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A church plant with three staff and a growing volunteer team. A Christian school running payroll for teachers on ten-month contracts and a summer camp crew that triples headcount every June. Both could be running payroll through Brotherhood Mutual’s Brotherhood Works division, the Fort Wayne, Indiana insurer’s payroll arm built for churches and ministries. If clergy tax handling is your hardest problem, that specialization is real. Others start looking at Brotherhood Mutual alternatives once HR depth, integrations or support model become the bigger question.
A quick note on what Brotherhood Works actually is. It’s a payroll and HR division of an insurance company, formerly branded MinistryWorks, rebranded in 2025. It doesn’t name its underlying software platform, and an independent review flagged limited HR features and few third-party integrations. Here are five alternatives worth a look.
5 Best Brotherhood Mutual Alternatives for Churches and Ministries
- Netchex – Best overall for ministries that want payroll, time, HR and benefits from one company, with room to grow into multiple campuses.
- Gusto – Simple, transparent pricing for a very small, single-location staff.
- Paychex Flex – A local rep and a PEO option, though service depends on which rep you get.
- ADP – A large third-party marketplace and compliance tools, more system than a small ministry usually needs.
- Paylocity – Deep HR and engagement tools for a ministry with a dedicated HR staffer.
How We Evaluated These Brotherhood Mutual Alternatives
We asked the same questions of every option. Is payroll the main product or something layered on top of another business? How does it handle part-time, seasonal and multi-location staff, the kind of roster a camp or school system deals with every year? Who answers the phone when something goes wrong, and how long until the first live payroll? Brotherhood’s details come from its own site and one independent review. Details on the other providers come from their own sites and independent review platforms, as of September 2026.
None of these five is a clergy-tax specialist the way Brotherhood Works is. If housing allowances and dual tax status are your top concern, weigh that honestly before you switch.
#1 Netchex – Best Overall Brotherhood Mutual Alternative
Netchex was founded in Louisiana more than 20 years ago for the businesses that keep America running, including the restaurants, hotels, clinics and organizations with seasonal, hourly staff that ministries know well. It builds its own payroll, time, HR and benefits platform and runs its own support team. Payroll is the product, not a division tucked inside an insurance company.
For a school system or a multi-campus church, that shows up fast. Time and attendance, Scheduler and payroll share one system, so a teacher’s ten-month contract and a summer camp counselor’s seasonal hours both flow into the same pay run without a manual export. Multi-location and multi-EIN organizations work from a single login. A US-based, FPC-certified team answers 90% of calls in under a minute, every customer gets a dedicated Account Manager, and Netchex works directly with your CPA and the benefits broker you already use.
The entire staff, from sales to implementation to service, has been stellar in their delivery. The culture of Netchex is one of a company that demonstrates the importance of relationships with clients.
– David Faunce, Partner, KM Consulting
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ One company builds the platform and answers the phone | ✗ No global payroll for organizations outside the US |
| ✓ 4.8/5 customer satisfaction and 8.9/10 G2 Quality of Support | ✗ No dedicated clergy-tax specialty like Brotherhood Works |
| ✓ Free, project-managed implementation with free data imports |
#2 Gusto – Simple and Transparent for a Very Small Staff
For a church plant with a handful of employees and no complicated pay rules, Gusto is worth a look. It publishes its pricing openly, runs unlimited payroll on its plans, and its own site aims squarely at first-time and very small employers, which is a lot of new church plants.
The trouble shows up once you grow. A G2 reviewer put it plainly.
Gusto is not well suited for companies operating in multiple states. It works for simple setups but does not scale well as payroll becomes more complex.
– HR Director, Mid-Market, G2
Gusto’s own Trustpilot score sits at 1.9 out of 5 across more than 2,500 reviews, well below its G2 numbers, with complaints centered on customer service that’s hard to reach during urgent issues.
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Transparent, published pricing | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.9/5 across 2,500+ reviews |
| ✓ Unlimited payroll runs on its plans | ✗ Doesn’t scale well past simple, single-state setups, per reviewers |
| ✓ Built for first-time, small employers | ✗ No dedicated account manager for most customers |
More detail: Netchex vs. Gusto.
#3 Paychex Flex – A Local Rep and a PEO Option
If the 1:1 specialist model at Brotherhood Works appeals to you, Paychex offers something similar with reps in most US markets, plus a PEO option for a ministry that wants to hand off HR almost entirely.
Consistency is the catch. Service depends heavily on which rep you’re assigned, and some reviewers describe getting shuffled between several of them on a single problem.
I went through 6 reps… and signed 5 power of attorneys and it still isn’t corrected.
