Isimba - A Church Management System For ST
Isimba - A Church Management System For ST
Presented to
In Partial Fulfillment Of
Valencia, Exequiel
April 2019
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background of the Study.........................................................................3
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Objectives of the Study.......................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Scope and Limitations............................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Significance.......................................................................................................................... 8
1.5 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................... 9
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Systems.......................................................................10
2.1 Review of Related Literature................................................................................................10
2.2 Review of Related Systems..................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: Methodology............................................................................................................... 13
3.1 Conceptual Framework........................................................................................................13
3.2 List and description of the stakeholders of the system..............................................................14
3.3 Software Development being used.........................................................................................14
3.4 Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements....................................................................16
3.5 Project Timeframe/ Timeline/ Schedule.................................................................................18
References................................................................................................................................... 21
2
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background of the Study
1.1 Introduction
Religion is one of the builders of society. According to Durkheim, religion has three major
functions to society. Religion provides social cohesion that maintains solidarity, maintain
conformity and control in society, and provides meaning and purpose to any questions asked
existentially.[1] Laws of men are even based on laws and principles taught in religion. Hence,
Roman Catholicism originated from the Church of Rome (circa AD 30 -95). Although we do
not have records of the first Christian missionaries to Rome, it is obvious that a church existed
there as the New Testament Scriptures were being written. St. Paul himself wrote an epistle to
the church at Rome, and the Book of Acts records some of his dealings there.[2] Roman
Catholicism today has a big population of affiliates from Spain, Poland, Colombia, France, Italy,
USA, Philippines and many other countries. Its population today is an estimated 1.2 Billion [3]
and thus being one of the biggest religions in the world. The religion is being led by the Pope
The Philippines, since the conquest of the Spaniards, has been a deeply rooted religious
society. Since the christianification of the Philippines, many Filipinos are still Christians unto
this day. According to the Philippines Statistics Association, an estimated 90.1% of Filipinos are
Christians, 80.6% of which are Roman Catholic.[4] making Roman Catholicism the dominant
religion in the Philippines. Religion is evident in the Filipino customs and traditions. An
example of this are fiestas where Filipinos dedicated dancing and offerings to the patron saints of
their parishes for a bountiful harvest. Geographically, the Roman Catholic church in the
Philippines are divided into dioceses and archdioceses. Each dioceses and archdioceses are
3
composed of different parishes. The parish of San Nicolas De Tolentino in Bais City is a part of
the Diocese of Dumaguete. The parish caters to many parishioners and holds 2 -3 masses per
weekdays and 5 masses during Sundays. This number doesn't include masses such as funerals,
With the increasing demand for church services and activities at San Nicolas de
Tolentino Parish, technology can assist in providing the efficient management of files and
coordination of activities. However, it has been observed that file and records management are
still done manually. Church office staff and personnel sometimes have difficulty in retrieving
old records and providing reports at a soonest possible time. In an interview with the person-in-
charge of the said parish, manual writing and the use of typewriter are still prevalent. Recording
of baptisms, marriages, confirmations and deaths are written down in the big book or journal.
When a parishioner will request for a record of baptism or marriage, she will have to go over the
book page by page in order to retrieve the data. If the requested data is found, then she will now
encode the data on a template and print out a copy for the parishioner. She added that years
back, the church office made use of Microsoft Excel as a means of storing data. However, when
the computer broke down, the data were lost. Hence, they resorted back to the manual searching
of data in the book or journal. She also remarked that some of the books or journals are already
very old and the pages are almost torn apart. There is also difficulty in reading some of the
When the scenario stated in the preceding paragraph, the team aims to propose a desktop
application that will allow the church office staff to manage records, access and retrieve data,
and print out certifications and reports at a soonest time possible, Furthermore, the team will
also develop a web application that will disseminate information such as mass schedules,
4
activities and events. This application will also include a feature that will allow the user to
request for certificates online, enlist for baptisms, confirmations, marriages, wedding and funeral
masses.
daily management of files and records. It also enables the office personnel to keep track of their
records, generate files and schedules thereby reducing the time and hassle in searching over
● provide a module where users can request for different types of church
certificates
● Provide a module where access to old files and records are done easily
Scope
Desktop Application
5
1. A Records module wherein the church personnel can add, view, search
confirmation records.
