As we’re moving forward in switching over to ACS, we’re learning a lot about our data entry disorganization.

1. Member, Prospect, and Misc. Names - Member, in my mind, means a member of the church. I’m pretty sure that’s the standard too. Not here though, it could be a member of choir, or a member of Sunday School, or a number of other things. I want to clean this mess up before we go to new software.
2. Inactive membership - We don’t have any “rule” on when someone is to become inactive. Further, the three people who inactivate people’s membership all do it to their own, very different standards. Hmmmmm.

Does anyone have good, firm guidelines for data entry in your ChMS? Are you willing to share?

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1. newsaddikt Says:
   November 2nd, 2007 at 7:27 am

   yup, you inspired me to write a post - http://newsaddikt.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/module-record-status-membership-guidelines/

2. Tony Dye Says:
   November 4th, 2007 at 10:45 am

   Hey matthew, would you be OK with me re-publishing your post on CHMS-discuss? Great questions, hard to get good answers!

3. Kevin McCord Says:
   November 4th, 2007 at 1:43 pm

   We have a non-standard use of Shelby.

   For us,
   Module = Campus
   Membership Renames Pembroke Pines
   Prospects Renames Hollywood
   Misc. Names Renamed North Miami.

   Relationships are required for all records. Sometimes this is called “Member Status” but even non members need a status so we call this “Church Status”.

   They are:

   Local Guest
   Remote guest
   Attendee
   Member

   There are a few minor other ones like “Missionary” or “Employee Only”.

   Members are not inactivated unless someone learns they have left the area.

   Attendees are inactivated after 18 months wihtout activity by a routine I created.

   Local Guests are inactivated after 12 months by a routine I created.

   Remote Guests are inactivated after 1 month by a routine I created.

   Guests become attendees automatically by a routine I created. Families become Attendees together unless we know one member of the family does not attend in which case there is a special church status.

   Attendees become members when they meet membership requirements. This is a manual change.

   All automated changes are logged as “Life Events” in Shelby for research purposes if needed.

   It isn’t as perfect as it sounds, but it is mostly working.

   I have 100 audit queries to check to be sure it is all working! Nothing like “turn key” software.

   Later!

   Kevin