Five reasons why you need a mobile app for your church
The importance of having a mobile app has gone from nice-to-have to have-to-have. Just look around you and you will see everyone around you are glued to their phone’s screen.
It’s become such an integral part of our lives, that churches without a mobile app are simply being left behind.
1. Censored communication – an uncertain future
We cannot depend on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, and other mainstream social media. Recently many people wanted to leave WhatsApp and Facebook because of how they handle people’s data and privacy. What will you do if every church member decides to leave those platforms today? How will you have church tomorrow? There will be no way to contact them or interact with them. We also cannot communicate a new mobile app or platform after it happens, it will be too late to catch them.
“You need a website and mobile app today, for the uncertain future of tomorrow.”
Most pastors are not aware that Big Brother is listening to everything that is posted on social media. This has led to bans and blocks to censor people and the information they want to share. Coincidently this is why these platforms are free. We, our data, habits, and what we say, do, or watch is the commodity that is being mined and used against us. President Trump was blocked on Twitter and Facebook. This is only going to increase, if they can block him, they can also silence the church. Does it sound too farfetched? Dr. Andre Roebert from Faith TV mentioned the many problems he has with Facebook blocking their message from reaching the people. It’s a reality we need to face. Are you aware that if you mention homosexuality, government, covid, or other keywords during a live stream, the video is automatically deleted by Facebook?
Covid hit churches without a mobile app hard and caused them to drastically lose income and members, while those with a mobile app had almost no attrition or decrease in members, tithes, and offerings. Live stream on Facebook is simply not enough, because people easily get distracted with everything else available on there. Pastor Linda Lee from Christian Family Church Brakpan said: “I rolled out my website and the mobile app just before covid, and as a result, I have had no decrease in tithes or members. In fact, during this period I grew dramatically and my finances stayed stable!”
In these last days, we do not know what will come next. Will there be a next catastrophic event like covid? Or what if social media decides to silence all Christians? We would be foolish if we chose to do nothing. We need to plan carefully and implement a clear dedicated communication channel that no one can take away. We need a place where we can boldly proclaim the gospel without being blocked and where Big Brother is not listening.
2. Retain your audience
We may think that it’s unnecessary to have a mobile app, as we do not see the direct benefit or reward. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. In today’s tech-driven world, people expect information, schedules, and interaction to be available at their fingertips. Research shows that 96% of church members expect their church to have a mobile app.
With so many other churches competing for your members, your congregation expects you to offer more. Members are looking for a place where they feel like they belong. To achieve this, they require you to share news, updates and schedules, sermons and a lot of other information. If members do not get this from a church they feel disconnected. The shocking reality is they then move on to another church that provides all of this.
People expect excellence, so you need to stand head and shoulders above the rest. We’ve taken the time and care to integrate everything your members expect to see such as Live Stream, Sermon Archive, Church Chat, to News about the latest church happenings. Everything’s in one place so your members are not only informed, but that they also feel connected and at home.
3. Communicate to your target audience more effectively
WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, mailings, flyers, etc. All of these are great forms of communication, but all are so easily missed or ignored altogether. Much of the news you try to deliver on these mediums never capture the short attention span of your church.
You could be reaching them on a much more effective platform: your app. You also do not have to share their attention, as there is nothing else on your mobile app that is trying to get their interest! It’s a closed communication system where you are in complete control.
How long does it take and how much does it cost to print 300 flyers and SMS or WhatsApp messages about an upcoming event? It takes 2 minutes to send a push notification to everyone that has your app installed.
The smartphone home/lock screen is the most powerful and valuable real estate in communication today. It’s simple to get your message on those screens with our push notification system. Send unlimited free push notifications, and everyone who has your app installed will receive them on their lock screen.
We also integrate your Google Calendar and Google Drive so every event or service that you schedule or any document, picture, or file you upload is instantly shared with everyone in the app.
4. Increase giving opportunities
People cannot provide financial support if your information is not readily available at all times. Share your bank details or barcode scan pictures with everyone inside the app.
Online giving keeps growing within the church. In fact, 39% of young Christians claim to give once a month to a church online. If you are accepting tithes and donations, don’t you want to give your church members an opportunity to give in a way that makes them feel most comfortable?
Millennials don’t carry cash and checks. They enjoy the simple, digital experience of paying by using apps.
When it comes to giving, people have preferences. Your church needs to make sure you meet everyone’s giving preferences or you’ll be leaving tithes on the table.
5. Create some excitement within your church
In one church, they launched our app and within the week, someone emailed the senior pastor and said that she had been thinking about leaving the church. However, after they had announced the new app that previous Sunday morning, she decided to stick around.
New and different is exciting and you should never stop seeking to have some excitement going on in your church. For small and medium-sized churches, new and exciting doesn’t have to come with big expenses.
Want to know more about all the incredible app features and functions? Click here!
