Church attendance is declining. It’s not so much that there are fewer members, it’s that members just don’t attend as often as they once did. With the distractions of daily life, every congregation needs a way to keep members more involved – more involved in prayer, more involved in service and more involved in giving.
A company in the suburbs of Kansas City heard the call. In January of 2013, Church Updates released the first version of its web application designed to help congregations increase member involvement. The application was quickly adopted by numerous Christian denominations throughout the United States and Canada.
Recently, Church Updates released version two of its namesake web application with additional features and a new subscription price – FREE!
According to Church Updates founder and CEO, Jack Hayhow,
Member involvement is the key to congregational vitality and growth. Church Updates makes it free and easy to keep members engaged and involved – with the church and with other members.”
Pray, Serve, Give
Church Updates makes it quick and easy for members to be more involved in prayer, more involved in volunteer service and more involved in giving.
For example, the application provides church members with an interactive online prayer list. This prayer list allows members to request a prayer and to respond to the prayer requests of others. One church member remarked,
These are people I care about. When they’re facing challenges and need prayers, I want to know and I want to pray. And I want them to know I’m praying for them. Church Updates makes that possible.”
According to church leaders, recruiting and scheduling volunteers to accomplish church tasks has become increasingly difficult and time consuming. Church Updates streamlines and simplifies that process.
One of the constant concerns of church leaders is how to fund the ministries and projects of the church. Church Updates provides an easy and effective method to inspire additional giving. The application also documents pledges and facilitates the collection of gifts. A pastor in the Northwest made the following observation:
How people give is changing. We need to be in a position to tell our story, and to make it easy for members to give. For that, Church Updates is perfect.”
Congregations can register for a free subscription to Church Updates at: www.ChurchUpdates.org.
