus on the more spiritual and creative aspects of planning services.

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