A folder on your PC
The library, calendar, members, and attached files live in a folder on your PC. There is no online account to create and nothing in the cloud. You set a password for the app itself on your first run.
For pastors and teachers
Remember what you taught. See the week ahead.
Ministrative is a Windows app for pastors and teachers. It keeps your sermons, Sunday School lessons, Wednesday Bible studies, and newspaper articles in one library on your own computer, puts your services on a calendar, and holds your church’s member directory. Find any message by title, scripture, or tag, and open the manuscript from the same place.
- Windows 10 and 11
- Works without an internet connection
- Free for pastors and small churches
Saturday afternoon
You remember preaching on mercy a few years back. You type “mercy,” and there it is: the date you preached it, the passage, and the manuscript. Tomorrow’s service is already on the calendar, and Wednesday’s lesson sits in the same library, still in its series.
Why I made this
Hi, I’m James.
I pastor a small church in Tennessee. I preach Sunday mornings, teach Sunday School and Wednesday night Bible study, and write a column for the local paper. I kept losing track of what I had already taught, and when.
So I built Ministrative for myself, and I use it every week. If it helps you too, it’s yours to use, free.
01 — The library
Every message in one place.
Sermons, Sunday School lessons, Wednesday Bible studies, and articles live in one library. Filter by type, or by the tags you use, such as Baptism, Holiness, or Prayer.
- Search covers titles, scripture references, and tags.
- Each entry shows its passage, so you can see what you taught without opening the file.
- The date you preached or taught it is recorded. When a passage feels familiar, you can check when you last used it.
- Mark a message as planned before you deliver it. Dates in the future start out planned.
- Group Sunday School and Wednesday lessons into numbered series, so lesson 12 stays with lesson 11.
02 — The calendar
The week, laid out ahead of you.
Your weekly services fill the calendar on their own. Add the sermons and lessons you have planned, along with meetings, funerals, weddings, and other events, then view the month, a week, or a single day.
- Click a day and everything on it is listed beside the month.
- Color tells sermons, Sunday School, Wednesday study, articles, events, and services apart at a glance.
- Planned messages show as outlines until you deliver them.
- After a service, record what you preached, the attendance, and a note.
03 — The entry
Open an entry and everything is there.
An entry holds the title, date, scripture, series, tags, and your notes. Attach the Word document, the PDF, or any other file, and mark one as the manuscript you preach from.
Attached files are copied into a folder kept with your library, so the originals can stay wherever they are now.
04 — Members
Know your people.
Keep a directory of your congregation: phone, email, address, family, and the role each person serves in. Birthdays and anniversaries show on the dashboard, so you see them coming.
- Search by name, or filter by role, such as Greeter, Youth Leader, or Board Member.
- Link a spouse, and keep the anniversary with both of them.
- Only want the library? Switch Members off in Settings and it leaves the app until you turn it back on.
05 — Your data
Your data stays on your PC.
Sermons, notes, and member details are sensitive. Ministrative keeps them in a folder on your computer, and I never receive them.
Still yours if I stop
If I ever stop working on Ministrative, nothing is lost. Your library, calendar, members, and files are in a folder on your PC, and the app never needs to reach me to run.
A backup with every save
Each save keeps a dated backup, and Ministrative holds the 10 most recent. You can also export the whole library, files included, as one zip to keep wherever you like.
- Turn off what you don’t use
- Switch off the calendar or the member directory in Settings. Nothing is deleted, and you can turn them back on.
- Your name and your church
- Your church’s name sits at the top of the app, and the dashboard greets you by name.
- Light or dark
- Choose light, dark, or follow Windows, whichever is easier on a Saturday night.
- Yours to remove
- Uninstalling leaves your library in place. To remove it completely, delete the Ministrative folder yourself.
Why Ministrative?
Many good church tools exist. This one is for the pastor’s own desk.
Some church platforms are genuinely free, and some churches need what the hosted ones offer. Ministrative is for pastors who want a simple workspace on their own computer, with no subscription and no server.
Coming later
Sermon Studio for writing in the app, printable bulletins, prayer requests, and teaching schedules are still being finished. The first release brings the library, the calendar, and the member directory.
Questions
Questions you might have
Is it really free?
Yes. Ministrative is free for everyone, with no trial, no subscription, and no online account. It’s built for small churches, so new features are planned around what they need. The Terms explain it.
Is there a Mac version?
Not yet. Ministrative runs on Windows 10 and 11. I built it with Flutter so it can move to other platforms when there’s a need, and if enough people want a Mac version, I’ll make one. Email me and say so.
What happens if you stop working on it?
You don’t lose anything. Your library, calendar, members, and attached files are all in a folder on your computer, and Ministrative never needs to check in with me to run. The app keeps working, and your files stay where they are.
Can I bring in the sermons I already have?
Yes. Add each one with the date you preached or taught it, so your history lines up, and attach the files you already have. If you use an AI assistant such as Claude Code, the installer can also add an MCP server that lets the assistant read your old files and fill in your library and calendar for you. It’s off by default; tick it under Advanced options when you install. It shows you each change first, and nothing is saved until you approve it.
Does it need the internet?
No. You can use it with no connection at all. Once a day, when your computer is online, it asks GitHub whether a newer version is posted, and sends only the app’s version number. You can turn that off in Settings. Reporting a problem opens a message in your own email program, and nothing is sent until you send it.
Where does my data live?
In a folder on your computer, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Ministrative. There is no database server to install. Member details are encrypted there with a key tied to your Windows account, which keeps them from being read as plain text. It does not replace a Windows password, drive encryption such as BitLocker, or backups.
Can I back it up?
Yes. Each save keeps a dated backup, and Settings, Backup & Export exports your whole library, attached files included, as one file locked with a password you choose. You can also export your members as a CSV spreadsheet or print a member directory. Keep a copy somewhere other than this PC.
Does it handle giving or church finances?
No. Ministrative has no online giving, donation records, or accounting. It also has no church website or member app. If you need those, a hosted platform is the better choice. See how it compares.
Was it called something else before?
Yes. Ministrative was called MinistryBase until October 2026. It’s the same app.
Who are you?
I’m James Mitchell. I pastor a small rural church in Tennessee, where I preach, teach, and write a column for the local paper. I’ve also worked as a professional software engineer since 2021. Ministrative is where those two jobs meet. You can read more about me or find me on LinkedIn.
Want to try it?
Leave your email and I’ll write once when Ministrative is ready to install. No newsletter, and no online account needed.
- Windows 10 and 11
- Works without an internet connection
- Free for pastors and small churches