How to Switch Church Management Software (2026)
Switching church management software is mostly careful preparation: export copies of your data, clean them, import people first and giving history second, check the counts and totals against your old system, and run both for a few weeks before you cut over.
The steps below apply whichever system you are leaving and whichever you choose. Relius Church Management is one option, and this guide says plainly what its import covers and what it doesn't.
Every system imports differently, so expect to set some things up again by hand, and ask before you commit.
By Felix Tang · Founder, Relius Church Management
Last reviewed by Felix Tang
General steps apply to any church management system; Relius import behaviour checked against the product; Planning Center facts from its own pricing page.
The switching checklist
These steps work for any move between church management systems. Print them, or copy them into a shared document and tick them off as a team.
Before you move
- List what your church does every week in the current system: people and households, giving, groups, events, check-in, volunteers, email or text. Mark what the new system must handle on day one and what can wait.
- Ask each system you are considering, in writing, what its import brings in and what it doesn't. Ask about people, households, giving history, recurring gifts, attendance, groups, tags and any fields you created yourself, one by one.
- Export your people as a CSV file from your current system. If it offers a household or family export, save that too for reference.
- Export your giving history as a CSV file, and save a giving total for each year and each fund so you can compare after the import.
- Save any reports you will still need, such as this year's giving statements and attendance summaries.
- Keep the original files unchanged and work on copies.
- Clean the copies: merge obvious duplicates, remove test records and people you no longer need, and make phone numbers and dates consistent.
- Note your current subscription's renewal date so the move doesn't run into another billing year by surprise.
During the move
- Import people first, then check the total count and a handful of households against the old system.
- Review possible duplicates one by one rather than accepting them in bulk.
- Import giving history, then compare the yearly and per-fund totals with the totals you saved.
- Fix the rows that failed and import only those rows again, so nothing is added twice.
- Set up online giving in the new system and make a small test gift before you share the giving page.
- Show the two or three people who will use the system every day how their weekly tasks work now.
After the move
- Tell your congregation what changes and share the new giving page.
- Ask donors with recurring gifts to set them up again, and follow up with the ones who haven't.
- Pick a cutover date. After that date, enter new records only in the new system.
- Decide which system produces this year's giving statements, and keep the old records available until those statements have gone out.
- Cancel the old subscription once counts and totals match, and keep your original exports as your archive.
A realistic timeline
An example plan for a small church with one or two people doing the work. It is a guide, not a promise: a larger church, several campuses or a database with many duplicates takes longer. Plan the move for a quieter stretch, such as summer or the weeks after Easter, rather than September or December.
Week 1
Decide and list
Agree on what the new system must do on day one, get answers about what each import covers, and choose a cutover date that avoids a busy season.
Week 2
Export and clean
Export people and giving history, save your comparison totals, and clean the copies.
Week 3
Import and check
Import people, review duplicates, import giving history, and compare counts and totals with the old system.
Weeks 4 to 7
Run both systems
Keep the old system as the record while the team works in the new one. Set up online giving, make a test gift and fix anything that doesn't match.
Week 8
Announce and cut over
Share the new giving page, ask recurring donors to re-enrol, and enter new records only in the new system from the cutover date.
Following months
Close out
Send this year's statements from the system you chose, then cancel the old subscription and keep your exports.
What moves and what doesn't
No two systems store records the same way, so some data comes across and some is set up again. Whichever system you are considering, ask these questions before you commit:
- Which records does your import bring in: people, households, giving history, groups, attendance, tags, fields we created ourselves?
- Can I map my columns to your fields, and how are possible duplicates handled?
- Do recurring gifts move, or do donors set them up again?
- What happens to rows that fail, and can I import just those again?
- Does the import change anything in my current system?
Moving into Relius Church Management
- A guided wizard imports people from Planning Center, Breeze, Tithe.ly and ChurchTrac exports, and other systems via generic CSV, with column mapping and duplicate review.
