Posting Media in SmartChurch

How to quickly create a library of media inside of your church app

SmartChurch is an amazing church app for churches of all sizes. They have a free version that is 100% free to any church and a Premium version that starts at only $5 per month (current pricing is found at SmartChurch.com).

The Premium church app offers churches the ability to create a library of all kinds of media from church videos to church podcasts to church bulletins to church pictures to church newsletters. You name it, churches can organize it and put it at the fingertips of every church member inside a convenient church app.

The way the media section works in SmartChurch is unique. Instead of actually uploading potentially large files into the church app (which can slow down an app and take up a lot of space on a person’s phone), SmartChurch allows churches to simply copy and paste a link to the media. For example, your church can upload their weekly sermons onto Youtube and then simply copy and paste the URL to each video in to SmartChurch. Once in SmartChurch, you can organize the videos by topic, date, or however you’d like so your members can find it easily. It’s an amazing church app.

Another example is perhaps you want the weekly bulletin posted to SmartChurch to cut back on paper and ink. Simply upload a jpg or PDF of the bulletin to flickr.com, dropbox.com, (or any other cloud service) and copy and paste the URL into SmartChurch. It’s that easy.

The same is true of pictures at the church picnic, monthly newsletters, podcasts, and more. The only thing you need is a URL and it will link right to SmartChurch.

SmartChurch is an amazing church app that provides your church with a free church member directory, church event calendar, giving platform, and more. Learn more at SmartChurch.com

What mobile apps have to do with your church?

Let’s think for a moment if Jesus were living in this 21st century and he have to connect with his followers and potential followers. Do you think he would take the benefit of the opportunities that you can get through the mobile apps? Okay, I can’t be completely sure, but I want to believe that he possibly would. Because his desire of staying connected with his followers and other people from all spheres of life…regardless who the person may be.

But what is actually a mobile app?    

A mobile app is software that runs on a handheld device such as iPod, e-reader, phone, tablet etc. that can be connected through wireless networks, and has an operating system that will support the software.

So let’s check out how you look at your communications to link with your visitors and members can be made possible through the mobile apps. But first, let’s have a quick snapshot of the specific place that mobile apps occupy in our life.

• 19% increment in online gifts

• 62% of the people aged between 18 to 34 utilize smart phones

• 5.2 billion people are using cell phones presently

• 25% of the Americans utilize their smart phones to access the internet.

What then mobile apps have to do with your church?

Connect and contact at the push of a button

Mobile apps will help you to promptly communicate with your members. For example, on a specific Sunday, your designated Sunday school teacher doesn’t show up due to some personal emergency. You can send an instant message to all the volunteered people to fill that specific slot when situation arises. In case of church, if you are into charity, you can use a church giving app to carry out your charitable activities.

Use Smart Church App To Connects Members to Their Friends

A church is a way of authentic relationships where many of the things do that are not in the Bible and those in the Bible they don't do. Many characteristics of the church, spoken of in the new laws are not found among all the members. Nowadays everyone is talking about the programmable manager. Hence, these are the important part of the Christian as all portray events and messages. There are several popular apps available when it comes to religion. If we come to church, I assure you that Smart Church App is the best one for all. This is another evidence to show a complete disregard of instruction.

Designed Applications:-

Normally churches in these days are making the leap of all sizes to embrace technology. One of the most helpful ways that explain your relationship with the Church is the teaching that all believers together form the body of Christ. Nowadays people usually surfing through internet by using mobile phone most of the time. So, they designed an amazing Church App that offers a lot of facilities in a one stop solution. Here, you may easily create your own app by using your church name and logo. They also offer freemium, premium and custom option with a great deal.

Social Networking-

Technology has conquered the consumers for their needs. You can surf this website very safe and securely. However, they have the right to disable any user name, password or other identifier. As social networking is very much used by people for Church Giving to share their views and make new friends, you can also Love, Comment and Post here similar to Facebook. If this is planning to build a new facility at a new location, you need to know how to acquire a good piece of real estate.

My Church Members Hate My Church App?

So many churches are in the dilemma of trying to figure out what to do with their church app.  Yes, donations have increased and some people use the app, but others in the church are completely frustrated with the experience and won’t use it at all. 

While there are many church apps out there creating these issues, the root cause typically boils down to one main problem: The church app you’re using was never designed for your church members.

One case in point is the frustration of getting an email from your church only to find out that you have to log on to the app to read the entire email. Are you kidding me (this is what a church member thinks)?  Why would a church app (or any app for that matter) force it’s users to do that? Most likely it’s because the church is trying to track and store all of these responses.  While that may make sense to paid staff, your members aren’t having it.

Churches need to rethink their apps. Why have an app? What features do they have on their app? Are these features built for our members or only for our staff? Shouldn’t we be focused on our members?

