Not every church boasts over a century of history and service, but Connect Christian Church can make that claim.

“[The original area] used to be a junction point for a railroad in Missouri, then it became a brand new city called Carl Junction in 1885,” said Kenan Klein, Worship and Student Minister at Connect Christian. “A group of 36 individuals… saw that there was no church and thought, we need to put a church there to ‘connect people to Jesus.’”

Their church today has around 400 active members—and an atypical growth story. Because of their smaller community size and resources, they’re somewhat limited in what they can achieve locally.

The name of their church is no coincidence. They literally discovered the phrase “connect people to Jesus” on their founders’ paperwork from nearly 140 years ago. So they branded themselves as Connect Christian Church and, instead of solely ministering to their small local community, they embraced the use of technology to reach people everywhere.

That’s not to say their approach hasn’t earned some baffled looks. “A lot of churches our size don’t do this, and they freak out when they hear about it,” Kenan said with a laugh.

But they’ve had undeniable success. A once-local church member who moved to Montana has established a church out of his RV, and relies on Connect Christian’s online sermons, Bible studies, and music to drive his ministry. A family in Iowa that has no church within 45 miles decided to start their own house church based on Connect Christian’s digital content.

And now Kenan’s leading a similar charge in a neighboring Missouri community. “We’ll be starting a new campus about 10 miles away [from our church] in a neighborhood of 2,000 people, that’s an eight-block neighborhood that has zero churches in it. It’s mostly an impoverished neighborhood… most people barely have a car, a lot of people are food insecure, and the biggest deal is they can’t walk to church.”

“We’re going to start with 50 people,” Kenan said—a choice made to reinforce their mission of connection. “It needs to be small enough to feel like it’s not overwhelming, but big enough to feel like it’s something you can be a part of.”

While this new campus will initially meet on Saturday nights, Connect Christian’s already leveraging their technology solutions to reach this new community. Their custom app has been particularly effective at building engagement at this early stage.

“Especially for those who have trouble navigating the internet, they have a one-stop shop… They can give online through the app. They can take sermon notes through the app and also do their daily devotional studies and watch videos through it.

They believe in this mindset so much, it’s written in bold across their website: Being Disciples Who Make Disciples Anywhere. And Pushpay’s proud of the small role our tools play in helping them achieve their mission.

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Summary

McLane Church, a multi-location church, has had an active online presence and ministry since 2017, when they launched McLane Church Online. However, three short years later, they started grappling with the challenge of connecting comprehensively with their members during the COVID-19 pandemic despite having three physical locations and a solid online presence. Their Site Pastor and Master Admin, Lynora Rumm, recognized the need for a more robust software solution that could help them keep track of all those one-on-one connections. And that’s when an announcement email landed in her inbox.

The email shared that Pushpay had acquired Church Community Builder, and together, they were a comprehensive solution for churches. Now, churches like McLane could have an online payment system, church management software and development of a customized church app.  Lynora recalls, “Pushpay checked all of the boxes and became the obvious choice.”

Lynora knew that this was the answer to their digital connection dilemma. McLane Church now enjoys a user-friendly platform that facilitates online payments, manages church operations, and fosters direct connections with its members. The adoption of Pushpay’s solution has significantly improved the church’s ability to provide pastoral care and connection with its congregants, marking a new era of digital ministry for McLane Church.

Challenges

Despite having a strong online presence and three physical locations, McLane was in a unique predicament in 2020. Thanks to the launch of their online platform in 2017, the transition to digital operations had been relatively smooth. However, the challenge wasn’t reaching out to their members but engaging with them on a deeper, more personal level.

“With three campuses already established, the pivot online was really easy for us. But we felt like we couldn’t connect with our people in a more comprehensive way, like one-on-one and tracking those connections,” Lynora Rumm, Site Pastor and Master Admin of McLane Church, reflected. This realization set her on a mission to find a software solution that could facilitate these personal connections.

As she explored the options for church management systems, Lynora found a software program that seemed to meet most of their needs. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough. She recounts, “I found one church software company, and I was ready to say yes. I couldn’t say I had complete peace, but you know, how much peace can one have with church software? So, I had the email drafted to start with them.”

