Church Management System

A Required Course Output

Presented to

The Faculty of the Science and informatics

KIPLAGAT BRIAN KIPKEMBOI

TU01-IC211-0804/2020

In Partial Fulfillment Of

The Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

March 2024
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background of the Study..........................................................................3
1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................3
1.2 Objectives of the Study............................................................................................................5
1.3 Scope and Limitations.............................................................................................................5
1.4 Significance............................................................................................................................8
1.5 Definition of Terms.................................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Systems........................................................................10
2.1 Review of Related Literature..................................................................................................10
2.2 Review of Related Systems....................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: Methodology.................................................................................................................13
3.1 Conceptual Framework..........................................................................................................13
3.2 List and description of the stakeholders of the system...............................................................14
3.3 Software Development being used..........................................................................................14
3.4 Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements.....................................................................16
3.5 Project Timeframe/ Timeline/ Schedule...................................................................................18
References.....................................................................................................................................21

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Chapter 1: Introduction and Background of the Study

1.1 Introduction

Religion is one of the builders of society. According to Durkheim, religion has three major

functions to society. Religion provides social cohesion that maintains solidarity, maintain

conformity and control in society, and provides meaning and purpose to any questions asked

existentially.[1] Laws of men are even based on laws and principles taught in religion. Hence,

religion is a vital aspect of society.

Roman Catholicism originated from the Church of Rome (circa AD 30 -95). Although we do

not have records of the first Christian missionaries to Rome, it is obvious that a church existed

there as the New Testament Scriptures were being written. St. Paul himself wrote an epistle to

the church at Rome, and the Book of Acts records some of his dealings there.[2] Roman

Catholicism today has a big population of affiliates from Spain, Poland, Colombia, France, Italy,

USA, Philippines and many other countries. Its population today is an estimated 1.2 Billion [3]

and thus being one of the biggest religions in the world. The religion is being led by the Pope

Francis who resided in the Vatican, Rome.

The Philippines, since the conquest of the Spaniards, has been a deeply rooted religious

society. Since the christianification of the Philippines, many Filipinos are still Christians unto

this day. According to the Philippines Statistics Association, an estimated 90.1% of Filipinos are

Christians, 80.6% of which are Roman Catholic.[4] making Roman Catholicism the dominant

religion in the Philippines. Religion is evident in the Filipino customs and traditions. An

example of this are fiestas where Filipinos dedicated dancing and offerings to the patron saints of

their parishes for a bountiful harvest. Geographically, the Roman Catholic church in the

Philippines are divided into dioceses and archdioceses. Each dioceses and archdioceses are

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composed of different parishes. The parish of San Nicolas De Tolentino in Bais City is a part of

the Diocese of Dumaguete. The parish caters to many parishioners and holds 2 -3 masses per

weekdays and 5 masses during Sundays. This number doesn't include masses such as funerals,

weddings, baptisms, and confirmations.

With the increasing demand for church services and activities at San Nicolas de

Tolentino Parish, technology can assist in providing the efficient management of files and

coordination of activities. However, it has been observed that file and records management are

still done manually. Church office staff and personnel sometimes have difficulty in retrieving

old records and providing reports at a soonest possible time. In an interview with the person-in-

charge of the said parish, manual writing and the use of typewriter are still prevalent. Recording

of baptisms, marriages, confirmations and deaths are written down in the big book or journal.

When a parishioner will request for a record of baptism or marriage, she will have to go over the

book page by page in order to retrieve the data. If the requested data is found, then she will now

encode the data on a template and print out a copy for the parishioner. She added that years

back, the church office made use of Microsoft Excel as a means of storing data. However, when

the computer broke down, the data were lost. Hence, they resorted back to the manual searching

of data in the book or journal. She also remarked that some of the books or journals are already

very old and the pages are almost torn apart. There is also difficulty in reading some of the

entries if the handwriting is not so legible.

When the scenario stated in the preceding paragraph, the team aims to propose a desktop

application that will allow the church office staff to manage records, access and retrieve data,

and print out certifications and reports at a soonest time possible, Furthermore, the team will

also develop a web application that will disseminate information such as mass schedules,

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activities and events. This application will also include a feature that will allow the user to

request for certificates online, enlist for baptisms, confirmations, marriages, wedding and funeral

masses.

1.2 Objectives of the Study

The project aims to develop a desktop and web application that can aid the church in their

daily management of files and records. It also enables the office personnel to keep track of their

records, generate files and schedules thereby reducing the time and hassle in searching over

voluminous church books or journals.

