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How To Build a Dynamic Church Creative Team

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:42:47 +0000

Behind every church’s beautiful sermon series designs, emotional worship experiences, and smooth sound and lighting, you’ll find a dedicated creative team. These teams design, produce, and lead worship experiences to engage their congregation.

Imagine attending church this weekend, but this time… there’s no worship music. There are no slides on the screen to enhance the sermon. There aren’t even mics or lights set up for the speakers on stage.

Without creative teams, churches would have a hard time creating a dynamic experience that engages their congregation.

But putting together a creative team is no easy feat. What type of people do you need? How can you maximize the media resources you already have? And what processes will help foster an energized and dynamic environment for this small group of creatives? We’ve put together some insights on building an effective team for your church, from the steps to building your church’s creative arts team to making the best use of church media resources.

Why Your Church Needs a Creative Team

Before we start talking about building a dynamic church creative team, it’s crucial to understand why having a team within the church setting is important. And it all boils down to this: A creative team enhances your church’s connection with its congregation, amplifies outreach for events and services, and strengthens your church’s community presence.

Having someone on staff to further your creative goals can be helpful because they truly know the ins and outs of your church and can use their creativity to bring your vision to pass.

The Impact of Creative Teams on Church Engagement

Churches are increasingly looking for ways to boost engagement to drive attendance, giving, and spiritual growth. The creative arts team can be instrumental in these efforts. They can design stunning visuals to promote events, come up with new ideas for worship, and create content that resonates.

This team infuses creativity into every aspect of the church’s life, from the design of the weekly bulletin to the intentionally selected music setlist, so that the church experience is more engaging and authentic. With their spiritual gifts, the creative team makes sure every sermon, song, or event hits home, encouraging more people to get involved. And their work extends beyond the church’s four walls—they’re also getting your message online to reach even more people. A creative team isn’t just an asset. It’s a necessity for an engaged church community.

Defining The Role of a Church Creative Team

Creative teams aren’t one-size-fits-all. There’s the lone jack-of-all-trades staff member who does it all to large creative teams of musicians, photographers, and designers. Let’s explore the roles of a creative team among fellow members, within the rest of the church staff, and the congregation at large.

Within The Team

Your church’s specific needs should be the baseline for your creative team. For instance, if you have a large number of musicians in your congregation eager to volunteer, your creative team may focus on worship service or praise events. Or, if your church is focusing more online, you may want to recruit team members with experience in web design, video, and social media.

Whatever unique set of skills your team is made up of, all your members will share a common goal: to enhance and communicate the church’s mission creatively.

Within Ministry Staff

Working hand-in-hand with other ministries, the creative team helps bring all parts of the church to life. They might curate a setlist and verses to read for Sunday’s worship that complements the pastor’s sermon or produce engaging videos and promotional material for upcoming events from other ministries.

While your church’s creative team plays a big role in brainstorming and developing creative ideas, they typically don’t have the final say. The ultimate decision might be made by the creative leader, the pastor, or even the senior pastor, depending on your church’s structure. It’s best to have a clear process for approvals and limit feedback to only those directly involved in the asset being created. Too many opinions can overwhelm or delay the review process.

Within The Congregation

4 Steps To Build Your Church Creative Team

1. Identify Potential Creative Team Members

Look for people who have an eye for design, can think outside the box, and are passionate about your mission. Every church is different, but in general, every creative team needs a worship leader, creative arts director, technical director, video editor, graphic designer, and social media manager. Ideally, you want to include a diverse mix of creative professionals and skills. It’s also important to have someone leading the team who understands how each skill works together to create a cohesive experience.

Ready to fill those roles? We’ve got 20 Ready-To-Use Job Descriptions to get you started.

2. Define Roles and Processes

Once you’ve identified potential members for your church creative team, the next essential step is to outline your creative process and define each individual’s role. This organization ensures the team operates cohesively and effectively. Clear roles cut confusion and promote efficiency, with everyone aware of their duties and expectations.

The creative process should be open and collaborative, involving brainstorming, content creation, revisions, and final approval. By establishing an organized, creative process and well-defined roles, your church creative team can better use the resources at hand and enhance the congregation’s spiritual experience.

3. Establish Open Communication Channels

A dynamic creative team needs more than talented individuals. It needs unification, connection, and transparency—communication is the key.

Tools like Slack, Asana, or Basecamp are popular for open, transparent project management and communication. These tools help organize tasks, provide timely feedback, and facilitate collaboration. But whatever tool(s) you use, an open communication approach will help keep the team aligned, boost efficiency, and ensure creative integrity.

4. Provide Necessary Training and Resources

The right people also need the right tools to do their best work—quality photography, video editing software, a custom church app, music libraries, worship planning software, graphic design templates, adequate storage space for digital files, and more.

Having a budget for these materials will help ensure that your creative team can produce high-quality content quickly without any restrictions. But it’s also important that they have the skills to do their jobs effectively. Invest in training and development for your creative team members to prepare them for any creative challenges.