Just as she was about to green-light this new software, an unexpected email landed in her inbox. It was from the church’s business manager, who had received an email from Pushpay. He urged Lynora to take a look at what they had to offer.

Pushpay

The email from Pushpay that landed in Lynora’s inbox announced their acquisition of Church Community Builder. Lynora shared, “They were announcing that together, they were a comprehensive solution. Not just online payment, but now they had church management software and a customized church app.”

Lynora continued, “I was blown away by what they were offering. It wasn’t just the electronic payment—which made it so easy through the pandemic, as we all know—but the church management software had features in it that allowed us to really connect with our people, not just through life groups, but through every ministry that we have.”

One of the standout features was the ability to track connections with members. “With Pushpay, I could reach out to people, take notes, and put them through a process queue to track my connections with them,” Lynora says. This feature was particularly beneficial for pastoral care and managing the bereavement process. Lynora noted, “It allowed me to put in a step-by-step way of connecting with them over a period of time since we know that grief lasts a long time, and you need touch points along the way.”

Another significant benefit was the customizable church app that seamlessly integrated with the church’s existing tools. “During the pandemic, when we’re doing all this research, we thought we’d have to go to a whole other place for a church app. But Pushpay made it easy to have a customized church app that integrated with our church management software and played nicely with our website.” The app provided a more user-friendly and interactive platform for members to connect with the church, enhancing the overall member experience.

Results

The adoption of Pushpay’s comprehensive church software has significantly transformed McLane Church. “So there was the app, the church management software, the online pay—everything just married together in one nice, neat package. And really, that’s what we love about Pushpay,” Lynora concludes. It was everything they had been looking for.

Alongside online giving, the church management software and the app have created a platform that is user-friendly and highly interactive. Lynora shares, “The church management software had features that allowed us to really connect with our people… So now we could connect people to the website, which is great, but the app is so much more interactive and friendly for users to connect with the church.” This integrated approach has significantly improved the church’s connection with its members. Because of Pushpay, Lynora says, “we’re able to connect with them even better.”

Summary

Springs Church made a bold move to prioritize connection in their congregation. Instead of preaching from the pulpit, they turned their typical Sunday morning services into a Connection Sunday. During those two services, church leaders helped their congregation connect with each other and the church by walking through all the features of their new custom church app.

From group sign-ups to sermon notes to giving options, Springs Church members discovered how their app could keep them connected to their community. The app also empowered members to volunteer and get involved in connection groups, making it easy for them to contribute to the church’s mission in a meaningful way. By leveraging a custom church app, Springs Church has created a culture of connection and engagement that goes beyond Sunday services and is truly transforming the lives of its members.

Challenges

Springs Church was facing a common problem that many churches experience – disconnection from their congregation. They recognized that many people leave the church because they don’t feel connected. So Springs Church wanted to create an engaged community and empower its members with easy access to involvement regardless of age or tech-savvy skills.

They were searching for something that would make it easy for members to stay connected to the church, deepen their faith through additional resources, and simplify giving with just a click on their app.

Pushpay

Springs Church staff decided to move into the digital age and solve the problem of disconnection with a custom church app from Pushpay. The app opened up the door to convenient connection and communication with members, and they dedicated an entire Sunday to celebrate its launch. On Connection Sunday, Springs Church walked their congregation through the church app’s features, including sign-ups for groups and events, access to sermons, and giving options, including the ability to set up recurring giving.

Even without prior experience, Ashley Moore, Springs Church’s Executive Administrative Assistant, created the custom app with the clear instructions from Pushpay. Ashley updates the app weekly with the latest announcements and sermon notes. She says, “Pushpay makes  it very simple. It’s very user-friendly. And now everything you need to know about everything, even getting in touch with our pastors or staff, is right there on the app.”

Now, after Connection Sunday and the launch of their church app, Springs Church prioritizes community engagement by devoting time during each service for meaningful connection and ministry opportunities. Karen Woodyard, Deacon Ministry Director, said, “There was a QR code up on the screen, and Pastor Michael said, ‘Okay, I want everybody to give to this orphanage in Haiti.’ Everybody lifts up their phone, takes a picture of the QR code, and within 10 seconds, donations just started piling in. The app made it so much easier.”

