CHURCH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A Capstone Project
Presented to
The College of Technology
CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY – NAGA EXTENSION CAMPUS
Central Poblacion, City of Naga, Cebu 6037 Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for the Degree
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Denvir De Jesus D.
Jonel Caminade B.

May 2025
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Religion in the modern technological world is adapting in ways that blend

traditional practices with innovative digital forms of worship service (Mahmud &

Sakinah, 2024). Technologies such as smartphones, social media, secured

fingerprint scanners, and automated digital processes have changed the way

sacred literature is added, practice is conducted, and communities are formed.

This development has resulted in the discovery of concepts such as digital

religion and digital theology by researchers (Phillips et al., 2019). The Iglesia ni

Cristo is evident in a meticulously managed administration and the strong sense

of community that is present wherever the church is centred worldwide

(stephenjbell, 2016). The manual attendance system is a novel feature of the

church, which makes use of a visiting card “tarheta” during worship service and

other events to serve as the attendance to monitor the engagement of each

member (Gordon, 2025). Iglesia Ni Cristo is known for planning and organizing

big events such as the Worldwide Walk and rallies for peace, which require

careful communication and serve the common purpose of bringing together its

members who are from different parts of the world (Acosta, 2018). In addition,

task management is used in the church to set the guiding principle for the

personnel in the church's daily activities and international initiatives. This way,

both the operational level and communication will run smoothly. These activities

are clear evidence of Iglesia Ni Cristo's firm commitment, collective discipline,

religious organization's identity (Ng & Rivera, 2023).

Modern technology is increasingly being adopted by industries and

organization to streamline operations and improve employee engagement

(Corey, 2024). Digital check-in systems, for example, have fingerprint scanner

attendance tracking by replacing labour-intensive, manual methods with real-time

data capture (Mike, 2023). An increasing number of community institutions are

using web-based application tools to better manage volunteer tasks and receive

real-time updates (Dubey, 2023).

Despite these technological advancements, many churches still rely on

outdated processes such as manual attendance checking using card-based

systems "tarheta," a common vocal approach for disseminating information, and

inconsistent management of church staff tasks (Vanco, 2024). These methods

not only increase human error and miscommunication but also lead to issues like

challenges faced in other traditional sectors before adopting automation (Jahin,

2024). Such operational problems can negatively impact overall engagement and

organizational effectiveness (Shoemaker, 2024).

This research discusses the use of a web-based Church Management

System to address these issues. The system replaces traditional methods of

manual tarheta attendance with the biometric fingerprint scanning tool. The

system allows real-time analysis of both the active and the inactive members of

the church. Members can be automatically categorized based on their

attendance. The event planner system will help in more efficient coordination of
events and activities, and in so doing, all members will be well informed and

engaged. Also, the system can generate reports for the trend of attendance as

well as for members' participation, giving a better basis for future planning and

decision-making. Additionally, the development of a mobile application for church

workers enhances task management and information dissemination, streamlining

operations and improving internal communication.

Project Context

The research aims to enhance the religious group's administrative

processes. The web-based platform will allow church workers to monitor

attendance in real time, generate reports, and optimize worship scheduling.

Mobile applications will offer members a convenient way to check in, receive

automated notifications, and stay updated on worship schedules and

announcements. Additionally, fingerprint scanning will ensure secure and error-

free attendance verification, eliminating the limitations of manual record-keeping.

The respondents of this project will include church leaders, workers, and

congregation members. Church leaders will gain from automated task delegation

and efficient information sharing, reducing reliance on verbal announcements.

Church workers will have a streamlined attendance tracking system, minimizing

manual record-keeping and errors, while also managing schedules more

effectively. Congregation members will enjoy a more convenient check-in

process and improved communication about worship schedules, special events,

and important announcements.

to be completed by December 2025, following a structured timeline for

development, implementation, and refinement. This project will be conducted and

implemented at the church of Iglesia NI Cristo located in Don Andres Soriano,

Toledo City, Cebu.

