Since we live in a digital revolution, technology is changing and working its way into nearly every aspect of our lives. Over the past year, since the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down our normal in-person gatherings, we've seen just how beneficial technology can be, connecting us to others from the comfort of our home and even improving time management skills.

The church may be one of the sectors most significantly revolutionized by technology. Sunday services, small groups, worship nights and conferences, among other things, have adapted to going virtual as church staff tirelessly work behind the scenes to jump over hurdles and learn this new way of ministry.

For some, the transition was not easy. There were growing pains, but if anything rings true, it is that technology should not complicate a church staff's already long to-do list. It should instead serve as an invisible assistant that takes care of nuanced details and in the end, saves time and removes many responsibilities. The key to accomplishing this is finding technology solutions that seamlessly work together.

Incorporating technology into ministry can help to accomplish many things. It allows for the church to preach the gospel faithfully to those who do and don't already know Jesus, to engage and disciple the local body of believers and to equip those believers to reach more people for Christ.

There are a number of great products available to help church leaders handle every function needed to accomplish the mission of the church, but often what ends up happening is each team member is working in a separate solution with an individual account and log-in. While the ministry work is getting done, this scenario means every leader is siloed rather than looking at how each function supports the other and integrates together.

Imagine what could be done if you had one cloud-based platform with only one password that every team member could use? Technology and its benefits are multiplied when everything is in one place. It provides for a more cohesive ministry for all members of the church and more time for leaders to prepare sermons, engage with the congregation and develop their ministry goals.

But technology shouldn't just be for church leaders. Congregants also benefit, not only for fulfilling the biblical call to give and dive into God's word but also from hassle-free child check-in and connection with other believers.

What inevitably happens when a church embraces technology is that engagement rises and community thrives.

Exploring new innovations in technology that allow everything to be integrated and automated can lead to healthy churches who are raising disciples and growing the church in light of the Bible.

Bob Pritchett is co-founder and CEO of Faithlife, a church technology company helping churches grow in the light of the Bible, which recently released Equip, an integrated ministry platform providing tools and content to support every leader in the church while providing congregant resources for spiritual growth, church involvement and community connectivity.

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