Month: January 2022
BOOST BIBLE READING PLAN SUCCESS IN YOUR CHURCH
By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 4.5 minutes
With a new year comes New Year’s resolutions. The people in our lives (perhaps even us) list goals and dreams we hope to accomplish in the coming 365 days.
For many people in a faith community, this often includes a recommitment to discipleship, prayer, and Bible reading. Whether it’s to read the Bible in a year, or read for 20 minutes a day, ministry leaders can make a significant difference in the success of their congregants’ Bible reading goals.
So how can you, as a ministry leader, encourage and support your congregants in these resolutions?
Here are just a few ways:
- Create a survey to get a feel for interest.
With your Church Base account, you can create a form through the Community Module to gauge interest. Set up surveys, polls, multiple-choice options, and more! Customize it to fit your congregation.
Here are some ideas for Bible reading plan options:
- Old/New Testament Bible Reading Plan
- Chronological Bible Reading Plan
- Historical Bible Reading Plan
- Read the Gospels in 40 Days Plan
- Book of Common Prayer
- Verse of the Day Bible Reading Plan
- J. Vernon McGee’s Bible Reading Plan
Check out a whole list of options here.
Once you’ve created your form, you can share it right to your website or app, or embed it somewhere else. You’ll be emailed directly when you get responses to your form. You can use this information for your next step.
Additionally, having your church members select a Bible reading plan will boost their chance of follow-through. Did you know that we’re 42% more likely to accomplish a goal if we write it down? Just the action of filling out the form could lead to more successful Bible reading plan participation.
- Post the reading plan on your app and website.
By this point, you should have a pretty good idea of what interests your congregants. You can select one option, a few options, or all the options to promote throughout the year.
The first step is posting the Bible reading plan somewhere accessible to your congregants in their daily lives. They live their life on-the-run, so it’s helpful to have their preferred reading plan where they can easily find it.
We recommend you post it on your website (free with Church Base) and your branded church app (also free with Church Base). The Content Module makes it quick and efficient to publish your Bible reading plans—just click one button and the content is everywhere at once.
- Send daily/weekly encouragement texts and notifications.
As we get distracted and busy, we often need reminders to continue on the path. That’s where you come in.
Thanks to Church Base’s SMS texting option, you can send out daily, weekly, or occasional reminders to your congregants—spurring them on in their discipleship. Whether it’s an encouragement or a snippet of the daily reading, you can send a heartfelt thought to your church members right where they’re at.
But more than that, Church Base also offers push notifications through the app. Once you’ve created your free church app, and encouraged church members to download it, you can send out reminders and encouragement through your app. This is a nice option if you hope to boost your app engagement.
Through SMS and push notifications, you can provide the structure and encouragement the people in your congregation most likely need in their Bible reading plan.
- Use group chats for small group participation.
Who says Bible reading needs to be a solo activity?
Through group chats (available through your church app), each small group leader can facilitate conversations within their group. People can send their favorite verse from the daily reading, organize a prayer or reflection on the Bible passage, or plan to meet up to read the Bible together.
Group participation also adds a level of accountability. Studies show that making a decision to pursue a goal will have a success rate of 10-25%. Making a plan increases that rate to 50%. But when we tell someone else about our goal, we have a 65% chance of meeting that goal.
Accountability is an invaluable part of a Bible reading plan, and with Church Base, you have the tools to provide it.
Begin your Bible reading plan campaign today!
Around 58% of Christians wish they read the Bible more. We encourage you to take advantage of this inspiring time to dig more deeply into discipleship. Your congregation will appreciate the effort you put into supporting and encouraging them in their Bible reading plan.
Get Started with Church Base to boost Bible reading plan success in your church.
5 WAYS TO SAVE YOUR CHURCH MONEY IN 2022
By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 4 minutes
Churches and ministries are often called to accomplish big things…all on a limited donation-based budget. As a ministry leader, you know the importance of budgeting and saving money so you can make the most of every opportunity.
Fortunately, there are small steps you can take to save your church money in 2022. We’ve compiled five ideas that you can implement today:
1. Show your volunteers appreciation
We couldn’t talk about ways to save your church money without mentioning volunteers. They are often the lifeforce of a ministry, dedicating skills, time, and energy for free. They do this out of their generosity of spirit and their call from God. One way to make sure they continue to offer these gifts is to go out of your way to show appreciation.
A $5 Starbucks gift card, a public acknowledgment, a home-cooked dinner–these efforts don’t have to cost much, but they are definitely an investment in the ongoing mission of your church. If you want to maintain, and build, your ongoing partnership with volunteers (saving your church money), look for small ways to show appreciation.
2. Take advantage of free curriculum
It’s always exciting to pick up the latest curriculum from your favorite Bible study author, pastor, or teacher. But before you hit that “buy” button, canvass your small group leaders to make sure it aligns with their groups’ trajectories for the new year. Only buy what’s necessary…which might mean leaving a few favorites unpurchased for now.
But just because you’re limiting your curriculum budget doesn’t mean you need to go without. There are countless free resources on the internet, from free videos to free small group guides. Church Base has compiled many of these for you already. Save your church money by making the most of free curriculum in 2022.
3. Cut down on electricity costs
It can take a lot of power to run a church building…which means a big monthly utility bill. Computers, TVs, soundboards, and lights–it can all add up quickly. But you can save your church money by creatively looking for ways to cut down on electrical costs.
Here are just a few ideas to reduce your electricity bill in 2022:
-
- Install motion sensor lights so only the rooms being used will draw power.
- Switch all lights to LED lights. This can be an investment up front but will save your church money down the road.
- Use automatic thermostats so your heating and cooling never run contrary to your budget.
- Unplug devices not being used during the week. Is the TV in the kid’s classroom staying plugged in all week? It could be drawing power even when it’s turned off. So, train your volunteers and staff to unplug any device that isn’t currently being used.
As you steward your resources and church building well, each little adjustment can make a big difference down the road. (Ready to go “green”? Read more from Lifeway.)
4. Utilize social media
We know that social media can be a powerful communication tool. But it can also save your church money as you get the Good News out there.
For example, do you send out postcards to remind volunteers or greet newcomers? Instead, send a direct message to cut down on postage. Likewise, sharing a digital flyer for an upcoming event can avoid expensive printing costs. And asking church members to post about a community opportunity can eliminate the cost of advertising in the local newspaper.
When it comes to the price of communication, always be asking: “Is there a way I can achieve this same effect for free on social media?” If so, start there to see if you can save your church money in the coming year.
5. Get a free one-year trial with Church Base.
Church software can quickly inflate a ministry’s budget. Once you add up your website, app, ChMS, digital giving software, and storage solutions, you could be looking at a big price tag.
At Church Base, we want to help save your church money. That’s why we’ve made our entire software suite FREE for an entire year.
As soon as you register for your free account, you get full access to:
- A free branded website and app builder so you can expand your reach in your community and connect with your church members anytime, anywhere.
- Free church management software (ChMS) so you can coordinate people and events for greater impact.
- A free digital giving suite so your church members can give when it’s convenient for them.
- Free Unlimited media storage so you can organize and publish your sermons, videos, podcasts, and more across a spectrum of platforms.