Pushpay is now giving away a free Church Tech Check, a quick assessment offering customized recommendations, to interested pastors and church leaders.

The holiday season is a time of reflection and connection, a time to celebrate peace, joy, hope, and love. Yet that tends to get lost amid the busyness of the season. What’s more, our hearts are made heavy by headlines of war, economic instability, gun violence, and yet another volatile election cycle. Our focus is pulled from the promise of God’s love toward exhaustion or despair.

For the body of Christ, extra church services, outreach opportunities, and gatherings fill up calendars this time of year. These are all good things, but without proper support, they can lead to a sense of burnout rather than blessing.

During this season, church leaders want to serve their congregations and communities in ways that bear their burdens rather than adding to them. Technology can help. With digital features that keep people connected, provide tools for organizing events, and empower volunteers to contribute in meaningful ways, church software can help church leaders replenish the souls of their people.

Help the Hurting

Becky Grothe, the membership pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, has seen the power of a technology solution when it comes to pastoral care. Grothe has found that Pushpay’s LEAD app, which stores and organizes important congregant data, helps the church’s leadership team care for the congregation in specific ways.

“If I get a call or I’m sending a pastor a note about someone who’s in the hospital or has a family emergency, if they need a visit, need groceries, need help in any kind of way, I can say, ‘Look in the LEAD app,’” says Grothe. “Pastors can pull up [the congregant’s] profile in the LEAD app and use the information to go into the hospital or a home fully informed on the dynamics in that family.”

Technology like the LEAD app eliminates silos that often keep people from receiving the help they need. For example, if a small group leader knows that a family is struggling financially, they may mention it to a pastor. If that pastor is headed into meetings and the need slips his mind, it may not ever be communicated to someone who can coordinate assistance. However, if that pastor has the LEAD app on his phone, he can quickly access the congregant’s profile, read up on their history, and initiate a plan for meeting their current needs.

Preparing a Place

Behind every seamless event is a detailed plan. Nevertheless, as church leaders work with congregants to host meaningful gatherings, managing logistics can be cumbersome. An event management solution streamlines the administrative tasks that are vital to bringing people together.

Consider how integrations like these could empower church members to host events and create a welcoming environment for attendees:

• Facility calendars that streamline reservations
• Room layout tools that ensure a smooth setup
• Digital invitations that encourage participation
• Mobile-friendly attendance tools that simplify follow-ups

Event management software can also fuel creativity, as hosts are no longer bogged down by details. Rather than ensuring that everyone knows dinner will be served, an email reminder can communicate the message at the push of a button. Instead of calling three different people to see if the church’s sound system will be available, a quick click initiates an equipment request. With tasks like these taken off the host’s plate, they’re free to spend their energy creating an atmosphere of hospitality and connecting with attendees.

Care for Your Congregation

As we look toward a new year, many ministry leaders want to invite their congregations into intentional hospitality and meaningful connection. One way leaders can bless their churches is by leaving antiquated methods of organization and management behind. Digital solutions from Pushpay provide ministers and congregants with innovative tools that empower genuine community. Offering best-in-class technology, Pushpay’s digital solutions can help pastors communicate to their churches how loved, respected, and welcomed they are.

Learn more about how simple technology upgrades can help your church thrive.