Large Churches have a need for Inventory Management. They may need to keep track of class room items, such as video monitors and DVD players. Or they may need to assign whiteboards. They may even just need a list of valuations for property insurance purposes. Whatever the use, the Inventory Management system should be kept on a computer, with off site copies printed and updated on a regular basis.

A Church Management system (ChMS) will help your Church with Inventory Management. If your Church already has a ChMS, then this is likely already provided. Or you may need to purchase it as an additional module. Or you could just use a spreadsheet file for this purpose. To get started, first decide how you want to organize the Church Inventory:

• By Ministry: Worship, Music, Children, Youth, Adult
• By Building: Sanctuary, Gym, Administrative
• By Category: Video, Audio, Lighting, Tables, Chairs

However you organize the Inventory Management system, you will need some help in getting the initial lists together. Ask for volunteers to help you, and assign them to specific areas. Give them clipboards and pencils to write down the items they find. If you have asset tags, then this needs to be recorded as well. If not, then identifiable names and descriptions will do. After the lists are generated, enter the data and generate a full list. Look for any duplications or errors and correct them.

Once the Inventory is complete, print out a complete list and send it offsite on a regular basis. That way, if there is a fire, you don’t lose the list in the event. Perhaps you have a board of trustees; send the list to the chairman. Or perhaps you have a safety deposit box at your bank; place the copy in there. (If it is a small box, then a flash drive will work.) Whatever the method, add a calendar item to update the list and send it offsite. That way, there is always an updated list available for a backup.

Inventory Management is an administrative function that Churches need to. It can be done on an informal basis, but it will help you keep track of equipment and furniture. Although these items tend to get moved around a lot, they should stay on the list while they are useful. When they are sold or break, you can drop them off the list. The important thing is to have a list, so that you can support any claims made to property insurance companies in the future. Otherwise, the property insurance is going to come up short when rebuilding after an event.

How do you keep track of all of the technical gear that the Church uses? There is a tendency for technology to “sprout wings and walk away.” By that, I don’t mean outright theft. More likely, Fred borrowed it and just forgot to bring it back to the Church 6 months ago. All Fred really needs is a gentle reminder. But therein lies the problem. How do you ensure that the reminder gets made?

Technical gear that gets used every Sunday should always remain in place in the Church. If it is borrowed, say, for an outside event, it should be returned at the end of that event. You’ll want to be sure everyone on the Technical Ministry team understands that policy. And it should not just be dropped off at the door. It should be reinstalled in the Technical room and verified to be ready to work on Sunday morning. I can not emphasize that point enough. All technical gear should be returned in working order and reinstalled in the technical rack and verified to work. Otherwise, you are just setting a land mine for the Technical Ministry team on Sunday. No one likes to come in and find things in disarray or not working – least of all volunteers. They may be glad to fix it, but the problem is time. Right before the service is not the time to reinstall that video gear. (It should be reinstalled when it is returned to the Church.) By making sure the people who borrowed it know that they are responsible for reinstalling and verifying it when they bring it back, you can avoid headaches on Sunday morning. If you have a concern about whether someone will do this, arrange to meet them at the Church when they bring the gear back and work together to get it back in working order. It may mean a late night on Saturday, but it will pay off with less hassle and embarassment on Sunday morning.

The Church doesn’t need a formal inventory control system. It does need an informal list of technical gear for insurance purposes. And the accountant should know about every purchase or gift of technology, in case it has to be replaced. Usually, the Technical Team knows the gear that they use. (I have given more than one item to my Church to enable some new technical capability.) And the Technical Team or IT Support should take care of maintenance of computers and the like. That way, all of the technical gear stays up to date and gets used effectively in the ministry of the Church.

How do you keep track of equipment that has been loaned out? It can be a challenge to remember who has what and for how long. Technical Ministry requires lots of Audio, Video, and Computer equipment. And various groups in the Church will from time to time need to borrow that equipment. Ideally, it all finds its way back home. But sometimes a piece of equipment gets misplaced before it gets back to the storage area. That can be a problem when some event comes up that requires that piece of equipment. How many times have you heard, “I know it’s here somewhere?”

Informal arrangements can be effective, as long as everyone follows the rules. There are also Asset Management Systems that can be applied. The idea is that a particular piece of equipment would be checked out to the person that has a need. When they are done, the equipment is checked back in. If something gets misplaced, or a critical need comes up, then the Asset Management System identifies where the equipment is and who has it. Instead of frantically searching everywhere, you go straight to the person that has it.

To make these systems work, you will need to conduct an inventory. Every item has to be counted and labeled. A bar code should be assigned that is unique and fully identifies who the equipment belongs to. That way, if it is lost, then it can be found and returned. A bar code reader is required at the check out station to enable the process. Yes, it takes time to check out and in, but a lot less time is spent searching everywhere for something that has gotten misplaced. What kind of Asset Management System does your Church use? Is it formal or informal? And is it effective? Your comments are welcome.