Communication has always been an important part of church life, but the way churches communicate has changed considerably.
Email is still widely used for newsletters and formal communication, while WhatsApp and other instant messaging services have become increasingly popular for everything from leadership teams and small groups to rotas and prayer requests.
There is no single communication method that is right for every situation. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, particularly when it comes to convenience, privacy and managing communication across a growing church.
So, what are the main options available to churches?
WhatsApp and other consumer messaging apps
WhatsApp has become one of the most common ways for church groups and teams to communicate. It is familiar, quick and, importantly, most people already have it installed on their phone.
For a small group of friends this can work extremely well. For churches, however, there are some additional things to consider.
Benefits
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Most people are already familiar with how it works
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Messages are delivered instantly
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Groups are quick and easy to create
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Photos, documents and other information can easily be shared
Things to consider
One of the biggest considerations is that members of a WhatsApp group generally share their personal mobile number and now username with the other members of that group.
That may be perfectly acceptable for a group of people who know each other well, but it can become more problematic when messaging is being used for larger church groups, volunteer teams or groups where membership changes regularly.
There is also the administrative challenge. When somebody joins or leaves a ministry, the church needs to remember to add or remove them from the appropriate messaging groups as well as updating its main church records.
Church communication can consequently become spread across numerous independently managed groups, often owned and administered by individual members of the church.
Email remains an excellent way of communicating information that doesn't require an immediate response.
It is particularly well suited to newsletters, weekly updates, formal notices and longer pieces of information.
Benefits
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Almost everybody has an email address
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Ideal for longer or more formal communication
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Good for newsletters and church-wide announcements
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Doesn't require members to install another app
Things to consider
Email isn't always ideal for conversations.
A discussion between ten members of a ministry team can quickly turn into a long email chain, and important messages can be missed amongst everything else arriving in someone's inbox.
Email is therefore often better for broadcasting information than for the day-to-day conversations taking place within church teams and groups.
SMS and text messaging
Text messages can still be extremely effective, particularly for important announcements and reminders.
Unlike an app notification or email, an SMS doesn't normally require somebody to have a particular application installed or to regularly check an inbox.
Benefits
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Works on almost every mobile phone
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Useful for urgent or important announcements
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Doesn't require a smartphone or an app
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Can achieve very high visibility
Things to consider
SMS messages normally carry a cost and are primarily designed for one-way communication rather than group conversations.
For this reason, SMS can be a useful part of a church's communication strategy without necessarily replacing email or instant messaging.
Church-specific messaging platforms
Another option is to bring messaging directly into the church management system.
This has an important difference from using a standalone messaging application: the messaging system can understand the structure of the church.
Rather than maintaining a church group in one system and then maintaining a separate WhatsApp group containing the same people, communication can follow the teams, groups and ministries that already exist within the church's administration system.
There can also be significant privacy benefits.
Members don't need to give their personal phone number, email address or username to everybody else in a group simply because they want to participate in its conversations.
Different tools for different types of communication
For many churches, the answer isn't to choose just one platform.
Different methods work well for different purposes:
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Email for newsletters, detailed information and formal communication
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SMS for important reminders and announcements
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Instant messaging for conversations within teams, ministries and groups
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Push notifications for timely information delivered through the church's app
The important question is not simply "Which messaging app should we use?" but "How do we communicate effectively while also protecting people's privacy and keeping church information manageable?"
Introducing iKnow Chat
This is one of the reasons we have developed iKnow Chat, our new secure instant messaging platform built specifically for churches.
Rather than creating another standalone messaging service, iKnow Chat works alongside the information churches already hold within iKnow Church.
Churches can create channels for the whole church as well as individual teams, groups, ministries and events. This means communication can reflect the way the church is already organised.
Most importantly, members can participate in conversations without sharing their personal phone number, username or contact details with everybody else in the channel.
Conversations stay within the church's iKnow environment, helping churches provide a more private and controlled place for church communication.
iKnow Chat includes:
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Channels for the whole church, teams, groups and ministries
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Private channels for specific groups of people
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Instant messaging
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Share images
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Push notifications through the iKnow Church app
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Communication without members having to share personal phone numbers or usernames
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Integration with the people, teams, circles and groups already held within iKnow Church
It isn't about suggesting that churches should suddenly stop using email, SMS. Each of those tools has its place.
Instead, iKnow Chat gives churches another option: a messaging platform designed around church life, connected to the church's existing administration system and built with the privacy of church members in mind.
For churches already using iKnow Church, it also means bringing more of their communication into the same place as their people, teams, groups, events and day-to-day church administration.
Find out more about iKnow Chat
Discover how iKnow Chat can help your church bring conversations together while allowing members to keep their personal contact details private.
Find out more about iKnow Chat