21st-Century Faith-Based Innovation
In 2019, innovation-conscious leaders such as Carey Nieuwhof have spotted trends the faith-based organizations put in check to support the onboarding of the next generation. This mostly involved the optimum utilization of digital transformation globally.
Having defined irrelevance, as the gap between how quickly one changes and how quickly things change, Carey identified that most faith-based organizations leaders were equipped for a world that no longer existed. We have discussed 4 trends that are transforming the outlook of the faith-based organizations: Digitization, Work culture remodeling, Pop-up gatherings, and online gatherings.
Here are the ongoing changes the faith-based organizations should innovate towards:
1. Digitization
As part of the trends in faith-based organizations, digitization has been integrated into aspects of digital giving/donations, communication of events and outreach via digital flyers, and building of relationships with congregants using the organization’s mobile apps.
The present generation, the Millennials, are one major reason for the update on technology. In digital giving, millennials are behind on the notion of giving using physical cash with the advent of the mobile banking system. They are not check/cash carriers, hence, to meet up with the introduction of this generation into the giving culture of the organization, digital opportunities must be taken advantage of. There are online donations apps or software, which can help with the implementation of giving, an example being Kindrid.
Aside from giving, technology in an organization comes in the form of mobile applications made available to members. The app serves as a place for access to resources on sermons/teachings, communicates effectively based on researches which shows that 71% spend more on-screen time with their phones. This also helps for engagements outside the normal Sunday/Friday gatherings for Christian/Muslim organizations.
In the use of digital flyers and e-books as integrations into the use of email boxes, services such as Bulletin plus and MailChimp can help with this.
An example of faith-based organizations ahead in digitization is the Elevation Church. The church runs an online church on its site, has YouTube channel (ElevationNG) reaching out with almost 30,000 subscribers, makes available an online giving platform, runs audio streaming on mixlr and has its mobile app, The Elevation Church, available on Playstore.
2. Rebuilding the work culture within faith-based organizations
In the past decade, awareness of toxic workplaces has increased. Faith-based leaders have played roles in cultures that opposed what faith-based organizations should stand for — office politics, nepotism, arrogance in leadership and more. The emergence of millennials, who give no room for the practice of this poor work culture, put up with by previous generations, have revealed these issues.
This challenge has caused many to be done with the organization just not God and has been identified as a human challenge, not a faith one. Thus, leaders should restructure their team culture and the values embodied by them, not just stated. Why? Because toxic cultures expel people, but great culture attracts and keeps people.
3. The era of pop-up gatherings
In the battle between digital and analog time, the need for human connection increases. To meet this need, the new faith-based organizations will need to increase, or they might as well not. This decline is due to the risks, investments and time need which comes with setting up branches.
Faith-based organizations should manage these risks by working with their online traction or experiment either way, with popup branches in selected locations. These popups are one night/monthly/seasonal launches strategized to test new locations for expansion, without making huge initial investments. Venues used could be rented restaurants, banquet halls or more. Huge transactions among other factors should give result in the potency of permanent branches.
4. Online Gatherings
The faith-based organization should cease questioning the relevance of their digital space. This is like mocking the relevance of global digital powers as Amazon, Uber, & others. Faith-based organizations need to figure out how to engage with the online congregation they have never met.
Soon, the online gathering will become a front or side door, not a back door. The back door means an avenue for disengaged, lazy and consumer-oriented members to connect with the organization. While consumer-oriented members were those only interested in taking from the organization without engaging in its communism.
However, with the online gatherings as the front door, the inquisitive, interested, lost and skeptics can connect with the organization. This covers people who need time & space to grow their faith, before choosing to attend in physical. As a side door, itinerant members or absentees can keep in touch with the online gathering.
Connexus, Carey’s church congregation identified the church online platform as their go-to for weeks to a year, before joining the church. Therefore, since the online church offers the front door for new members and a side door for engaged members, it must be positioned properly, not to be viewed as a back door.
With this, faith-based organizations will need to invest over 30% resources on staffing online for online outreaches, to get expected results.
