History records how meeting together as a community is an essential part of your faith. From temples to revival tents, worshippers find a way to encourage one another and share each other’s burdens. During this period of anxiety where gatherings may be limited, churches, once again, must surmount any difficulties. This time, however, ministry technology offers powerful tools to help.
Technology has provided solutions to a variety of societal problems. With this innovation at your fingertips, you can utilize technological solutions to do the work of the ministry and expand your mission field. Technology offers a creative platform for exponential church growth and empowers you to connect with people anywhere.
As part of the body of Christ, how can you use technology for the ministry? Here are some ways to apply technology and fulfill the church’s mission.
1. Conduct Your Service Online
Spiritual growth requires listening to messages and sermons that feed your inner person. That’s why church attendance is crucial to the life of believers. However, social gatherings are restricted nowadays, so why not use technology to stream church services?
Many believers need spiritual feeding, and you can motivate them to check out your church through your online services. You can always pre-record your services, but that would consume more time. Thus, feel free to explore a streaming platform and connect it with your social media accounts.
2. Share Your Story On Social Media
People connect better with stories. Having your testimony posted online makes the church more engaging with the people it wants to communicate with. Who knows, maybe someone in need can relate to what you’re going through. Your story may help them during this time of uncertainty.
Aside from weekly services, social media stories can generate interaction when they react to what you’re sharing. Plus, you can capture larger audiences from different demographics.
To maximize the advantage of social media, you can check what types of posts people often share. Then, you can work on your content. People, including nonmembers, can be engaged with the topics they can relate to.
3. Create Your Website
When people need something, their go-to solution is an online search. If you want your local church to be discovered, you need a website. An interested visitor can quickly know your location and service time through a website.
You can customize many features and streamline your church operations when building a website. For example, you can have a dashboard where a church member can review sermon notes, check for announcements, sign up for a program, or give their offerings online.
Another good reason to have a website is the assurance that you are in control of your message. Some platforms censor sermons which may affect the points you want to get across. The church owns a website, and you have the ultimate control over your content.
4. Build Your Church Mobile App
Having a phone at your side is part of an everyday routine. Aside from a website and social media platform, a mobile app comes in handy for keeping connected throughout the week. For example, you can have an in-app messaging in which your churchmates can send you their files, create polls, or ask for a prayer. If your church does discipleship, you can build a mobile app to monitor their small group attendance and report the members’ progress.
Additionally, you can integrate push notifications into your mobile app. A push notification will remind a church member of important schedules such as worship service and leadership meetings. Or you can send them Bible resources, prayer schedules, and daily devotionals.
A mobile app can also encourage people to give back to the ministry. You can add an in-app giving button that members can click. Most people prefer a hassle-free bank transfer so you can integrate online banking here for their giving. This will also help your church staff audit your financial resources accurately and create reports of your donors.
5. Make Data-Driven Decisions
Churches have the mission to reach out to people who hunger and thirst for spiritual things. With the data you can gather either from your online platforms or through publicly available databases, you can assess the needs of the society you are in. Data can help you bring a message of hope and reach out with a helping hand.
For instance, you can look for data on possible spiritual questions people have in your area. If they are looking for life’s purpose, you can integrate the theme into your messages. You can also use the location data of your service visitors and plant a church in those areas where the majority of your visitors come from.
A New Wineskin
The technology leverages the church to go beyond the four walls and connect with a diverse community. Technology can be an excellent tool to foster church growth with proper utilization. It’s the new wineskin where you can hold the message of hope and commune together in fellowship.
