Because nine in 10 smartphone owners use their phones to access the Internet or email (Pew Research), many churches are looking to partner with a trusted church app developer, according to a LifeWay/ROAR news release.
"LifeWay carefully and deliberately recommends select solutions to the thousands of churches we serve and are proud to now include ROAR on our list of providers for Digital Church solutions," said Matt Morris, project manager for the Digital Church initiative of the Southern Baptist entity.
"ROAR will help us expand into the church market even further by allowing churches the opportunity to have their own uniquely branded app that their congregations can utilize," Morris said.
ROAR's owner, Matt McKee, said, "We've worked with hundreds of churches across the nation on their mobile websites, mobile web apps, custom church apps and social media strategy. We are excited that LifeWay has chosen to recommend our firm as their primary church app developer."
The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has reported that two in five cell phone owners own a smartphone. As smartphone adoption rates continue to increase, churches increasingly are seeing that an app provides many possibilities for connecting with people on the go.
LifeWay already has significant market share in the church app market and currently offers over 30 different apps.
LifeWay's Digital Church (http://www.LifeWay.com/DigitalChurch) is a collection of Web-based resources and services to assist churches in managing growth within their church, congregation and community. By conducting the due-diligence for the church, Digital Church endorses top-tier solutions to help both churches and ministries reach people for Christ. Services offered by Digital Church include church management software, eGiving, mobile app development, worship planning, website development and background checks.
ROAR (http://roar.pro), launched in January 2010, has become one of the top app development firms for churches, schools and ministries. ROAR supports app development for every type of mobile device and offers customers custom branding, audio streaming, event calendars, blog/news readers, streaming video and social media integration. ROAR is the official mobile app developer also for Group Publishing, Simple Youth Ministry and ORANGE. The company recently purchased MobileSalt to increase its market share in the church app development market.
NEW HOPE APP LAUNCHED -- New Hope Publishers has launched its New Hope Digital app featuring all of New Hope Digital's podcasts, "Voices" columns and the publisher's blog. The app can be downloaded from iTunes or Android Market.
New Hope is the trade publishing imprint of WMU (Woman's Missionary Union).
"Our desire is for readers and retailers to have convenient access to information from and about our authors," New Hope publisher Andrea Mullins said. "The app will be an excellent tool for retailers wanting to help a customer know more about an author or a book from New Hope Publishers.
"Readers will enjoy delving into current missional issues," Mullins said. "We are exploring every possible means for making quality Christian content available to everyone."
Daniel Darling, author of the New Hope release "iFaith: Connecting with God in the 21st Century," said 21st-century technology "provides us with exciting new avenues to stream timeless Gospel truth. Many of us in this generation get the bulk of our content in digital formats. That's why I'm glad to see New Hope continue to be at the cutting edge of faith and tech. As an avid iPhone user, I'm excited to use this digital app and continue to enjoy the rich biblical content from New Hope Digital."
New Hope Publishers (www.newhopedigital.com) represents 80-plus authors with more than 130 individual titles.
Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston.
Copyright (c) 2011 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net
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