– Verified Reviewer, G2
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Local reps in most US markets | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 8.3/10 |
| ✓ A PEO option for organizations wanting to outsource HR | ✗ Service quality varies by which rep you’re assigned |
| ✓ Familiar national brand | ✗ Shift and seasonal pay rules require configuration |
More detail: Netchex vs. Paychex.
#4 ADP – Reach Over Simplicity
ADP brings a large third-party marketplace, broad compliance and reporting tools, and options that scale from a small office up to a large multi-site organization. For a diocese or school system with locations in several states, that range counts for something.
For a single church office, it can be more system than you need to run. Reviewers keep pointing to the same friction point.
The worst thing about ADP Workforce Now is its customer service. It is terribly hard to reach someone, and when you do reach someone, they can’t always answer your question.
– Verified G2 Reviewer
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Large third-party marketplace | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.2/5 across 3,097 reviews for ADP |
| ✓ Options that scale from small office to multi-site organization | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 7.9/10 |
| ✓ Broad compliance and reporting tools | ✗ Shift and pay-rule setups require configuration |
More detail: Netchex vs. ADP.
#5 Paylocity – Deep HR Tools for a Ministry With Dedicated Staff
Paylocity brings 350+ native integrations, a compliance dashboard multi-state employers rely on, and social and peer-recognition tools. For a larger ministry organization with a dedicated HR staffer, those tools have real value.
Getting there takes work. One analyst estimate puts core implementation at 8 to 12 weeks, and “Poor Customer Support” is the most common complaint tag on its G2 profile. Its own Trustpilot score sits at 1.5 out of 5, a wide gap from its G2 rating.
Our transition to Paylocity was nothing short of atrocious. Our internal team had to self-teach the software due to a convoluted implementation process.
– Reddit user
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ 350+ native integrations | ✗ “Poor Customer Support” is its most common G2 complaint tag |
| ✓ Compliance dashboard for multi-state employers | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.5/5, well below its G2 rating |
| ✓ Social and peer-recognition features | ✗ Core implementation estimated at 8 to 12 weeks |
More detail: Netchex vs. Paylocity.
How the Brotherhood Mutual Alternatives Compare
| Capability | Netchex | Gusto | Paychex Flex | ADP | Paylocity |
| Best for | Multi-campus ministries with seasonal, hourly staff | Very small, single-location staff | A ministry that wants a local rep or a PEO | Large or multi-site organizations | A ministry with dedicated HR staff |
| Support model | ✅ Dedicated Account Manager | ⚠ No dedicated manager for most plans | ⚠ Varies by rep | ⚠ Hard to reach, per reviewers | ⚠ Rep changes reported |
| Clergy-tax specialization | None claimed | None claimed | None claimed | None claimed | None claimed |
Frequently Asked Questions
For a growing or multi-campus ministry, Netchex is the strongest overall fit. Payroll, time and scheduling live in one system, seasonal and part-time staff are handled natively, and its US-based team answers 90% of calls in under a minute. For a very small, single-location church, Gusto’s simple, transparent pricing may be enough.
Brotherhood Mutual is an insurance company, and payroll is sold through its Brotherhood Works division. Ministries often compare alternatives when they need deeper HR features, more third-party integrations, or a payroll platform that isn’t layered on top of an insurance business, while others stay for its clergy-tax expertise.
Not to the same degree. Brotherhood Works built its reputation on clergy dual tax status and housing allowances, and an independent review scored its Church-Specific Features a full 5.0 out of 5. None of the five alternatives here claim that same specialization, so weigh it honestly if clergy tax handling is your top need.
Ask whether payroll is the vendor’s main product or an add-on, who builds the software, and who answers when something breaks. Ask about implementation timing and cost, whether time and attendance is included or an extra fee, and check independent reviews rather than relying only on testimonials a company publishes about itself.
Ready to See Netchex Alongside Your Other Brotherhood Mutual Alternatives?
See how Netchex handles payroll, time, HR and benefits for churches, schools and ministries with seasonal or multi-location staff.
Related: Netchex vs. Brotherhood Mutual | Netchex vs. Paychex | Netchex vs. Gusto
This guide reflects publicly available product information and independent reviewer data (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Reddit, Software Advice, GetApp) as of 2026. Feature availability may vary by plan. Contact each provider for current details.
Disclaimer: Any product roadmap or future plans provided herein are for informational purposes only. They do not represent a commitment to deliver any material, code, feature, or functionality. Plans may change without notification. The development, release and timing of any features or functionality described remain at the sole discretion of Netchex, its affiliates, and partners. Netchex does not give legal, tax, or accounting advice. You are responsible for ensuring your use of Netchex product meets your individual business and compliance requirements.
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