They’ve created a more connected community and increased engagement within their congregation. Karen said, “We’ve finally made it super easy to connect. For many people who get disgruntled with the church, it’s usually because they didn’t feel connected. And I really feel that Pushpay gave us that edge to where people now can really feel connected because everything’s right there, right in front of them with the church app.”

Results

By addressing the common problem of disconnection head-on, Springs Church increased member involvement and encouraged deeper connections between congregation members. Ashley shared, “The app has just become the way that everybody finds the information that they need in the church.” Connection Sunday may have only lasted one day, but the feeling of connection is still strong, with a congregation fully engaged and involved in the church’s activities.

With the help of Pushpay’s app, Springs Church put the power of the community in the palms of their member’s hands. Now their ministry sees greater participation and involvement and a stronger, more connected congregation.

As Christ Fellowship began evaluating options for its conference app, the team quickly focused on Pushpay. Find out what happened next…

Summary

Like many growing multisite congregations, Christ Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach, FL, gets its share of questions from other churches. How do you build a meaningful church culture? How do you engage your whole church in missions? How do you handle security in the church?

To help answer these questions, Christ Fellowship launched its first-ever Christ Fellowship Conference in February of 2018 to help church leaders “lead with excellence, empower the next generation, and use creativity to bring life-change to the world.”

Problem

The staff at Christ Fellowship is always glad to answer questions, but there’s a limit to how much they can help in a simple email or phone call. With more than 900 church leaders attending the conference, Christ Fellowship needed a simple way to communicate to everyone, both on campus and off. Because they were trying to give attendees a glimpse into how Christ Fellowship did church, it made sense to do this through a mobile app.

Pushpay

Hosanna! As Christ Fellowship began evaluating options for its conference app, the team quickly focused on Pushpay. The church had partnered with Pushpay’s giving solution for several years and the experience had been smooth and effective.

After choosing Pushpay to provide the app, the church then focused on getting the word out to attendees about the new app. They sent an email to attendees with a download link for the app. They also included a link on the conference website. When it came time for the conference to start, they encouraged attendees who were present to download the app. More than two-thirds of attendees did so during the week of the conference.

Result

With more than 900 people at Christ Fellowship’s inaugural church conference, the event succeeded on many levels. Nearly 700 people downloaded the app during the week of the conference, and Cristian believes it played a key role in the conference’s success. One important way it did this was by helping attendees navigate the church’s large campus.

“The campus map on the app was one of the most popular features , and a lot of people used it,” Cristian said. “They were able to see the rooms, the restrooms, and all the other areas they needed to visit during the conference. It was our best way of helping people maneuver around the campus.”

Christ Fellowship is already making plans for a future conference in February of 2019.

How One Feature Turned a Pushpay Skeptic Into an Advocate

When Pushpay first contacted Pastor Dan Durbin of Epic Church to tell him about their digital-giving solution, he didn’t think the church needed a new option. The church was satisfied with its current giving options and wasn’t looking to make a change.

Having been in sales for more than 15 years, Durbin called Pushpay to let them know they didn’t need to call anymore.  That’s when the Pushpay representative told him, “We not only have this payment-processing platform that we’re very good at, but we also have this app.” Durbin was skeptical at first, but when he walked through a demo of the app, he was floored.

A Service Upgrade Felt Around the World

Based in Alabama, Epic Church also maintains campuses in Michigan and Swaziland. Maintaining church unity across state lines and continents proved to be a unique challenge for Epic Church, but Durbin saw Pushpay’s mobile app as an opportunity to channel a church culture that transcended geography.

 Less than two years after partnering with Pushpay, Epic Church saw a nine-fold increase in monthly app users. Additionally, through a streamlining of their processes, Durbin estimates the church saved more than 120 hours in administrative workload for his staff, and 70% of the church’s giving is now donated via their online giving platform and mobile app.

In the second installment of our North Point Ministries blog series, we explore how the largest church ministry in North America made the difficult decision to suspend large in-person gatherings throughout the end of the year. In our exclusive interview with lead pastor Clay Scroggins, he discusses the tough decision, its implications, and how technology is crucial.

