Church Marketing Sucks

Let’s face it: the church has a bad reputation for aversion to the “new,” especially when it comes to technology. Even at the inception of the printing press, church authorities banned the Bible from being printed in any language other than Latin! We should all be grateful someone eventually talked some sense into the Pope.

Like the printing press revolutionized communication in the Middle Ages, mobile technology has transformed the way people find information today. Mobile usage has officially surpassed the desktop and is continuing to climb in prominence. In 2012, the number of smartphones sold surpassed babies born. Since then, mobile sales have only increased—so much so that mobile phones now outnumber people on earth! The lingua franca of the world is changing, and many churches are either struggling to learn it or covering their ears completely.

However, the statistics supporting the massive move to mobile are almost as plentiful as Abraham’s descendants.

Think about this:

• According to Forbes, “87% of connected devices sales by 2017 will be tablets and smartphones.”
• The average person checks his or her phone 150 times a day. That’s once every 6.5 minutes!
• Flurry states that Americans are spending 2 hours and 7 minutes per day using apps.

If the world’s “native tongue” has changed to push notifications and tweets rather than letters and phone calls, why are almost 70% of churches not properly using technology to connect and engage with their attendees? Seeing a smartphone in church used to mean someone was not engaged in the service. Apps such as the YouVersion Bible app have flipped that stigma on its head, as over 74% of churchgoers now read the Bible electronically. We live in an age where using various tech tools is not only expected, but encouraged.

Thankfully, mobile doesn’t have to be a foreign language. Once you get down to the basics, even the not-so-tech-savvy among us can learn what it means to “go mobile.” In this four-part series, we will equip you with the tools you need to make informed decisions about mobile technology for your church.

Over the next several weeks, we will…

• Compare mobile sites to mobile apps
• Unpack the benefits of a mobile strategy in relation to a budget
• Propose questions to consider before ultimately making a decision to move forward with mobile

Learning something new doesn’t have to be intimidating, and thankfully, mobile is much more practical for churches today than Latin.

Editor’s Note: Talking about mobile technology for the church can be both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because of the immense opportunity, but frustrating because so many churches just aren’t there yet. Bluebridge ChurchApps can help. We’re partnering with them to share some mobile insights, and if you decide to work with Bluebridge, we get a referral fee. You can take a leap forward with mobile technology and help us continue to help churches communicate better. Get started by connecting with Bluebridge ChurchApps.

More:

• Mobile Sites & Mobile Apps for Your Church
• 3 Reasons to Consider Mobile Apps for Your Church
• 5 Questions Your Church Needs to Ask a Mobile Developer