Grace Community Church had been running a WordPress site for years, but engagement was low. Weekly bulletins went out by email (32% open rate), and the website was primarily visited on Sunday mornings to check service times.
The Need
Pastor Elaine Torres wanted a way to keep the congregation connected throughout the week. “Our community doesn’t end on Sunday. We have small groups, volunteer signups, youth events, and pastoral updates. Email wasn’t reaching everyone, and our website felt like a destination people only visited when they needed something specific.”
The App Approach
Grace Community launched a PressNative app organized around their WordPress categories: Sermons, Events, Community News, and Volunteer Opportunities. The hero carousel featured upcoming events and the latest sermon.
Push notifications became the primary communication channel. “We send one notification per weekday — Monday is the weekly update, Wednesday is the mid-week devotional, Friday is the weekend event reminder,” Torres explained.
Engagement Shift
- App installs: 380 out of ~500 regular members (76% adoption)
- Push open rate: 63%
- Event signup rate: Increased 140% after launching in-app event posts
- Sermon listens: 45% increase (members access sermon posts with embedded audio)
Beyond the Numbers
“The app changed how our community communicates,” Torres said. “Members who rarely checked email are now engaged daily. Young families who never opened the newsletter are tapping push notifications. It feels more like a group text than a broadcast — even though it’s one-to-many.”
For organizations that run on community — churches, clubs, local nonprofits — a native app isn’t about technology. It’s about connection.
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