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A Mid-Year Review Template for Smarter Digital Ministry

By June, the rhythm of Easter has passed, summer programming is underway, and fall planning is just around the corner. The halfway point in the ministry calendar is the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and ask a vital question: Is your church tech stack still serving your mission, or are your ministry’s digital tools silently slowing it down?

Technology is no longer a background player in ministry. From Sunday worship and midweek programming to admin systems and volunteer coordination, your tools shape every part of your church’s reach and rhythm. But as needs evolve and new solutions emerge, it’s easy for digital systems to fall out of sync, duplicating efforts, wasting budget, and creating barriers rather than bridges.

This guide helps you take stock of what’s working, what’s outdated, and where you may need to simplify or upgrade. Use it to:

•  Review tools by category
•  Identify gaps or redundancies
•  Align your digital strategy with your ministry goals

Whether you’re a multi-site church or a small congregation with one tech-savvy staff member, a smarter church tech strategy starts here.

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Tech Stack Audit Template

While individual platforms and tools have their own strengths and weaknesses, it's equally important to step back and evaluate how well your systems work overall within key ministry areas. This section helps you assess your church tech stack on a broader scale, looking at how effectively each tech category supports your goals, staff, and volunteers, not individual tools alone.

Rate each core category from 1 to 10 based on how effectively that area performs overall using your current tools and processes. Use the “Notes” column to note recurring pain points like complexity, downtime, or duplicated effort. If a system isn't working well, it’s time to re-evaluate your tools.

Satisfaction Rating Log

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After reviewing what tools your church currently uses, it's important to step back and assess how well each one is actually working for your team. This section is designed to help you gauge satisfaction with each platform based on real, everyday experience. Ask staff and volunteers to reflect on ease of use, reliability, time savings, and overall value. A simple 1–10 rating helps highlight which tools are assets and which might be causing friction. Use these insights to prioritize upgrades, replacements, or training opportunities as part of your mid-year tech refresh.

‍Action Plan Template

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Once you’ve completed your tech audit and satisfaction ratings, the next step is turning those insights into action. This template helps your team make clear, intentional decisions about each tool and whether it’s time to keep, replace, or remove it. Assign responsibility to specific team members and set realistic deadlines to support follow-through. A well-documented action plan prevents stalled decisions, clarifies next steps, and creates accountability across departments. Use this section to align your tech updates with ministry goals, budget cycles, and seasonal timelines, making sure your digital tools are ready to serve your church.

Discussion Questions

Use these prompts to guide leadership meetings, tech reviews, or cross-department check-ins. They help you uncover hidden frustrations, surface innovation ideas, and keep your church tech stack aligned with your mission:

• Which platforms do we use most frequently and why?
• Where do we experience the most friction or delays?
• Which tools receive the most complaints or requests for support?
• Are any teams using unofficial, manual, or workaround methods?
• What tech-related questions or feedback do we get from volunteers?
• Are we fully using the features available in our current platforms?
• What tools feel outdated, unnecessarily complex, or bloated?
• Are there any tools we’ve outgrown or that no longer scale with us?
• Are new tools being adopted consistently across departments?
• Which platforms could be replaced with simpler or bundled solutions?
• Do all staff and volunteers receive proper training for our tech?
• Are our tools helping or hindering volunteer engagement and retention?
• What’s taking the most time to set up or maintain each week?
• Are any tools creating silos between teams or systems?
• How confident are we in the data accuracy across platforms?
• Are our systems secure and compliant with relevant privacy policies?
• What’s one tech win we’ve experienced in the past 6 months?
• Is our tech stack supporting our mission and ministry goals, or just sustaining operations?

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Tips for a More Efficient Tech Stack

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1. Bundle tech where possible. One platform that handles multiple functions can reduce cost and training time.
2. Choose tools that integrate easily with others.
3. Look for tools with volunteer-friendly interfaces.
4. Automate processes that still rely on paper or manual input.
5. Ask your team what slows them down or feels redundant.
6. Schedule regular (biannual or annual) tech reviews.

Tech Audit To-Do List

Review each item below as you work through your mid-year church tech audit to make sure nothing gets missed and your findings translate into clear next steps.

☐ Complete the Tech Stack Audit Template for each major category

☐ List all tools currently in use across departments

☐ Rate overall performance (1–10) of each tech category

☐ Identify any redundant or overlapping tools

☐ Highlight any volunteer pain points or training gaps

☐ Complete the Satisfaction Rating Log for individual tools

☐ Review responses with your leadership or tech team

☐ Complete the Action Plan Template with clear deadlines

☐ Decide which tools to keep, upgrade, or remove

☐ Check which tools can be bundled or consolidated

☐ Verify integration between core platforms (e.g. ChMS + Giving)

☐ Review your current subscription costs and feature usage

☐ Assign follow-up tasks to team members

☐ Schedule a final check-in to review progress in 4–6 weeks

☐ Plan your next tech audit for end-of-year or Q1 next year

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Wrap-Up

A clear church tech strategy frees your team to focus more on people and ministry. Use this guide mid-year to pause, audit, and move forward with a streamlined, integrated digital church approach that truly supports your mission.