Must Have Mobile Strategy
In July of 2008 I was speaking to a group of Church leaders in Santa Cruz, California. I held my phone (this was just before I got my iPhone) up in my hand and I said, “This is the future.”
It’s been a year and a half and mobile technology is the “now”, not the future. My friend, Bobby Gruenwald, Innovation Pastor at LifeChurch.tv, constantly encourages his staff to think global and mobile – global and mobile.
I’m currently working with churches and organizations on helping them to create, dream and plan strategies around mobile technology. Your people are constantly becoming one with their phone (for good or bad) and it’s a reality that we need to be intentional about speaking their language. Again, as I’ve said before: we are digital missionaries.
As you know, I work often as a Secret Shopper/Mystery Worshiper. The first thing I check is the church’s website. The second thing I do is pull up their website on my iPhone. I have recommended several times that church’s follow the lead of Seacoast Church and get a mobile version of their website. I applaud and praise Seacoast for blazing a trail in this area. My hat’s off to my friend Shawn Wood and his team. Well done! If you have your phone handy (and I know you do) – pull up Seacoast’s website on it.
My church (and many others) send out text messages to attenders and members that opt in. My church also encourages you to text in questions and decisions that you may make as a response to the message. Many churches are utilizing text and SMS during services as an interactive piece. As I’ve blogged about before, many churches are using the free service from YouVersion Live.
I’ll be talking more in the near future about other mobile strategies and tools. In the meantime, if you and your church would like to strategize and put together a comprehensive plan that includes Web 2.0 tools, mobile technology, social media and social networking – give me a shout. My only goal is to help and equip you to speak the language of the people you’re trying to reach (digital missionaries).
January 17th, 2010 at 4:05 am
Count me on on the comprehensive plan
January 18th, 2010 at 12:09 am
Email me.
January 17th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
I am interested in examples of of how churches are using twitter, facebook, etc to reach the unchurched. Are churches using it to engage those who have never been to church and what is their strategy for using an impersonal medium to introduce people to a personal God?
January 18th, 2010 at 4:21 am
Greg, really good post. I heartily agree!
I believe mobile is going to be the No.1 communication opportunity in 2010 in. So much so I blogged on it late last year…
"The No.1 communication opportunity in 2010 – will you be there?" http://bit.ly/63kovs
Would appreciate your feedback!
January 18th, 2010 at 4:22 am
P.S. I'm working on our mobile strategy… so don't lookk for our mobile site cos it ain't there yet!
February 1st, 2010 at 7:34 am
[...] Greg Atkinson has observed, “Think global, think mobile.” If you are interested in these possibilities, join Visual Story Network. I trust that the strategic [...]
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:40 pm
[...] Greg Atkinson has observed, “Think global and mobile.” If you are interested in these possibilities, join Visual Story Network, follow Mobile Ministry [...]