North Point’s decision to close for the remainder of 2020 was a big decision. One that affected thousands of people–from leadership, support staff, and volunteers to the families and individuals who gather at their various campuses to worship. The impact on their people was top of mind when North Point Ministries’ leadership team met to discuss what to do.

The process was thoughtful and data-driven. North Point utilized technology in a number of ways: to gather information before deciding what to do, to communicate the decision, and to implement a whole new, 21st-century way of doing church.

Here are some tips and advice from Clay Scroggins and North Point Ministries–wisdom that you can take and utilize, on how to make tough decisions within your church.

Tip #1: Lean on data. (Quantitative and Qualitative)

Clay Scroggins, Lead Pastor at Buckhead Church of North Point Ministries offered a surprising perspective, in our exclusive interview, on where to find the answers to difficult questions, in times like these. Crediting a church member with a powerful insight, which casts the role of the leader in a stunningly humble light, she reminded Clay and the other North Point Ministries leaders that they do not (nor does any leader) have all the answers to what we’re dealing with, in regard to the current crisis. However, she then encouraged them to listen to the voice of the people they serve. That’s where they’ll find the answers to the question of what to do.

The encouragement is to seek the voice and to seek the input of the people being served at North Point (or at your church). What do the thousands of people who worship there every week feel and know and think? (What do your people have to say?)

How do you accomplish such a monumental task? Data tells a story. Clay and his colleagues utilized technology to organize focus groups and facilitate surveys in order to get a read on what their people felt about the current crisis and what they expected an appropriate response to look like from North Point.

The data focused both on qualitative questions- what their people were dealing with emotionally and spiritually, what would it take to create an environment in which people felt safe to return; and quantitative questions- how many people would actually return to such an environment?

The story their data told was that people weren’t ready to come back. North Point decided rather than spending their energy and resources in altering the physical space, they would focus on what’s essential.

Tip #2: Focus on what is essential.

The best way to love their community, the people they serve, was to focus on what is most important. The move away from the physical building as a central gathering place doesn’t have to mean a move away from the central message and ministry of the Church. Technology is the key to bridging the gap.

Clay’s new vision for North Point is clear: “We want to leverage 21st-century technology to return to a first-century model of the church. And that’s what we’re using to drive what we’re doing.” Utilizing technology to equip their members to continue doing church, in the context of their homes, families, and neighborhoods.

North Point realized that their buildings had been the primary place of spiritual growth, but that changed suddenly, and without warning. Now, “our homes and neighborhoods… we have to look to those two places as the primary place of spiritual growth,” says Pastor Clay Scroggins.

In homes, North Point Ministries is using technology to provide ministry resources to their people so they can learn, grow, and deepen their faith on their own, or with their families and small groups. The channels of technology have allowed North Point to continue to do ministry, regardless of having no large, weekly, in-person gatherings.

On average, North Point has experienced more than a 100% increase in campus app downloads during COVID. In addition, app launches are up about 30% overall.

Within neighborhoods, Pastor Clay and his team have been mobilizing people to create opportunities for ministry in their backyard. Utilizing technology and adapting to their circumstances has allowed North Point members to achieve a new level of outreach and community connection. Not only are the people of North Point focusing on their own spiritual growth, but in the wake of the pandemic, they’ve been empowered to help facilitate the spiritual growth of their neighbors as well. They’re hosting livestream watch parties, leading devotionals using materials distributed by North Point Ministries, and creating Small Groups with their neighbors.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVESTREAMING WITH RESI

Tip #3: Work with your team.

Pastor Clay Scroggins encourages leaders to employ the strengths of each and every member of their teams. Don’t try and simulate another voice or perspective. Focus on what you bring to the table, and lean into your strengths. Where you need help, look to your team, and to the people you serve.

Be united. In moments of tough decisions, you need to make sure you’re all on the same page. It’s crucial that you and your team all understand the ‘what’ and the ‘why.” Once your team is resolved, the message to your people must be conveyed clearly and with confidence:

“When you make a decision like this, you cannot waffle on it. You can listen to people, you can hear people, you can be empathetic and understand people—but when you make a significant decision like this, you have to communicate (with) confidence.” -Clay Scroggins

Paint the target. Though the destination isn’t clear at the onset, having a goal and a target to aim at will give your message clarity and give your people hope. And, when it comes time to deliver that message, utilize technology to communicate it. North Point used a variety of media: messages, email, video updates, and more. First, with their team. Then, with the church.

