Pushpay Releases State of Church Technology Report, Uncovering Digitalization Trends Among Faith-Based Institutions

Research provides insight into digital priorities, concerns and near-term expectations from technology influencers and decision makers in the Church


REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pushpay (NZSX:PPH, ASX:PPH, 'Pushpay' or 'the Company'), the leading payments and engagement solutions provider for faith-based and non-profit sectors, released its State of Church Technology Report today, surfacing digital trends in the Church including current adoption, considerations, barriers to embracing new technology and forecasts on what is strategically important as churches develop strategies for the future of ministry.

Pushpay conducted the nationwide online study in the fall of 2021*, surveying church leaders and key technology decision makers across the U.S. The State of Church Technology Report outlines the powerful role technology and digital solutions play in the faith sector today, and delivers an overarching synopsis of current priorities, concerns and near-term expectations from the people responsible for meeting their church’s needs with technology.

Key findings from the report include:

  • 93 percent of churches believe technology plays an essential role in helping achieve their mission
  • 77 percent of churches consider security and data protection extremely important, yet only 19 percent list it as a key factor in technology purchases
  • 54 percent of church leaders consider time as one of the top obstacles to adopting new technology
  • Only 10 percent of mid-sized church leaders want more digital tools, leaving room for consolidation to more all-in-one solutions in the future
  • 94 percent of churches are currently using social media, yet only 53 percent think those platforms will be strategically important for them in the next few years
  • Mobile church applications and church management/donor management software tied as the most strategically important technology considerations in the next two to three years
  • Currently 91 percent of churches livestream at least some of their services, and 94 percent of those churches plan to continue livestreaming over the next twelve months

“Now, more than ever, is the time for organizations to prioritize a digital strategy and consider a multi-channel approach to engagement,” said Pushpay CEO, Molly Matthews. “As the Church continues to evolve and embrace more of a hybrid ministry model, Pushpay continues to be at the forefront of technology and innovation in order to enable a seamless and integrated way for churches to grow and build community.”

Increasingly, churches have discovered the benefits of technology as a way to bridge connection beyond Sunday. Driven in part to bypass the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding decline in church attendance, organizations are rapidly adopting tools such as management software, online giving, live streaming services, and many other digital solutions as an essential need to do ministry. However, budget constraints remain a challenge to new technology purchases with nearly half of churches allocating 10 percent or less of their annual budget to technology spend.

In tandem with the primary research report, today Pushpay also released a targeted report for mid-sized churches with weekly attendance of roughly 200-800 people, and a State of Technology Report for Catholic Churches which captures digital trends and forecasts in the Catholic Church.

To view the full report visit www.pushpay.com.

*Research was commissioned by Pushpay and conducted by Epiphany Research in October 2021. Data reflects findings from nearly 2,000 respondents across the faith sector.

About Pushpay
Pushpay provides a donor management system, including donor tools, finance tools and a custom community app, a church management system (ChMS), and video streaming solutions to the faith sector, non-profit organizations and education providers located predominantly in the United States (US) and other jurisdictions. Our leading solutions simplify engagement, payments and administration, enabling our Customers to increase participation and build stronger relationships with their communities. Pushpay is an award-winning company. For more information visit www.pushpay.com/investors/awards.

US Media / PR Contact:
Jenna Rogers
Uproar PR for Pushpay
jrogers@uproarpr.com
727-242-0270