Instead of trying to build useless reports you’ll never use for your church. Focus instead on connectivity, interactions, and speed. Most churches can store and chart enormous amounts of data while still watching their church attendance and church giving shrink. Yet, an effective church app can have the opposite impact. As people share the things happening at your church, the attendance grows. As the app makes it easier for your members to give, your church giving improves. And as communication through the app, community is built.

Rethink your church app and find one that focuses on your members first.

Church Communication is Broken

How Leaders Fix the Frustration of Bad Systems

Churches have, for a long time, tried to figure out the best ways to communicate. It used to be through the mail. Later, the phone was added and in the last two decades, email has come to the rescue with free and instant delivery. Now social media seems to be the thing to do. The problem is that social media really doesn’t work.

Social media isn’t like snail mail. You can’t just post something on Facebook or Twitter to everyone in your church and expect them to see it. Don’t believe me? Just get the person who manages your church’s Facebook page to show you how many people actually see each post. You’re likely to discover that somewhere between 5% and 15% of your church are actually seeing your posts.

But wait, there’s email. Email gets viewed 100% of the time. Right? Wrong! Many email programs like MailChimp, (mailchimp.com) Constant Contact (constantcontact.com) or Emma (myemma.com) will actually tell you how many people opened your email and even clicked on things inside your email. Bottom line, if 30% of your church are even opening your emails, you’re doing well these days. That means 70% of your church is disconnected and that’s a huge problem.

So what other options do you have? Surprisingly, a church app is a great way to improve people seeing your newsletters, reading your emails, and staying aware of what’s going on in your church. To find the right church app for communication, you will want to make sure it has the following features:

1.    A Wall Section - This is a place where conversations happen similar to Facebook.  Every well-used social media app in the world has one and it will not only get read, it will increase engagement and involvement in the matters of your church.

2.    Push Notifications - Need to get the word out to your entire church that youth group is cancelled or there’s an urgent prayer need? Than make sure your church app offers push notifications so that church leaders can get messages to everyone immediately.

3.    A Member Directory - Getting to know one another strengthens community and improves communication. If your church still has a printed member directory, than I guarantee there are people in it that are no longer at your church and new members who have not yet been added.  A church app solves this and puts contact information right where people need it: on their phones.

4.    An Event Calendar - People’s lives are busy and a weekly reminder at church is not enough. They need a simple place to go that is a click away on their phone to remind them of the dates, times, and what to bring to key events at your church.

Bottom line is if you want better communication, you should get your church a church app. My recommendation for an excellent and affordable church app is SmartChurch which you’ll find at SmartChurch.com.

How Leaders Fix the Frustration of Bad Systems

Churches have, for a long time, tried to figure out the best ways to communicate. It used to be through the mail. Later, the phone was added and in the last two decades, email has come to the rescue with free and instant delivery. Now social media seems to be the thing to do. The problem is that social media really doesn’t work.

Social media isn’t like snail mail. You can’t just post something on Facebook or Twitter to everyone in your church and expect them to see it. Don’t believe me? Just get the person who manages your church’s Facebook page to show you how many people actually see each post. You’re likely to discover that somewhere between 5% and 15% of your church are actually seeing your posts.

But wait, there’s email. Email gets viewed 100% of the time. Right? Wrong! Many email programs like MailChimp, (mailchimp.com) Constant Contact (constantcontact.com) or Emma (myemma.com) will actually tell you how many people opened your email and even clicked on things inside your email. Bottom line, if 30% of your church are even opening your emails, you’re doing well these days. That means 70% of your church is disconnected and that’s a huge problem.

So what other options do you have? Surprisingly, a church app is a great way to improve people seeing your newsletters, reading your emails, and staying aware of what’s going on in your church. To find the right church app for communication, you will want to make sure it has the following features:

1. A Wall Section - This is a place where conversations happen similar to Facebook. Every well-used social media app in the world has one and it will not only get read, it will increase engagement and involvement in the matters of your church.
2. Push Notifications - Need to get the word out to your entire church that youth group is cancelled or there’s an urgent prayer need? Than make sure your church app offers push notifications so that church leaders can get messages to everyone immediately.
3. A Member Directory - Getting to know one another strengthens community and improves communication. If your church still has a printed member directory, than I guarantee there are people in it that are no longer at your church and new members who have not yet been added. A church app solves this and puts contact information right where people need it: on their phones.
4. An Event Calendar - People’s lives are busy and a weekly reminder at church is not enough. They need a simple place to go that is a click away on their phone to remind them of the dates, times, and what to bring to key events at your church.

Bottom line is if you want better communication, you should get your church a church app. My recommendation for an excellent and affordable church app is SmartChurch which you’ll find at SmartChurch.com.