Frequently Asked Questions

There are no stupid questions. Only stupid computers.

Everyone has a question now and again. And we love answering them. We sincerely hope that the overwhelming amount of content about the needs SoChurch meets, the features offered, and why people love SoChurch answers the majority of your questions, but if not, we’re glad you made it here. The Encyclopedia doesn’t have a thing on us. Now, let’s answer those pesky questions.

• Does it cost any money to setup or implement SoChurch?

  Other than the plan’s monthly cost that you choose, there are no setup or training fees whatsoever. Instead of making you pay us a large chunk of change before you’ve even used the platform, we’ve built in contextual guidance throughout the application, which walks you through setting things up and is there for easy reference later if you or a new leader ever need it.

• What do I need to sign up?

  A pulse, some basic information about your church or ministry, and a debit or credit card. No setup fees, no contracts, no kidding.

• Do we have to sign a contract?

  Nope. We don’t lock you into anything. Churches and members will need to indicate they agree to our standard terms and conditions agreement, but this is not a contract. This simply helps prevent abuse and gives leaders the legal right to block or restrict someone who abuses them.

• Is there a discount for church plants?

  SoChurch is a big supporter of church plants. In fact many of us go to church plants or have plans of helping plant a church in the near future. Rather than claim something is free for the first year but limiting your size and sticking you with hundreds of dollars in setup fees and a price you’ll struggle to afford on month 13, we offer all small churches the same low prices with no setup fees, contracts, or hidden costs. In short, SoChurch loves all churches, regardless of size.

• Is SoChurch a social network?

  Not really. Rather than duplicate a social network like Facebook, SoChurch has created an integrated and centralized communications platform that leverages social media like Facebook and Twitter and other forms of communication, like email. Let’s face it, the last thing your members need is yet another social network with personal status updates, inboxes, chat, walls, and friend requests to manage. SoChurch helps get your message to your members via the channels they are already using, including Facebook, Twitter, email, and soon, Mobile and SMS without requiring you to duplicate effort for each medium.

• Is SoChurch a ChMS?

  No. Although SoChurch possesses member management tools, we do not intend on offering things like robust financial software or child check-in services. Instead we are focusing on a powerful and low-cost communication solution that complements and will eventually integrate with solutions that focus on these other elements, to include ChMS providers.

• How is the member limit calculated?

  This is based on what we like to call, “Active Members” which are people who you are currently communicating with via the platform. Members that have been marked as “Inactive” are not counted, however, you are still able to view all of their information. Examples of this group include elderly or other members who do not use email or have access to computers. Additionally, all children below the age of 13, as well as any one above that age who are in the system but who are not being communicated with, also do not count against member limits.

• What happens if we exceed our member limit?

  Don’t worry, growth is a good thing. SoChurch offers features that help you make sure this is actual growth and not just list bloat by helping scrub your lists. If you reach your limit, you don’t have to worry about people falling through the cracks. SoChurch still captures the information of new members who join and treats them as inactive members. In the case that you do decide to upgrade to a higher member limit we make the upgrade painless and immediate, with the already low prices we offer staying intact.

• Can SoChurch be used outside of the US?

  Internationalization requires additional legal, financial, and technical resources that usually preclude full internationalization in the first release of just about any product. If a product is not built with internationalization in mind from the start, going back and changing all the code becomes a huge and costly undertaking, preventing many products from ever making this leap. Rest assured, we’ve been setting the stage for internationalization from the beginning, and are excited to expand into these markets as soon as it is legally and financially feasible for us to do so.

• Do we need any hardware or software?

  No hardware or software required, just internet access and a compatible internet browser, which includes Safari, Firefox, Chrome, or IE 7+.

• Is SoChurch both Mac- and PC-compatible?

  Because SoChurch is web-based, it is compatible with both Macs and PCs.