On paper, the Church is an organization. In reality, the Church is an organism. Each one is unique. Each one has many parts. And each one needs to stay connected, even when they aren’t gathered. The most prevailing description and analogy related to the Church in scripture is a Body. In fact, the apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of all the various parts of the Body working together. We can’t accomplish God’s mission on our own. We need the cloud.
Each local expression of the Church needs to be held together so that all the people who comprise the Body can fully function in the way God’s designed them to. In today’s technology-driven culture, connection has never been more possible and more difficult.
People have the world at their fingertips, accessing information of all sorts in only moments. This provides an opportunity to “get in front” of people, even when we aren’t together. It also provides an obstacle, as people have more and more competing for their attention. For churches to stay connected, as they should, mobile ministry needs to play an important role in moving your church’s information and interaction online. The better you can do mobile and online ministry, the better chance you have of reaching people where they are.
The right church management software (ChMS) should have the tools to bring your church online so that your people can connect, not only with valuable information and insights, but also with timely communication, encouragement, event details, and other members.
You’re on the go. Your people are on the go. Shouldn’t your church be on the go with you?
There are certain functionalities your church should look for in a cloud-based ChMS. Your church needs to:
INFORM: Keep your staff up to date on important information
- Stay up to date with data that provides important insights about church health and activity
- Run reports to get critical information about your church and its members
- Keep information and interactions about your members at your fingertips
- Keep staff notes and personnel records in a safe but accessible place
- Access records and notes on-the-go or in your office; anywhere, really
CONNECT: Keep your members connected even when they’re not at church
- Create online groups around common interests so people can connect and provide support or inspiration
- Organize events, track attendance, and have simple registration and check-in; in one place
- Offer an online directory for looking up other members and staff
- Allow members to update their profile information themselves, easily and quickly online
- Let members decide what to show and what to hide from other members in the directory
MULTIPLY: Expand your church influence
- Use your ChMS to show the world all that your church has to offer
- Follow-up with new attendees and make sure they’re properly welcomed
- Track membership trends and gain insights for improvement
- Move people through processes that foster discipleship and multiplication
- Share messages, events, and activity with people outside your church
Doing ministry well means reaching people where they are with good information, consistent communication, and accessible resources. If you want to support your church organism, make sure your online ministry is supported by a powerful, mobile-friendly, easy-to-use church management software.
