06 Jan Technology and the Church: 7 Steps to Getting Church Administration on Board With New Technology

Looking at the operations, process, and technology that your church is currently using, do you notice it might be time for an update?

In today’s world, all organizations — whether they’re nonprofit, a business, or a church — need to make sure that they keep themselves relevant and up-to-date by improving their operations to fit with the rise of technology.

So, if you answered yes to that first question, then that’s actually a good thing! It means that you notice that there are areas for improvement, which is part of actually making those improvements.

However, in order to add new technology to your church’s operations, you first need to get the rest of the church administration on board with your idea — which can sometimes be a little tricky.

Don’t worry though, we have you covered. Here are the seven steps you should follow to get your church administration on board with new technology and the church.

Step One: Understand Where Your Church Administration is Coming From

If you sense that you’ll get pushback for your idea about integrating more tech into your church, it’s important to understand why the church administration feels this way. If you go into this conversation with your church’s administration without this understanding, then you’re limiting your chances of getting them on board.

If you put yourself in their shoes, you’ll better understand their apprehensions about adding more tech to your church’s operations. Perhaps they are worried that it won’t be worth the investment. Or, maybe they simply aren’t familiar with the benefits of the technology and don’t see why it’s necessary when the church has been doing fine without it.

Regardless of their reasons for being skeptical, if you understand those reasons you can address them in your conversation with the church administration. For example, you can offer evidence and your own reasons for why they shouldn’t worry.

Step Two: Research Possible Types Technology to Integrate into Your Church

It’s not likely that your church can completely overhaul your entire systems and processes with updated tech. Instead, you’re going to have to pick and choose where you’re most likely to make the most compelling case (i.e. which area of your church needs the most improvement/which will benefit your church the most).

For example, does your church management system need updating? Perhaps your sound system and lighting are too outdated. Or, maybe you’re looking to improve your tithing and know that integrating a text-to-give option for your church congregation would help improve your donation numbers.

Whatever the key area of improvement is, make sure to identify it before speaking with the rest of the church administration members.

Step Three: Find Specific Companies Who Can Help You

Your church’s administration will appreciate your ideas to help the church, but one way to make your case all the more compelling is by giving them specific examples of companies that can offer the tech you’re looking for.

So, do some research and find the technology provider that is right for and can meet your needs to help your church grow and succeed.

Step Four: Find Stats to Validate Your Case

Did you know that according to recent studies, churches that accept tithing online can increase their donations by 32%?

Those are the kinds of stats that are important to articulate to your administration members, with those stats acting as a great advocate for why a church needs an online tithing avenue for their members.

Without figures and stats that show just how important your technology improvement suggestions are, your church administration will have a tough time understanding the “why” behind the updated tech.

When making a case in front of an audience that may be hesitant to agree with you, having the right stats can make all the difference.

Step Five: Speak With a Sense of Urgency When Meeting With the Church Administration

While churches may be able to survive longer than businesses and other organizations without integrating updated tech into their operations and processes, they certainly aren’t totally immune to it as well.

Your congregation members, just like consumers, want a positive experience when visiting and interacting with your church. If your church is still operating as it did 10, 20, 30 years ago, then you run the risk of losing church members who may become disinterested.

This is particularly important for younger members of your church who are extremely tech-savvy and enjoy interacting with brands and organizations through their tech.

Speaking on how tech can increase church engagement and create a more interactive, engaging experience overall for your church members and how it’s better to start now than five years down the road when it may be too late is a compelling point to make.

Step Six: During Your Meeting Use Case Studies of Churches Who Made the Move and Found Success

Stats are great. But testimonials and case studies that illustrate how a church opting for updated technology positively impacted them will help you improve your case.

Perhaps the most compelling part about testimonials and case studies isn’t that they point out the effectiveness of these tech updates, but that they show that other churches are doing it.

Your administration likely doesn’t wish to be left behind and by showing that there are significant improvements that can be made with new technology and that churches across the country are investing in them, you’ll be well on your way to get that approval you seek.

Step Seven: Be Willing to Collaborate With Church Administration to Find a Solution

A ‘no’ now doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘no’ later. After you present your idea to the church administration, they may need some time to think about it. They may also say that they are interested in the idea but aren’t in a position to pursue it quite yet.

Those responses are okay, and if you do get them, then be willing to collaborate with your church administration to find the right solution.

Interested in Incorporating Text-to-Give into Your Church? Contact mobileAxept Today!

GiveNow is the premier text-to-give solution for churches everywhere.

With this innovative tithing solution, church administrators can see, in real-time, information on each specific donation. This includes names, addresses, cell phone numbers, email addresses, and the purpose of the gift in addition to the amount.

As previously mentioned, allowing digital tithing for your congregation members can drastically improve your donations, which is a key part of the success of any church.

And of course, here at mobileAxept, we take our security very seriously. GiveNow has achieved the highest safety level by the Payment Card Industry (PCI Level 1 Compliant) and our system is set up so that credit card information is stored securely behind the payment processor’s security architecture and that all information is heavily encrypted.

Your members can freely donate without any worry that their personal data might be compromised. That’s our promise.

Features that your church members can do all from their phones with GiveNow:

• Check donation history
• Edit profile
• Set up recurring donations
• Give to different funds
• Access to support 365 days a year

To learn more, contact mobileAxept today!

“The Text-to-Give program is convenient, secure, and accurate! I can give at any time, not just when I’m at church, and it makes it easy to keep up with my donations. mobileAxept also offers the ultimate in customer service – super friendly and helpful with excellent results! ”

– Chrystal R., Attendee Raleigh North Christian Center, Raleigh NC