How Software Increased Connection and Engagement at Church On the Drive
What?
Church on the Drive needed an easy and accessible software solution designed to increase connections, foster engagement, and prioritize relationships.
How?
Using software specifically created for churches, Church on the Drive set up workflows designed to help them follow up with guests, celebrate giving, and ensure each person who attends feels welcome and connected.
Background
During its 95 years as a church, Church on the Drive has experienced different names, different seasons, and different leadership, but its mission based on Matthew 28:19-20 has never changed: “We want to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus.”
Josh Plant, Pastor at Church on the Drive, is helping lead the church to do just that. But he knows in order to do this well, they need software tools designed to keep connection and engagement at the forefront.
Software Struggles
Before switching to a new church management software (ChMS), Pastor Josh shared just a few of the struggles they experienced trying to work with an outdated solution including:
- Difficulty accessing crucial information
- Lack of cloud access
- Challenging to run reports
- And, limited avenues for people to give
“We were only barely keeping our books right,” Pastor Josh shared. It was clear change was needed.
A Church-Wide Solution
As Pastor Josh talked to friends at other churches and researched ChMS, it wasn’t long before he made the switch to Ministry Brands. His decision to switch to our platform was based primarily on two things:
- It met the needs of the ministry
- It offered a lot of value for the cost
Now, staff members at Church on the Drive can easily access important info that allows them to better lead and shepherd people.
Pastor Josh specifically shared what an impact workflows have had on creating and maintaining relationships.
Seeing The Impact
Using workflows, Church on the Drive has worked to make sure each person who expresses interest in their church is known, contacted, and connected. This starts from the very first time someone fills out a form on the “I’m New” page of their website.
Pastor Josh shared how recently, Jacob, a 19-year-old college student, stumbled across Church on the Drive. Jacob headed to their website, filled out the form, and received the first automated email welcoming him, letting him know the staff wanted to meet him, and helping him prepare for his first visit.
Josh was also notified and reached out inviting Jacob to meet up at the coffee stand that Sunday…and he came!
After that, Jacob filled out the first-time guest QR code, received another automated email from the workflow, and shared his cell number with the staff. From there, Josh was able to text Jacob and connect him with their young adult minister.
Before long Jacob was hanging out with the young adult group and is now one of Church on the Drive’s most consistent attenders.
There’s power in simply following up and workflows make it easy. He exclaimed,
“The relational piece is huge because [with workflows] you have information you didn’t have before.”
Increased Generosity
This software solution has not only impacted relationships, but has also helped to increase generosity and encourage stewardship at Church on the Drive.
A maxim Pastor Josh shared that they regularly use at the church is “what gets celebrated, gets done.”
So they’ve made it a point to celebrate first-time givers using workflows. Upon giving, givers receive an email thanking them and sharing just a little about the impact of their giving.
Not only that, but at the end of the year the staff uses information in their software database to write handwritten notes thanking consistent givers.
Pastor Josh explained that:
“Having that information at our disposal enables us to connect relationally in a way that inspires more generosity.”
Advice For Other Churches
When asked what advice Pastor Josh would give to churches looking for a new software solution, he said this: “My first advice would be if you don’t have a great software, go ahead and determine to make the leap.”
As Church on the Drive can attest, the right software simplifies processes and paves the way for ministry to happen. Pastor Josh encouraged churches to “look for an organization that is going to serve you the way a church deserves to be served…and I think this one does.”
While any new software has a learning curve, he explained how our platform is easy to use, and when needed, people are available to help. Even more than that Pastor Josh explained that he was looking for and found a software company that worked specifically with churches and had a heart to serve.
Next Steps
Does your current software solution foster connections, increase engagement, and make it easy to keep track of guests, givers, and members alike? If not, it may be time to take a leap just like Church on the Drive. Schedule your free demo of Ministry Brands Amplify here.