Church mobile apps are becoming an integral part of the church experience in America.
The Elexio Mobile App — which comes free with the Elexio’s Church Management software — is a connection tool for the outreach-oriented, discipleship-minded church. And it now includes mobile check-in!
Here’s how it works:
• Open the mobile app and press “Check-in.”
• Select which families you want to check in and which classes / services they’ll attend. (if everyone is checking in, use the express check-in option.)
• When you finish, a barcode will appear on the screen.
• Scan the code at a check-in station once you arrive, and all your name tags and security receipts will print automatically.
• If you don’t need any nametags — as with adult worship — then you don’t even need to scan your code. Check-in is complete from your phone!
Mobile check-in can also run in admin mode, so volunteers can check people in from a tablet or smartphone as they walk in the door.
Why mobile check-in?
Several reasons:
• It lowers the cost of required kiosk equipment.
• It speeds up check-in every week and for every event.
• It works on any Android or iOS device.
• People don’t have to remember a security code or fumble with printed tags. It’s all on their smartphone.
• It works even when check-in kiosks are running offline.
• It records attendance records directly to the church database in real time.
• It gives pastors another data point to tell if people are engaged at church.
• It makes a positive impression on guests and regular attenders.
Mobile check-in simplifies attendance tracking — but not just for kid’s ministry. Many churches struggle to gauge participation in other things, especially small groups. But mobile check-in allows small group leaders to bridge that gap.
Mobile apps have become indispensable to our daily lives in helping us get more done in less time. Adding the check-in feature to the Elexio Mobile App was a no-brainer. This could be the one feature that helps people adopt a church’s mobile app more than any other. And once they use this, they’ll realize there’s a whole lot more they can do like make a contribution, sign up for an event or listen to sermons — all in the palm of their hands.
Elexio’s mobile app also includes an opt-in church directory and staff can create follow-up tasks and notes on people in the church. Additionally, churches have the option to custom-brand their app for a onetime fee. And of course, it’s all integrated with the church database, which means no data re-entry or multiple data silos.
Mark Kitts is the lead software architect at Elexio in Elizabethtown, PA. He spent several years in the corporate world and as a founding pastor in a fast-growing church plant.