Maximizing Your Church Media Resources

When creating dynamic church experiences, many churches feel limited by their budgets and media resources. The good news is that you don’t need an entire studio full of equipment. Some of the most powerful creative projects have been produced in the most simple of settings! All it takes is some creativity and a passion for making an impact.

How to Effectively Utilize Your Media Resources

Understanding and leveraging your media resources is a crucial first step. This could range from a DSLR camera to worship planning software or even just a smartphone. The potential to create high-quality content with these tools is immense as long as you understand their capabilities and use them creatively.

So, take a look around your church. What resources do you already have? Do you have access to video recording equipment or photo cameras? How about audio recording or editing tools? See what you can do with the equipment and resources already at your team’s fingertips.

Your resources don’t have to be things. It could be people. Do you have congregants who want to volunteer to take photos? Or a youth group with an interest in video editing? Think outside the box and tap into your church community to find talented people who can help. The right church management system can help make recruiting and scheduling volunteers a breeze.

If you’re considering investing in new equipment, look for versatile options or options that offer ROI or time-savings in the long run. A high-resolution camera isn’t just for photography; it can be used for videography, too. Similarly, a good quality microphone isn’t limited to recording sermons—it can be used for podcasts or live music. Most importantly, remember that it’s not about having the most expensive gear but about making the best use of what you have.

Keeping Your Media Resources Updated and Relevant

Once you’ve inventoried your resources, the next step is to keep them current. The tech world is fast-paced with new devices, software, and apps emerging daily that could benefit your church.

Pencil in software and equipment upgrades in the calendar and, more importantly, in the church budget. Make sure you also have regular check-ins with your church creative team. Since they’re the ones with industry expertise and using the tools daily, get their feedback on the existing tools and find out if there’s anything they feel is missing to do their job more effectively.

When it comes down to it, you don’t need a huge budget or an arsenal of expensive equipment to create powerful media for your church. The best way to ensure your resources are relevant is by assessing your current technology, checking the effectiveness of your current tools, and identifying areas for improvement.

Read the comprehensive guide on performing a church technology assessment.

Church Tech Check

This proprietary online assessment helps churches understand how they rank in regards to what tech they use and how they use it.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Tools to Help Your Team Unleash Their Creativity

Your creative team creates more than just content—they create connections within your church community. Curating such an innovative and vibrant team is no small feat. It requires careful planning, strategic decisions, and top-notch resources. But when it’s done, you’ll have a team that amplifies your church’s media presence and leaves a profound positive impact on your community.

Ready to maximize your church media resources and take your congregation engagement to the next level? Pushpay’s Church Management Software (ChMS) is designed to streamline processes and stay organized so church staff can better focus on connecting with your congregation.

Tour Pushpay’s ChMS software today and witness firsthand how it can revolutionize your church operations and help your creative team unleash their creativity.

9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use PayPal for Churches

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:59:51 +0000

As churches strive to reach new heights in their ministry efforts, digital giving platforms are becoming increasingly popular. Online giving is the number one way people give to churches. With the steady rise of online giving for churches, it’s easier than ever for members and guests alike to make a recurring donation and support your mission. The question then becomes, “Which one do I choose?”

Leaders often assume that creating a seamless payment experience for donors means sticking with what’s familiar. However, using the same app to send money to friends as you do for your ministry isn’t always the best option! If you’re currently using or considering adopting PayPal for your church, let us show you that there’s a better option for your giving.

PUSHPAY VS. PAYPAL FOR CHURCHES

Ways to Collect Donations and Tithes

Churches rely on donations from their members to pay for operational costs and fund activities that further their mission. There are tons of options for collecting donations, from traditional methods like cash offerings during services to tech-driven solutions like crowdfunding platforms.

Cash offerings during services
Checks mailed or dropped off
Online giving portals and mobile apps
Text-to-give
Cryptocurrency donations
Crowdfunding platforms
Prepaid debit cards
Automated recurring payments
Fundraising auctions

But one of these options will make the biggest impact on your church’s growth and further your mission: online giving. It’s the most popular way people give to churches, and it encourages more generosity than traditional methods.

Our Digital Giving Trends report found that on average, digital givers donate 33 percent more ($200 a month through digital means versus $150 a month from non-digital means). They also donate 44 percent more often than non-digital givers (2.3 times a month versus 1.6 times a month). That’s why it’s crucial to have the right online giving solution.

9 Reasons Why PayPal Isn’t the Best Giving Solution

Churches may use PayPal’s online fundraising and donation platform to handle the basics of online giving, but it doesn’t support a church’s deeper need to connect and engage with their congregation. Let’s review the 9 reasons that PayPal isn’t the best option for churches.

1. It’s not designed with churches in mind.

While PayPal can send and receive payments, it wasn’t designed with the Church in mind, so it lacks the vast array of tools and features Church leaders, staff, and congregations need. And with customer service that serves all of PayPal’s different verticals, church leaders and staff can find themselves struggling to get help when they need it most. Churches may also have to pay a transaction fee if a church member sends their church donation with a credit card, rather than a debit card or directly from their bank.

