The next time you sit down at a restaurant, look around. I bet you will spot at least one smartphone at every table. Even with the market close to being saturated, the Apple®, Android™, and Windows® Phone industries are still spending big bucks on marketing hoping that you will be their next customer.

Smartphones present a tremendous opportunity for your ministry, because you now have an ever-present tool that you can use to reach your congregation and empower your staff. As phones get faster and cheaper, you can expect more of your staff and members to hop on the bandwagon.

In a typical week, many church staffers and others use:

• A Facebook app to keep up with the latest happenings in their congregation’s lives,
• The Dropbox app to easily share files, photos, and videos even when they’re not in the office,
• Bible app to read scripture and make notes during small group meetings or even worship,
• Or a worship app for planning and communicating with fellow musicians.
   

Because we believe that mobile apps and their devices can be convenient and powerful ministry tools, we have increased our ongoing investment in this arena. Our R&D Department formed a new team that focuses on mobile application development. Since the mobile team was formed, we released two major updates to the ACS Church Life application for Access ACS, including updating the iPhone and mobile HTML apps, and introduced a native Android app.

ACS Church Life provides your staff and members with access to a subset of their Access ACS data in the palm of their hand.

Using ACS Church Life and your Access ACS login you can:

• Search your church directory
• View contact photos
• Map contact addresses
• Check the church calendar for upcoming events.
   

iPhone

The latest release is a complete rewrite. The new implementation is an app that is installed on your iPhone, also known as a “native application”. The new iPhone app is faster and much more robust than its predecessor. If you're interested in what you'll find in the app, here are a few screen samples for you - screen 1, screen 2, screen 3, screen 4.

Android

We are really excited about our Android release. Like the iPhone update, this version is a true native application, increasing performance and stability. The new design looks like an Android app, respects the Android standards, and embraces the hardware buttons. Here are a few screen samples - screen 1, screen 2, screen 3.  To install the app, click the link above or search for “ACS Church Life” in the Android Marketplace.

Mobile HTML

We have recently finished the mobile HTML implementation. If you do not have an iPhone or Android device, you do not need to feel left out. From your mobile browser, navigate to http://churchlife.mobi and leverage the same features as Android and iPhone users. Here are a couple of sample screens - screen 1, screen 2.

Our team is on schedule for an exciting roadmap this year, including possibilities for connections, attendance, comments, and mobile giving.

In addition to Access ACS, other products are receiving attention. We have also launched a mobile version of The City and Stratus Beta. Similar to Church Life, you can use these mobile versions to access a subset of key features while on the go.

Throughout the year, look for mobile releases from PDS, Headmaster, and other products. The possibilities generated from our increased focus on mobile are exciting. We look forward to your feedback and direction as we work together to shape new tools that you can leverage in your ministry.

Jamey McElveen is a manager, architect, and tech guru at ACS Technologies. He has a degree in Computer Engineering from Clemson University and joined ACS in 1996. At home he enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys, cooking BarB-Q and Chicken Bog, and programming (it is a passion/sickness).