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By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 4 minutes

 

The Christmas season brings a sense of peace, wonder, and awe. As ministers and leaders, you have the unique opportunity to welcome everyone into the nativity and the true reason we celebrate this time of year. 

Here are 7 Bible verses about peace and reflections you can use as you share the hope and joy of Christmas with everyone in your life and ministry:

 

Isaiah 9:6-7a

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.

This passage reminds us that the birth of Jesus was foretold and anticipated. For hundreds of years, the people of God waited through tumultuous times for the One that would be the Prince of Peace. For all those facing challenges right now, we can anticipate and look forward to the presence of the Prince of Peace in all of life’s circumstances.

Luke 2:13-14

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

In this Bible verse about peace, we see the Good News brought to simple shepherds out in the fields. They weren’t important in the eyes of the world, yet God saw them. The peace of the Christmas season is available to all “on whom his favor rests.” That’s us! It doesn’t matter your job, your background, or your past–let there be peace to all this Christmas.

 

John 14:27

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There will be many who try to disrupt our peace. The world will try to scare us, trouble us, or weigh us down. But this Bible verse about peace tells us that the peace we encounter in Jesus is different. It is lasting and can withstand any circumstance. This Christmas, thank Jesus for his unique peace and embrace it in your heart.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We think it’s safe to say that we could all use a little hope right now. If we want to overflow with hope, then we need to be filled with joy and peace. So, this Christmas season, set aside time to spend with the Holy Spirit, building trust in God so you can bring joy, peace, and hope to all. Let this Bible verse about peace become a prayer you hold onto throughout the season.

 

Ephesians 2:17

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

Whether a person is close or far from God, Jesus reaches out to all of us. Jesus meets us right where we are to give us what we so desperately need: peace. Don’t let doubts, worries, or concerns limit what God can do in your life. Wherever you are this Christmas season, near or far, rest in the promise found in this Bible verse about peace.

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Our world cannot understand true peace–it defies understanding. The world’s definition of peace is often shallow and fleeting. But this Bible verse about peace reassures us that the peace of God is deeper and truer than worldly peace. So go after the peace that transcends understanding. When you do that, your heart and mind will be guarded by the presence of Jesus. All those around you will be amazed at the unshakable peace you bring to the world.

 

James 1:17

 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

As every child knows, gifts are some of the most exciting joys of the Christmas season. Take some time this month to write down all the “good” and “perfect” gifts you’ve received from above–family, friendships, provision, protection, and most importantly, your relationship with Jesus. Then, purposefully thank God for each gift. The Creator of the heavenly lights (the entire universe!) wants to bless you with gifts, so let’s keep an attitude of gratitude this season. And may we follow God’s example, giving good gifts to those in our lives.

 

We hope these Bible verses about peace and reflections can serve you as a resource this Christmas season. We know what incredible work you do, and we’re always looking for ways to support you. God bless you this Christmas–you, your family, and your ministry.

 

Looking for a little more support in the coming year? Get Started with Church Base–we’d love to help you!

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 3 minutes

Launching a new church may be one of the most exhilarating experiences you will have in ministry as a leader. There’s no doubt that this journey comes with feelings of worry and stress. However, it’s also a really exciting season to be in! When you share this excitement with your new community, you attract potential members who will be valuable to the growth of your church.

Now let’s be honest…When people think of church, “fun” isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. The great part about creating something new is that you get to shift the narrative! People are attracted to a fresh start—an opportunity that your church will make possible for them. Like most things in business and ministry, strategy is key! 

Here are 3 ways to market your church plant, and have a great time doing it:

1. Host a series of launch parties 

Yes, we said it! Party is not a bad word. This is what we mean by shifting the narrative. Christians can get together and have a great time. This can be a time of worship and fellowship for your launch team and potential new members to connect. Consider hosting a game night, skate party, or even a potluck dinner.

This is a great opportunity to break down the mental and emotional barriers people may have in their minds of “church folk” and boring ministries. You can even make time during the event for a Q&A or informative presentation on your new church, so people can further connect with your passion and the church’s vision.

2. Go, and they will come

Take your church to the streets! We’ve seen some really awesome things happen when ministries and nonprofits are proactive in taking their message to the community around them. This is a simple way to make your presence known through connecting with local businesses and individuals.

Is there a coffee shop, “mom and pop” restaurant, or local business near your church? Consider reaching out to them as a location to host a pop-up event. This can be as simple or grand as you’d like!