2. Donors can’t direct their gifts.

PayPal doesn’t provide any way for a church member to direct their gifts to a specified fund or ministry. Without directed gifts, donors and administrators both suffer. Donors aren’t able to easily give to the causes close to their hearts. And church leaders can’t track progress or interest in specific church projects.

3. Recurring giving is restricted.

While PayPal online giving accepts recurring donations, they don’t offer more flexible giving options like setting up recurring giving on a weekly, quarterly, or annual basis. The only recurring giving option donors can choose is monthly. This rigid recurring schedule forces donors to only set up their giving for once a month or try to remember to give throughout the month (a pain point that recurring giving should alleviate). Ultimately, your local church could miss out on consistent contributions from members who want to give smaller gifts throughout the month.

4. PayPal doesn’t connect to offline gifts.

PayPal only stores the giving data directly donated through their system. For churches getting cash or check donations, someone on your staff has to manually export data from PayPal and import it into your church management system (ChMS). And that’s not a one-time task. It’s a weekly occurrence (at least) that eats away at your team’s precious time and bandwidth.

There’s Added Risk with PayPal’s Terms

5. Churches could lose donations during disputes.

If there’s a dispute on a donation, PayPal completes an investigation before releasing the funds. Whether it’s a pending transaction or your church has already received the funds, PayPal’s policy dictates that they will look into disputes before refunding them, which can delay your ministry’s access to important funds.

6. PayPal updated its Acceptable Use Policy.

PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy gives them the power to take up to $2,500 from an account if they deem any activities to be “discriminatory,” “intolerant,” or “hateful.” And that’s $2,500 per activity. The biggest risk is that these terms—discriminatory, intolerant, hateful—are open to interpretation. A sermon series that sparks controversy (and important conversations) could jeopardize up to $2,500 of ministry funding every week that it runs. You may as well offer them a seat on your church’s board of elders! Their policy influences your ministry choices and puts money donated in good faith by people passionate about supporting your mission at stake.

7. PayPal’s reports may miss actionable insights.

Pushpay’s Donor Development Dashboard allows administrators to track individuals’ giving history, forecast recurring gifts and online donations, view new contributions, provide annual giving statements, and review transactions. That kind of insight makes work easier for your admin team and makes it easy for leaders to nurture donors along their giving journey.

Donors May Get an Impersonal Experience After Giving

8. PayPal sends generic donor receipts.

PayPal online giving can send donors an automatic receipt. But those automatically generated receipts aren’t customizable. Without your church branding or a custom message, it lacks the personal touch crucial for nurturing donor relationships.

9. It’s not easy to express your gratitude.

Between the inability to give to multiple funds, its lack of connection to cash and check donors, and the generic receipt that PayPal sends, it’s hard to properly say “thank you” to your donors through PayPal. Churches would need to handwrite notes or export data into their ChMS to be able to personalize their thank you messages to each donor.

Is Venmo Better Than PayPal?

Venmo is another mobile payment app. It was founded in 2009 and has been owned by PayPal since 2013. Since it’s a separate app from PayPal, it’s worth asking, “Is Venmo right for my church?” But just like PayPal, Venmo isn’t the best giving solution for churches. Here are a few reasons why:

It doesn’t integrate or play nice with most other platforms
It has a similar level of risk as PayPal
It’s geared toward sending money to friends instead of being designed for churches

Leave Venmo for paying a friend back for lunch and leave the church finances to software that’s actually made for churches.

The 7 Essentials for Church Giving Software

It’s not difficult to find an online giving platform for your church. But it can feel difficult to decide which one is best suited to support your unique ministry needs. Here are some essentials for your church’s giving software to get the conversation started:

1. Secure payment processing and data protection

2. A mobile-friendly, user-friendly design for your team and donors

3. Automated and customizable donation reminders and thank you messages

4. Efficient tracking of recurring donations and pledges

5. Reporting capabilities to analyze trends, growths, and results from online giving

6. Church-focused features, like donor management, recurring giving and giving statement generation

7. Integrates with your existing church software and tools

There’s a Better Giving Platform for Churches Than PayPal

Join the 14,000 churches that trust Pushpay, the best PayPal alternative, for all their technology needs. Pushpay Giving offers church-focused features like:

Donor Development Dashboard: Best-in-class donor development tools to identify stages within the giving journey and recommend next steps for each.
Recurring giving: An easy way for donors to automatically give and more accurately plan your church’s budget.
Experiences that delight: Engage donors with customizable thank you messages and giving statements to share the impact of their generosity.

Talk to one of our church tech experts today to learn how you can implement a world-class giving solution at your church.

At Pushpay, we believe mission-based organizations deserve great software. That’s why our team has developed the industry-leading technology for churches to manage their teams, simplify online giving, engage their communities, and ensure the success of their mission.

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How to Overcome Spiritual Apathy in Pastors

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:13:45 +0000

It’s a struggle for many pastors. They’ve dedicated their lives to serving the Church, yet they can find themselves in a season of apathy. It’s a troubling feeling that can leave them feeling lost and frustrated—unsure of how to break free from this cycle of disinterest. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With simple steps and support, pastors can break free from spiritual apathy and reclaim a joyful, faith-filled life again.

