Prayer is one of the most sacred and intimate acts of faith—a direct line of communication with God. Prayer is where hearts are poured out, burdens are lifted, spiritual battles are waged, and healing is delivered. As pastors, fostering a culture of prayer in your church is a high calling. Yet, in a world increasingly driven by technology, it can feel like the sacredness of prayer might be at odds with the optimization and reach offered by digital tools.
The good news is that technology does not have to diminish the power or intimacy of prayer. In fact, it can enhance and expand it, enabling your church to engage more people and nurture deeper connections with God. Let’s explore how churches can balance the intimacy of prayer with the efficiency of technology to create a vibrant, prayerful community that reaches the lost and empowers the faithful.
The Intimacy of Prayer in a Tech-Saturated World
Prayer is deeply personal, whether it’s whispered in solitude or shared in a circle of believers. This intimacy is essential for cultivating a thriving prayer culture in your church. As technology continues to transform how we connect, some may fear that it will strip prayer of its personal nature. However, when used thoughtfully, technology can draw people closer to God and one another.
A culture of prayer starts with intentionality. Encourage members to prioritize quiet time with God, free from distractions. Equip them to see prayer not as a task to check off but as a relational rhythm to their day. While technology can facilitate prayer, the heart of prayer must remain anchored in reverence and authenticity.
Technology as a Catalyst for a Culture of Prayer
Technology can serve as a powerful tool to encourage and sustain prayer. Here are some innovative ways churches are leveraging digital tools to deepen their prayer culture:
1. Prayer Apps and Notifications
Mobile apps like PrayerMate, Lectio 365, and custom church apps like The TouchPoint App offer members an easy way to keep track of prayer requests, set reminders to pray, and share updates on answered prayers. These tools bring prayer into the rhythm of daily life, nudging members to pause and pray no matter where they are.
2. Digital Prayer Walls
Many churches are using online platforms to create prayer walls where members can submit requests, share praises, and commit to praying for one another. This fosters a sense of community and accountability, even among members who may not attend in person regularly.
3. Virtual Prayer Meetings
Technology enables churches to host prayer meetings via Zoom or other video conferencing tools. This is particularly valuable for members who cannot attend in-person gatherings. These virtual meetings create a space for believers to connect across distances while sharing the sacred act of corporate prayer.
4. Social Media and Live Streaming
Social media platforms can amplify the call to prayer, whether through a live-streamed prayer event, daily prayer prompts, or testimonies of answered prayers. These efforts can engage both church members and those outside your community, inviting them into the practice of prayer.
Reaching the Lost Through Prayer-Focused Technology
Prayer is a powerful evangelistic tool. When combined with technology, it can break down barriers and invite seekers into a relationship with Christ. Here are some ways to extend prayer’s reach:
1. Accessibility for All
A robust digital prayer strategy ensures that anyone, anywhere, can engage in prayer with your church. An online prayer wall or app provides an open door for people who may not feel comfortable attending in-person services but are seeking spiritual connection.
2. Testimonies and Stories
Sharing stories of answered prayers through videos, blogs, or social media posts can inspire both believers and non-believers. These testimonies showcase God’s faithfulness and invite others to experience His power through prayer.
3. Outreach and Follow-Up
When prayer requests are submitted online, your team has an opportunity to follow up, offering further support, encouragement, and an invitation to join your church community. This personal touch can make a lasting impact on those exploring faith.
Guardrails for Technology in Prayer
As helpful as technology is, it’s essential to use it wisely and intentionally. Here are some principles to keep in mind:
- Prioritize Personal Connection: While digital tools can enhance prayer, they should never replace face-to-face interactions and personal discipleship.
- Maintain Privacy and Sensitivity: Ensure that online prayer requests are handled with care, protecting the privacy of individuals who may share sensitive information. Giving people an avenue to submit anonymous prayer requests removes any potential barriers to receiving prayer.
- Keep Prayer God-Centered: Resist the temptation to make prayer about metrics or engagement numbers. Technology is a tool, not the focus.
Prayer as the Heartbeat of Revival
Revival begins with prayer. As pastors, you have the unique privilege of leading your church in a way that marries the timeless power of prayer with the possibilities of modern technology. By doing so, you can inspire a culture of prayer that not only strengthens your church family but also reaches the lost with the hope and love of Jesus.
Embrace technology as a tool to magnify the reach and impact of prayer while always safeguarding its sacredness. In doing so, you’ll equip your congregation to connect deeply with God and each other, creating a legacy of faith that transforms lives for generations to come.
Would you like to learn more about how TouchPoint Software is elevating a culture of prayer and leveraging technology for The Kingdom? Explore our full Church Management Software Platform during a free 1 hour over Zoom.