Specifically, the project aims to:

 To Gather Relevant and Accurate Information

Collect data from various sources, such as member profiles, event registrations,
and financial transactions, to populate the church management system.
Ensure data integrity and accuracy through validation checks and verification
processes, enabling informed decision-making and reporting capabilities within
the system.
 To Create an Intuitive and Effective User Experience
Design user interfaces that are intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing,
enhancing usability and engagement for church administrators and members.
Incorporate feedback from stakeholders and usability testing to refine design
elements and optimize the overall user experience.
 To Build a Functional Church Management System
Translate system design specifications into executable code, implementing
features and functionalities outlined during the planning and design phases.
Follow best coding practices and software engineering principles to develop a
robust, maintainable, and scalable system.

 To Ensure System Reliability and Quality

Develop comprehensive test cases to verify the functionality, performance, and
security of the church management system.
Execute tests systematically to identify and resolve any defects or issues,
ensuring the system meets quality standards and user expectations.

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Research questions

 How do different data collection techniques (e.g., surveys, interviews, automated data
retrieval) influence the reliability and usefulness of information stored in the church
management system?
 What design elements contribute most significantly to user satisfaction and engagement
with the church management system, and how can they be optimized to enhance overall
user experience?
 What are the critical features and functionalities required to meet the diverse needs of
church administrators, members, and stakeholders, and how can they be prioritized and
implemented to ensure the system's functionality and effectiveness?

 How do various testing(e.g., unit testing, stress testing, usability testing) impact the
identification and mitigation of software defects, ultimately ensuring the reliability and
quality of the church management system?

1.3 Scope and Limitations

Scope

Desktop Application

1. A Records module wherein the church personnel can add, view, search

different records such as marriage, first communion, baptism, death, and

confirmation records.

2. An Archives module where very old and valuable church documents will

be scanned and stored as a pdf file. Office personnel will also be able to

view and print such records

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 3. An Enlisting module where office personnel can add, edit, view, and

confirm enlistments for Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, and

Weddings.

4. A Certificates module where church personnel can search records such as

baptismal, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and funeral records

and print out certificates with a press of a button. It also includes the

request for permits such as baptismal permits, wedding permits, and

funeral permits. This module will also allow office personnel to see online

requests done in the web application

5. A Schedule module where in the church personnel will be able to add, edit

and coordinate time and date schedules of various events such as wedding,

baptismal, funeral, confirmations, residence mass, special masses and

reservations for the church and the Parish Pastoral Center (PPC) as well as

the officiating priest.

6. A Booking module where Office personnel can book reservations for the

Parish Pastoral Center and confirm online reservations. Office personnel

will also be able to view schedules of reservations.

7. A Reports module where in the church personnel can generate add, view,

edit reports such as income, donations received, fees, number of mass

intentions, and masses rendered by a certain priest or lay minister.

Web Application

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 1. An Announcements module where the general users can view the different

events happening in the church such as mass schedules, special masses

and weddings, funeral, and different prayer services.

2. A Calendar module where in the user can view the church calendar of

events and the liturgical calendar of the diocese.

3. A Request module where users can request for Certificates such as

Baptismal Certificates, Certificates of First Communion, Confirmation

Certificate, Marriage Certificate, and Death Certificates.

4. An Enlisting module where users can enlist for Baptism, Confirmation,

First Communion, and Wedding. After enlistment, the office personnel

will verify, and the system will show them the requirements and schedules

of seminars that they need to attend. Once requirements are fulfilled and

required seminars have been attended, the users will be scheduled.

5. A Booking module where users can book facilities of the church such as

the Parish Pastoral Center and the church premises. Users will also be able

to see schedules of bookings.

6. A Permits module where in the general users can request for different

permits or certificate such as wedding, baptismal or funeral.

7. A Spiritual Counseling Module wherein the general users can ask

anonymously about their concerns or asking for prayer directly to parish

priests. It will also have passages of the day and short Bible reflections.

Limitations

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 1. An Internet Connection is required to use the system.

2. Electronic Signatures of priests will not be included.

3. Payment such as cash is not allowed through the system.

4. Limited to San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish

1.4 Significance

The application will be used by the personnel of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church

and the general users. The desktop application will be significant to the church especially to the

church personnel since it would be easier for them to maintain their records and be able to search

for them faster and easier. It would also allow the personnel to track and schedule the different

events in the church. The application would reduce redundancies and the use of paper.

The web application will be significant to the general users since they would be informed

on the different events in the church such as different weddings, funerals scheduled and other

activities. It would allow the user to request for permits such as wedding, funeral, baptismal. The

application would allow the users to request different concerns to the parish. This would allow

the parish priests to communicate with them and give advice.