2. An Archives module where very old and valuable church documents will
be scanned and stored as a pdf file. Office personnel will also be able to
3. An Enlisting module where office personnel can add, edit, view, and
Weddings.
and print out certificates with a press of a button. It also includes the
funeral permits. This module will also allow office personnel to see online
5. A Schedule module where in the church personnel will be able to add, edit
and coordinate time and date schedules of various events such as wedding,
reservations for the church and the Parish Pastoral Center (PPC) as well as
6. A Booking module where Office personnel can book reservations for the
6
7. A Reports module where in the church personnel can generate add, view,
Web Application
1. An Announcements module where the general users can view the different
2. A Calendar module where in the user can view the church calendar of
will verify, and the system will show them the requirements and schedules
of seminars that they need to attend. Once requirements are fulfilled and
5. A Booking module where users can book facilities of the church such as
the Parish Pastoral Center and the church premises. Users will also be able
6. A Permits module where in the general users can request for different
7
7. A Spiritual Counseling Module wherein the general users can ask
priests. It will also have passages of the day and short Bible reflections.
Limitations
1.4 Significance
The application will be used by the personnel of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church
and the general users. The desktop application will be significant to the church especially to the
church personnel since it would be easier for them to maintain their records and be able to search
for them faster and easier. It would also allow the personnel to track and schedule the different
events in the church. The application would reduce redundancies and the use of paper.
The web application will be significant to the general users since they would be informed
on the different events in the church such as different weddings, funerals scheduled and other
activities. It would allow the user to request for permits such as wedding, funeral, baptismal. The
application would allow the users to request different concerns to the parish. This would allow
8
The application is useful to the developers since it allows the developers to enhance their
knowledge and skills in developing the application. It would also allow the developers to
● iSimba- A standalone system and a web application that is designed for San.
● General Users- These are people who would use the application such as church
● Parish- a division of a diocese that has its own church and member of the clergy.
9
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Systems
The church has always been known for its simplicity as well as the frugal lifestyle. This
fact could probably be one of the reasons why with technological advance nowadays most
churches in our region don’t have a computer automated system for the records and are still on a
paper-based system as they are used to then until now. However, with the demands of the times,
arguments as to make use or not use modern technology are surfacing. In an article by Kathleen
Lubeck which was quoted by Dean R. Cannon, who, as managing director of the Church’s
Information Systems Department, is responsible for computer and satellite development for the
Church, said “Our philosophy is to make wise use of technology to build the kingdom wherever
it can best help”[5]. Which practically says that the church should adapt to the technological era
of the present. The church will not only make use of the technology because it is era appropriate
but to make the system of the church much more efficient thus costing less money and effort into
recording important data. It will also help the people affiliated to the church make a transition
In a religious perspective there is a question “Do we really need media and technology
for the church?”. As written on an article of Tamara Panza, “Yes, I think we should; it’s where
the people are, and it’s another point of connection available to us. It’s so convenient to be able
to pull your cell phone out of your pocket and use it to check out a Bible passage. It’s a beautiful
thing to be able to hand an SD card to someone on the mission field, and have that person be able
to read or listen to the Bible from that one tiny little piece of media. That is incredible! But it’s
also a wonderful thing to open up a real Bible with real pages, and rest in His presence with no
phone, television or computer.”[6] You see technological advance doesn’t really promote to
10
leave the people who are naïve to it but to promote unity and more efficient communication to all
the people who would let it do so. The reason we would like to propose this project for the
betterment of the church and the people going there to provide a much easier way to get
notifications on the church activities, to make processes like filing for marriage certificates and
death certificates. And to let the people who are shy and embarrassed to approach people who
For the systematic parts and technical concerns, the team got references from other
Kurniawan [7] and Cadelina Cassandra and “Web-Based Church Management System for
Asokwa Pentecos” by Mercy Vicentia Nazzar [8]. The first capstone project mentioned talks
about the organizations engaged in community service, the church’s wide range of activities and
activities and financial transactions of the church. The capstone’s main purpose was to make the
church process system into a much more efficient and easier system to use. The second capstone
mentioned above talks about the “Church Management system” software which was being
developed as accurate and efficient online software for the user such as the members and the
administrator i.e. the management of the church. In this system the record of each request details
is preserved along with their status and transaction related to them. The system is also made
secured as all the updates of the system can be done by the authorized person i.e. the
administrator only. Thus, the team would like to make this proposal a real system, if ever this
will be approved by the panel, not only as means to pass this course but also to further promote
11
2.2 Review of Related Systems
system that is available for MacOS and Windows. [9] Where in some features include address
book of its members, bookings, calendar, scheduling and donation tracking. It allows the
management of the church to track and gather details about the different aspect that is happening
in the church.
