Much thought goes into choosing a church app. Comparing features and pricing is important as churches go through the process of making wise decisions. It's also important to investigate mobile app details such as integration, security, and customization. After pulling together all the choices, churches can work with their communication team to weigh each option carefully.
While each step of the decision-making process matters, there is an essential factor to consider—the church community. Apps are community driven by nature and designed to provide an interactive experience. If your community doesn't currently have a full-featured church app, it might be a challenge to get them excited to use one. By putting your church community first when weighing options, they’ll embrace this new level of communication rather than ignoring it.
Read on to learn how to choose the best church app for your community (without compromising on church administrator needs):
Consider Your Church Community’s Point of View
In order to gain a better sense of what your church wants in an app, step into your congregation’s shoes. Shift perspective from a staff member to a community member. With over 77% of adults carrying a smartphone, it’s crucial to consider avid churchgoers as well as first-time guests, casual attendees, and even the unchurched. Know there will be more people using your app than people who regularly attend your church.
To get first-hand experience, church staff can download the new app to take it for a test drive. Listing features that work for your church will help your organization make an informed choice.
Focus on Engaging Church Mobile App Features
Features provide the interactive content that moves your church community to engage. When lacking features, the app becomes stale and gives no reason for people to visit. When features are carefully selected and tailored to the community, the church app becomes a mobile hub of activity that engages people within the church's ministry.
Here are a Few Favorite Features Communities Love:
Listening to and Viewing Sermons 
The reason 64% of people visit a church’s website is to download and listen to sermons. Church apps make it easier by giving the community instant access.
Push Notifications
With a 97% read rate, push notifications provide your members access to updates and helpful information fast. Send time changes for Bible study, church news, and other announcements to selected groups, or your whole congregation.
Forms and Events Registration
Help people stay informed by offering simple event registration and volunteer sign-up forms.
Online Giving Features
Offer people the power of giving on the spot with online and mobile giving. People simply don’t carry cash and checks as they did before. They love the convenience of pulling out their phones and giving in the moment.
Prayer Requests
Prayer requests have always been essential for the church community—an app helps spread the word in seconds.
Pay Attention to Ease of Navigation
Learning curves exist when using a new app, but, at the end of the day, it should be fluid and effortless to navigate. A clean appearance is vital for ease of navigation—too much clutter is distracting and confusing. The design should be
simple and straightforward, so people don’t get frustrated trying to find something. Also, an intuitive interface that is responsive on all mobile devices – from phones to tablets – is a must.
Stay True to Your Church’s Brand
People don’t just want any app to listen to sermons on—they want your church’s app. Look for customizable features to stay true to your church’s brand. That way, when your community opens the app, they see the church's logo and information and know they’re in the right place. By creating a sense of familiarity, people are more comfortable giving and interacting on phones and tablets.
A Final Note on Church Apps
Ultimately, your church community is going to drive the app and make it successful. By focusing on the needs of your members, you’ll discover your staff enjoys the benefits as well. Your church will save time, get the security and features they want, and even be surprised at the affordable price.
Just remember to look at the app from your community’s point of view, focus on features and navigation, and stay true to your church’s brand. Soon, you’ll have a thriving community that connects with your church wherever they are.
I highly recommend checking out the church app my church uses:
http://proappslive.com
We love it – you can see an example and download our app for inspiration for yours by going to our app download page:
http://christian.life/app