With personal cell phones so ubiquitous, you might think the land lines at the Church are on their way out. However, you still need telephone numbers to the Church office, family life center, and youth programs. What are some options to consider that will enhance features, provide flexible service, and save money?

VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a popular option, given the advertising of Vantage, Skype, etc. But can you run a PBX over the Internet? Turns out that you can, with products such as Trixbox. You add a computer to your internal network, program it as a PBX (Private Branch eXchange), and replace all of your phones with VoIP models that connect to the network. Overall, your costs go down, and you can add new features like voicemail to eMail that help your staff manage communications better.

Traditional PBX systems are still around, and many Churches have long term contracts. But eventually these contracts come up for renewal, and consideration can then be given to other telephone service options. Have you made the switch to VoIP? Share your experience with others in a comment.