A History of Sunday Software

Our software can now be downloaded for free at Rotation.org by the supporting members of Rotation.org and shared within their church family. A membership there costs $45 and would let you download all 18 of our software titles for free.

Scroll down to learn more about us and our “closing.”

Sunday Software’s owner, President and chief raconteur was and is Neil MacQueen (me), a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), Sunday School teacher, curriculum writer, and computer geek. For 20+ years Sunday Software was my livelihood, passion, and “validated” inter-denominational ministry (as they say in my denomination).

I started Sunday Software in 1996 to be an independent, ecumenical company focused on Bible software for children’s Christian education. I originally thought we’d be carrying and supporting other companies’ software, but quickly realized that if you want it done your way, do it yourself, So we created 18 of our own software programs, and featured the best of what other Christian software developers had to offer. And most importantly, we preached the “Guide by the Side” RIGHT WAY to teach with software in Sunday School and provided expert tech support and hardware advice to churches.

neilmacqueen@gmail.com

About Our Journey and “Closing”

Sunday Software has closed its “virtual” retail door and donated all its software to the supporting members of www.Rotation.org, a terrific non-profit Sunday School ministry which I helped found in 1997 and where I continue to serve as Lead Writer. See all 18 titles and get their teaching docs in Rotation.org’s Software Forum.

My journey with using computers in Christian education began in 1991 at the church where I served as Assoc. Pastor, the Presbyterian Church of Barrington (Chicago). We had created the Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School and were fishing around for another type of teaching medium that would excite the kids. A member of our church suggested computers because his kids loved them. At the time, I didn’t own one and only used one in the office for wordprocessing, but I was intrigued so we forged ahead. Keep in mind that in 1991 most church offices and families DID NOT OWN personal computers. We were really “out there” but almost immediately I saw the attraction. As word spread about the Rotation Model so did the word about teaching with computers, and pretty soon I was writing articles and leading seminars on both subjects.

By 1995, the interest had grown so much that I realized I needed to move my software evangelism out of the church office, so I made plans to hire a friend to staff a phone number and mail out newsletters. To fund it, we were going to sell some software that a developer was happy to supply to us on commission. When my friend took another job, I suddenly found myself running a rapidly expanding teaching ministry and software company. That same spring, my church’s Personnel Committee asked me to commit to staying on for at least 2 more years during the Senior Pastor’s impending retirement. We had a lot of great things going on in that church. They saw what was happening with my company and also they knew I’d been approached by other churches, so they were concerned about losing a second pastor during the transition. Problem was, I knew I would have to mothball Sunday Software to do what they were asking. So after a lot of prayer and conversation, in the summer of ’96 I turned in my resignation to give them enough time to find my replacement, and moved the family back to Columbus Ohio our hometown to explore my new call with software.

In 1996, I began a vigorous seminar ministry –traveling the US and Canada to talk about the Rotation Model and computers in Christian Education. Several magazines asked me to write articles, and I published a book about teaching with computers in CE with Augsburg and a book about the Rotation Model with Presbyterian Publishing.

In 1997, I launched both sundaysoftware.com and rotation.org with a book about HTML in my lap.

In 2001, I started designing my own software (the kind I wanted to teach with) and over the next 7 years produced 18 different titles. Things were going well.

By 2008, however, I was beginning to realize that we were either going to eventually need to rebuild all our software for newer computer specs, tablets, and smartphones which were becoming “the next big thing,” or perhaps put our interactive content into online webpages (my preference). I ran the numbers and either way it was going to cost a fortune. And there were development roadblocks. For example, a program made for Windows XP still works in Windows 11, and that allows you to get your development money back over many years. But if you develop for the then quickly evolving phone and tablet market, you have two years’ TOPS before you have to redevelop a program, and that leaves little time to fund and create new programs. I was excited by the idea of developing interactive content for online use, but couldn’t get past the fact that few churches had internet in those days –and years later many Sunday Schools still don’t have good access. By 2010, I knew Sunday Software had done what it could, and “the next” leap which would be online was years away.

In 2012, http://www.Rotation.org came calling — asking me to refresh their content and provide some new direction. (I had started that site in 1997 and turned it over to a Board in 2005, staying in the background.) Then in 2013, I took a part-time job as an Interim Pastor in Bradenton Florida where we started a Bible computer lab and the Rotation Model.

Two years later in 2015, as Sunday Software was starting to sunset, Rotation.org asked me to become their webmaster and Lead Writer. Though usually known for my work with software, I had become a pretty good lesson writer in many mediums, so I said yes to Rotation.org, and over the next couple of years my hours there grew.

For over two decades, Sunday Software produced more different kinds of Bible software titles than any other Christian publisher and stayed in business longer than any Christian education or game software publisher. It was a fantastic run and we were blessed to support tens of thousands of Sunday Schools over the years. But there is a time and season for every purpose under heaven.

Closing up shop in 2019…

It had always been a dream of mine to be able to give away our software, and so I have given our software to the supporting members of www.Rotation.org — people who care about creative Sunday School and not the “same old” Sunday School resources. I also got permission from several other developers I had worked with over the years to let us give away some of their titles at Rotation.org. I rewrote most of our guides and tech docs and posted those at Rotation.org. I’ve written dozens of lesson plans for our software and posted them at Rotation.org as well.

I continue to look for new software, apps, and websites we can use with kids in Christian education and post about them at Rotation.org. So you see, Sunday Software is only kaput as a company, not as a resource or idea.

When I started Sunday Software LITERALLY in my basement, I didn’t know if it would work. Quite a few people thought I was crazy, and some even said I was “elitist.” They said, “churches can’t afford computers,” and “kids don’t learn from screens.” But I’m happy to report that kids are STILL learning today with our software because kids are amazing, and because our software is fun, engaging, and created by teachers.

It has been a blast and a blessing. Thank you for being part of my story, and letting me be part of yours.

P.S. I’ve had a running joke on various anniversaries to publish a photo of “what Sunday Software has done to me.” Below is my last update. Please be advised this is not an obituary. 

Neil MacQueen is an ordained Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), husband, father, and now grandfather. He grew up in Columbus Ohio, and has lived in Louisville Kentucky, Jamestown New York, Chicago Illinois, St Croix USVI, Venice Florida, Tampa Florida, and Westerville Ohio. He now lives and rides his tractor around in Blue Rock Ohio.