St. Paul United Church of Christ is a “mission-minded church” that was founded in 1849 in Columbia, Illinois. It was originally founded as a small church to serve the German Protestant population in the Columbia area. Now, almost 200 years later, it is a community of believers gathering with 150 attendees each week. While Columbia is close to St. Louis, it still maintains that small-town community feel.
Amanda Stapf joined St. Paul’s staff two years ago, serving on the Technology and Finance team. She quickly realized that the software solutions they had in place were outdated and not sufficient to serve the church’s mission.
“Columbia is a little town that has grown substantially, largely due to new families coming in. So we wanted to shift our focus overall on growth within the community and center it around families as it’s a target for the community and the church as a whole. Realm provides us with a one-stop shop mentality. You’re not just solving a database problem or even an accounting problem…you’re solving many of the church’s issues with a relationship and overall church management solution. It brings it all together into one package and with support!”
Amanda Stapf, Business Office Manager –
Amanda said the church didn’t even consider looking at other solutions because not only could ACS Technologies easily transition their data, but Realm offered everything the church needed to grow.
“Seeing the potential Realm offered was a win, especially regarding communication. We see the benefit it could bring to our groups in terms of streamlining communication.” -Amanda Stapf, Business Office Manager
While some members have been slow to adopt the member tools Realm offers, Amanda is excited about the benefits Realm offers their growing church, and so is the Pastor.
“I’m very much looking forward to utilizing volunteer management. Right now, everyone has their own process and their own ways of doing things…I saw the Pastor’s face light up when I told him we can build an entire church service with the volunteer teams at a glance. Right now, Pastor has to go around and talk to 5-6 people to try and schedule each service, and even then, fingers are crossed that everyone shows up.”
St. Paul will continue to thrive, and Amanda is confident that Realm is the solution to support the vision of the church as a whole.
To learn more about Realm, click here.
To learn more about St. Paul United Church of Christ, click here.
Jenna Wallace
Jenna joined the ACST team in February 2020 as a Ministry Consultant for small to mid-size churches with a focus on empowering these ministries with the tools they need to accomplish their goals. She believes regardless of the size of the ministry, each church can utilize technology to fulfill the calling God has given them. Prior to joining ACST, she spent several years as a Sales Consultant across multiple industries, all focusing on relationship building, which she feels has allowed her to provide trusted advice to those in need. Jenna is passionate about helping others which fuels her eagerness to serve.