The researchers propose this project to digitize the traditional methods of

attendance through manual tarheta and to shift to a digital-based solution to

improve the efficiency and accuracy. The project intends the use of a biometric

fingerprint scanner in the church management system. The web-based system

will give a real-time data analysis. The church workers can use a mobile

application to manage tasks, enhance communication, and boost productivity

within the church. The system aimed to engage the members and develop a

foundation for future planning and decision-making.

The project development will follow a structured process, starting from

requirement gathering and system design that is the most suitable for the church.

The development team will, in collaboration with the church stakeholders in

Iglesia Ni Cristo at Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City, Cebu, who will integrate

features like biometric fingerprint scanning, real-time data analysis, and mobile

task management into the system. After the development has been done, the

system will be put through various test and the staff will undergo training

sessions for the system before the deployment of the system and the start of the

maintenance of it.
Purpose and Description

This project entitled “Church Management System” intended to automate

and develop a management system for the Iglesia ni Cristo. The system will

replace traditional manual tarheta attendance methods with biometric fingerprint

scanning, allowing for real-time analysis and automatic categorization of active

and inactive members based on their attendance. Additionally, an integrated

event planner will facilitate more efficient coordination of events and activities,

ensuring that all members are well-informed and engaged. The system will also

generate reports on attendance trends and member participation, providing a

solid foundation for future planning and decision-making. Moreover, incorporating

a mobile application for church workers will enhance task management and

information dissemination, streamlining operations and improving internal

communication.

Significance of the Study

The implementation of the "Church Management System" offers

significant benefits to various stakeholders within the Iglesia ni Cristo community.

Members. By automating administrative tasks such as attendance

tracking and event scheduling, the system reduces manual workload, allowing

staff to focus more on pastoral care and community engagement. Members gain

timely access to information about church events and activities, fostering greater

involvement and a stronger sense of community. Additionally, the implementation

accuracy and efficiency.

Leaders. The system provides leaders with accurate data on attendance

and participation, facilitating informed decision-making and strategic planning.

Future Researchers. This project provides a valuable case study on the

integration of technology in community-based organizations. It offers data on

user engagement, system adoption, and operational efficiency, which can be

analyzed to assess the impact of digital tools on organizational effectiveness.

This information can contribute to broader research on technological innovation

in similar contexts.
Objectives

The study primarily aimed to design and develop a Church Management

Systems which will be implemented at the Church of Iglesia Ni Cristo located in

Toledo City, Cebu to address the problems related to administrative tasks,

member engagement, event coordination and manual attendance tracking.

Specifically, this capstone project aims:

● To conduct a preliminary survey to gather relevant and necessary data for

the project development, particularly on the actual setting of the Iglesia Ni

Cristo Church.

● To analyze the gathered data to determine the desired functional

requirements of the proposed system.

● To create a digital management system for the Iglesia ni Cristo in Toledo

City, Cebu, that streamlines attendance tracking, task management, and

event planning. The system will feature a web-based platform built with

PHP and the Laravel framework, a mobile application developed using

Java (Kotlin), and a MySQL database managed via XAMPP.

● To test the system’s performance using the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) 25010 software quality characteristics.

● To deploy the fully functional system to the target client.

This study focuses on designing, developing, and implementing a web-

based Church Management System for the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation in Don

Andres Soriano, Toledo City, Cebu. The system aims to automate administrative

tasks such as attendance tracking, member data management, and event

coordination. It will also enhance communication among church members and

staff through integrated messaging features. Additionally, the project will provide

analytical tools for monitoring attendance trends and member engagement.

The project will be limited to the development and deployment of the

project within the specified congregation and will not extend to other branches or

religious organizations. It will focus on automating existing manual processes

without introducing significant changes to current workflows. The system's

functionalities will be designed to align with the specific needs identified during

the preliminary survey, potentially limiting broader applications. Furthermore, the

success of the system will depend on the availability of adequate resources,

including hardware, software, and trained personnel, which may affect its full

implementation.