What is Spiritual Apathy?

Our daily choices reflect our spiritual attitude. An apathetic attitude occurs when someone is so worn out that they feel complacency or indifference toward their faith. As a result, they find themselves cold and indifferent about spiritual matters instead of passionate and on fire.

Apathy can easily arise without you even knowing it. It may start with thinking you’re too busy to make time for God. Then, you start drifting away from your relationships with God and others. Your spiritual practices fade from daily rhythms to occasional occurrences. Soon, “small things” build up to bigger issues than necessary. You start feeling empty inside and coasting through the day. You consistently default to the easy or lukewarm choice. And before you know it, you’ve drifted further and further away until you’ve reached a place of spiritual apathy, and eventually spiritual burnout.

Carey Nieuwhof wrote, “We live in a world where you can have five hundred friends and still feel isolated and abandoned. Solitude is a gift from God. Isolation is not—it’s a tool of the Enemy. As a culture, the more connected we’ve become, the more isolated we’ve grown. This is our strange twenty-first-century paradox: we’re connected to more people than ever before and we’ve never felt more alone.”

The good news is you don’t have to stay in a state of spiritual apathy. There are resources, strategies, and grace to reignite your passion and spiritual strength.

8 Signs of Spiritual Apathy

Is spiritual apathy creeping in? Here are some signs to look out for:

1. Disinterest in your spiritual practices.
2. Difficulty concentrating on the work you need to do as a pastor.
3. Decreasing your attendance at (or mentally checking out of) prayer meetings and Bible studies.
4. Unmotivated to reach out to others, lead new initiatives or share the Gospel when the opportunity arises.
5. An overall sense of burnout, exhaustion, emptiness, or depression.
6. Feeling disconnected from people around you and God.
7. A lack of energy to take care of yourself through rest, healthy eating, and exercise.
8. Struggling with thoughts that God is distant or unreachable.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Apathy is part of being human and living in a busy, demanding world. But now that we’ve found some warning signs of spiritual apathy, it’s time to learn how to find forgiveness in yourself and re-build your spiritual life.

7 Steps to Recover from Spiritual Apathy

What can you do when you’re struggling with spiritual apathy? Removing apathy requires action. Apathy is all about passive reactions. Flip apathy around by making active and intentional choices. Here are a few ways to take action and reclaim your spiritual joy.

1. Practice gratitude

Focus on the good around you, from your family to your ministry, to promises found throughout the Bible. Then thank God for them. By thanking God for his provisions, no matter how small they seem, you’ll restore perspective and reinvigorate your faith!

2. Ask for help

You shouldn’t, and don’t have to, struggle alone. Lean on close friends, family, and loved ones to help you get through your spiritual apathy. Ask them for help keeping you accountable for your goals towards spiritual growth, whether that’s reading your Bible or intentionally setting aside time to pray.

3. Connect with other pastors

Don’t be too proud or ashamed to ask for help when needed. Instead, seek out like-minded individuals who share your calling. Attend conferences or retreats geared towards spiritual growth, or join groups dedicated to encouraging one another.

4. Find fresh inspiration

Diversify the content you’re consuming. Watch a different preacher, open up a new book, grab a bible study you haven’t read in a while, or listen to a podcast. Exploring different resources can help reignite the passion lost during an apathetic season.

5. Create space

It’s important to make space for quiet reflection. Psalm 46:10 reminds us, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s crucial to step away from the hustle and bustle of your job and focus on resting in God’s presence. These quiet moments will provide clarity, refreshment, renewal, and a restored joy in ministry.

6. Stay organized

There are hundreds of tools designed to help pastors—from calendars to keep appointments organized to software that can automate some of your tasks. One of those essential tools for ministry is a church management system. An effective ChMS can help remove a lot of the stress of running a church, while reducing your risk of burnout or exhaustion. With the right tools and support, you can remove a lot of the stress of running a church and take the time back for your own spiritual health.

7. Don’t give up

If you’re feeling spiritual apathy, don’t give up hope! Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” God never gives up on us. He will always provide a way out. With his help, you can overcome any obstacle!

Get Support With Pushpay

Your faith journey is an ongoing process. It’s normal to waver, but what matters most is how you overcome obstacles along the way. Then, drawing on those experiences, you can foster and deepen discipleship within your team and congregation, as many members of your community have struggled with similar challenges.

Our church management software was developed to prevent spiritual apathy and streamline processes to free up your time to connect with others. We also have resources for effective church leadership training to help you grow stewardship.

We’d love to partner with your church so you can stay focused and invigorated to serve God and your church. Contact us today for a live demo to see how ChurchStaq can change your church experience through our comprehensive suite of tools.

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Preventing Spiritual Burnout for Pastors
Pastoral Burnout – Pete Briscoe
Can Technology Solve Church Staff Burnout?
8 Signs of Ministry Burnout & How To Prevent It
How ChurchStaq Can Help with Pastoral Burnout

Your Church’s Livestreaming Strategy Requires Intention

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:47:08 +0000

I never take for granted how privileged I am to use my experience and passion for digital video in a way that serves the Church.

