Lots of businesses are adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their quest to embrace the latest software. Churches should also be using this technology, just like they use video, web and office technology. But a lot of Churches seem to be reacting to the fears that AI will cause disruption, rather than trying to use this new technology.

Pastors can use AI to create sermon resources like study guides for social media postings. Staff can use AI to better understand their metrics. For example, analyze the attendance data from the last 5 years and identify the trends that explain the highs and lows. Did attendance go up because of the event title, or because there were less conflicts with community activities? Staff can also use AI to personalize their messaging, to reach more people where they are. It can remember all of the events in people’s lives and add a personal note.

Some will say that AI is evil; but like all technology, it depends upon how it is used. The Church needs to use this new tool well, with thought given to Christian Ethics and sharing the truth of God’s Word. The Church can thus lead by example as we all deal with this new technology. It has the potential to a lot of good in ministry.

In order to plan effectively, you need good Attendance Tracking Data. Whether it be worship, or small groups, you need to plan for space needs. To do that, you need a good idea of what Attendance looks like, and how it is changing over time. Without it, you’re planning in the dark.

How do you get good Attendance Tracking Data? There are apps available that allow people to self report their attendance at an event. However, not everyone will use those apps; so you have to add estimates of the number of additional people at the event. The leader of the event should be responsible for ensuring that the report is accurate; or you could have staff do it. Ideally, then, you look at the trends of the data to perform capacity planning. If attendance is on an upward arc, then you need to arrange for bigger and bigger spaces for the event. If attendance is on a downward arc, then you may want to consider arranging for a smaller space. However, be sure to inform the event planners of the trend that you see. They may be surprised, thinking all is well and attendance is growing. Or they may have some insight into where the attendance is going in the future that the trend line doesn’t reveal. Let that also factor into your space planning. The goal is to always provide space that is “just right” for the number of people that are coming. You don’t want to always be adding chairs at the last minute. Nor do you want to waste money on seats that won’t be filled. Attendance Tracking Data is the way to plan effectively, using the resources for God’s glory at all events.

How do you measure attendance? Can you do it automatically? Some Churches have a check in/out procedure for the children’s ministry. It works great for getting the kids in and out, with automated kiosks to streamline the process. A by product is that the children’s attendance is automatically recorded. Computer databases are great at keeping track of such details. From the data recorded, reports can easily be generated.

Adult and Youth worship are a different matter. Traditional Churches used “pew attendance pads” to record attendance. This generates a stack of paperwork for the attendance secretary. But the data can be entered into the database and reports generated. (The forms were also designed to spot visitors so that their information can be passed on to other staff for followup.) All of this is voluntary, but most folks do fill them out.

What if we gave everyone in the Church a witness card? This card would have an RFID chip embedded which would register their attendance when they walked in any door of the sanctuary. All they would have to do is wave the card at a recording station. Would this go over? It would certainly provide automatic attendance recordkeeping – with the computers doing all of the work. However, people might resent the cards. And the youth might lose them frequently.

What do you think would work?