Rock RMS
Free, open-source Relationship Management System (RMS) for church operations
Free (software), hosting costs apply. Managed hosting via Rock Cloud starts at ~$389/month for up to 1,000 attendees
Rock RMS represents the most powerful and flexible church management platform available, built by Spark Development Network, a nonprofit organization that understands ministry needs deeply. The 'RMS' stands for Relationship Management System rather than the typical Church Management Software designation, reflecting Rock's philosophy that ministry is fundamentally about relationships, not just data management. Rock distinguishes itself through enterprise-level capabilities typically found only in expensive commercial platforms. The system handles everything from basic membership tracking to sophisticated marketing automation, event registration, volunteer scheduling, and financial management. What makes Rock exceptional is its extensibility - the Lava templating language lets churches customize nearly every aspect of the user interface and create completely custom workflows without traditional programming. The platform's integration ecosystem is extensive. Native connections to Twilio enable SMS communications and two-way texting with members. Mailchimp integration handles email marketing campaigns. Payment processors like Pushpay, Transnational, and others plug in directly for online giving. The REST API allows custom integrations with virtually any external system. Rock's check-in system rivals dedicated solutions costing thousands annually. It supports multiple kiosk types, family check-in workflows, and sophisticated room balancing algorithms. The attendance tracking feeds directly into the relationship management features, helping staff identify engagement patterns and follow up appropriately. The small group management tools go beyond simple rosters. Group leaders access their own portal for taking attendance, communicating with members, and managing group details. The system can automatically suggest groups to members based on location, interests, and availability. Group finder features help newcomers discover and join groups that fit their needs. Because Rock is self-hosted, churches maintain complete control over their data. This appeals to larger organizations with IT staff and specific security or compliance requirements. However, the self-hosting requirement means smaller churches without technical resources should consider managed hosting through Rock Cloud or community hosting partners.
Rock RMS requires more setup than cloud-based alternatives, but the investment pays dividends in flexibility and control. Start by assessing your technical resources - you'll need either capable IT staff or budget for managed hosting. For self-hosting, Rock runs on Windows Server with SQL Server database. Download the installation package from rockrms.com and follow the detailed installation guide. You'll need a dedicated server (physical or virtual) with adequate resources - minimum 8GB RAM and quad-core processor for churches under 1,000 members. Plan for growth when sizing infrastructure. Managed hosting through Rock Cloud eliminates infrastructure concerns. Pricing starts around $389/month for churches up to 1,000 average attendance, including hosting, backups, updates, and support. This option makes sense for churches without dedicated IT staff who still want Rock's capabilities. After installation, work through the setup checklist systematically. Configure your organization structure including campuses, if applicable. Set up your check-in areas and schedules. Define your connection (follow-up) workflows. Import existing member data using the built-in import tools that accept various formats including CSV and data from other church management systems. The Rock community provides tremendous resources for learning. Rock University offers free video training covering everything from basic administration to advanced customization. The community forums connect you with experienced Rock administrators who share solutions and best practices. Many churches find attending a Rock conference accelerates their implementation significantly. Budget several months for full implementation. Most churches start with core features like people management and check-in, then gradually enable additional capabilities like online giving, event registration, and marketing automation as staff becomes proficient with the platform.
- A 3,000-member multi-site church migrated from a commercial ChMS to Rock RMS to gain flexibility and reduce long-term costs. Their IT team customized check-in workflows for each campus's unique children's ministry setup and built automated connection processes that route first-time visitors to appropriate follow-up teams based on interests indicated on connection cards.
- A growing church of 800 weekly attenders chose Rock Cloud managed hosting to access enterprise features without hiring IT staff. They leverage the built-in SMS capabilities through Twilio to send service reminders, event updates, and pastor messages directly to members' phones, seeing 90% open rates compared to 20% on email.
- A church network with five locations uses Rock to maintain unified systems while allowing each campus autonomy. Custom Lava pages display campus-specific information while sharing organization-wide resources. The centralized database enables members to check in at any location while maintaining their home campus connection.
- A mid-size church uses Rock's workflow automation to streamline their assimilation process. When someone indicates interest in membership during their first visit, Rock automatically schedules them into the next membership class, sends reminder emails, notifies their assigned connector, and tracks their progress through the membership journey.
- Most powerful and customizable church management platform available, rivaling enterprise solutions costing significantly more
- Completely open-source with active development community and regular feature updates
- Extensive integration ecosystem including Twilio, Mailchimp, Pushpay, and custom API connections
- Lava templating language enables deep customization without traditional programming
- Self-hosting provides complete data ownership and control for security-conscious organizations
- Robust workflow automation handles complex processes like assimilation, volunteer onboarding, and care ministry
- •Significant technical requirements for self-hosting - requires Windows Server, SQL Server, and IT expertise
- •Steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives due to extensive feature set
- •Managed hosting costs ($389+/month) may exceed simpler cloud solutions for smaller churches
- •Implementation typically takes several months for full deployment versus days for simpler platforms
Self-hosted (requires own infrastructure)
Yes
Is Rock RMS really free? What are the actual costs?
The Rock RMS software itself is completely free and open-source. However, you need somewhere to run it. Self-hosting requires server infrastructure (cloud VPS typically $50-200/month depending on size) plus IT expertise. Managed hosting through Rock Cloud starts at $389/month and includes hosting, updates, backups, and support. Some community partners offer hosting at lower price points.
What size church is Rock RMS designed for?
Rock scales from churches of a few hundred to tens of thousands. Smaller churches can benefit from Rock's capabilities, but should honestly assess whether they need this level of power or if a simpler solution like CHUMS or Breeze would serve them better. Churches over 500 weekly attendance typically have enough complexity to benefit from Rock's advanced features.
How does Rock compare to Planning Center?
Rock is a unified platform where Planning Center is modular. Rock offers deeper customization and complete data ownership through self-hosting. Planning Center is easier to get started with and charges per-module. Many churches use both - Planning Center for specific functions like Services/Music and Rock for overall church management.
Can we migrate data from our current church management system to Rock?
Yes, Rock includes import tools for common data formats and specific importers for major platforms like Church Community Builder, Fellowship One, and others. The Rock community has created additional import tools for other systems. Complex migrations may benefit from consulting assistance available through Rock partners.
What technical skills do we need to run Rock RMS?
For managed hosting, minimal technical skills are needed beyond general computer literacy. Self-hosting requires Windows Server administration, SQL Server management, and basic networking knowledge. Customization with Lava templating is accessible to technically-inclined staff without programming backgrounds. Advanced customizations may require C# development skills.
How do we get support for Rock RMS?
Support comes through multiple channels: comprehensive documentation and Rock University video training, active community forums where experienced administrators help each other, a Slack community for real-time assistance, and paid support options for churches needing guaranteed response times. Rock Cloud hosting includes priority support.