5 Technology Trends to Watch

Written by  //  February 13, 2012  //  General  //  2 Comments

I love technology because it can be leveraged in amazing ways to support processes and strategies, which lead to greater effectiveness and growth. It can also be a bit mysterious and intimidating at times. However, as church leaders, we can’t put our heads in the sand and ignore it. We must think critically about ways we can leverage technology to further our mission.

Technology – leveraged well – can help serve the church more effectively. Here are five new trends we are paying close attention to in 2012:

1) Mobile - According to Mashable, in three years more U.S. Internet users will access the web through mobile devices than through PCs. 15% of all searches on Google today are from a mobile device. Are the emails going out to your congregation formatted for a mobile device? What does your church’s website look like on a Droid? These are things to figure out…fast!!

2) Siri - While you’ve probably heard of the artificial intelligence utilized in the iPhone 4s, one key facet of Siri’s search capabilities is that it is location based. What does that mean for your church? In searches Siri not only takes into consideration topic but also location. Siri changes up search findings to come up with a local answer.

3) QR Codes – These guys are popping up everywhere. QR codes are a great opportunity to connect with the smartphone-savvy among your church. This is an especially effective tool for online giving. By placing a QR code on your church’s announcement sheet on Sunday morning, a smartphone user can instantly connect with your online giving site.

4) Text to Donate - The Pew Research Center recently reported that one in 10 Americans has donated to charity through a text message. Before the advent of the “text to donate” trend, giving to charity was a much more involved process. Now it is fast and easy.

5) Share button - Online content is going viral faster than ever with the advent of the “share button.” You now have the opportunity for those reading pages on your church’s website to share them on their social network of choice. Are you doing this?

Have you noticed any other tech trends you believe will impact the local church?

Steve Caton is the vice president of sales and marketing for web-based church management system company, Church Community Builder in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Steve blogs at http://churchcommunitymatters.com.

  • Ryan Robinson

    Could I add “the ecosystem” to that list? I think we’ll more and more see convergence of products so that you’ll pretty much have to buy all Microsoft, all Apple, all Google (and maybe one or two more will emerge).

  • http://www.convergingworship.org/ Ronnie Reid

    Great list, Steve! I would possibly add “the cloud”. I think cloud computing could become invaluable for worship ministries and other ministries within the church.