Smart Church is another application that allows the members of the church to gather in
one platform [10]. It is like Facebook wherein you can interact with different members of the
church. Know what is happening with the different activities in the church. It also features
podcasts, videos which allows the user to catch up on sermons that they miss. The features on the
application varies depending on the plan they would like to avail. The application is available for
software that replaces standardize forms into compliant electronic forms that can be stored, fill-in
and distributed. It also has an array of management such as office management and many more.
ASKFm is a mobile and web application wherein you ask somebody whether it your
friend or relatives or basically anyone anonymously or not.[12] It’s a great way to ask someone
various questions that you could ask someone personally. You can also add images or GIF to
respond the messages. It’s currently available in the Google Play Store and on the Apps Store.
12
Chapter 3: Methodology
13
3.2 List and description of the stakeholders of the system
The list of stakeholders that are involved in the system and their descriptions are
discussed as follows:
General Users. One of the main users of the web application who contributed on the design of
San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church. A parish church in Bais City Under the diocese of
Dumaguete allowed the team to interview on the office processes of the parish.
Developers. The team responsible for making the web application and the desktop application
and making certain that requirements of the application have been met.
Figure 3.3.1 Waterfall Software Development Model (adapted from Sommerville 2015)
14
The Software development model that the team will use is the Waterfall model. It is a
process in which each phase must be completed first before the team can proceed to the next
phase. Also, by using the Waterfall Model it allows the team to really understand the
requirements as well as the necessary tools to be use in the project. There will be 5 Phases in this
certain model namely: Requirements Definition, System and Software Design, Implementation
and Unit Testing, Integration and System Testing, Operation and Maintenance.
Phase 1. Gathering of data from the client would take place in this phase. This is also where the
team would specify the requirements that are needed as well as the expected outcome of the
application to be developed. The team would analyze the necessary requirements for him or her
Phase 2. The System and Software Design phase will take place once the team has finished
analyzing the requirements. It is also where the team can start with the Data Flow Diagram,
Database Design, Conceptual and Logical Database Model, Data Dictionary. The Screen Layout
will also take place in this phase for a better understanding on how the system would look like
Phase 3. The Implementation and Unit Testing Phase will only proceed once the system design
has been made. This phase is where the real coding for the system would take place. Any bugs or
errors during the development would be fixed. It is also where the testers would test each
Phase 4. Integration and System Testing Phase will take place once all modules have been
developed and will integrate all the modules to produce a single output. It is also where the final
testing will be done to ensure there will be no bugs or errors and to ensure each requirements
15
Phase 5. The Operation and Maintenance Phase will take place once the application is finished
and has been fully tested and be deployed. It is also in this phase that maintenance of the finished
Hardware
Software
● AngularJS
● Visual Basic
Hardware
16
Hardware Desktop or Laptop
Software
● Microsoft Edge
● Mozilla Firefox
17
18
Figure 3.5.1: Gantt Chart of the Expected Project Timeline
19
Figure 3.5.2: Gantt Chart of the Actual Project Timeline
20
References
[1] Durkheim, E (n.d). The Functionalist Perspective on Religion. Retrieved from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/the-functionalist-perspective-
on-religion/
[2] Gingerich, B (2018, Oct 16). What is Catholicism? History, Tradition and Beliefs. Retrieved
from https://www.christianity.com/church/denominations/what-is-catholicism.html
[3] How many Roman Catholics are there in the world? (2013, Mar. 14) BBC News. Retrieved
from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-21443313
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2014%20PIF.pdf
[5] Lubeck, K (1984, June) The Church and Computer. Retrieved from
https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1984/06/the-church-and-computers-using-tools-the-lord-has-
provided?lang=eng
[6] Panza, T. 92016. Oct. 17). Media and Technology in the church: Why we need it and why we
from
https://www.academia.edu/24144826/Development_of_Church_Information_System_A_Case_
Study_Approach
21
[8] Nazzan, M. (n.d) Web-based Church Management System for Asokwa Pentecost. Retrieved
from https://www.academia.edu/16301880/WEB-BASED_CHURCH_MANAGEMENT_SYSTEM
[10] Smart Church: The Free Church App. Retrieved from http://smartchurch.com/
https://www.capterra.com/p/28308/FormDocs/
[12] ASKfm - Ask Me Anonymous Questions (2019, April 17). Retrieved from
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.askfm&hl=en
22