by Church Central08 Aug 2006

Because “back-to-school” means back to sharing space for many churches around the country that share facilities and/or administrative tasks with a school, flexible solutions that save space and time are getting a gold star from administrators and congregations.

For more and more congregations this flexibility comes with both modular furniture and walls, as well as technology that makes record keeping simpler.

For example, before moving to a Web-based solution, Calvary Christian Academy’s school registration process was all processed on paper, according to Dianne Kleckner, controller for the school and sponsoring church, Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“It was difficult to rectify data coming into the school and monitor accounting details,” Kleckner says. “Synchronizing numbers of children who had registered and who had paid was incredibly challenging.”

Opting for a Web-based program simplified all the information. It gave access to anyone working in the office to numbers that are always current.

“It makes all of our lives easier,” Kleckner says.

Using the same software, Calvary is also able to post a calendar of events online. Kleckner says this brings peace of mind: “We know that it is always up-to-date.”

One of the leading companies in providing this technology is ServiceU Corporation, which provides the most complete on-demand event management software designed specifically for churches. More than 30 percent of the fastest growing churches in the United States are ServiceU clients.

Smaller classes

With studies continuing to point to the positive relationship between smaller class size and improved student learning, traditional classroom settings and furniture may be in for an overhaul in the future.

New trends in school equipment indicate a future move towards modular, flexible furniture, according to experts at the National School Supply and Equipment Association that sponsored the 2006 School Equipment Show this spring to highlight future classroom designs. A look into the future reveals the benefits of reduced class size and classroom furniture redesign to fit this scaled-back space.

“The educational and industrial furniture industry is continuing to adapt to meet the changing needs of today’s classrooms and students,” says Jack Rayher, CEO of Adirondack Direct, a leading supplier of educational furniture to schools nationwide.

“By helping schools to construct modular furniture designs for the changing face of classrooms today, our goal as suppliers in the education industry is to provide schools with the equipment they need to not only fill their classrooms, but which enhance learning.”

Modular furniture, specifically pieces that are adaptable, also enhances school budgets. Tables and chairs with leg extenders, which “grow” with students, provide options for cash-strapped institutions. Moveable furniture can also change with space that is used differently for weekend worship than during the school day.

Other advances in school furniture include products that more effectively resist wear and tear, such as wood-grain desks with vacuum-formed, hard-plastic tops. And new-style FruiTables, which showcase the fun side of institutional furniture. These adjustable-height activity tables come in the shapes and colors of five different fruits. Adirondack introduced them this year as part of a growing selection of school, office, church and institutional furniture options. With these colorful tops, it’s a short leap to a teaching on the fruit of the Spirit.

Streamlining a school’s cyberspace

Making the best use of space also includes the vastly uncharted territory of cyberspace. Because churches and educational institutions are continually looking for ways to cut costs while increasing productivity, Web technology has become an answer. The Internet can greatly improve the way some schools handle the day-to-day responsibilities of taking tuition, accepting donations, registering for events and handling ticket sales to events.

ServiceU Corporation has developed Web-based, on-demand technology tools and services that make all these tasks possible online through a school’s interactive Web site.

“For schools and universities, there is more pressure than ever on the staff to do more with less,” comments Tim Whitehorn, founder and CEO of ServiceU. “Often, their current processes take up valuable staff time that would be much better spent somewhere else.”

In addition to saving time by streamlining processes such as paying tuition and accepting donations, this software can help simplify registration for events. With TicketU, the company’s online ticketing software, organizations can use the Web to sell tickets, reserve seats, allow patrons to print their own tickets and more.

Replacing an outdated system that is cumbersome and ineffective may free staff and volunteers to spend more time reaching out than sitting in an office. That adds up to make ministry cents—and sense.