iKnow Chat enables churches to communicate with congregations, teams and groups without members having to share personal phone numbers, usernames or contact details.
iKnow Software has announced the launch of iKnow Chat, a new secure messaging platform designed specifically for churches and integrated directly with iKnow Church.
Churches increasingly use instant messaging to communicate with their congregations, ministry teams, volunteers and small groups. However, popular consumer messaging platforms often require individuals to share personal phone numbers, usernames or other contact details with everyone in a group.
iKnow Chat has been developed to provide churches with an alternative built around the way churches actually operate.
Members can take part in conversations without sharing their personal phone number, username or contact details with other participants. Instead, conversations take place securely within the church's iKnow environment.
Messaging that follows the structure of the church
Rather than requiring churches to recreate and maintain groups in a separate messaging platform, iKnow Chat works alongside the information already held within iKnow Church.
Churches can create dedicated channels for the whole church as well as individual ministries, teams, groups and events, helping them bring day-to-day communication into the same system they already use to manage church life.
iKnow Chat supports group conversations, images and notifications through the iKnow Church mobile app, making it suitable for everything from communicating with the wider congregation to coordinating volunteers and ministry teams.
Kyle Cottington, Managing Director of iKnow Software, said:
"Churches have embraced instant messaging because it is such an easy way to keep people connected, but the mainstream messaging platforms weren't designed with churches in mind. We wanted to take the convenience people expect from modern messaging and build it around the way churches actually work.
With iKnow Chat, people don't need to give everyone in a group their personal mobile number, username or contact details just to be part of a church conversation. The church can manage its communication within the same secure environment it already uses to manage its people, teams and groups.
For us, iKnow Chat isn't simply about adding another way to send messages. It's about helping churches communicate more effectively while giving them greater control over how that communication is managed and ensuring the safeguarding guardrails are there."
Designed with privacy and church administration in mind
A key focus in the development of iKnow Chat has been giving churches greater control over their digital communications.
Access is managed through iKnow Church, meaning churches can control who has access to their environment and the groups and teams within it. This provides a significant distinction from informal messaging groups that can become disconnected from a church's main administration systems.
The launch also means churches can increasingly use one platform for both administration and communication, with iKnow Church already providing tools for areas including people management, rotas and teams, groups, events, pastoral care, safeguarding, governance, giving and church administration.
Continuing investment in technology for churches
iKnow Chat is the latest development from iKnow Software, the company behind iKnow Church and a range of software products developed for churches, charities and Christian organisations.
iKnow Chat will be available to churches using iKnow Church and can be accessed through the iKnow Church mobile app.
For further information about iKnow Chat, visit iknowchurch.co.uk/iknowchat.
About iKnow Software
iKnow Software develops digital tools for churches, charities and Christian organisations across the UK.
Its products include iKnow Church, a comprehensive church management platform providing tools for people management, teams and rotas, groups, events, pastoral care, safeguarding, governance, giving, communications and more.
iKnow Software also develops iKnow Safeguarding, iKnow Charity, Church Edit and other specialist software and digital services for the church and charity sectors.
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iKnow Software
Website: iknowchurch.co.uk