As President of Resi Media, and now serving as Chief Ambassador for Pushpay, I’ve been blown away by the wide variety of clever streaming strategies that ministries execute. Some churches deliver a constant flow of fresh video content to their platforms; I’ve also witnessed massive engagement boosts achieved by leadership teams that commit solely to delivering live content, only available if you tune in at a designated time.

Seeing this growth and outside-the-box thinking makes me believe the future of the Church tech will be driven by the intentional ways leaders implement and generate community—with the significant caveat that, in this digital era, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to engagement.

LEARN MORE ABOUT RESI

Data-Driven Insights

Pushpay and Resi strive to lead from the front. We don’t simply provide digital solutions, but actively explore what technology churches need, both today and for the future.

Our annual State of Church Tech report is a big piece of that effort. This industry-leading study pinpoints the front-of-mind priorities and concerns of ministry leaders. This year, the survey included a question about where ministries are livestreaming their worship services. Unsurprisingly, 91% of churches that stream take advantage of social media, while less use embed codes on their website, event hosting platforms, and custom mobile app solutions.

But there was a complementary statistic that had my team bouncing with excitement: we also asked where churches plan to stream one year from now. Among all streaming churches, less than half intend to continue doing so on social media, while all other solutions will remain near their current level of usage.

Those figures, combined with other indicators throughout the report, signal that livestreaming won’t be abandoned by churches. Quite the contrary—streaming is a beloved and powerful tool for building the Kingdom. But leaders have realized they must refine their strategy, so that they can maximize engagement, connection, and belonging in their communities.

DOWNLOAD THE 2023 STATE OF CHURCH TECH REPORT

Controlling the User Experience

When churches direct their online users toward large video platforms—Youtube or Facebook, for example—they create a competition for attention. These sites, while simple and familiar to users, bombard viewers with status updates, recommendations, advertisements and more. Congregants may have initially tuned in to watch your sermon, but they may quickly be directed to other, more algorithm-friendly church content.

Or worse yet, they’ll click into a cat video. And who can compete with a cat video?

Many churches have recognized that, when hosting their content on large, generic social media services, their audience’s attention is being pulled in a hundred different directions. But if that same content lives on a personalized platform—say, a custom mobile app or dedicated website embed—they can control every aspect of the user experience.

Because of that dynamic, churches are actively adapting their approach to streaming. Which is a fantastic trend to see—but not the end of strategy refinement.

Communicating Direction and Intention

Since the founding of the Church, leaders have been trusted to deliver guidance to those they serve. This same mindset should apply to livestreaming. You should be intentionally leading your community toward how you want them to engage with your video content—and given the proven popularity of streaming (and digital engagement as a whole), that communication can’t be dismissed as an afterthought.

The first step is building a well-reasoned streaming strategy, tailored to the needs and goals of your ministry. For some churches, leaning into their already sprawling online community of faithful may be the trick. For others, the answer might be committing to an element of scarcity by only streaming live content on Sunday mornings. I’ve seen both tactics—and dozens of others—launch churches to new heights.

The common thread of those successes is always the emphasis leaders put into communicating intention. A well-thought-out digital engagement plan isn’t worth much if your community isn’t given direction. Share with them your vision, encourage them to be part of the journey, explain how important their participation in certain channels will be to your church’s success.

—if that last line sounded like how you emphasize engagement with your congregation for more traditional ministries… well, it was supposed to.

All that said, we never prescribe livestreaming strategies. Only your team can know what’s best for your community. What we work toward with our Resi livestreaming products, day in and day out, is creating dynamic streaming tools and features that can facilitate, elevate, and amplify the strategy you’ve decided is best for your church.

But if you’ve already begun developing a streaming plan that you believe might catapult your ministry to the next level, get in touch with our team. Together we’ll put the right tools in place to make your vision a reality.

DOWNLOAD THE 2023 STATE OF CHURCH TECH REPORT

Interested in more resources like this one? Check out these blogs!
Livestreaming Sermons 101
How to Livestream Without a Budget
The Defining Church Tech Trend of 2023
How to Fill Up Your Digital Church This Easter

7 Engaging Easter Fundraising Ideas for 2023

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:42:19 +0000

One of the most joyous and endearing qualities of church members is their desire to be generous. Leaders don’t have to “sell” to their communities; they already feel led to be generous through their faith.

That said, you should strive to encourage that spirit of giving, and provide ample opportunities and tools that facilitate generosity—especially around Easter. Your members and guests will be more engaged during the holidays, and will likely feel especially called to contribute to your ministry. How can you simplify processes and amplify that heightened drive to express generosity?

Technology is a powerful tool for increasing giving, and can be an especially potent asset for Easter fundraising. There are several ways you can leverage online giving for churches, digital communication, analytics, and other features to create an Easter holiday your community will never forget!

