More churches invest in digital tools to expand their reach beyond Sunday and appeal to a new generation of church goers
REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pushpay, a leading payments and engagement solutions provider for mission-driven organizations, today released findings from its 2024 State of Church Technology report, revealing that the majority of U.S. churches not only believe technology is a critical component to helping them achieve their mission (95%), but that leveraging tech to connect with their community beyond Sunday is an important part of their engagement strategy (98%).
The third annual benchmark report surveyed more than 2,200 leaders from churches across the country who are actively leveraging technology to better serve their congregations, and reverse the trend of declining attendance*.
Pushpay’s 2024 State of Church Technology report reveals that hybrid church services, born out of necessity during the pandemic, continue to flourish. 90% of churches surveyed said they currently offer a hybrid model of ministry, while the number of churches that indicated they might move to in-person only services next year fell by 21% compared to 2023. To support the hybrid-ministry model, 91% of churches today are livestreaming worship services, and 62% say it will play a key role for their church in the coming years, which is a 42% increase from last year.
“We’re seeing churches continuing to test, adapt, and evolve their use of technology to extend the Church experience, making ministry content and connection available 24/7,” said Molly Matthews, Pushpay CEO. “That’s especially important for millennials and Gen Z, who are accustomed to on-demand digital experiences in their day-to-day interactions with other brands and organizations.”
Churches are also exploring emerging tools to enhance the digital experience for their members and streamline processes for ministry staff. Whether developing sermons, devotionals, or small group content, the report found 33% of churches say artificial intelligence will be a strategically important tool in the next two or three years, and 11% are already using generative tools today. Conversely, findings uncover the rise and fall of the metaverse trend last year, as 8% indicated they experimented with metaverse services in 2023, yet only 5% indicated they still offer those services this year. Moreso, the 2024 report shows a significantly lower percentage of church leaders indicating it will be strategically important for the future of their ministry.
The report also found that churches continue to turn to technology to help with traditional tithing (92%), and that the use of cryptocurrency donation platforms are on the rise with 11% usage this year, up from 7% last year—a 57% increase comparatively.
Other key findings in the 2024 State of Church Technology report:
- 45% of respondents are not confident in their ability to adopt the right tech solutions, signaling that insecurity plagues today’s generation of church tech decision makers.
- 66% of churches have a mobile church app. Leveraging apps for volunteer scheduling increased 44% year over year, and for prayer requests increased 8% since 2022.
- 55% of churches allocate less than 10% of their operating budget for technology, and 70% believe cost is the biggest obstacle to adopting new technology, which is consistent with past years. However, churches rank good reputation, best software solution and integration capabilities nearly as important as price when purchasing new tech, signaling a shift towards prioritizing value.
- 46% of churches are now leaning into the use of analytics or data insights.
- 4 out of 5 churches currently leverage a Church Management Software (ChMS), and compared to last year, there is a 30% increase in leaders’ acknowledgement that ChMS will be a strategically important tool for their church in the future.
"The rise of technology, particularly in the wake of 2020's global shutdowns, has forever altered the landscape of our churches and communities,” said Clay Scroggins, a former pastor who also authored the foreword for the report*. “Online churches, digital small groups, virtual staff meetings, and AI-enhanced sermons aren't temporary bandaids; they represent a new, permanent fixture in our faith practices."
To learn more about Pushpay, or to view the full report, visit www.Pushpay.com.
(*) Data based on research from Gallup in 2023
(*) Clay Scroggins is currently a Pushpay content collaborator
About Pushpay
Pushpay provides a donor management system, including donor tools, finance tools and a custom community app, a church management system (ChMS), and video streaming solutions to the faith sector, non-profit organizations and education providers located predominantly in the United States (US) and other jurisdictions. Our leading solutions simplify engagement, payments and administration, enabling our customers to increase participation and build stronger relationships with their communities. Pushpay is an award-winning company. For more information visit www.pushpay.com
US Media / PR Contact:
Chelsea Looney
PR@pushpay.com
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