The biggest gap in how churches use technology for discipleship tracking is the disconnect between data collection and pastoral action. Effective discipleship tracking connects member data, group or study participation, spiritual markers, and follow-up workflows into one complete picture of each person’s journey.
Christian discipleship is about becoming more and more like Jesus. At its core, this is something that happens in a person’s heart. This means transforming a person’s mind, emotion, and will so that they align with that of Jesus. The catalyst for this transformation comes from the Holy Spirit working within a regenerated believer through scripture, prayer, worship, and community. It’s a spiritual interaction between a believer and the one to whom they have given mastery over their lives, Jesus.
Where does technology fit into the discipleship picture?
Most churches have the logistics of Sunday morning down to a science. We’ve mastered digital giving, secure check-in, and mass communication. But there is a persistent discipleship gap. Very few churches use technology actually to track or support spiritual development.
Why does this matter? Because you cannot shepherd people you cannot see. When a member stops growing or drifts away a lack of integrated data means they might go unnoticed. Technology, specifically a robust church management software, can help you see more clearly.
How can a church use technology to support discipleship?
When we look at the struggles of modern ministry teams, we see five common “gaps” that technology, when used correctly, can bridge.
- Build a spiritual growth path. Often, there isn’t a clear system for seeing where an individual currently stands in their spiritual journey. Use your Church Management Software (ChMS) to create custom fields that can be tracked and used to show where a person is on their discipleship journey.
- Share data – in the right place. Discipleship info lives in a text thread or a handwritten note. Giving lives in another app, and small group attendance lives in a third. They never combine into a single snapshot. Use digital connection cards, Bible study registrations, attendance tracking, and other discipleship markers in your ChMS. Make the information accessible to the right staff so leadership stays in the know.
- Connect back to the home. Parents often lack the tools to reinforce Sunday’s teaching at home or aren’t in the know about what is being taught in their child’s group. Create automated parent-specific communications to enable better at-home support.
- Automate notifications and follow-up. Follow-up after a salvation or a key decision remains person-dependent. If a text message doesn’t get passed to the right person, the ball gets dropped. Use automated follow-up sequences tied to key spiritual decisions. If someone checks the “Baptism” box, the system should automatically notify the appropriate pastor and send the candidate next-step information.
- Leverage Growthfinder: Use our Growthfinder assessments to surface individual growth needs, providing pastors with real data to inform their pastoral conversations.
Other Ways You Might Not Realize Technology Can Work for You.
The main benefit of technology is that it is a fantastic distribution system for content and communication. Since communication is the building block of relationships, we can easily rely too heavily on automated emails and texts as substitutes for face-to-face outreach. A good ChMS, like Churchteams, also integrates notifications for personal follow-up.
Besides communication and content distribution, the application we provide captures important information and forms it into a broader story. This is the use of software for gaining feedback. It is a powerful way to use technology.
Want to learn more about using technology to better track discipleship and improve your personal outreach?
Start a free 30-day trial of Churchteams today. We can import your current data and help you set up a digital connection card and automated workflows. Test these systems out during your free trial without obligation.