Make a quick trip to Fed Ex to print large signs with encouraging words like “You Are Loved” and “You Belong” to hold up in front of the entrance. Bring along some flyers, cards, smiles, and you’ve got yourself a few walking billboards!

No sales pitch needed—just a lot of love and excitement for what God is bringing to the neighborhood. This is a great, low-cost way to advertise your church plant. The best part is having materials that can be used again and again, as you continue to grow.

3. Get a custom app for your church

There’s an app for everything these days, and there’s no reason why your church can’t participate in the tech evolution we’re experiencing. If there’s anything we know at Church Base, it’s that apps are not hype. We’ve seen ministries grow beyond their wildest dreams through this investment. Creating multiple touchpoints for people to connect with your church is key to spreading your reach.

We are spending more time than ever on our phones, tuning into the latest on our social media timelines, Youtube subscriptions, and even listening to podcasts. With a custom mobile app , you can increase your visibility by leaps and bounds.

We know that budgets are tight when you’re planting a church. That’s why we’re excited to offer your church plant a FREE YEAR of the entire Church Base software suite (including a customizable church app). Church Base wants to empower church plants in their journey by creating a solution specific to the needs of a growing ministry.

Get Started  today to see everything Church Base can do for your ministry.

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 3 minutes

It’s no secret that churches are seeing a dramatic decrease in tithing as the years go on. In fact, religious giving is down about 50% since 1990. So if it feels like pulling teeth to get your congregation to tithe each Sunday, chances are you’re not alone.

Statistics show that while charitable giving is on the rise, the percentage of tithers in each congregation lingers right around 10 to 25 percent. It’s not that people don’t want to give. They do! Especially those who are active and consistent members.

So what’s the disconnect?

Now more than ever, it is vital for churches to adapt to technology and strive for a deeper understanding of their congregation.

By recognizing the giving patterns and demographics of your church, you can better serve your congregation in a way that empowers them to give consistently.

Here are 3 ways you can increase giving at your church in 2022:

1.    Empower weekday giving 

Many churches only focus on receiving gifts during a brief period each Sunday as the collection plate gets passed. But research shows that this could actually be the issue.

Did you know that 73% of church giving takes place throughout the week? With that in mind, how often does your church follow up with messages that prompt giving once Sunday passes?

With text-to-give and push notifications , your church could send helpful reminders about tithes, offerings, payments for upcoming events, and charitable giving opportunities. Your church families are busy, always on the run. They’d probably appreciate the reminder!

Push notifications typically have an 88% open rate. That’s a lot of people engaging with your reminders and announcements! Each week, simply send an alert encouraging your users to “swipe right” in order to give if they were unable to on Sunday. This is a welcoming strategy to accommodate the differences in your congregation’s schedules and finances.

2.    Appeal to different giving levels for campaigns

A member’s capacity to give and willingness to give may not be completely aligned. This is especially true if your church has a multicultural and multigenerational congregation. Appealing to different types of givers in your audience is vital to increasing participation during your upcoming giving campaigns.

Often with campaigns, a specific, set dollar amount is requested as the standard gift toward the campaign. With Church Base Contributions, however, you can free up the giver to participate as their economic level allows them. By encouraging giving at different levels ($0-50, $100-250, etc.)  and incorporating options for recurring gifts through your app, you will increase the amount of participation you see in your church’s next campaign.

3.    Get ready for December

Did you know that 31% of all charitable giving takes place during the last month of the year? This is especially true for the church!

There are a few reasons this happens:

• People are inspired by the giving of the season, remembering what Jesus gave us.
• People are motivated to help their communities and build something brighter.
• People are reflecting back on the year, expressing gratitude for everything God has done.
• People are finishing out their tax year, maximizing their charitable donations.

This upcoming Christmas season, make it a point to align your financial goals, sermons, and events with the generous spirit that floods the church.

Need a secure way to offer online and digital giving? Our Contributions module  is just the tool your church needs to empower your congregation to tithe.

Ready to increase your giving in 2022? Sign up today  for your free year with Church Base.

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 2:30 minutes

We want to help you build a church app that will do more than just deliver your sermons. Your app can be a powerful tool to connect and mobilize your congregation. From groups to media, chat functions to prayer walls, a church app is a 24/7 central hub and a launching point.

Here are some tips to building the ultimate church app for your ministry:

1. Include high-quality images of your church.

In our step-by-step app-building process, you have the ability to include images of your church’s building, volunteers, and culture. Using actual images of your church and services (instead of stock photos) makes the app a lot more personal and allows your community to connect to it more!

