Should Our Church Build a Custom Church App?

There are endless choices today if you want a church app. There are apps that are pre-built where you simply plug in your info and go. Then there are apps that require someone to build them with your logo, colors, etc. Finally, there are church apps attached to church management software that can go very in depth. So which one is right for your church?

The first question is likely a question of cost. Sure, you want a custom church app that looks amazing and can do everything, but everything is going to cost you quite a bit. Is your church in the market for a Mercedes or a Honda? Here’s a typical rule of thumb on costs in 2016:

• Custom Church Apps - Costs typically start with a $500 set up fee and run $500-$4,000 per year.

• Church Management Software + Church App - Costs often start at a $1,000 set up fee and run $1,000 - $10,000 or higher per year.

• Pre-Built Church Apps - Most have a small setup fee and start at $300-$1,000 per year. SmartChurch.com is the exception offering a free-for-life version.

• Generic "Build Your Own" Apps - These companies are not focused on churches and can start at a small setup fee and then charge $120 - $1,000 per year.

The second question you should ask before launching a new church app is what features do we need? Features often affect costs but most churches start with the basics which include the following:

• Church Calendar or Event Calendar

• Church Member Directory

• Communications

• Multimedia

• Giving or Donations

• Push Notifications

Finally, is the cost worth the features your church will receive? If you go with a pre-built app like SmartChurch, you may get the features you want but you will not get your own logo icon and your own app in the app store (SmartChurch does offer churches a custom church app for a $500 one-time fee but you have to ask). Instead, your members will click on the SmartChurch app which will then open directly to their church where the logo and information will be displayed.

Building a custom app typically starts at a one-time fee of $500 or greater and often carries with it a higher monthly fee. Make sure you estimate your total cost of this app over ten years to evaluate if that is something your church wants to invest in. In the end, a church that pays for a custom church app is only getting their name and their app in the app store. It likely will not improve the quality of their app or attract more people to their app or create a unique experience for their members once they click on the app. However, for churches greater than 500 members, the cost is often worth it.

Finally, every church should ask themselves if their church members will use it. Often if a church app does not allow church members to post or comment on the app, it will often not be used. In today’s world, people expect to be able to go into an app and do something. Simply telling your members what’s going on at your church will not lead them to use a church app although allowing them to create conversations and communicate appear to be the most valuable tool. Church leaders often have to get over the fear of a church member posting something off color or negative. Often times the realization is that this is very unlikely to happen and if it does, it only means that the church member has probably been posting negative things on other social media sites long before they get up the nerve to do it on your church app.

It is a good idea to wrestle with all of these questions as a church looks into a church app. With our culture moving away from checks and cash, the need to adopt technology for giving and other necessities will be greater and greater. It is best to start now.

For all the necessary information about Church App, Church Giving, please visit the official website of smartchurch.com.