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Woodland Hills is a unique church community located in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. The church, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, has a congregation that's rich in generational diversity and geographical spread. With families that have been at the church for 10, 20, and even 30 years, Woodland Hills is a community that values connection.
But that connection isn’t just limited to in-person attendance. In fact, Charley Swanson, the Communications Director for the last 20 years, shares that they have thousands of "pod parishioners" worldwide who tune in for the sermons and connect with the teachings of their primary teaching pastor, Greg Boyd.
That being said, a simple website wasn’t going to cut it for engaging their church audience. And in-person giving only? Forget it. What Woodland Hills needed was a robust digital strategy that integrated a church app and online giving. Here’s how Tithely has helped them achieve their goals and become a more connected, engaged community.
A few years back, Woodland Hills started contemplating whether to invest in a church app. The goal was to connect more with their members, both locally and globally. With its easy-to-use interface and robust integrations, Tithely emerged as the best choice for the church.
"We wanted technology that had a track record of success. Tithely’s integration capabilities were the biggest selling point for us, helping us avoid duplicating efforts," Swanson explains.
Ultimately, Tithely proved to be exactly the tool that Woodland Hills needed. Not only did it provide a platform for sharing sermons and events; it also helped the church serve customized content for its hybrid congregation.
"Our website caters more to visitors, so we wanted the app to serve our church community. It's a convenient way for our congregation to access the information they're interested in with just a few taps," says Swanson.
Tithely’s Layout Editor–which allows admin users to make changes quickly and easily to the app–has made the experience even better for church admin.
Sarah Cassin, the communications coordinator, explains, "My experience with the App Layout Editor has been great! It helps the overall app user experience because I'm confident that I'm in control of what they are seeing in our App."
The end result? An excellent user experience for both church members and church staff.
Like nearly every other church in America, Woodland Hills saw an increase of online giving post-pandemic. Tithely has helped them make this shift.
"Tithe.ly has made giving very easy for our global and local audience. I like that people have the ability to cover the fees and have been pleasantly surprised at how many donors choose to do this," Jodi Cremers, the church’s Business Administrator, explains.
Finally, Tithely has provided Woodland Hills with ease of use and awesome customer support.
The smooth integration with existing systems doesn't add to the workload but rather enhances the church's ability to connect conveniently with its congregation.
"Much of the information we provide through the app is content we were already publishing before. It hasn't drastically altered our day-to-day tasks, but it has enhanced our ability to connect conveniently with our congregation, which is a significant win," Swanson comments.
Swanson also lauds the outstanding support they received from their product support contact, Sam. "She has been our advocate, providing excellent support and guidance. She has a deep understanding of the product and quickly responds to our questions," he explains.
Tithely has provided Woodland Hills with two critical tools–Church Apps and Giving–that have made their digital capabilities better than ever. Woodland Hills’ members can engage, grow, and give on their mobile phones…making it fast and convenient to stay connected to the community they care about the most.
To learn more about how Tithely can help your church get more connected and grow online giving click here.
