Technology Enables Church to Fulfill Mission to “Touch the World”

Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood, TN, has an ambitious mission statement: Reaching a city to touch the world.

It’s not hard to argue that they’re achieving it though.

With three locations in Tennessee, one in Cincinnati, one in Dallas, another in Phoenix, along with missionaries around the world, those are hardly empty words. Bethel lives up to them.

And they’re leaning into technology to make that happen.

“None of that [mission statement] is possible without technology,” says Robert Ferguson, the church’s creative director. “Not everybody will come walking through these doors physically, so just being able to have a way to reach folks right where they’re at, whether it’s at home, coffee shops, wherever they’ll be, technology has been amazing for that.”

Partnering with Pushpay for the Right Church Giving App

Pushpay has played a part in Bethel’s efforts to use tech to accelerate the church’s impact. The church began partnering with Pushpay four years ago to help them provide a digital giving solution for their church community.

Pushpay made giving simpler by encouraging people to give to the church using the same digital means they’re now accustomed to using while purchasing groceries, buying books, and booking travel. In just a few taps, they can give through secure channels as good or better than the best banking apps on the market.

Not long after they began implementing Pushpay, Bethel began a capital giving campaign to help build a new sanctuary four years ago. Thanks to their new giving solution, it was easier for people to donate to the effort.

“It was easier for people to set up recurring giving for those gifts they wanted to donate above and beyond their actual tithe and offering,” says Christina Flemons, the church’s counting team manager. “So it made it easier for people to be able to honor their pledge by having it come out once or twice a month.”

Brenda Malone, the church’s finance manager, adds that Pushpay’s giving platform has also made the finance team’s job easier. Because the platform cuts out some of the tedious accounting work they previously had, the team has saved time that can be reinvested into other ministry pursuits.

“[Pushpay] gives us the ability to focus on what we’re here for, which is the ministry, ministering to others,” Brenda says. “You’re not focused on, ‘Did this go through? Did that go through? Did this make sense?’ It’s very simple. It’s very easy to use. It’s user-friendly. Basically, it helps us to focus on what really matters the most—and that’s people.”

Technology Provides Bethel More Opportunities to Touch the World

Yet the impact of technology on the Church always comes back to fulfilling the church’s mission. Thanks to the church’s mobile app, people can access Bethel’s sermons, give, sign up for events, and more.   

“Technology has broadened our reach and enabled us to deliver the message in ways that haven’t been possible previously,” says Rob. “Technology helps us advance the gospel much faster, in ways we couldn’t have ever imagined before.”

Today, 70 percent of the church gives digitally (click here for other similarly critical stats on church giving). By making giving simpler through the Pushpay platform, the church’s giving has grown by 10 to 15 percent. That means more opportunities to engage the community with the good news, more opportunities to support missionaries, and more opportunities to meet community needs.

“The generosity growth at Bethel has impacted not just our community, but also our missionaries, who were able to fund some of their mission to Peru, to Mexico, into other different areas in the continental US,” Christina says.

Discover how your church can encourage generosity and participation with Pushpay. Click here to talk to an expert.