The Reason Behind

By now, you’ve probably noticed the small circle stickers on the backs of our seats that say “tap phone here.” I’ve had many people ask what they are, but the bigger question I’m answering is: how do we make it easier for people to take a real step into community instead of forgetting a Sunday announcement by Monday?
Most of our next steps—like events and community groups—live on our website. However, moving from the “analog” world of the sanctuary to a specific web page can feel clunky. I wondered what it would look like to take all that friction away. The result was these stickers, which use NFC technology (the same tech that lets you tap to pay at a store). Instead of fumbling with a URL, you simply tap your phone to the seat to go straight to our “Sunday Companion” page, where I’ve gathered links for events, groups, sermon notes, and anything else you might need on a Sunday morning.

It works a little differently depending on your device. For an iPhone, you just unlock it and tap the very top of the phone against the sticker. For most other phones, you hold the back of the device flat against the seat. That simple tap takes you right where you need to go.
To keep this sustainable, we skipped the expensive pre-made systems and built our own. By sourcing the tags ourselves, we brought the cost down from dollars to about twenty-five cents per tag, allowing us to cover all 400 chairs for a little over hundred dollars. This DIY approach also means we control the links and aren’t tied to a monthly subscription.

It hasn’t been perfect—you might have seen a few stickers falling off! I’m currently testing better adhesives and planning to add a traditional QR code to the next batch for those who prefer scanning. Underneath all the tech, the heart behind this is simple: I want it to be as easy as possible for you to move from sitting in a seat to stepping into a real community. My hope is that these tools help us walk together, sharpening one another like iron sharpens iron as we grow closer to Him.

Danny Mitchell
Digital Ministries Director