New system to strengthen parish record-keeping and parishioner engagement
The East Tennessee Catholic
The Diocese of Knoxville is preparing to move all 51 parishes to MinistryPlatform, a new parish management software system that diocesan leaders say will modernize how parishes manage parish records, donations, and communications.
The decision, finalized in May after more than a year of planning and listening sessions with priests and parish staff, will replace Parish Data System Church Office and PDS Formation Office, software many parishes have relied on for years to track parishioners, sacraments, and donations. The move was made with direction from the diocese’s priests and is backed by Bishop Mark Beckman.
“This decision grew out of real listening to our priests, our parish staff, and the daily work of ministry across East Tennessee,” said Father Adam Royal, who is leading the implementation project for the diocese. “Our hope is that better tools will free our parishes to spend less time on records and more time with the people they serve so that our whole diocese can flourish.”
The implementation team also includes Deacon Hicks Armor, diocesan director of Stewardship and Strategic Planning, and Christine Lucheon, diocesan director of Finance.
The diocese partnered with ACS Technologies, the company behind MinistryPlatform, to guide parishes through the changeover. Mike Paralis, a project manager with ACS Technologies, and Katie Persing, a coach and trainer with the company, are leading the transition and much of the day-to-day work with parish staff.
Roughly 75 people from parishes across the diocese joined a June 30 information session introducing the new system and outlining what to expect in the months ahead.
Why the change?
MinistryPlatform is a cloud-based system, allowing parish staff to access it securely from laptops, tablets, or phones instead of a single office computer. Individual logins allow different access levels based on each employee’s role.
The software will continue to handle parishioner information, sacramental records, and offertory donations while adding tools for event registration, volunteer scheduling, group communication, and religious education.
Parishioners also will be able to update their household information, view giving history, sign up for events, and manage communication preferences through an online portal.
During the information session, the subject of cost was raised. Mrs. Lucheon said overall costs are expected to remain similar to current PDS-related expenses, with billing handled through the diocese once a parish goes live.
MinistryPlatform also will create a shared diocesan database, allowing parishioner records and donations to follow families who move or attend multiple parishes without creating duplicate records.
Parishes will still be required to maintain physical sacramental register books per canon law, and PDS Ledger will remain the accounting system for many parishes.
Rollout planned in waves
The transition to MinistryPlatform will occur in phases over the next 18 to 24 months. Parishes will be grouped into implementation waves based in part on their scheduling preferences, with the first wave expected to begin between mid-August and mid-September. Each parish will go through a period of training, testing, and staff coaching before fully switching over to the new system.
In the meantime, parish staff are being asked to begin reviewing records by removing duplicate households, updating contact information, and posting any outstanding contributions or attendance records.
Each parish also will name a point person to coordinate with the diocesan implementation team. The role does not require technical expertise but will serve as the parish’s primary contact throughout the transition.
To support the rollout, the diocese plans to hire a temporary software implementation coordinator who will travel to parishes, oversee data migration, assist with training, and provide ongoing support after each parish goes live.
Parishes with questions or those interested in beginning data cleanup before their assigned wave can contact the diocesan implementation team. A recording of the June 30 information session and additional training materials also will be available for parish staff on the diocesan website at dioknox.org/parish-management.
“Change like this can feel daunting, and no parish should have to face it alone,” said Father Royal, who is pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville. “The diocese is here to walk with you at every step, to help, to support, and to do all we can to make this transition a smooth one.”