Are you a church leader who could benefit from streamlining your tasks, developing healthy disciplines and improving connection to your congregation? Serving as an associate pastor in my own church, I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve and make the most of my limited time during the week.
Thankfully, in today’s digital age, there are numerous apps to help with these goals. Here are five apps that I’ve found for ministry leaders to make your life easier and work more productive:
- Streaks
This habit-tracking app is designed to help you build patterns, or streaks, of healthy tasks. You can set up to 12 tasks that you want to complete regularly, and Streaks will remind you to complete them. I love this app because it has a well-designed interface that makes it fun and rewarding to knock out your custom list of personal and ministry goals such as reading, exercising and praying. StreaksApp.com
- Grammarly
Gone are the days of having embarrassing typos in your emails and social posts. With Grammarly, you have a writing assistant with you across all of your devices to help you write clear, mistake-free text. I recommend this app to leaders because excellent written communication is vital for maintaining credibility and delivering distraction-free messages. Grammarly.com
- Apple Shortcuts
If you have an iPhone or Mac, you may have this handy app already downloaded and ready to use. The Shortcuts app allows you to create custom automation to perform actions across various apps with just a tap, voice command or schedule. Examples of how this can be useful for church leaders are to schedule text messages to leaders in advance, automatically play Bible audio when you wake up, or display a memory verse at various times throughout the day. This app’s potential to automate your tasks is only limited by your creativity.
- Aro
You may be surprised to find this app in the list because it encourages you to use your devices less. Serving in ministry, I know all too well how calls, messages and other notifications seem to come in nonstop. Aro helps you reduce the amount of time you spend on your phone to help you focus on what matters most. While it shares some similarities to other apps that help you reduce screen time, what makes it unique is the companion “Aro Box” physical hub that serves as a phone charging station and gives you credit for taking breaks from your device. GoAro.com
- Brain.FM
Because ministry leaders often have demanding schedules, it’s important to make the most of the time we get to spend at a desk. Brain.fm provides truly unique background music that is designed to help you focus and increase your productivity. After spending time using their music in the background during my sermon prep, creative projects and administrative tasks, I noticed a substantial increase in how much I’m able to accomplish. Also, I love how the app features a timer to help you set aside 30 minutes or an hour to focus on a task. Brain.fm
Kendall Conner is COO of Church Motion Graphics.