The application is useful to the developers since it allows the developers to enhance their

knowledge and skills in developing the application. It would also allow the developers to

improve their relationship as a team during the duration of the project.

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1.5 Definition of Terms

● iSimba- A standalone system and a web application that is designed for San.

Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church

● General Users- These are people who would use the application such as church

personnel and the general public

● Parish- a division of a diocese that has its own church and member of the clergy.

Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Systems

2.1 Review of Related Literature

The church has always been known for its simplicity as well as the frugal lifestyle. This

fact could probably be one of the reasons why with technological advance nowadays most

churches in our region don’t have a computer automated system for the records and are still on a

paper-based system as they are used to then until now. However, with the demands of the times,

arguments as to make use or not use modern technology are surfacing. In an article by Kathleen

Lubeck which was quoted by Dean R. Cannon, who, as managing director of the Church’s

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Information Systems Department, is responsible for computer and satellite development for the

Church, said “Our philosophy is to make wise use of technology to build the kingdom wherever

it can best help”[5]. Which practically says that the church should adapt to the technological era

of the present. The church will not only make use of the technology because it is era appropriate

but to make the system of the church much more efficient thus costing less money and effort into

recording important data. It will also help the people affiliated to the church make a transition

and learn about the modern technological advancement of the present.

In a religious perspective there is a question “Do we really need media and technology

for the church?”. As written on an article of Tamara Panza, “Yes, I think we should; it’s where

the people are, and it’s another point of connection available to us. It’s so convenient to be able

to pull your cell phone out of your pocket and use it to check out a Bible passage. It’s a beautiful

thing to be able to hand an SD card to someone on the mission field, and have that person be able

to read or listen to the Bible from that one tiny little piece of media. That is incredible! But it’s

also a wonderful thing to open up a real Bible with real pages, and rest in His presence with no

phone, television or computer.”[6] You see technological advance doesn’t really promote to

leave the people who are naïve to it but to promote unity and more efficient communication to all

the people who would let it do so. The reason we would like to propose this project for the

betterment of the church and the people going there to provide a much easier way to get

notifications on the church activities, to make processes like filing for marriage certificates and

death certificates. And to let the people who are shy and embarrassed to approach people who

are willing to listen to their spiritual concerns.

For the systematic parts and technical concerns, the team got references from other

capstones projects such as, “Development of Church Information System” by Yohannes

11
Kurniawan [7] and Cadelina Cassandra and “Web-Based Church Management System for

Asokwa Pentecos” by Mercy Vicentia Nazzar [8]. The first capstone project mentioned talks

about the organizations engaged in community service, the church’s wide range of activities and

transactions to accommodate the needs of the congregation, both in terms of ecclesiastical

activities and financial transactions of the church. The capstone’s main purpose was to make the

church process system into a much more efficient and easier system to use. The second capstone

mentioned above talks about the “Church Management system” software which was being

developed as accurate and efficient online software for the user such as the members and the

administrator i.e. the management of the church. In this system the record of each request details

is preserved along with their status and transaction related to them. The system is also made

secured as all the updates of the system can be done by the authorized person i.e. the

administrator only. Thus, the team would like to make this proposal a real system, if ever this

will be approved by the panel, not only as means to pass this course but also to further promote

the use of technology to the people who need it.

2.2 Review of Related Systems

One of the related applications is called Church Suite is a web-based management

system that is available for MacOS and Windows. [9] Where in some features include address

book of its members, bookings, calendar, scheduling and donation tracking. It allows the

management of the church to track and gather details about the different aspect that is happening

in the church.

Smart Church is another application that allows the members of the church to gather in

one platform [10]. It is like Facebook wherein you can interact with different members of the

church. Know what is happening with the different activities in the church. It also features

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podcasts, videos which allows the user to catch up on sermons that they miss. The features on the

application varies depending on the plan they would like to avail. The application is available for

iOS and Android.

Another great application is FormDocs Review that is available in Windows [11]. It is a

software that replaces standardize forms into compliant electronic forms that can be stored, fill-in

and distributed. It also has an array of management such as office management and many more.

The software is a great help especially in business.

ASKFm is a mobile and web application wherein you ask somebody whether it your

friend or relatives or basically anyone anonymously or not.[12] It’s a great way to ask someone

various questions that you could ask someone personally. You can also add images or GIF to

respond the messages. It’s currently available in the Google Play Store and on the Apps Store.