If you are familiar with TouchPoint registrations, you’re probably well-versed in setting limits on questions. This is a great way to ensure that registrants don’t sign up for more of any particular option than you have available. This question type is perfect for inventory control!
A less-commonly used question type, the Menu, allows you to set limits more granularly — per registrant. This allows you to ensure that everyone who wants to purchase or participate in said option is able to. It’s a great way for sharing the love!
Check out this TouchPointer to learn more about using the Menu question type with limits.
Ready To Make The Most Of TouchPoint?
This tip is just one way to make your church software work smarter for you. Our consulting team can help you discover more ways to optimize systems, streamline processes, and boost community involvement. If you’d like to explore additional TouchPoint features to enhance your church’s digital experience, reach out to us at [email protected].
Ready to share the love with your next registration form? Watch the video to see this TouchPointer tip in action, and learn how to make registrations even easier with TouchPoint!
Watch more TouchPointer videos!
We are incredibly excited to introduce you to TouchPoint Software’s new and improved Registration Form. These enhancements are designed to make your church’s registration process smoother, more intuitive, and more efficient. This update is scheduled for release on Wednesday night, August 28.
What’s New?
Quick Sign In
Forget remembering long passwords. Now, all you need is your phone number to quickly sign in, simplifying the registration process for everyone.
Conditional Logic
Enhance your registration forms with conditional logic. Guide registrants through a series of questions that appear based on their previous answers, creating a streamlined, choose-your-own-adventure experience.
Question Level Add to Involvement
You can now automatically add people to specific Registration Form Involvements based on their answers to certain questions, ensuring they are immediately connected to the right activities.
Question Level Add to Meeting
Similarly, you can add individuals to guest lists for upcoming meetings directly from their responses, making organization effortless.
Easy to Find Registration Link
Access and copy the Registration Link directly from the Registration Tab without any hassle.
Drag & Drop Question Ordering
Reordering questions is now a breeze with the drag-and-drop feature, allowing you to customize your forms quickly.
Standardized Shirt Sizes and Medications
Standardizing t-shirt sizes and medications in your Lookup Codes means less manual entry. Registrants’ sizes and medications will auto-populate for future registrations, making the process quicker and more accurate.
Customizable Notification Email
Notify everyone who needs to know about new registrations instantly and include any necessary custom messages.
Kiosk Mode
Enable registrations on a shared tablet in communal spaces with ease.
Access Code
Keep registrations closed while still allowing individual entries with access codes. Perfect for last-minute additions without reopening the registration to everyone.
Important Notes
- Disabling One Page Forms
We will disable the creation of additional One Page Forms at the end of August 2024 as our new Registration Forms will replace them. Existing One Page Forms will still be usable and searchable. - Legacy Registration Types
Our goal is for the new Registration Forms to eventually replace all other registration types. For any new registrations you create, we recommend trying a Registration Form instead of a Join Involvement, User Selects, or Compute By Birthdate registration. If you would like us to disable the creation of any new legacy registration types, contact Support, and they can disable them for your church’s database.
The special purpose registration types, such as Record Family Attendance and Mission Trips, will be replaced in a future update of Registration Forms. - Shell Modifications
If you have created a custom registration shell or modified any existing shells, make sure the CSS is in the body, rather than the header. Check out the Standard Shells for Online Registrations help article for examples that will work correctly. - Future Updates
More Registration Form features are coming later this year, including a tool to convert existing registrations into the new format without losing any history.
Documentation and training videos will be available next week!
Mark your calendars for this Thursday! Time is running out to secure your spot for our “Christmas in July” webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST. Join us and discover invaluable tips on how to use your church management software for efficient Christmas planning.
Webinar Details:
- Date and Time: July 25th, 2 PM CST
- Speakers: Cody Binder and Sarah Cavanaugh from TouchPoint Software
- Key Topics: Utilizing your Church Management Software for Christmas Planning
Key Strategies for Christmas Planning:
- Using Involvements
- Checklists
- Volunteer Sign-Ups and Schedulers
- Marketing
- Mobile App
- Other Creative Ways to Use Your Church Software This Season
Register Today!
Get a head start on your Christmas planning! Join our “Christmas In July” webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST and learn from the experts. Register Now!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Visit our Webinar Page to see the latest information on our upcoming webinar!
It’s never too early to start preparing for Christmas, especially when it comes to managing the various aspects of church activities. Join us for our upcoming “Christmas in July” webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST. This webinar is designed to help church leaders and staff use their church management software effectively to streamline their holiday planning.
