This week’s sponsored post was prepared by Finalweb.
There’s no denying that the world has gone “mobile.” In the last few years, life has changed dramatically thanks to the little rectangles most of us rely on and rarely separate from. For the church, technology sometimes almost feels a little out of place. For those of us grounded in wanting to preach the same message, the same Gospel that has stood for thousands of years without need of our modification, it can be easy to set aside technological opportunities along with the latest fad in theology. But that need not be the case. We live in a time where God has given us exciting tools to use for His glory, and they are becoming commonplace among excellent churches.
There are a few areas that some churches, even those with some degree of online presence, have neglected. It is not uncommon to see a nice church website that has been recently updated but will barely open or function on a mobile device. Or if it does, the links are so small that one must zoom around the page in order to get someplace, causing many if not most users to lose interest in using it. New moms or shut-in church members who can’t attend a service in person sit alone one a Sunday, unable to watch or listen, while a minimal investment in time and technology could bring the church service to them with ease. Throughout the week, church members might listen to messages from another pastor at a more technologically advanced church simply because the sermons were easier to access through a native mobile app.
Finalweb aims to eliminate these pitfalls so that even smaller churches can make efficient use of modern technology. We do this through the offering of three products:
Mobile-Friendly, Easy-to-Use Websites
Our websites have been our premier product for the last 15 years. Using our own proprietary content management system designed specifically for churches, ministry staff with only basic computer experience can fully build and maintain a professional church website. Features such as sermon podcast libraries, an event registration system, online calendars, and sub-sites for multiple ministries help to put a good face on a good ministry. And with our responsive templates, our church sites look great on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops alike.
Live Streaming
One of our most requested features over the years has been the ability to integrate live video streaming of services into our websites. Customers complained of using free or cheap services which broadcast commercials during or before their messages, frustrating their viewers. Three years ago, Finalweb developed its own streaming solution that integrates easily into our websites, and can be used in externally hosted sites as well. Our commercial-free service is affordable and transcoded automatically so that it is compatible with all major mobile devices types.
Mobile Apps
More recently, churches have begun to realize the power of having their own branded mobile app in the Android and Apple app stores. As convenient as a responsive website is, frequent users enjoy the efficiency of accessing church resources, messages, notes, schedules, and more in a native mobile app. Our apps include all of these features and more, including the ability to quickly access a password-protected church directory.
For visitors of Challies.com, Finalweb will provide a 25% discount on any services. Just enter “Challiesoffer” into the “Coupon Code” box on our payment page when signing up. Feel free to try our products and contact us with any questions by visiting www.finalweb.com.