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Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Conceptual Framework

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To Gather Relevant and Accurate Information
 Conduct surveys, interviews, and focus groups with church staff and members to
understand data requirements and sources.
 Implement automated data retrieval processes from various sources such as registration
forms, financial databases, and event management systems.
 Validate collected data through cross-referencing with multiple sources and verification
mechanisms.
 Regularly audit and update data to maintain accuracy and relevance within the church
management system.
name reg Phone no gender county ministry Email
Vincent 0866/2020 074220304 male nandi hospitality vincent@gmail.co
kirui 0

Winnie 0898/2020 076875643 male kericho music laban@gmail.com

njau 6
Brian 0804/2020 071603374 Male nandi hispitality Briller254@gmail.com
Lagat 6
Mary 0987 078942525 female nairobi music sam@gmail.com
wanja 4
Donald 0658/2020 078945632 male kisumu music omosh@gmail.com
omondi 1

Participant Demographics
A total of 11stakeholders participated in the questionnaire, representing various

stakeholder groups at the hospital, including doctors, nurse, IT staff, receptionist, patients, and

other role both were female and male. Male occupied the highest position than women.

Additionally, the distribution of participants across different stakeholder groups was as follows:

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Awareness and Understanding
90.9% of participants reported being aware of the planned implementation of EHR at Moi

Referral Hospital. Among those aware, 36.4% expressed a clear understanding of the objectives

and benefits of EHR implementation.

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To Create an Intuitive and Effective User Experience
 Conduct user research to identify user needs, preferences, and pain points related to the
church management system.
 Develop user personas and user journey maps to understand user behaviors and
interactions with the system.
 Utilize iterative design processes, such as prototyping and usability testing, to gather
feedback and refine user interface elements.
 Incorporate principles of responsive design and accessibility to ensure a seamless and
inclusive user experience across different devices and user demographics.
Build a Functional Church Management System
 Adopt an agile development methodology, such as Scrum or Kanban, to iteratively build
and deliver features based on user feedback and changing requirements.
 Break down system requirements into smaller, manageable tasks (e.g., user stories,
features) and prioritize them based on business value and user needs.
 Implement continuous integration and deployment practices to facilitate frequent
releases and rapid feedback loops.
 Foster collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams, including
developers, designers, testers, and stakeholders, to ensure alignment with project goals
and objectives.
To Ensure System Reliability and Quality
 Develop a comprehensive test plan outlining test objectives, strategies, and schedules
for different phases of testing (e.g., unit testing, integration testing, system testing).
 Execute test cases systematically, covering functional, non-functional, and edge cases
to identify and address software defects.
 Use automated testing tools and frameworks to improve test coverage and efficiency,
particularly for regression testing and performance testing.

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 Involve stakeholders in user acceptance testing to validate system functionality,
usability, and reliability before deployment.

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Requirement Analysis:
 Schedule meetings with church officials and office personnel to gather requirements.
 Document requirements related to file management, scheduling, certificate requests,
and record access.
 Identify key stakeholders who will be using the system regularly.

System Design:
 Design the system architecture considering both desktop and web applications.
 Define the database schema for efficient storage and retrieval of files, records,
schedules, and certificates.
 Design user interfaces for desktop and web applications, ensuring ease of use and
intuitive navigation.
Development:
 Develop separate modules for file management, scheduling, certificate requests, and
record access.
 Utilize technologies like Java for desktop application development and frameworks like
React.js for web application development.
 Implement security measures such as user authentication and authorization to
safeguard sensitive data.
Testing:
 Conduct unit testing for each module to ensure individual functionalities work as
expected.
 Perform integration testing to verify seamless interaction between different modules.
 Conduct system testing to evaluate the system as a whole, including user workflows and
error handling.
Deployment:
 Deploy the desktop application on church office computers with proper setup and
configuration.
 Host the web application on a secure server accessible to authorized users.
 Ensure data backup mechanisms are in place to prevent data loss.
Training and Documentation:
 Provide training sessions for office personnel on how to use each module effectively.
 Prepare user manuals and documentation covering system functionalities and usage
guidelines.
 Offer ongoing support for any questions or issues that arise during the training period.
Feedback and Iteration:

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  Collect feedback from users regarding the usability and functionality of the system.
 Incorporate user feedback to make necessary improvements or enhancements to the
system.
 Implement iterative development cycles to continuously refine the system based on user
needs.
Maintenance and Support:
 Provide ongoing maintenance to ensure the system remains operational and up-to-date.
 Offer technical support to address any issues or concerns raised by users.
 Regularly update the system to adapt to changing requirements and address any
security vulnerabilities.

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3.2 List and description of the stakeholders of the system

The list of stakeholders that are involved in the system and their descriptions are

discussed as follows:

General Users. One of the main users of the web application who contributed on the design of

the user interface and its features.

