“As leaders in the
- Unified tech solutions are preferred: Parish leaders are no longer in a hurry to just add more technology to help evangelization efforts; instead, they are methodical about choosing digital solutions that are more unified, refined and purpose-built to meet the needs of their ministry. The average number of digital tools used by parishes decreased significantly since 2021—from 7.9 to 6.5 tools. This includes tools to perform tasks such as database management, online giving, church app, social media, etc. Looking ahead, church management and donor management software were chosen as the top ministry tools for the future.
- Digital giving and church apps are widely used: 59% currently use a mobile church app, up from 49% from the previous year. It’s also among the top three tech tools with an “extremely satisfied” rating and 50% say it will be strategically important in two to three years. Parishes primarily used their church app for content, church calendar, tithing or financial giving, and prayer requests. Mobile giving remains one of the most adopted tools, particularly among large parishes. In spite of the seemingly positive experiences, mobile giving dropped significantly from 2021 (91% in 2021, compared to 82% in 2022). Other popular tools include texting, ministry and volunteer scheduler, and event software.
- Livestreaming and hybrid church remain top of mind: The number of parishes livestreaming Mass and worship services in 2022 remained constant at 84% and ranks among the tools they are “extremely satisfied” with. Social media as a livestreaming solution is notably still the most popular way for parishioners to tune in digitally. Large parishes (92%) were significantly more likely than small (53%) or medium-sized parishes (73%) to livestream on social media. Leaders are looking for the ideal balance to transition to a hybrid form of worship in the future. In 2022, 74% offered hybrid worship services. In looking ahead, only 34% indicated they plan to offer in-person only Mass next year.
- Digital security is high priority: 87% say that IT security and data protection are crucial when contemplating new technology. Moreso, talks about digital security are gaining traction, with 58% of leaders indicating they discussed digital security with their parishioners last year (a significant increase from 40% in 2021).
- Exploring emerging tech for digital evangelization: Churches are more open to new, innovative forms of digital donations including cryptocurrency, with 50% of small parishes considering this to be strategically important over the next couple of years. Moreso, parishes and dioceses are more open to considering unique forms of engagement technology including church in the Metaverse, chatbots, marketing through geotargeting and more.
“Shifts in the religious, cultural and social landscape are driving leaders to rethink the way they engage with parishioners and strategies to reach the next generation,” said
Today’s announcement is further reinforcement of Pushpay’s commitment to meeting the digital needs of the
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