2. Keep your page content simple.

The best apps and websites focus on content that gets straight to the point. Your reader’s time is valuable and limited, so bring a keen editing eye to everything you post on your app. If it helps, consider putting together an editing team to make sure everything is up to your ministry’s expectations. Quality over quantity!

3. Assign someone with tech experience to maintain your app.

Too often, the fear of technology keeps leaders from adopting helpful tools. The great news, however, is that a church is a team. That means those leaders who are a little less “tech-savvy” can recruit the help they need. Don’t let fear hold you back–find the volunteer with the skills and passion to take your ministry to the next level through your app. Specifically, look for someone with technical or design experience.

4. Know your vision and audience before you start creating your app.

If you have a specific audience, language, or cultural vision for your church’s mission, keep it in mind as you build your app in the Community module. When you create your app with purpose at the outset, you’ll be much more pleased with its longtime performance. The app, like every other tool we use, equips the people to do the ministry–build it for them!

5. Have clear branding: logos and color scheme that work together.

Have an eye-catching logo and color scheme ready to go before you start working on your app. You’ll save yourself a lot of time when you can quickly reference your style and branding.

On a deeper level, when you bring order and clarity to your brand, it will guide your church members through your content with ease. Deciding your branding ahead of time ensures your app is easy to read, which will motivate people to engage.

These are just a few tips to get started on an awesome church app! Want to know more about our app features ? Or are you ready to start building ?

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 3 minutes

Your church app can be used for a lot these days, including your team chat, your main form of communication, even your website! But the big question is…how can you use your church app to retain guests that visit your church?

After helping churches around the world reach more than 2 million people, we think we might have figured it out. But first, it’s important to understand WHY to use your app to retain guests.

Why use your church app to retain visitors?

The church app is by far one of the most powerful methods of marketing and connection out there. You get to show up in a very meaningful part of a person’s life: their phone screen. Tech Crunch said that the app was the most valuable piece of real estate available.

When your app is on someone’s phone, you have the power to share your message with them in a very intimate way. They can explore your church, your culture, even your beliefs anywhere, anytime, and in a way in which they’re comfortable.

You may ask, “Why not just have a website?” While a website is useful for communicating information about your ministry, it doesn’t provide the same tools as an app. With features like chat, messaging, scheduling, prayer walls, and push notification, you can do more than pass on information…you can build community. 

Okay, I’m sold. So, how do I get visitors to download my app?

Simple, you advertise it! People love downloading apps anywhere they go. Granted a lot get deleted, but the first step to leading someone to keep and use your app is for them to download it.

Here are a few of the most effective ways to get people to download the app.

• Include it in your in-service visuals (ProPresenter slides, video ads, etc.)
• Add the app graphic and download icons to your weekend programs/bulletins
• Add a dedicated app promo card to your welcome gift
• Pitch the app at every service and every event
• Run giveaways to motivate people to download the app
• Post it consistently on all your ministry’s social media pages
• Offer exclusive content that’s only on the app (fillable sermon notes, midweek devotions, etc.)

How do I turn visitors into ongoing members using my app?

An app builds habit and loyalty, but only if someone’s opening it. So, you need to find creative ways to get users to open your app. People want to feel part of something–that’s why they open Facebook on average 16 times a day! Your app should make a visitor feel like they can be part of something bigger.

Here are a few ways you can do that:

• Add a Welcome page to the home folder of your app.
• Add a Next Steps section of the app.
• Send a direct push notification to your new guest thanking them for visiting.
• Be consistent with your push notifications about events.
• Add a chat room for visitors to ask questions about the church.
• Add a reason to open the app daily: blog posts, new sermon, encouragement series, etc.

It’s important you build habit by encouraging them to open the app a minimum of every other day.

With a little creativity and purpose, you can use your church app to retain visitors and build a deeper community.

Want to know more about our app features? Or are you ready to start building?

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 2:30 minutes

In preparation for the largest giving season of the year, we put together a checklist to make sure your digital giving is ready and available. Don’t forget, 31% of all charitable giving happens in December, so make the most of this season.

Digital giving portals are a must. Your church members live on the go, so they need giving tools that adapt to their lifestyle. Meet them where they’re at with a digital giving portal that accepts digital gifts (credit cards and ACH) via website, app, text-to-give, widgets, and giving kiosks. If you don’t have a giving portal, we think you’ll like our Contributions module.