How to Elevate Old Easter Fundraising Ideas

Collecting monetary contributions to support ministry has always been a part of church. Finding ways to inspire giving is a necessary task for every ministry—but leaders in the digital era have access to powerful tech that can support those fundraising efforts. We have five Easter ideas for church growth and giving to help you plan for the upcoming spring fundraising.

No one’s saying tech necessarily needs to replace the tried-and-true practices your ministry’s always relied on, but technology can complement and elevate those traditional efforts, especially around Easter holiday.

Online Communication

You’ve probably got a great program of Easter festivities lined up for your community. Some events are likely grounded in the traditions of your ministry, while others might be new ideas to inject excitement into the holiday. Common fundraiser events include an Easter raffle for thoughtful baskets made by your ministry, or a bake sale led by the youth group. But all your efforts won’t matter much if no one knows what you have in store for them!

As opposed to word-of-mouth and physical invites, create awareness of your Easter program with digital tools. Church management software can streamline this process, helping you connect with your congregation through email, text, mobile notifications and more—and when you do reach out, don’t be bashful about directing them toward your online giving solutions.

Check-In Features

One of the most exciting parts of Easter is seeing all those new faces come through your front door. Guests and visitors who may not consistently engage in church life often feel inspired to participate during the holidays, so don’t miss this opportunity to collect their information.

Ensuring your church welcome team is ready to sign in guests online, encourage app downloads, and direct visitors towards digital engagement touchpoints not only elevates guests’ experience on Easter Sunday, but it creates a means of engagement for the future. Say a family would love to financially contribute on Easter, but can’t afford a donation at the moment; if you have their contact information, you can follow up later in the year, and they’ll appreciate the reminder to give once they’re able.

How to Use Digital Solutions for Your Easter Fundraiser

Alright, so you’ve got the community excited about your Easter celebrations—now what? No matter how inspired a guest or member is to donate toward your ministry, they can’t do so unless they’re directed to the appropriate channel. Church technology can improve your Easter Sunday engagement and spearhead growth throughout the year.

QR Codes

Ten years ago, being asked to use your phone to scan a barcode would feel odd—but not anymore! QR codes are so mainstream that they’ve become second-nature for the public. Anyone who sees a QR code instinctively knows to give it a quick scan, and they expect their phone to connect them with the content they’re looking for.

Through Pushpay’s tech suite, you can generate QR codes that throw to several different options. You can prompt users to give, download your custom church app, or direct them toward other options that will fuel engagement for your ministry. Make sure those QR codes are prominently posted throughout your church!

Streamlined Digital Giving

Easter always sparks a wave of generosity in communities. But these days, very few people have cash in their wallets; everyone’s become accustomed to the convenience of paying with cards or through their phones.

TAKE A TOUR OF PUSHPAY’S GIVING PLATFORM

Not to worry: church tech is keeping up with the latest trends. An online giving platform will not only be desired, but expected by visitors to your Easter service. Make sure you’ve trained greeters and staff how to direct guests to your online giving platform (again, QR codes are a lifesaver!) so that no one who feels called to give loses that inspiration while struggling to understand your system.

Promote Recurring Giving

It’s well-documented that recurring giving generates significantly more generosity for churches through the year. Many of your congregants’ regular bills are already set to autopay—why not add church donations to that list?

Recurring giving is a win-win for churches and members alike. Not only will your ministry enjoy more giving, but the regularity of those scheduled contributions—which you can track through church donation software—allows your accounting team to more accurately forecast your budget for the future. What’s more, church members overwhelmingly appreciate this feature, as it takes one more responsibility off their plate.

Easter is a critical moment for promoting recurring giving. Guests and members who feel led to show generosity should be reminded about this powerful, easy method of giving. Don’t be shy about explaining why recurring giving is great for both your ministry and givers!

Create Interactive Digital Experiences

We’re living through a moment of evolution for churches. Technology has never been more embraced and appreciated by ministries—yet there remains a contingent of leaders that haven’t fully embraced the concept of digital solutions complementing in-person experiences.

Often, that sentiment is based on the lacking sense of direct connection. Because church members aren’t engaging from the pew, they must not be truly connecting. But interacting through tech isn’t just powerful—it’s how many people choose to engage with the world as a whole.

Embrace Social Media

Who isn’t checking their social media feeds multiple times a day? It’s easy to tease and deride younger generations for being glued to their screens—but instead of making jokes, why not engage that audience where their attention already lives?

Develop a plan for reaching your community this Easter through social media. Make sure you’re highlighting the events and services your ministry is hosting, and encourage your members to share posts on their own social media channels to spread the word to people who might not have their Easter plans locked yet. You can share photo and video content that showcases the tone and energy guests can expect when they decide to get involved, or announce a fundraising goal for the holiday that gives the community a tangible figure to work toward!

Connect With Those Who Can’t Attend Service

No matter how effective and engaging your Easter outreach is, some community members will inevitably be unable to participate in-person. Health issues, vacations, and a dozen other unavoidable scenarios will keep some people away.