Pastor Clay and the North Point leadership are constantly reminding themselves (as should you) of what matters most: the people you serve, and the God you worship.

The tough decision to suspend in-person gatherings until 2021 wasn’t one that anyone at North Point could have predicted. But, their humility and thoughtfulness, paired with a data-driven, technology-fueled approach, resulted in a well-communicated plan that allowed North Point Ministries to maintain their focus on the mission of the church, while keeping their people safe.

Take these tips, take this wisdom, and use them whenever you are faced with making tough decisions within your church.

In the next installment of this series, learn how North Point Ministries is managing their end-of-year giving season. Hear how they are utilizing Pushpay to equip their church members with a streamlined way to give. Not only that, but also to unite them around the central message behind, and deeper reasons for generosity. To hear more about the North Point’s pandemic response, watch our exclusive video interview with Clay Scroggins.

For more Coronavirus Resources to Help you and Your Congregation Stay Connected When it’s Critical check out: The Church Leader’s Guide to Coronavirus: How to Continue Ministry During a Pandemic

As a multi-campus church existing in numerous countries and states, with a huge focus on missions and reaching a culturally relevant demographic, Mosaic has been investing in their digital strategy from the start. They’ve done so, not only because it aligns with one of their core values of “relevance to culture is not optional,” but because they saw firsthand the opportunity technology gives them to live out their first core value — “mission is why the church exists.”

That’s why, when faced with the difficult proposition of having to temporarily shut down weekend gatherings, Mosaic was better prepared than most–because they had already gone all-in on having the tools to facilitate creative and powerful online gatherings.

These are trying times for churches all around the U.S. and across all sorts of demographics, denominations, and cultures. Now, more than ever before, it’s important for people to stand together — which is why Mosaic has agreed to let us share some of what they’re doing through these trying times. We hope that some of it will be useful for churches in other contexts.

A MESSAGE OF CLARITY AND HOPE

There really are two key pillars to every great church’s communication in these times: clarity and hope. Clarity, because your people need to know what’s going on, and hope, because these are worrisome times and the church has a unique opportunity to be a voice of assurance.

In a recent Instagram video, Mosaic’s Founder and Lead Pastor Erwin McManus clearly detailed what’s happening, how their church is reacting, and why they’ve made the choices they have in order to remain as a voice of hope. Their message is one of strength and courage.

Through Instagram and IGTV, Pastor Erwin has also been sharing daily videos filled with inspiring and thoughtful talks. He always ties his messages back to the ways that Jesus is moving, even through COVID-19. “We can also transmit hope and joy,” Pastor Erwin recently said.

CREATIVE WAYS TO PARTICIPATE AND STAY CONNECTED

Mosaic is offering weekly gatherings online by streaming powerful talks to the community all over the world on Saturday nights and all day Sunday. This past weekend, Mosaic had over 31,000 people from across the globe tune in to share in their vision of hope.

While there certainly are all sorts of church technology one can leverage at this time, not all of it is complicated. Mosaic is making use of Instagram Live by hosting quick, engaging Bible studies every day of the week. It’s a simple but powerful way to create a real feeling of community and hope.

They have also tapped into all of the potential that Zoom, a digital video meeting platform, can provide. For instance, Mosaic has a team of over 50 volunteers who are leading and hosting online bible studies for anyone, anywhere who wishes to join in and stay connected.

Online bible studies are offered for a variety of different groups including options for men, women, youth, college students, moms, couples, business professionals, and medical workers. They also offer bible studies in different languages such as Portuguese and Spanish.

With Zoom, the church has also found a way to continue their Mosaic College courses, which consist of numerous classes teaching subjects surrounding leadership and theology. Students tune in weekly to learn together–refusing to slow down even though they are unable to study in person at this time.

Mosaic wants to give their community every possible option for engaging with them outside of an in-person Sunday gathering. Anyone can easily head to their website and fill out a form requesting prayer or practical help they may need as they continue to face difficulties. Or, if a person desires to give back, they can also do so through Mosaic’s website or app.