Webinar Details:
- Date and Time: July 25th, 2 PM CST
- Speakers: Cody Binder and Sarah Cavanaugh from TouchPoint Software
- Key Topics: Utilizing your Church Management Software for Christmas planning
Key Strategies for Christmas Planning:
- Using Involvements
- Checklists
- Volunteer Sign-Ups and Schedulers
- Marketing
- Mobile App
Other Creative Ways to Use Your Church Software This Christmas Season:
- Event Registration: Simplify the process for churchgoers to sign up for special Christmas events and services.
- Communication Tools: Automate emails and text messages to keep everyone informed about upcoming events and important dates.
- Resource Management: Track all your Christmas resources, from decorations to service materials, and ensure everything is accounted for.
- Attendance Tracking: Monitor attendance at Christmas events to understand engagement and plan for future events more effectively.
- Donations and Fundraising: Set up and manage Christmas-specific fundraising campaigns, making it easy for congregants to contribute.
Why Start Now?
Planning for Christmas can be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. By starting early and utilizing the tools available in your church management software, you can make the process enjoyable for your staff and ensure nothing is left to the last minute.
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is perfect for church leaders, administration staff, communications teams, production crews, and worship leaders. Whether you’re already using church database software or looking for ways to improve your Christmas setup, this session is for you.
Register Today!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get a head start on your Christmas planning. Join our Zoom webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST and learn from the experts. Register Now!
Not Yet A Part Of The TouchPoint Family?
Schedule a free demo from one of our friendly team members, schedule a demo!
Missed Last Month’s Webinar?
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Hey TouchPoint Friends,
This is a reminder about our roundtable event tomorrow, July 16th, at 2 p.m. We are excited to have a community discussion about summer reset strategies and getting ready for Fall. Whether you are working with small groups, planning kids’ graduations, or organizing events, we have some great ideas to share on utilizing your church software to make a great transition into this next busy season!
Join Us Tomorrow
Our hosts, Andrew and Sarah, will kick things off at 2 PM on July 16th. This roundtable is a great chance to sync up and ensure we are all set for the upcoming seasons. Your insights are valuable; we cannot wait to hear your thoughts. Let’s make this a productive and fun session together.
Reminder For Our Christmas in July Webinar
Also, mark your calendars for our Christmas on July 25th at 2 PM. We will discuss some exciting strategies for getting the most out of your Christmas season planning and execution.
Looking forward to catching up tomorrow at 2 PM for our roundtable!
But first, our raffle winner! Thank you so much to everyone who has registered for Summit so far! We have hit OVER 200 registrants! This is going to be an event for the TouchPoint record books! Find out who won the iPad by watching the video Hayley and Janice put together. Thank you to all our partner churches for being so amazing!
Check out the replay of our latest webinar, where Chris Dolan and Hayley Whitworth introduce exciting new features in TouchPoint Software. From mobile app enhancements and finance updates to registration improvements and future developments, this session is packed with valuable information for better church management. Don’t miss the heartfelt farewell from Chris and the introduction of our new Head of Product, Cody Binder. Watch now to stay informed and ensure your church benefits from the latest updates.
Join us tomorrow, June 27th, at 2 PM CST for our Q2 New Features Webinar, hosted by Chris Dolan and Hayley Whitworth. This informative session will cover the latest updates, including new church mobile app features, finance changes, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and enhance your church operations with our latest tools and strategies. Plus, we’ll be giving a special send-off to Chris Dolan as he concludes his time at TouchPoint Software.
Register now to ensure you don’t miss out on these exciting updates!
Hi, friends!
Summit is fast approaching! This year’s event will take place from Tuesday, September 17th through Thursday, September 19th in beautiful Alabama, and it’s shaping up to be our most exciting Summit yet.
This year’s event will be packed with insightful sessions, networking opportunities, and plenty of inspiration. Whether you’re a first-time attendee or a Summit veteran, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
But that’s not all! We are excited to share that we have already surpassed last year’s registration numbers and are on the brink of a major milestone! To make it even more exciting, we’re introducing two fun giveaways:
1. We only need four more people to register to hit 200 participants before July 1st! The 200th person who registers will win a stylish pair of Goodr Sunglasses, perfect for enjoying the Alabama sunshine during Summit! So, don’t wait—register now to secure your spot and possibly become our special 200th registrant.
2. Interested in refreshing one of your Check-In kiosks? On July 1st we will do a drawing to give away a 10th Generation iPad! Everyone who is registered before July 1st will be entered to win!
Summit is not just an event; it’s an opportunity to connect with fellow church partners, share best practices, and grow together. We can’t wait to celebrate this achievement with you and make this Summit an unforgettable experience.
