I remember when I got my first mobile phone. It was the fall of 1996 and I was living with my wife in Austin, Texas. I had gone to the mall to buy some jeans and came across a kiosk for Sprint. They were offering “free” cell phones when you signed a two-year agreement.
It was a Nokia 2160 and by today’s standards it was heavy, ugly, and had limited functionality. But it was mine. And it was glorious. It could do everything I needed it to. I could call my friends and family whenever and wherever I was. It was the dawn of a new era. And it was only the beginning…
Today, people are connected to everything and everyone 24/7 via smartphones. Recent statistics reveal how mobile Internet access has become integral to our lives today:
- More than 50 percent of smartphone users immediately pick up their smartphones when they wake up
- By 2018, 8 in 10 email users will likely access their email accounts exclusively from their mobile devices
- Within two years, there will be more than 3 billion smartphones in use
The mass adoption of smartphones has transformed how people shop, get their news, and communicate. And it can transform your ministry too.
How Mobile Technology Can Enhance Your Ministry
We’re now living in a mobile-first world. So two key questions for today’s ministries are:
- How can your church leverage mobile technology to better equip your staff and lay leaders?
- How can mobile tech help your church stay better connected and build stronger relationships with congregation members?
Here are four examples of ways mobile technology can help churches accomplish these goals:
- Check-ins for small group leaders – Mobile technology can be used to help you keep more accurate track of who’s showing up for small group events.
- Task management for ministry/discipleship – You can use mobile tech to assign specific outreach tasks to members of your leadership team.
- Sermons on the go – If someone can’t make it on Sunday, they can still listen (or re-listen) to your sermon right from their phone.
- Mobile giving – Congregation members can make gifts to your church in the most convenient way possible.
Moving Forward with a Mobile-Friendly Ministry
In today’s world, mobile devices are where we turn for everything from paying bills to buying clothes to watching movies to connecting with friends. It’s where people are looking and how they are connecting.
That’s why it’s essential for today’s churches to have a mobile presence. You want to be where your congregation members are. As technology continues to become more pervasive in our culture, it is important that we, the Church, leverage it in creative ways to spread the Gospel… for such a time as this.
Learn more about how mobile technology can benefit your church. Download “5 Ways That Mobile Tech Can Transform Your Ministry” now.
Whew! There is nothing like ‘VBS tired’. Whether you have 30, 300, or 3,000 in your Vacation Bible School, workers get tired…really tired. It is a bone-aching tired. However, it comes with a huge plus – knowledge that you had a chance to have a positive impact in the life of a child. Makes it all worth it, doesn’t it?
This report is not just showing those that have passed away during the current month and year. It is a report that finds everyone in your database that has a deceased date with the current month – for all years. It it for a specific type of ministry.
