Free Resources for the Digital Church

I recently prepared a list of free software tools for church leaders, for a class I'm taking this week at Luther Seminary. I was pleasantly surprised how much material is available, and the spit and polish of it! Most of this software I have used or am currently using - some of it I've only evaluated based on descriptions and reviews. Much of it is multi-platform (not all of my colleagues are married to Windows, after all!); a fair share of it has usefulness beyond church applications.

I think the list is worth sharing. Let me know if you take any of these for a spin, or post a review in the comments below.

Free Resources for the Digital Church

• FreeSerifSoftware.com (www.freeserifsoftware.com)  – Free versions of Serif’s software, including: PagePlus desktop publishing; PhotoPlus photo and image editing; WebPlus web site design and publishing; DrawPlus graphic design and vector drawing; 3DPlus animation and modeling.
   
• OpenSong (www.opensong.org) – OpenSong is a free, open-source software application created to manage lyrics, chords, lead sheets, overheads, computer projection, and more. Download the full application for free and give it a try. If you become a member (also free), you'll have access to additional downloads, such as additional backgrounds, bible translations, and song packs.
   
• OpenLP (www.openlp.org) – A fully featured presentation application written especially for churches. Not only is it custom built from the ground up with churches in mind, but it is also completely free.
   
• ChurchDB (www.thundersoftware.com/churchdb/churchdboverview.asp) – ChurchDB is affordable Windows software that simplifies the maintenance of church record keeping as it relates to families and family members to track participation and progress in ministries, small groups, events, classes, giving and more. Free for churches with registration; $195 for secular organizations.
   
• Free Accounting Software (www.freeaccountingsoftware.net) - Free Accounting Software is an intuitive, easy to use, robust , multi-user inventory business management system and accounting software solution with extensive reporting and more.
   
• AceMoney Lite (www.mechcad.net/products/acemoney) - AceMoney Lite is a freeware personal finance manager. It has all the features of its big brother, AceMoney, except multiple accounts management. AceMoney Lite helps people organize and manage their personal finances quickly and easily. It supports all the features required for home or even small-business accounting needs. More than 100 transaction categories, support for password protection, 150 currencies, and more than 20 supported languages. It supports QIF and OFX file formats, allowing you to download information from online banks or to import it from another account's software. AceMoney Lite can generate custom reports based on any parameters you define, and can call up bar graphs and pie charts.
   
• Melody Assistant (www.myriad-online.com/en/products/melody.htm) – Compose, transpose, and print your own sheet music. Melody Assistant is dedicated to music writing, printing and rendering. Easy to use, Melody Assistant offers a user-friendly interface and powerful capabilities. (Melody Assistant is shareware – you can use it freely, but are requested to register it if it suits your needs. The registration fee is $20.)
   
• OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org) - OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
   
• e-Sword (www.e-sword.net) - e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Bible. e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free software package. The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not speak of the quality of the software.
   
• Pocket e-Sword (www.e-sword.net/pocketpc) – Free Bible software for Windows Mobile PocketPCs. Multiple translations, original language aids, commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, and more – the only limit is the size of your storage card.
   
• Olive Tree Bible Software (www.olivetree.com) – The preeminent free Bible software for Palm OS devices. Olive Tree Bible Software provides Bible versions and study tools for Palm OS, Pocket PC, Smartphone and Symbian cell phones, and BlackBerry devices and coming cell phone support for most cell phones sold today. Choose from over 80 electronic translations of the Bible as well as commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, eBooks, and Strong’s numbering system. The Bible is offered in various languages, including German, French, Spanish, Chinese and many others. Original Hebrew and Greek texts are also available.
   
• NET Bible (www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=3086) – A free modern translation of the Bible. The New English Translation is available for free use at www.bible.org, and it can also be downloaded and distributed free of charge. Print your own copies of the Bible – up to 1000 with no additional permissions needed.
   
• Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com) - The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online – all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
   
• The Text This Week (www.textweek.com) – This site features a wide variety of resources for study and liturgy based on the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle. I intentionally include a diverse variety of resources for scripture study, reflection and liturgy, and purposefully do not restrict the resources to any particular theological/ideological position, including my own. The site is a work-in-progress. I spend between 30 and40 hours each week updating links and finding more resources to link. The purpose of this website is to provide links to resources for study, reflection and liturgy which correspond to the RCL readings you may be using for study, teaching & preaching.
   
• Free For Churches (www.freeforchurches.com) – Directory of software and tools that are available at no cost to churches and nonprofits. Categories include: Audio & Music; Bible Studies; Children; Drama Scripts; Miscellaneous; Software; Teaching; Visual Media; Website Tools; Youth.
   
• E4 Free Bible Study Software (www.freebiblesoftware.com) - Our goal is to put a large Biblical Study Library in every Christian home. We wanted to make this free Library the highest quality possible, so we took the greatest care in choosing which books to publish. Each book is a proven masterpiece, hand selected for its impact in the hearts and lives of Christians in the past. They are sure to lead you to worship Christ. Includes the popular QuickVerse software.
   
• Blogger (www.blogger.com) – Easy and free blogging client. Host your blog with Blogger, or publish to your own web domain. Allows team blogs, comments, “Blog It” buttons in Firefox and IE.
   
• Odeo Studio (studio.odeo.com) – Free podcasting. Host your podcasts on Odeo’s servers, or link to files at your own domain.
   
• dotPhoto (www.dotphoto.com) – Go beyond free photo album browsing and ordering prints. You can set your own prices for each print size (for images the church chooses to sell rather than offer freely). Many gift items are available, as well.
   
• CafePress (www.cafepress.com) – At CafePress, you can create and sell products with your designs - all with no upfront costs. Get a free online shop and promote your products on your website, blog or in our Marketplace. CafePress handles all product creation, credit card processing, shipping and customer service.
   
• Pdf995 Suite (www.pdf995.com) – Create Adobe Reader PDF files with a single click, and distribute your bulletins, newsletters, and sermons online. Pdf995 and its companion applications allow you to “print” your document into a PDF, and to edit the resulting file to insert hyperlinks, bookmarks, file security, and more. Free versions of the suite are supported by ads; register Pdf995 for $9.95, or the suite for $19.95 and ditch the ads.
   
• Copernic Desktop Search (www.copernic.com/en/products/desktop-search) – Copernic Desktop Search (CDS) brings the power of a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use search engine right to your PC and allows you instantly to search files, emails, and email attachments stored anywhere on your PC hard drive. It executes sub-second searching of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, Acrobat PDFs, and all popular music, picture and video formats. CDS also conducts a desktop search of your browser history, favorites, and contacts.