Founded in 1875, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is one of the oldest churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Reverend Donald O. Nesheim has served the church since 1992—a second career after retiring from over twenty-one years of service in computer technology for the U.S. Army. He began working with computers in 1968 and feels that whether the tasks are for the military or the church, computers are the way to do business.

Easy Transition. Prior to using ACS, St. Andrew’s had used the EASE program (Episcopal Account Software Made Easy) developed and marketed by Gosnell Computing. Upon considering Y2K conversion issues, the company decided not to make the software changes necessary for the EASE program to be Y2K compliant, and instead entered a partnership with ACS to offer its software to all Episcopal congregations using EASE at a group rate. With a good knowledge of computers, Rev. Nesheim began testing ACS and found it to have all the features he was looking for in a church management software package. On his recommendation, St. Andrew’s decided to purchase ACS and has been satisfied with its ability to manage day-to-day functions, handle accounting needs, and generate customized reports. Noted Rev. Nesheim, “With ACS, information I retrieve is more concise and compact.”

Retaining Members. Additionally, 80% of the congregation at St. Andrew’s are people who have relocated to the United States from Liberia, Africa due to civil war. Rev. Nesheim keeps track of the members of the congregation and recognizes special events in their lives. “ACS allows me to have a current list of birthdays and anniversaries.”

With other Episcopal churches in the twin cities area all using ACS, Rev. Nesheim often finds himself fielding calls from those congregations. “They call me for help before they call ACS because of my computer experience and knowledge of how to use the software for specific Episcopal Church needs. It’s good to know that ACS is there if I ever get asked a question I can’t answer.”

St. Andrew’s currently uses ACS Payroll, General Ledger, People and Contributions, and Accounts Receivable. “I can pull reports quickly and easily,” said Rev. Nesheim.

About St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1875 and is one of the oldest churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently, the church’s 200-person membership includes a large population of people who have relocated to the United States from Liberia.

ACS Technologies Products & Services Used
People Suite: People, Contributions
Financial Suite: General Ledger, Payroll, Accounts Payable

Web Site
St. Andrew's Church Web Site