Most recently, to help those in need in their community, Pastor Erwin encouraged his community to donate essentials to shelters and resource centers for those who are experiencing homelessness. Volunteers utilized Mosaic’s Hollywood campus as one of three drop-off centers in Los Angeles.

GETTING THE WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED

More than just live streaming a weekend message, Mosaic is also providing videos as tools and resources for families with kids so they can continue to stay connected with their faith, even from the comfort of their own homes.

Using their YouTube Channel and website, Mosaic has created a place where parents can access videos which include lively skits, a range of fun activities, songs and crafts to get kids engaged and moving. The videos also highlight ideas and themes for parents to say, do, or think about with their children to encourage them to grow their faith. Click here to check out their Mosaic Kids videos and downloadable resources that accompany each week.

By embracing a digital strategy and the technology available to us today, Mosaic is ready to continue to stand together and be on mission through these trying times and beyond.

Want help on how to actually implement these strategies at your church? We’ve got you covered:

• Free checklist: How to pivot to a digital strategy in times of crisis
• The Church Leader’s Guide to Coronavirus: How to Continue Ministry During a Pandemic
• How to Set up a Livestream with No Budget

Want to get started with Pushpay? Talk to an expert today to learn more. 

Centrepoint Church in suburban Perth, Australia, didn’t get its name by accident.

When Joel and Sharon Chelliah started the church in 2006, Western Australia, the state where Perth is located, had been experiencing heavy growth thanks largely to a mining boom in the region. The influx of people in Perth meant that many residents were far away from friends and family. That’s why Centrepoint wanted to bring people together from the very beginning

“We aim to be a family church, a multi-generational church that brings people together,” said Peter Hammer, the church’s executive pastor. “We want to be a center point in the community.”

To put that vision into practice, the church started a free community breakfast held during the Christmas season, providing much-needed company for residents who weren’t able to celebrate with family. They also started connect groups throughout the community where people are able to eat together, bond, and study biblical truths from the weekend message. The church also takes shower trucks to the impoverished and homeless in their community, providing an opportunity for those with few resources to get refreshed and connect with church members.

Spreading Out Across Western Australia

It hasn’t taken long for Centrepoint to expand their vision of bringing people together throughout the Perth community. By 2010, four years after the church began, Centrepoint launched a second campus. Today they have a total of four campuses.

In early 2018, Pastors Joel and Sharon launched a new initiative to reach their state of Western Australia. The largest Australian state in terms of landmass, much of it is sparsely populated. Many smaller communities throughout the region have little access to a church body. With the same passion to unify people around the gospel, the church launched an initiative to open campus extensions in small communities throughout Western Australia.

“We’re creating ‘church in a box’ and appointing local people in country towns, whom we can provide with everything they need to run church from a living room or a small community hub,” Peter says.

Centrepoint started its first such extension site in March of 2018 on the edge of rural Western Australia. Around 12 people currently attend the extension site. Two people, neither of whom had been in church for years, made lifelong commitments to faith. The church expects this extension to be the first of many to spread throughout this rural area.

Leaning Into Technology

As the church continues to spread out geographically, church leaders are leaning into technology to help build lasting community around the gospel. Meaningful connections through technology are especially important when physical interactions aren’t always possible among members.

“We want to use technology to bring a greater sense of connection,” Peter says. “In the last 12 months, we’ve started live streaming our worship services so that, at least once a month, all of our people can hear the same visionary message from our senior pastor. We couldn’t create that kind of connection without technology.”

That desire to use technology to unify people across large geographic distances led the church to look into getting a mobile app.

“We wanted to create a common go-to point where anyone could access things like podcasts, event registrations, signup for volunteering and connect groups, and giving all on one app.” Peter says.

Another church recommended that Centrepoint consider Pushpay as their app provider. When they began looking for an app last year, the church already had three campuses and a fourth about to open within two months. Any new app provider would have to make the experience seamless between the multiple campuses while providing a top-notch user experience. Pushpay was the only provider who could truly do both and was added to the church’s technology toolkit.

Centrepoint began spreading the word about the new app in January, two months before they planned to launch it. But the church didn’t just pitch the app as a bit of cool tech. Instead, the new app would be a strategic part of the church’s mission to bring people together and expand geographically. The church officially launched the app in March as part of a conference that brought all of the church campuses together.

