The 10 Best Church App Features You Need

For most, mobile app technology has become a basic necessity. Needed for more than snapping selfies and posting to Facebook, our phones have revolutionized the way we shop, surf the internet, get directions, read books and magazines, and simply stay informed.

Tech-savvy churches have recognized the importance of developing a presence that goes beyond a website and social media platform. A church app keeps your congregation engaged and informed by bringing essential information and services together in one easy-to-use application, putting the power of your community right into their pocket.

With so many options out there for churches, it’s important for churches to know what they should be looking for in an app. Well, we’ve got you covered!

1. Sermon integration

Having an app that’s able to serve up audio or video of your sermons is a must. It gives people an opportunity to brush up at home on what they learned on Sunday morning, and to stay up-to-date when they can’t make it. It’s also a great way for people to get to know your church before they ever attend.

2. Digital bulletins

You might be thinking that having a church app is an unnecessary expense, but consider this: A church of 200 spends about $150 a week on full-color bulletins—that’s $7,800 a year! That’s a lot of capital spent on something that’s stuck in a Bible or thrown on the floor of someone’s car. It’s so much more effective (and efficient) when the people can use the bulletin on their phones.

3. Integrated events

If you want to put on a conference or a concert, it would be ideal if you could do it all from your church’s app. You could organize, promote, and even take registrations in the app. After all, the great thing about having an app is being able to bring all of your church information and services together.

4. Blog and podcast feeds

If your church has an online platform, like a blog or podcast, you don’t want people to have to go anywhere else for it. You want them to be able to open the app and jump right in! In fact, if you have an app, a blog in the form of a daily devotional could be a good way to get your congregation into the app regularly.

5. Push notifications

Have an important meeting, potluck, bible study, or event coming up and you don’t want people to forget? Push notifications allow you to remind people—even when they’re not actively using your app.

6. A church calendar

We often use church bulletins as a way to remind people of upcoming events on the church calendar, but they get thrown away so it doesn’t work too well (see point #2). Imagine if you could just make your church calendar public—and everyone just had it in their pocket!

7. Customizable options

You want your custom church app experience to represent your church well. So not only does it need to be branded, but it also needs to have exactly what you need—and nothing else. You need to be able to decide what your experience looks like, what information it includes, and how it operates.

8. A mobile giving solution

Amazon recently said that 60 percent of their 2015 sales came from mobile devices. Mobile is changing the way that people shop, bank, and manage their finances. It should be as easy to give to the church as it is to shop on Amazon. (By the way, there are a host of features to consider in a church giving solution—you can read more on that here.)

9. Advanced analytics

To have an app that’s getting used well, you need to know how people are using it. Analytics allow you to see what functions people use the most, when, and for how long. This allows you to make changes to serve your congregation better.

10. Social media integration

If someone is enjoying a sermon or is excited about an event, you want to give them the ability to share that information with their friends on social media! Social media integration is nonnegotiable.

The Pushpay App Has You Covered!

When you get your church app from Pushpay, you get all of these essential functions—and more. They’ll even walk you through an integration strategy to help get your church to use the app regularly.