Ready to join us? Head over to summit.touchpointsoftware.com to learn more and register today! Remember, only four spots are left to hit our milestone, so hurry for your chance to win those fantastic Goodr Sunglasses and to get your name added to the
We look forward to seeing you in Alabama this September!
Blessings,
In our March New Features Webinar, we discussed the new Translations feature available in TouchPoint. The initial release included the ability to translate English word/phrases and the groundwork to add new languages. We are excited to announce that our recent update enabled Spanish translations!
Users can switch languages in TouchPoint by clicking on the Earth icon in the top right of the menu bar and then selecting English or Spanish from the Available Languages section.
To modify any of the translations, an Admin can navigate to Admin > Advanced > Translations and make any necessary changes.
More languages will be added in the near future. If you have requests for specific languages, please let us know!
In 2022, we introduced several Grade and Promotion updates to better serve our partner churches. Here’s a summary of the key changes and how they can benefit your church:
New Grade Level Dropdown
We’ve added a Grade Level dropdown in Involvement and people records. This feature includes standard grade levels and allows you to add custom levels using Lookup Codes. To enable new levels, simply change the setting named Allow New Grade Levels (Admin > Advanced > Settings > System > Administration) to True. Reports that include Grade have also been updated to reflect this new Grade field.
Automatic Grade Promotion
We introduced a new admin setting called Grade Update Date. This setting automatically promotes each child’s Grade Level annually. The default promotion date is set to July 1st, but you can customize it to match your church’s annual promotion schedule. Note: If you select a date prior to today, the promotion will be skipped for this year.
Legacy Grade Field
Another new admin setting, Hide Grade Legacy, allows you to hide the legacy Grade field once it’s no longer needed. Please note that we will disable the legacy Grade field for all partner churches in July 2024 if it hasn’t been done already.
As you prepare for Vacation Bible School and other summer and fall registrations, please keep the following in mind:
- Check Your Grade Update Date: Ensure this setting aligns with your church’s promotion timeline.
- Consider Registration Timing: When including the Grade question in an Involvement, consider the timing of registration versus when the Grade will be automatically updated. For example, if a registrant states they will be in 11th grade in the fall and the update happens after, they may be promoted twice.
- Adding New Members: When adding new members to your database and then to a Main Fellowship Involvement with a Grade populated on the Settings > General tab, this Grade will be added to their record. However, it won’t affect existing records with a Grade.
For more detailed information, please refer to these help articles:
Grade Field
Grade
Administrative Settings
We are honored to partner with remarkable leaders who inspire and guide their congregations with unwavering faith. Today, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Pastor Clint Pressley and Dr. D.J. Horton on their recent elections to significant leadership roles within the Southern Baptist Convention. These prestigious positions are a testament to their dedication, vision, and impact on the community.
Pastor Clint Pressley: Southern Baptist Convention President
Pastor Clint Pressley, Senior Pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). This role, one of the highest honors within the SBC, signifies his commitment and leadership in guiding one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States. Pressley’s election, following a second runoff at the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis, highlights his peers’ trust in his ability to lead.
Under Pastor Pressley’s guidance, Hickory Grove Baptist Church has grown significantly, known for its strong emphasis on biblical teaching and community outreach. His leadership extends beyond his local congregation, impacting broader church policies and direction. As President, Pastor Pressley will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the SBC, addressing contemporary issues, and fostering unity among the diverse congregations within the convention.
Dr. D.J. Horton: 2025 Pastors’ Conference President
Dr. D.J. Horton, Senior Pastor of The Church at The Mill in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has been elected as the 2025 SBC Pastors’ Conference President. This role involves planning and leading the annual Pastors’ Conference, an event that provides spiritual renewal and professional development for pastors across the nation. Dr. Horton’s election follows a competitive runoff and underscores his peers’ respect and admiration for his leadership and vision.
Dr. Horton’s tenure at The Church at The Mill has been marked by remarkable growth and expansion, transforming the congregation from 600 members to over 4,000 across multiple campuses. His commitment to biblical exposition and pastoral care has left a lasting impact on his community. Additionally, his involvement in various leadership roles within the SBC, including the South Carolina Sexual Abuse Task Force and trustee positions at theological seminaries, demonstrates his dedication to the broader mission of the church.
Partnering for God’s Kingdom
At TouchPoint Software, we are immensely proud to support Pastor Clint Pressley, Dr. D.J. Horton, and their respective churches. Their leadership and commitment to spreading God’s word are inspiring, and we are honored to partner with them in extending God’s kingdom. Congratulations once again to these outstanding pastors on their well-deserved achievements.
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