“That’s just the way it is.”
But does it have to be?
Examining the current state of technology in the Church —
and challenging lack of innovation, fear of change
Then, there are the less glamourous (but wholly necessary)
platforms you need to run your church: church management /
database and financial platform solutions. They’re difficult pieces
of software to build, because they need to be extremely secure
and robust — and most of the funding goes into developing those
elements. The time and resources needed to build a slick, beautiful,
easy-to-use experience for your staff can be in short supply.
Beyond these, your solution needs get broader: volunteer
management, service scheduling, marketing, email, and on and on.
By Joel Guthrie
As consumers, we’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of quality
and rate of innovation when it comes to technology.
Amazon has made our lives incredibly convenient with same-day
delivery, easy returns, and the most dangerous offering of all: the
“1-click buy.”
We can ask our robotic secretaries to schedule an appointment, send a
text, or order more toothpaste for us.
We can do all of our banking from our phones.
With ease, we can summon a car to take us anywhere.
How come all that innovation and convenience gets thrown
out the window the second we start working in a church?
I’m just as baffled as you are
Trying to log in to get my tax statement
for my total giving for the year? Update my
mailing address? I’m pretty sure I still need
a fax machine to get any of that stuff.
This second “Tech-Driven Church”
series installment will be a humbling
realization for all of us — but also,
hopefully, a catalyst for us to work
towards a solution. Yes, “That’s just the
way it is” is an accurate statement — but
we can also play a major role in changing that narrative.
“This [article] will be a humbling realization for all of
us — but also, hopefully, a catalyst for us to work
towards a solution.”
That really is “just the way it is” … right now
In some form or facet, I’ve worked in tech for my entire career,
including Microsoft, Amazon and Google. (Growing up in Seattle, it
was pretty much inevitable.)
About three years ago, I transitioned into working in church tech.
Boy, was that a change!
Don’t get me wrong: the culture is amazing, and I’ve made some
of my closest friends in these roles. But, the rate of innovation hasn’t
exactly been groundbreaking.
In truth, the most innovative area of Church right now is giving
platforms; it’s also the most competitive sector. Many church giving
platforms have branched into white-labeled church apps or text
platforms, as well. The majority deliver an easy-to-use platform for
both you and your givers. Their sleek, Apple-esque designs are familiar
to most of your congregation.
Talk, talk, talk about it!
Once you’ve selected the eight to 12 software solutions your
church needs, the biggest issue can be the fact that they probably
don’t all “talk” to each other. And they might all deliver completely
different experiences.
This can be frustrating because you’re not likely to spend hours
trying to understand API integrations, cloud-based, Azure versus
AWS, processing rates and fees, and monthly versus annual billing
rates. As church leaders, all you really want is to see all your data in
one place.
Tell me something good
I told you at the beginning this wouldn’t be
a fun read. You’re probably a little frustrated.
Maybe you even missed a call from a
salesperson while you were reading.
But, I have good news! (Or a plan,
at least) We can be the change we
want to see.
The great companies developing
technology for the Church are
actively pursuing feedback. They
want input from users and prospects
to better understand how to improve
their platforms. You have customer
service / success reps at every tech
company you work with. Call them. Email them. Walk them through
what you wish their tools could do and the actual process you go
through, so that they can understand. As church leaders, this is
how we can get more out of our technology — and, frankly, how we
demand more from our tech partners.
First things, first
As you’re looking at new church software, the biggest questions
to consider are: How active are they in helping me use the platform better?
How often are they rolling out updates? How many features are based on
customer feedback? How well do they integrate?
There’s hope, but only if we demand improvement. It’ll take time —
and it’ll require a lot of us being vocal.
In the next article, we’ll talk about what I believe the future of
church technology will look like!
Joel Guthrie is Senior Content Marketing Manager, Faith Solutions, at
Blackbaud [ faith.blackbaud.com ], and host of The Church Engagement
Podcast [ faith.blackbaud.com/the-church-engagement-podcast ].
He has been on staff as a worship leader and youth leader at a church
in Bellevue, Wash., and is currently one of the worship leaders and
10th-grade-guys leaders at his church in Austin, Texas.
Guthrie has studied audio engineering and has a career working in
marketing in the tech space, servicing large tech companies, including
Microsoft and Amazon.
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