San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church. A parish church in Bais City Under the diocese of

Dumaguete allowed the team to interview on the office processes of the parish.

Developers. The team responsible for making the web application and the desktop application

and making certain that requirements of the application have been met.

3.3 Software Development being used

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 Figure 3.3.1 Waterfall Software Development Model (adapted from Sommerville 2015)

The Software development model that the team will use is the Waterfall model. It is a

process in which each phase must be completed first before the team can proceed to the next

phase. Also, by using the Waterfall Model it allows the team to really understand the

requirements as well as the necessary tools to be use in the project. There will be 5 Phases in this

certain model namely: Requirements Definition, System and Software Design, Implementation

and Unit Testing, Integration and System Testing, Operation and Maintenance.

Phase 1. Gathering of data from the client would take place in this phase. This is also where the

team would specify the requirements that are needed as well as the expected outcome of the

application to be developed. The team would analyze the necessary requirements for him or her

to be guided on the following phases to follow.

Phase 2. The System and Software Design phase will take place once the team has finished

analyzing the requirements. It is also where the team can start with the Data Flow Diagram,

Database Design, Conceptual and Logical Database Model, Data Dictionary. The Screen Layout

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will also take place in this phase for a better understanding on how the system would look like

and its process.

Phase 3. The Implementation and Unit Testing Phase will only proceed once the system design

has been made. This phase is where the real coding for the system would take place. Any bugs or

errors during the development would be fixed. It is also where the testers would test each

developed module to see if it meets the required specifications.

Phase 4. Integration and System Testing Phase will take place once all modules have been

developed and will integrate all the modules to produce a single output. It is also where the final

testing will be done to ensure there will be no bugs or errors and to ensure each requirements

specification have been met.

Phase 5. The Operation and Maintenance Phase will take place once the application is finished

and has been fully tested and be deployed. It is also in this phase that maintenance of the finished

product will take place such as possible additions to the application.

3.4 Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements

Table 3.4.1 Minimum Requirements for Development

Hardware

Hardware Desktop or Laptop

Processor Intel Core i3 (or Higher)

RAM 4.00 GB or Higher

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 Software

Operating System Windows 7 (or Higher)

Development Tools ● MySQL

● AngularJS

● Visual Basic

Table 3.4.2 Minimum Requirements for Implementation

Hardware

Hardware Desktop or Laptop

Processor Intel Core i3 (or Higher)

RAM 2.00 GB or Higher

Software

Operating System Windows 7 (or Higher)

Web Browser ● Google Chrome

● Microsoft Edge

● Mozilla Firefox

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3.5 Project Timeframe/ Timeline/ Schedule

Table 3.5.1 Time Management

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Figure 3.5.1: Gantt Chart of the Expected Project Timeline

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Figure 3.5.2: Gantt Chart of the Actual Project Timeline

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References
[1] Durkheim, E (n.d). The Functionalist Perspective on Religion. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/the-functionalist-perspective-

on-religion/

[2] Gingerich, B (2018, Oct 16). What is Catholicism? History, Tradition and Beliefs. Retrieved

from https://www.christianity.com/church/denominations/what-is-catholicism.html

[3] How many Roman Catholics are there in the world? (2013, Mar. 14) BBC News. Retrieved

from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-21443313

[4] Philippines in Figures (2014) Retrieved from

https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2014%20PIF.pdf

[5] Lubeck, K (1984, June) The Church and Computer. Retrieved from

https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1984/06/the-church-and-computers-using-tools-the-lord-has-

provided?lang=eng

[6] Panza, T. 92016. Oct. 17). Media and Technology in the church: Why we need it and why we

don’t. Retrieved from https://northpoint.edu/media-technology-church-need-dont/

[7] Kurniawan, Y. Cassandra, C. (n.d) Development of Church Information System. Retrieved

from

https://www.academia.edu/24144826/Development_of_Church_Information_System_A_Case_

Study_Approach

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[8] Nazzan, M. (n.d) Web-based Church Management System for Asokwa Pentecost. Retrieved

from https://www.academia.edu/16301880/WEB-BASED_CHURCH_MANAGEMENT_SYSTEM

[9] Church Suite (n.d) Retrieved from https://churchsuite.com/

[10] Smart Church: The Free Church App. Retrieved from http://smartchurch.com/

[11] FormDocs Reviews (n.d.) Capterra Retrieved from

https://www.capterra.com/p/28308/FormDocs/

[12] ASKfm - Ask Me Anonymous Questions (2019, April 17). Retrieved from

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.askfm&hl=en

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