- Giving history imports through a fixed CSV template you reshape.
- Recurring schedules, attendance, tags and custom fields don't transfer; donors re-enrol recurring gifts.
Coming from Pushpay, Church 360 or another system? Use the generic CSV option for people and the same giving template. Groups, notes, service plans and file attachments are set up again in Relius; keep your original exports as your archive.
Relius works from exported copies, so your current system stays available while you review what you import. The people import's summary lists any rows that failed and why, so you can correct them and import them again.
The step-by-step screens are in the Relius migration docs.
Switching from Planning Center
Planning Center prices People and Giving as separate modules, per its pricing page (checked October 20, 2026). Plan on two files: one for your people and one for your giving history. If you are moving to Relius, these are the steps:
1. Export your people as a CSV file
Export your people from Planning Center as a CSV file; Planning Center's own help center has the current steps for your account. Keep the original file and work on a copy.
2. Import people into Relius with the Planning Center source
In Relius, open the people import, choose Planning Center as the source and upload your file. Check each suggested column match, then review possible duplicates and choose to merge, create a new record or skip the row. The summary lists any rows that failed and why; correct them and import them again.
3. Reshape your giving history into the Relius template
Export your giving history from Planning Center as a CSV file, download the Relius giving template, and copy your rows into its columns: donor_name, amount, donation_date, payment_method and fund are required. There is no column mapping or duplicate review for giving, so remove duplicate gifts before you upload, then compare yearly totals with the totals you saved before the move.
4. Set up online giving, then ask donors to re-enrol
Online giving in Relius needs your church to finish Stripe onboarding first. Make a test gift, share the new giving page, and ask donors with recurring gifts in Planning Center to set them up again in Relius, because recurring schedules don't transfer.
5. Keep Planning Center until the numbers match
Relius works from exported copies, so Planning Center stays available while you check people counts and giving totals. Cancel the modules you no longer need after your cutover date.
If your church depends on Planning Center Services, Check-Ins or the Church Center app, read Planning Center alternatives compared first, including who should stay with Planning Center.
Common questions
- How long does it take to switch church management software?
- For a small church, plan on several weeks rather than a weekend: about a week to decide what matters, a week to export and clean your data, a week to import and check it, and a few weeks running both systems before you cut over. A larger church or a database with many duplicates takes longer.
- What is the best time of year to switch?
- A quieter stretch, such as summer or the weeks after Easter, rather than September or December. If you switch mid-year, decide which system will produce this year's giving statements before you cut over.
- Should we run both systems at the same time?
- Yes, for a few weeks. Keep the old system as the record until people counts and giving totals match in the new one, then pick a cutover date and enter new records only in the new system after it.
- Will our giving history and recurring gifts move?
- It depends on the system you choose, so ask before you commit. Moving into Relius Church Management: Giving history imports through a fixed CSV template you reshape. Recurring schedules, attendance, tags and custom fields don't transfer; donors re-enrol recurring gifts.
- What can we bring into Relius?
- A guided wizard imports people from Planning Center, Breeze, Tithe.ly and ChurchTrac exports, and other systems via generic CSV, with column mapping and duplicate review. Giving history imports through a fixed CSV template you reshape. Recurring schedules, attendance, tags and custom fields don't transfer; donors re-enrol recurring gifts.
- Does importing into Relius change anything in our current system?
- No. Relius works from exported copies, so your current system stays as it is while you review what you imported.
- What does it cost to try Relius?
- Relius Church Management's Free plan is a $0 subscription with unlimited members. No email communications on Free. Online giving needs Stripe onboarding and carries a 1.3% Relius platform fee plus processor fees. Text-to-Give is a $10/month add-on on Free. The guided import wizard brings in people only; giving history imports through a fixed CSV template.
Considering Relius?
You can start on Free and import when you are ready, or tell us which system you are moving from and what you want to bring across.
Comparing options first? See the alternatives pages.