“I was given three minutes to share the vision for the app,” Peter says. “I told them how to download it. The senior pastor introduced me. Having the senior pastor really drive it from the stage, and being able to launch it at such a big event, and having all of our schedules for the conference on the app really helped us get people to download and use the app right away.” Since Pushpay has a text-to-download feature, it made the process really easy.

In the months since the church launched the app, users have raved about the experience—particularly the app’s ease of use. Although the church initially partnered with Pushpay to get the mobile app, the giving solution has been a welcomed surprise.

“People keep telling me how much they love how easy it is to give regularly through the app,” Peter says.

With a new church app in place, Centrepoint is looking toward the future and engaging communities in Western Australia that wouldn’t otherwise have a church presence. Click here to talk to an expert and see how a custom church app and giving tool can encourage engagement and generosity at your ministry.

It’s tough to overestimate the impact of Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York upon the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens.

For 150 years, the church has faithfully served the community.

They’ve fought injustice. They’ve fed the hungry. They’ve preached the gospel.

An Epic History

When the local bishop assigned the community to then 31-year-old Rev. Floyd Flake in 1976, the neighborhood wasn’t in good condition. Homes looked like they were ready to collapse. Drug dealers dominated entire streets.

Though the church had always had a significant role in the community, the odds looked stacked against the young pastor. But Flake believed the “success of the church is vitally connected to what is transpiring within the community it serves.” So Flake and Greater Allen AME began to build. The church built a senior center to engage the elderly. They built schools to engage the next generation.

In total, the church started more than 60 clubs and organizations to engage members and the broader community. They started a prison ministry, a cancer support group, a ministry to those impacted by HIV/AIDS, and so much more. And God has slowly transformed the community. Families have been put back together and lives have been changed.

Embracing Technology

Today, if you head into Greater Allen AME’s worship services, you might see lots of gray hair and assume the church’s best days are behind it.

But you’d be wrong—very wrong. Yes, you’ll see lots of “senior saints” playing important roles in the church. But you’ll also see a growing number of Millennials connected to the church.  Together, they have big plans to continue Pastor Flake’s vision of community impact.

Technology, particularly the church’s Pushpay mobile app, is becoming an important bridge uniting these two divergent generations. The app is hardly a vanity tool for the church’s ministry. Church members use it to watch sermons online, keep up with what’s going on at the church, and, of course, give.

You’d expect the church’s youth to be avid users of the church app—and they are. It’s part of the reason the church invested in a mobile app to begin with. Church leaders wanted to engage young people on their terms.

“Mobile technology is huge for youth in the church because it’s where they are,” says Edward Jordan, the church’s youth pastor. “They spend the majority of their time on their phones, iPads, and computers…It’s something that is very relevant to where they are.”

But the church’s older members benefit from the church’s technology use, too. Many can’t get to worship services as frequently as in years gone by. Streaming worship services online means they can still participate, even if they can’t be physically present.

Tech Brings Generations Together

Church leaders have proactively leaned upon the church’s youth to help its older members use the new mobile technology. For example, during the most recent men’s conference, organizers included a 30-minute “technology time” into the program. During these 30 minutes, Rev. Tiate Carson, who oversees the church’s stewardship program and men’s ministry, had youth and young adults travel around the room to help the older men download and use the app.

“I kind of deputized all of our young adults and teenagers,” Carson says. “We had such a great time. I mean they laughed. Who would have thought that this 30-minute session would really turn out to become a great bonding opportunity?”

Each of the older men shot live video of each other from their phones. Carson says some of them had never used the feature before. But now, Carson says, it’s a standard feature on their phones.

“Often times, most churches kind of flow into extreme directions,” Jordan says. “They either become really young and extremely vibrant, but they completely alienate themselves from those stakeholders that helped to build the congregation to what it became, or they may decide to go the complete opposite direction that says, ‘We’ll deal with the young people once we finish taking care of our more seasoned and senior saints.’ I think we really do the church a disservice when we do that. I think the church can take a really strong stance, really a leading stance in helping to build those conversations between the Millennials (and even younger) and our Baby Boomers and Generation Xers.”

