We often hear that build your own or open source Content Management Systems (CMS) offer more flexibility and customization than a Service as a Software (SaaS). This sentiment comes from developers who love the ability to do things like edit code and have FTP access. We understand this need. That is why we made our CMS flexible but also offer the service you would expect from SaaS.

FTP Access For All

While we can’t speak for other Church CMS solutions, rest assured Monk Development allows FTP access. Not limited access to certain folders, but full FTP access.

Having full access allows you to edit the files that power your site’s layouts and design. You’re free to do any type of customization. Do you want to add a new class id with specific properties? Connect through FTP, edit the styles.css and the class is now available.

Our API Opens Up A World Of Possibilities

We have a fully documented API for each of our modules. Check out the API documentation, it includes the tag, a description, and a few samples to get you started.

You can use the API to create custom templates and layouts. For example, King’s Harbor Church uses our articles API to display a classified section on their website. This allows the church community to come together to meet each others needs.

We Play Nicely With Others

Churches use a variety of third party services from ChMS and Live Streaming to Email Services. With FTP and API access you can integrate many third party services with our CMS. Here are a few of the third parties we’ve integrated into our CMS for clients:

City of Grace has Church Community Builder (CCB) integration for their group finder.

Limited Coding Skills? No Problem

Even with limited coding skills, you can enhance your website with Monklets. You don’t need FTP access. A little piece of code can be called from a page to return dynamic content from the CMS. 

With basic coding knowledge you can create advanced page layouts without hard-coding a template. Imagine being able to dynamically load the next two high school ministry events anywhere on your website just by typing { { high-school-events } }. With a little bit of coding, Monklets make this a reality.

Below is an example of a Monklet created by a church on our CMS with no coding experience.

You’re Not On Your Own

If you choose to customize your website, know you still have access to the MonkDev support team. They handle all updates, backups, new features, and security concerns. This support is guaranteed, and includes 24/7 emergency support. This is one of the reason our support team is highly rated and loved by our clients. 

Kellie was exceptional! She handled my issues with patience, she was professional and courteous, and best of all she solved the problem!- Mark Goeman

We Chose To Be Flexible

At MonkDev we decided not to lockdown our CMS. Anything you can dream up can probably be implemented by someone on your team with php, jquery, css and html experience.

We believe that our SaaS solution is a tool for your ministry. Limiting the capabilities would be the same as hindering your ministry, something we never want to do. This flexibility also allows us to serve church plants and world-wide ministries using the same CMS.

So, if you’re not ready to dive into the world of PHP, FTP and API, know these options are available. If on the other hand, you’re ready to start coding, know the CMS was created to simplify this process.

Learn More

Download our free ebook, What Every Web Geek Needs To Know About Building A Church Website.

Download Your eBook Here