Here’s how to set up your digital giving like a pro: 

1. Set up your digital giving portal.

To begin, register for a free year . On your dashboard, go to the dropdown in the top left corner and select Contribution. Once in the giving module, Select Organizations then Setup Church in the middle column, under Bank & Legal Info.

This will allow you to complete the registration to be verified for giving through Church Base. Once you’re verified, you’ll be all set to accept digital donations!

For a step-by-step video, learn more about the setup process here.

2. Set up your text-to-give number.

With Church Base, text-to-give is free, unlike most giving suites. Once inside Organizations, you can click Generate number under SMS Giving # for the church you’d like to get set up on text-to-give.

Add your text-to-give number to your app, projector graphics, and any print medium you use to encourage giving.

3. Add your digital giving URL to your app & website.

You can find your giving URL inside your Church Base dashboard in the Organizations section. Once you have your URL, you can embed it in your church app and your website. You may also use the short link (churchbase.gifts/ID) where you change the ID with the ID of your church (listed on the donor URL).

4. Customize your Website Widget and Kiosk Setup.

Through the Contributions module side panel, you can customize a widget  to embed on your website. Just select Website Widget, and the organization, branding colors, and text, and you’ll be given a code to insert into your website.

Does your ministry use desktop kiosks or iPads? If so, we’ve provided another way to collect digital gifts. Just copy the URL we provide for you to make the most of this function. You can find this code under Kiosk Setup in the side panel.

5. Test your digital giving.

Before you push out the giving portals to your congregation, always test the URL, kiosk giving, and text-to-give with a $5 gift. You want to make sure everything is set up and working correctly before people invest too much time and money.

Collect digital gifts like a pro!

Host your Christmas services confident that you did all you could to give people options when donating this season!

Have a question about our Contributions module or digital giving? Just open the chat in the lower right corner of this screen.

Ready to make the most of digital giving at your church or ministry? Get started today!

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 2:30 minutes

If you had a dollar for each time you’ve heard “Communication is key,” you’d probably be a millionaire by now — right? Effective communication will make or break a vision, a plan, or a team. That’s why, here at Church Base, we’re big fans of group chat! We’ve seen how this feature empowers churches and leadership teams to grow and function like a well-oiled machine.

Let’s be honest, we keep our phones within arm’s reach almost 24/7. Instead of sending an email that could potentially go unnoticed, send important updates and messages through your team’s group chat. It’s a direct line of contact to the people with whom you communicate frequently.

Here Are Some Ways Group Chats Can Benefit Your Teams:

A Group Chat Builds Genuine Community.

Between the business of weekday life and jam-packed Sundays, it can be difficult to build community within teams. Group chats help to develop community by creating a sense of belonging that will keep your team motivated to serve.

 

A Group Chat Keeps Your Volunteers Inspired.

As leaders, we know that everything we do matters. Every Sunday is someone’s first Sunday. A guest’s experience with one volunteer is often a reflection of the church as a whole, so it’s important that volunteers are inspired to reflect God’s welcoming love.

 

 

You can help inspire your volunteers through group chat by:

• Exchanging prayer requests
• Sending encouraging messages
• Sharing links to inspiring videos and articles

Consider sending a weekly devotional to your team to set the tone!

A Group Chat Makes Sure Everyone Is On The Same Page.

Here’s the tricky part about communication: people retain information at different levels. So, for some, in-person communication may not always be the best. For others, emails can go unnoticed. Or what if someone’s been out of town and wasn’t caught up to speed?

 

 

There are several factors that can cause your team to be out of sync, but group messages can solve that issue! Is there a certain dress code for Sunday? Send a message! Is there an important deadline approaching? Send a message! It’s that easy.

You may be asking: will group chat overwhelm my volunteers?

We all know the feeling of being held hostage to the never-ending alerts that come from active group messages. Your phone is buzzing constantly in important meetings, or when you’re just trying to sleep. Helpful messages quickly turn into distractions.

But by selecting to turn off notifications from your church’s app, users are in control of what push notifications they receive. Since the group message is accessed through your church’s app, users can simply click into the app to see what they missed. Then, click out and focus on their day.

With a custom branded app through Church Base, you have the ability to create group chats for all teams, right from your dashboard! At Church Base, we’re passionate about empowering ministries and their volunteers to spread the gospel. That starts with a strong foundation and healthy teams.

To read more about our connection features, click here!

If you’re ready to get set up group chat for your volunteer teams, get started today!