Smartphones and tablets are quickly becoming a part of our daily lives, offering solutions for many of the things we do every day. Churches are also becoming aware of the potential positive uses that come with the use of these. With these technologies rapidly being used in the workplace, applications are being created to help offer solutions to the many problems businesses face. I want to share with you, a few useful applications that every church leader should use to take their ministry to the next level.

Planning Center

Planning Center is an amazing app that offers a range of products that simplifies the complicated process of running a congregation. The range of solutions offered includes sermon planning, church facility management, the organization of small groups and individuals of a congregation, organization of tithe and giving, and structured check-in for volunteers and children’s ministry. Each solution Planning Center offers can be worked into the specific needs of any congregation no matter what size. The app also has a range of costs depending on the desired capabilities starting with free basic features. Efforts made with the information using the various solutions allow for easy to understand reports.

Church Metrics

Church metrics is an app that makes tracking important numbers related to the health and growth of a church straightforward. This application takes information that can easily overwhelm most people and presents the information clearly and through simple visuals such as charts. Church Metrics takes the task of looking through past performance, as well as tracking trends and allows it to be customized specifically to the needs of each church. In order to push for continual growth, understanding past performance allows goals to be realistic. Church Metrics is part of Life.Church, which is a network of churches. This makes the support very strong, ensuring you make the most of this app. Church metrics also remains a free service that aims to be a resource for any church.

LEAD.

LEAD. is an amazing tool for small group leaders or someone who has to organize volunteers. A challenge many groups face that this app addresses, finding a way to keep everyone united. LEAD. offers many resources to allow leaders to see how engaged specific members of the church are and enables them to create profiles of each member. Each member’s profile also includes notes to keep track of specific information for future use. Scheduling features offer a simple way for members of the church to find the opportunity to serve and remain connected.

Evernote

Church leaders need organization systems that keep everything under their supervision well managed. Evernote takes care of this challenge by offering a resource that offers a range of means to organize various types of information. Notes are able to include sketches and diagrams allowing for quality work, well collaboration and simple methods to share and comment on content allow for easier communication with others. Evernote also utilizes a phone or tablet’s camera to integrate non-digital material. Leadership truly can benefit from all of these features and the ability to create presentations, lists and offer immediate feedback.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist takes a simple to-do list and allows a team or small group to easily collaborate. Tasks have the ability to have dates of completion added, well others can annotate the content and offer feedback. Wunderlist also has created the ability to easily share information through the internet in a way that maintains formatting. Simply put this platform takes the productivity of traditional apps, but makes it easier to interact in the workplace. When it comes to creating lists to make sure your team is all on the same page, Wunderlist is a simple but solid solution.