Tech solutions are especially valuable in keeping those people involved in the life of your church. Livestreaming your Easter services is a great way to connect with those who wish they could attend in-person—and remember to remind viewers to give through your mobile app.

Planning for Easter is always a monumental undertaking. It’s easy for leaders, staff, and volunteers to feel the effects of burnout in the lead up to this major holiday. Whenever you recognize the signs in a team member—or in yourself—make sure to remind everyone of the tremendous amount of engagement and generosity their hard work is sure to create.

DOWNLOAD THE BEST HYBRID EASTER EBOOK

And remember, our passionate team of Pushpay experts is always available if you feel a change to your church’s tech suite might elevate your ministry. Schedule a one-on-one demo, or take a self-guided product tour to see how our latest and greatest features can support your Easter program.

Interested in resources like this one? Check out these blogs!
How to Fill Up Your Digital Church This Easter
4 Ways Church Tech Can Improve Easter
5 Ways to Retain Easter Guests

20 Resources for Effective Church Leadership Training

jonathan.louvis@pushpay.com — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:33:57 +0000

Leadership is more than just influence. It’s about building up those around you and equipping leaders to succeed in their ministry areas. Whether you are a new leader or have been leading for years, there are always opportunities to grow and improve. Today, there’s an abundance of leadership training resources available—including many free ones—from some of the most influential ministry leaders out there.

It’s time to level up your church leadership! In this blog post, we’ll cover a collection of training materials focused on leadership development, from podcasts to coaching, to help church leaders gain the skills and confidence they need for their calling.

What does effective church leadership look like?

Wondering what makes a great church leader? Let’s break it down: effective church leaders need to communicate effectively, share their vision for the church,address the needs and concerns of their congregation and have an intentional plan for leading their church.

Part of that plan should include financial planning for their ministry. But sticking to free resources for developing leaders in your church may be tempting—after all, you have access to millions of free blogs, podcasts, and videos on church leadership. But this is a vital process and should be a line item in your church budget! Investing in quality Christian leadership training and development is key to creating a thriving church community. That’s why we’d encourage you to set aside some budget for this purpose right from the start. When done right, the ROI will be worth it. You’ll see improved morale, better communication, and, ultimately, growth in your church community.

What is the purpose of church leadership?

The church leadership team is an essential part of your church community. They help foster meaningful relationships and growth among a church’s members and provide essential guidance and structure that keep their congregation connected and focused on serving God.

Pastors and Christian leaders must have vision, courage, and wisdom to make decisions that align with the church’s mission. They also need patience and discernment to know when to lead from behind and when it’s time to act. With their role in guiding the congregation towards godliness, good leaders provide an example for others to follow—becoming responsible for themselves and extending care to those around them.

Strong leadership can create a culture of trust among members; people know they can count on their leaders for spiritual direction and emotional support. Members feel their faith is valued by having someone who understands their struggles and needs—someone who listens generously, prays faithfully, and advises wisely. When there’s trust between leader and follower, it creates an environment where learning can flourish, and churches can grow spiritually.

At its core, church leadership inspires fellow believers through example rather than simply maintaining order or presenting details. By being accessible yet authoritative, compassionate yet decisive, and wise without being arrogant, true leadership leads a church community in grace-filled ways. This passionate stewardship builds unity among those within the church walls, extending outwards into their local communities with great impact!

How do you build church leadership?

A church can achieve great things when the people in leadership are committed to the cause and devoted to making a positive impact. But how do you recognize a potential leader and build their leadership skills within your church?

Building church leadership begins with assessing the church’s current state of leadership and examining its mission, vision, and values to see if they align with its objectives and desired culture.

After assessing the church’s current leadership, church leaders can set clear goals and objectives for building leadership within your church. Then, decide how to best develop church leaders using the assessment as your guide. This could involve investing in professional leadership trainings like books, blogs, and coaching. We’ll cover some of the best resources later in this post.

As you make these changes to build up your leadership team, encourage communication between all levels of your team. This helps keep everyone on track toward achieving their goals while allowing creativity and innovation from each party involved with the project at hand!

By following these steps and understanding that developing strong leaders takes time—not just effort—you can cultivate an environment that encourages growth and creativity and ultimately leads to success! Develop leaders strategically within your church, and be intentional about helping them grow.

download the ultimate guide to church engagement ebook

Types of Leadership Training Materials for Churches

Navigating leadership training resources in 2023 can be overwhelming. With so many options, it’s hard to know where to begin! But don’t worry–whether you’re looking for something to foster spiritual growth, increase engagement, or create a positive atmosphere within your church, there’s an abundance of free resources available. From podcasts and videos to assessments and books, these are some of the top picks from today’s most effective ministry leaders:

Blogs

There are a lot of leadership blogs out there, especially in the church world. From experienced pastors to cutting-edge strategists, there’s something for everyone. And best of all? They’re just a few clicks away!

Open Network from Life.Church: Life.Church has a hub of resources to equip and inspire church leaders. Drawing from more than two decades of ministry, their team knows which tools you’ll need to succeed and grow.

