Boyd Pelley

Boyd Pelley
Co-founder, Churchteams. From 1990 to 2008 served as discipleship, administrative and family pastor of churches in New Mexico, Nebraska and Texas. Married 30+ years, 2 married adult children.
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Recent Posts

Volunteer Interests is a top 12 way churches use Registrations & Forms

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 11/5/24 2:00 PM

So far in this series we've looked at using registrations (forms) for Connection Cards, New Members Class, and Membership Commitment.   Most churches expect fully engaged members to be part of a small group where they belong and grow; and that they will serve somewhere using their talents and spiritual gifts.  That's why we included small group and serving questions in the membership form. 

In a perfect world members stay engaged in groups and serving, but in the real world they don't.  You need on-ramps for these members and for regular attenders who prefer to engage before they join.

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Tags: Registration

Church Membership Form is a Top 12 way churches use Registrations & Forms

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 10/15/24 2:30 PM

The Connection Card is the way to capture information from guests and regular attenders who are interested in learning more about your church.  The Membership Class is the most important call to action in your communication to these people because it directs everyone to a single place to share their faith, identify their people, and begin to live out their purpose.

Here's one way that I've illustrated the importance of the New Members class.  It is the endpoint for the outreach and assimilation process, but it also marks the beginning of the equipping and engagement process.

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Tags: Registration

New Members Class is a top 12 way churches use Registrations & Forms

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 10/8/24 2:00 PM

The New look! launch went really great last week.  If you're a client and haven't made the switch, login and give it a try.  After a day or two of using it, you will join hundreds of others who see and feel the difference.

Last month I also started a series I'm calling the Top 12 ways churches use Registrations & Forms.  We did a deeper dive into the why and how of Connection Cards then.  This week let's talk about the New Members Class.

Connection cards are the best way to capture people's information.  Use this information to set up a series (or workflow) of emails, texts, and personal calls.  Besides getting to know them, the goal of this workflow is for people to register for a New Member's class.

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Tags: Registration

Would you like to see a before and after video of new look Churchteams?

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 9/24/24 1:30 PM

One week from today, you'll have full access to the new look for Churchteams.  We recommend making the switch to the new beta version as soon as you log in.  We've worked hard on this and want you to see it.  If you do and want to switch back to the classic version, you'll have an option to do that any time. 

In preparation for that we thought a "before and after" video might be helpful for clients to get a better idea of the change.  And those of you who are not clients will enjoy seeing the difference a new look can make.  Check it out.

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Tags: New Release

Did you guess the big news?  We've got a new look.

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 9/17/24 2:00 PM

In the blog post a couple of weeks ago, I told you something big is coming next month.  It was really great to get the emails and calls with questions.  We love that interaction with you guys!

And today, we're ready to tell all of you what's coming to Churchteams on October 1st.  OUR NEW LOOK!! That's right, we are making updates to the user interface!

Coming October 1:  A New User Interface

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Tags: New Release

Connection Cards are a top 12 way churches use Registrations & Forms

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 9/10/24 1:30 PM

The next few weeks are going to focus on the exciting announcement I leaked last week.  You are going to love what's coming.  But, today and after the upcoming release blogs we are going to share insights on the use of registrations and forms.  

After interviewing our support team, and looking at church websites that use registrations and forms well, I've come up with 12 of the top ways churches are using this amazing feature.  We're going to start today talking about Connection Cards.

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Tags: Registration

Big news we want to tell you about this month!

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 9/3/24 2:15 PM

Labor day weekend marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.  For churches it is also the start of a new ministry season. 

Our team is excited about kids going back to everything from preschool to college.  We are excited about college football. We are excited about what God is doing at our churches and in our small groups.  But, there is a special excitement in the air for our team as we start September this year.

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Tags: New Release

How to make sure your check-in system is ready to help families feel safe

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 8/27/24 1:45 PM

It's back to school time!  Families are prioritizing their fall and school year activities.  Many of them are thinking about how  church fits into those plans.  

In today's culture, parents are deeply concerned about safety and count on churches to be prepared.  This is a major factor in their choosing a church.  It is also a factor in their choice to discount or even leave a church.   

There's no reason for young families to count out your church just because you don't have security in place.  If you're really small and just have a few kids, keep it simple by issuing check-in wristbands.  You can Google to find those.  

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Tags: Check-in

Use this simple PRIVACY POLICY to keep people in your church safe

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 8/20/24 1:45 PM
Our Text-to-Church phone number registry service recently implemented a mandatory requirement for our clients to have an information privacy policy on their website. This is now a standard in the telecom industry for churches utilizing texting services like ours.
 
In light of the growing concerns surrounding information security, we recommend that every church add a simple Privacy Policy to their website.
Not only does this serve to meet the necessary telecom guidelines for texting, but it also instills confidence in individuals that their information is safeguarded and handled responsibly.
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Tags: Best Practices

Share this if your church is part of an association or network

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 8/13/24 2:15 PM

Back in March I wrote a couple of blog posts focusing on how missional and networking non-profits are using Churchteams to manage their ministry.   Those focused specifically on features and how these organizations are using them.  

In June, I did a breakout with about 25 SBC Association Missions Strategists on these features.  If this isn't your bunch, basically, these are people who oversee from about 20 to 200 or more churches in a local geographical area.  Normal is around 40.  

It was a really great time for me to hear their hearts and needs.  Almost all of them had a hodge-podge of software and paper they use for managing data, emailing people, texting people, forms, and events.  They clearly expressed their frustration that everything wasn't working together and some things were even missing.

We hear this frustration all the time with pastors and this isn't the first time with network leaders like this.  I had a little time to dig in further that day, but not enough.  So, I set up a couple of follow up times this summer to listen and learn more.  

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Tags: Best Practices

3 reasons I am hoping to write a book using this blog

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 8/6/24 2:45 PM

When I turned 60 a couple of years ago I began thinking more seriously about this next 20 year section of my life. 

I've read a ton about retirement, finishing well, and similar topics.  I've spent even more time talking to friends who've gone before me.  The most encouraging thing about all this work has been that it affirms what I've given the last two 20 year life sections of my life to.  

During this time of reflection I recognize that there have been some value-laden lessons that the Lord has taught me about ministry, business, technology, story, and family.  I have a real desire to write about these lessons.  But, writing a book seems daunting when there are plenty of other demands for my time.

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Tags: Book

New!  Three shortcut upgrades for staff and two for church members

Posted by Boyd Pelley on 7/23/24 1:45 PM

Most of us would prefer to take a shortcut than to have to walk the long way around.  It conserves both time and energy while taking us directly to our desired destination.  At its best, church software is a shortcut for staff and church members. 

Just as landscape professionals consider traffic patterns when designing sidewalks, software professionals analyze usage patterns when creating action walkways.

These five recent upgrades are the result of patterns we've seen and been alerted to in recent months.  Three of them are based on staff usage.  Two of them are based on member usage.

  1. Mass update group role from within a group (Staff) 
  2. Mass update group info from the browse groups page (Staff)
  3. Require recurring payments (Staff)
  4. Spouses can see and manage family volunteer schedules (Members)
  5. Edit recurring contribution designation and amounts (Members)
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Tags: New Release

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