Creative Uses of the Bridge App

Are you looking for ways to use effectively the Bridge App? This mobile phone app for Christian Reformed Churches in Canada was developed in partnership between the Christian Reformed Church in North America and Extreme Technology, and has been actively used for about a year now. We talked with several churches who have been using the app as part of their church communication strategy. Below are a few creative ways that the Announcements, Pray, and Watch features of the app have used by congregations.

The ‘Announcements’ feature is more than just a place to post your weekly bulletin. Its way to communicate all sorts of news and information with your congregation in an immediate way. Some churches have used it to:

• Upload monthly duty schedule, bulletins, newsletters, next week’s sermon verse, weekly/monthly newsletter,
• Share links to sign-up pages, surveys, voting forms, sign-up sheets, youth permission forms or embed a link to a YouTube video so a new song can be learned
• Send out requests for elder and deacon nominations or volunteers (youth, nursery, greeters)
• Highlight special services (guest pastors), church time changes (summer scheduling), or upcoming meetings and events
• Share administrative or office changes (holiday closures, new staff or job openings)
• Send meeting and event reminders
• Share congregational members’ birthdays and anniversaries

The Pray function is also very helpful in sharing church family news and prayers immediately to everyone in your congregation. This function allows you to send out member prayer requests as soon as they are sent in.

Have you considered giving your prayer team the ability to post requests?

Each church’s Bridge App administrator is also able to authorize multiple individuals to post prayer requests. It may be beneficial to give access to your congregation’s prayer coordinator or those who are frequently receiving prayer requests directly.

Churches are also using the ‘Watch’ feature to share videos and audio recordings. Recorded sermons and educational content can be uploaded from a church’s accounts with YouTube, Vimeo, or LiveStream. This tool allows churches to upload recordings, such as a pastor’s video blog, to share on members’ mobile devices.

This is just a glimpse into the creative ways the Bridge App can be used. Are there other ways in which your church is using the Bridge App? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!

Each church is unique in how it operates and connects with its congregation. The app has been designed with this in mind: it is an easy way to get creative with your church communications.

The Bridge App team has been working diligently to make it as accessible and user-friendly as possible. Please email [email protected] to get in touch.

Stay tuned for upcoming Bridge App changes as it continues to grow!