Tag Archives: bulletin

father

Your Best App Promoter? Your Pastor!

Having the priest’s “blessing” of the use of myParish App is a terrific boost for a parish. Some priests are really impressed right from the start, and others may need a little more time. Either way, having the pastor endorse the use of the app means people will really take notice.

Here are a couple of tips for Father:

  • After Mass has concluded, have Father ask everyone to take out their cell phones. Yep, that right: Father said take out your cell phones! If folks don’t have the app, tell them to text “APP” to 88202. And you’ve just gained a bunch of app users. It would be a good idea to include information about the app in that week’s bulletin.
  • Don’t forget that Launch Kit! There is a t-shirt in there for Father. It would be great if Father could wear that t-shirt for refreshments after Mass, parish social events, etc. It’s a fun and effective way to let folks know that the app is important to parish communication.

The pastor doesn’t need to be the admin for the app (although some are!), but his visible and vocal support of the app carries influence. Let your parishioners know that Father says, “Use myParish App!”

launch

Always Launching!

You’ll often hear our team use the phrase, “Always be launching!” What we mean by that is don’t have one Launch Weekend, and then pack up the Launch Kit and stow it in that room in the rectory basement that no one ever goes in.

The Launch Kit is meant to be used all the time. For instance, your Launch Kit included a banner that is specific to your parish. Keep it up!

It’s a good idea to move the banner from time to time, since people get used to seeing it. You might put it in the narthex for a few weeks, and then move it to your parish hall. You might put it in the school or religious education entrance for awhile. The point is, you’ll always have new people who will see it for the first time, and you might have parishioners who’ll simply notice it for the first time. In any case, keeping that banner front and center is a great way to remind people to use myParish App.

We spent some time talking with Kathryn Mulderink at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, MI. She shares some great “always launching” tips here:

 

remind

Remind ‘Em Again … And Again

Remind your parishioners frequently about myParish App.

Now that you’ve got myParish App up and running, you can just sit back and watch your Analytics improve, right?

Sadly, no. We humans are a forgetful bunch. You’ve launched myParish App, you’ve had Download Sunday … and there are still lots of parishioners who don’t know about the App. How can you improve this?

Here are just a couple of ideas:

  • Bulletin announcements – add them in once a month
  • Use banners, bulletin, bring the t-shirts out from your Launch Kit
  • Download Sunday again – “Redownload” or “myParish App Reminder Sunday”
  • Make myParish a presence at parish events and/or group gatherings. 

Doing just one or two of these will help in the long run. Remember, myParish App – with just a few minutes of your time each week – will help keep your parishioners informed and connected to their faith.