Thank you for making MinistryOne part of your ministry toolbox to extend your reach, build your community, and encourage financial stewardship. First impressions are significant, so we’ve created this brief Implementation Guide to help your rollout be a success.
Promoting with Purpose
Begin with Establishing a Clear Timeline
Any successful implementation will begin with clear expectations and timeline for your MinistryOne Launch. We suggest planning a minimum of four weeks for promotion to your congregation after you have created your Project and are ready to Publish.
Develop a Communication Strategy
Your members will be more hesitant to download and use the MinistryOne app if they do not have a clear sense of the purpose of the application and how it will benefit them. By communicating the added value beforehand, you will ensure a higher adoption and utilization rate among your members. A software tool is only useful if it is used!
A few things to consider:
Communicate through multiple mediums
Use your church website, social media, the pulpit, worship guides, etc. to get the message out. You don’t want anyone to be surprised or confused about what MinistryOne is and what it does.
Communicate early and often
If you wait until the week before launch to announce MinistryOne, you are already at a disadvantage. You want to build excitement and anticipation for this exciting new tool your church will be utilizing. Spend a few weeks ramping up the promotion before you launch!
Highlight practical ways MinistryOne will impact your members
For example, “If you happen to miss next Sunday’s message, you’ll be able to listen to that message through the app while you cook dinner or take an evening run.” Focus on how your church specifically plans on using MinistryOne in the day to day life of the body.
Here are some graphics you can use in your communication efforts:
Social Media
Slide Deck
Bulletin or Newsletter Insert
Preparing for Launch
Once your app is configured and published, you can avoid some potential obstacles to adoption by doing the following:
Employ some in-house testers
Use your staff or key leadership as the initial guinea pigs for MinistryOne. Have them use MinistryOne for a week to identify any functionality issues that need to be addressed before your launch. Check for accurate spelling and grammar, image formatting and to get some initial feedback.
Place the embed code on your website
In the Promote section of your MinistryOne builder, you will find an embed code that you can place on your church website. Your members will then be able to visit that page on their mobile devices and have the option of downloading the church’s app from either the Google Play Store or from the iOS App Store. The advantage to using the embed code is that it uses deep-linking technology to automatically pre-select your church in MinistryOne. This makes the initial download process much simpler for your congregants. Your embed code as well as other Sharing Options can be found in the Promote section.
Identify a MinistryOne Lead
Select one of your staff or Key Leaders to serve as the primary contact for your members. They will invariably have questions about the functions, privacy and security of the app. By having a point person, you can more effectively address any concerns and champion the app in your congregation.
When you are ready to roll-out MinistryOne, make it a big deal in the life of your congregation. You should highlight its release through all your communication channels. You could consider doing an Adoption Contest through your Small Groups or Sunday School classes. Whatever your strategy, execute it with enthusiasm!
🎉 If you are excited about MinistryOne, then your congregation will be as well.🎉
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