By Troy Pollock
COVID-19 has forced churches across the nation to transition to a digital-first strategy to engage their congregations. However, in meeting with some of today’s leading churches and discussing the implementation of technology, one of the biggest pain points they communicate is the lack of seamless integration between their systems and tools.
In fact, recent research from the Barna Group found that 44 percent of pastors are struggling to figure out a hybrid church model, and that 26 percent of pastors feel that digital evangelism poses a challenge.
At first, it can be a challenge to integrate new technology into our day-to-day lives. I’ll admit, I’ve felt this at home as well. Between an Eco, Nest, Ring, smart plugs — and more — managing our home technology seemed like a struggle, and quite honestly not worth it.
How do we control each device? Where does our digital shopping list live? How many apps do we need on our phones? And who’s responsible for the furnace turning on a 2 am?
We finally had to dive in, commit to a solution, and figure out a plan that worked best for us. The result has been more time savings, less stress, and a seamless experience to help manage our day-to-day.
Now, back to how this applies to the Church
As many know, Pushpay recently acquired Church Community Builder with a vision to deliver a world-class engagement solution unlike anything else available today. We started the journey this spring as we launched the first series of integrated features to help streamline the experience between our ChMS and giving solutions.
As we continue to integrate more closely, we know that our solutions truly are better together and are already having a positive impact on the churches we partner with — and we have the data to prove it. In fact, recent research of joint Pushpay and Church Community Builder customers shows that when combining solutions, churches have, on average, 65 percent more digital givers compared to those not using Pushpay with their ChMS. Additionally, churches with Pushpay receive an average of 12 percent more in total dollars given annually to their church, compared to those not using Pushpay with their ChMS.**
Building on the momentum, in September, Pushpay launched a sweeping update of new features and products, including an integration with Sage Intacct, as well as the launch of ChurchStaq, a new end-to-end software solution to help churches streamline operations and strengthen relationships with congregants.
We’re just beginning to tap into the potential of being a fully-integrated solution, but here’s what you need to know today:
What is ChurchStaq?
ChurchStaq is an all-in-one software solution that equips churches of all sizes with the technology they need to grow generosity, measure the impact of their ministry, connect with congregants, manage day-to-day operations, and more. By combining ChMS, giving, and app tools under one umbrella, churches have access to an all-in-one engagement solution right at their fingertips.
Here’s how these combined solutions — built for congregants, leaders and staff — help churches seamlessly connect across different parts of ministry:
Giving & donor management: Churches have the ability to engage new donors, increase recurring giving, and remove barriers to generosity through mobile and online tools. Moreover, congregants can seamlessly give via web, mobile, text, or however else they prefer to show their generosity.
Church management: ChurchStaq delivers a comprehensive church management system, including group management, events, check-in, service planning, processing and more. Reporting on giving, participation, and engagement are easily accessible using intuitive dashboards and analytics with a few clicks of a button.
My Church App by Pushpay: One of the most exciting elements of the new product suite is that we’ve incorporated frequently requested functionality from the ChMS into the mobile app. Churches can now increase participation and connect congregants through a single mobile experience, resulting in more ways to nurture and disciple their community.
For congregants, the My Church App delivers seamless access to church media, targeted communication, visibility to groups, calendars, mobile giving — and highly anticipated by many, pre-check directly via the app.
Torina Salcedo, associate pastor at Kent Covenant Church in Kent, Wash., says the timing of the app’s release is ideal, and that what started as a convenience feature is now a necessity to create a more touch-less experience at her church. “Not to mention we can check in the entire church so we have contact tracing records,” she adds. “[That’s] so important.”
At Pushpay, we couldn’t be more excited about the journey we’re on, and the opportunity we have to partner with some of today’s leading churches, as we develop and deliver world-class technology to help streamline ministry. Continue to watch this space, as we have some exciting new updates to share in the coming months.
**Note that the data and conclusions are based on internal research by Pushpay based on internal data from 2019 and were not independently verified by a third party. Individual results may vary. The results do not take into account any changes in 2020 to digital giving behavior due to COVID-19 or otherwise.
Troy Pollock is the chief ambassador at Pushpay, a software company based in Redmond, WA. As the first U.S. employee, he has been an integral part of the development, strategic planning and growth at Pushpay the last eight years. Prior to Pushpay, Pollock was part of a church plant in southern California and served as its executive pastor.