The Harvard Business Review: The longstanding and reliable magazine offers insight for effectively managing people and organizations. It offers a range of wisdom from the business world, giving you a different perspective than inside the Church.

The Unstuck Group: Tony Morgan and The Unstuck Group share blogs full of practical advice on creating multisite churches, volunteer development, and breaking growth barriers.

The Pushpay Blog: Okay, okay, we’re biased, but our blogs are written with pastors and church leaders just like you in mind, with insights from pastors, thought leaders, and Pushpay team members. You’ll find helpful advice for every step of your church leadership journey here.

Books

Crack open a book (or two)! Whether you prefer physical copies with the classic ink and paper, scrolling through eBook pages, or listening to the audio version, plenty of books are out there to help you grow. From classics to modern bestsellers, you’ll be sure to discover something new and valuable that can help you grow as a leader.

The Servant Leader by James Autry: James reveals the servant leader’s tools, skills, and ideals that’ll transform how business is done. By following his method, readers are able to create a stronger church, and a more meaningful life.

The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren: Rick’s book lays out a five step plan for leaders to achieve their God-given purposes and build a thriving church: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. He also shares how those five steps can create a healthy church culture and ensure lasting growth. Rick writes, “If you will concentrate on building people, God will build the church.”

Start with Why by Simon Sinek: This book shows that the leaders who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way; it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. It all starts with why.

The Resilient Pastor, by Glenn Packiam: Drawing on research from the Barna Group, Glenn reflects on wisdom from the Scripture and church history to discuss how to lead in these modern times, with so many changes happening in culture and Christianity.

The Way of the Warrior, by Erwin Raphael McManus: Erwin McManus inspires readers of this book to find inspiration and strength to become fierce faith warriors. By digging into Biblical stories, his teachings arm readers with the strength and courage to battle life’s challenges head-on.

YouTube

With thousands of free videos, you can learn more about leading your church, exploring new ideas, and staying up to date with the latest trends in ministry. So whether you’re looking for a crash course or an in-depth analysis, YouTube has it all!

TED Talks: The TED Talks YouTube channel has over 200 talks from TED Conferences. From talks on tech to leadership, you’ll find plenty of inspiring leadership insights.

Maxwell Leadership: The YouTube channel helps grow leaders worldwide with practical leadership principles.

Podcasts

Whether you want to learn more about church leadership topics, gain insight into ministry, or get tips and strategies for conflict resolution — there’s a podcast for that! Here are some of our favorite podcasts for growing leaders. Tune in and join the conversation with some of the leading experts.

Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast: William Vanderbloemen brings together his years of ministry experience and business experience for a podcast full of advice on church staffing, leadership, and team-building to help you bolster your church leaders and build a strong team.

Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: Hosted by church consultant and coach Carey Nieuwhof, this podcast offers insight from people who lead extraordinarily well—like Seth Godin, Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, Craig Groeschel, and Francis Chan. The episodes cover a range of topics designed for leaders, from conflict resolution to the latest modern church trends.

Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast: Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church and author, uses his podcast and guests to empower listeners to grow personally and grow their church.

Pushpay’s Moving Mountains Podcast: Hosted by church technology solutions company Pushpay, each podcast episode is real talk from church leaders about overcoming challenges and growing their ministries, covering topics like technology tips and growth strategies.

Coaching and Courses

Coaches offer invaluable wisdom and guidance to help you build your strengths and tackle challenges as a church leader. Whether it’s in one-on-one sessions or a course, a coach can offer fresh perspectives to objectively evaluate your current situation, giving you tailored solutions.

Pete Briscoe: After pastoring a megachurch for over 30 years, Pete Briscoe now pours into other pastors and leaders, helping them sharpen their skills, fix common mistakes, and create a path forward.

Church Fuel: This professional development community helps church leaders strengthen the daily business of their church and embrace the roots of your calling. They have a collection of courses and coaching that leaders can put to use right away.

Assessments

Personality assessments help leaders gain insight into their leadership style and the personalities of those they lead. With this knowledge, leaders can more effectively bring out the best in everyone and maximize productivity and collaboration.

StrengthsFinder: The StrengthsFinder test reveals an individual’s five greatest strengths, which can be used to maximize church productivity and leadership. It can help church leaders identify their strengths and those of their staff.

Leadership360: Leadership 360 is a church leader assessment tool that helps church leaders improve by providing feedback from church staff, church members, and other church leaders. It provides an in-depth look at church leadership through self-assessment, church leader assessment, and church member feedback.

Build strong leadership with Pushpay

Leadership is key for any organization to succeed, including churches. From leading services to team-building and fundraising, strong leadership provides a foundation for a strong and vibrant church. Pushpay is proud to provide an all-in-one church management software designed specifically with the needs of church leaders in mind.

With comprehensive data tracking, resources, and analytics, ChurchStaq makes it easier for leaders to engage with their community and equips leaders with the tools they need to build a thriving ministry. Tour our digital product suite today and discover why it’s the simplest solution for leaders looking to know, grow, and keep their people.

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How To Reevaluate Your Church’s Tech Toolkit
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