A Future of Innovation

Just take a quick look around the church, and you see its future is bright and its impact isn’t just limited to history books. The church runs a soup kitchen on Mondays and Thursdays. It operates affordable housing in the neighborhood. It runs a school. It has a feeding program. Technology doesn’t do any of that ministry. It can’t feed a belly, educate a child, or provide a place to live, but it can, and does, accelerate the work of the church.

“Digital innovation is essential to the growth and the future of our church because of the next generation,” says Rodeena Stephens, the church’s communications director.

It’s 22 days before you host a conference for 1,800 church leaders. You’ve long ago sold all the tickets. In fact, you have 3,000 people on the waiting list just begging to get into the conference.

Speakers are lined up. You’re finalizing the last details.

It’s going to be an epic conference.

But as strong as you believe the conference will be, you know it could be better. You want to take engagement to the next level. You want to provide conference information for attendees in an easy-to-access format. You want to be able to quickly communicate to guests through relevant technology.

Sounds like the job of a mobile app.

22 Days to a New Mobile App

But with one month—22 working days—before the Inside Elevation Conference, a new mobile app seemed like a tall order.

That’s where Ashley Hollingsworth and the other conference organizers found themselves when Ashley and the church’s IT director, Nick Dooley, arrived in Southern California for the 2018 Pushpay Summit.

Elevation Church had hosted three other Inside Elevation conferences since they started in 2015. The conference aim was simple: To share what we’ve learned through our ministry in hopes it will equip other churches to do the work God has called them to do. The fourth conference was just a month away.

While at Summit—a two-day conference last February designed to train church leaders in the best practices of the business world—Ashley and Nick spent two days using Summit’s mobile app to more effectively engage with what they were learning. They found speaker bios, schedules, and information on the surrounding community—and all of it was easy to access. They were even able to ask questions of platform speakers, all from the app on their phones.

So they reached out to a Pushpay contact: “Who produced your conference app?”

“We did,” they were told.

“Better yet,” they were told, “we can help you publish an app for your conference, too.”

“In a month?”

“In a month.”

Ashley was skeptical. A good mobile app, one that conference attendees will actually use and not just delete from their smartphones after three days, will take more time than a month, right?

But Ashley brought the idea back to the team at Elevation. More skepticism. To do this in a month, she was told, the church’s digital team would have to drop everything. It wasn’t possible.

One video conference with Pushpay changed everything. At the meeting, they were told Pushpay would do most of the work. They’d only need to edit what Pushpay did to fit their needs. And the Pushpay team was certain they could hit the one-month deadline.

“The teams at Pushpay made themselves so accessible, even with the crazy timeline,” Ashley said. “It was like they were willing to just shift whatever they needed to do to to be available to help us.

They did everything they could to set us up well, and they were willing to work with us on anything. We’d come up with an idea, and they’re like, ‘We can do that. Don’t worry about it. We got that.’

The experience of working with the Pushpay team was phenomenal.”

80% of Attendees Downloaded the App

Before the first attendees arrived at Inside Elevation, Pushpay delivered the completed mobile app. The conference organizers sent out an email to attendees to announce the app that would improve their conference experience. They encouraged everyone to download it. Platform speakers mentioned it. They also integrated the app into the flow of the conference by encouraging people to email questions (about the church, the conference, or anything else) to a special set of “superheroes” they called “The Insiders.”

By the end of the conference, 1,731 people had downloaded the app. Even if you take into consideration that between 100 to 150 Elevation staff members likely downloaded it, that means well over 80 percent of conference attendees did as well.

Elevation also increased engagement at the conference. Nearly 270 people submitted questions to “The Insiders.” Volunteers followed up on those questions and requests.

The app also provided a more streamlined way to communicate with guests throughout the conference. One time, when weather dictated a need to move lunch inside, the Inside Elevation team simply sent out a push notification through the app. People were notified within seconds of the change, which later feedback showed attendees appreciated.

Elevation plans on hosting another Inside Elevation conference this fall, October 8–9.

“We’ll definitely use the app for the fall conference,” Ashley said. “We’ll update the content, but the app was a no-brainer for us. Through the app, we’re able to provide a more relevant experience for our conference guests.”

For more information on the Inside Elevation conference, click here.