The ChurchApps Podcast

By Micheal & Kari Byrd

Micheal and Kari cover recent updates, new features, and tips for church administrators using ChurchApps.... more

· Christianity

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FAQs about The ChurchApps Podcast:

How many episodes does The ChurchApps Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.

The ChurchApps Podcast episodes:

March 13, 2026 FreePlay — Every TV Is Now a Gospel Machine
Micheal and Kari dive into FreePlay — the free app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and Google TV that turns any screen into a professional teaching tool for homes, classrooms, small groups, and churches of any size.
What's covered:
- FreePlay is NOT just for kids — works for all ages, any classroom setting
- Ark Curriculum: 3 full years for preschool + 3 full years for elementary (separate programs), free from The Ark Church in Conroe, TX
- For Ministry Resources: complete youth lessons (jr high & high school) with graphics ready to go
- Download content during the week, play fully offline Sunday morning — no WiFi panic
- B1 Admin integration: one-time QR code pairing, schedule content from B1, auto-downloads to every classroom TV
- Dropbox integration: connect your paid Dropbox and play any video or image today
- Open platform: any curriculum provider can integrate — contact [email protected]
Try It This Week: Search "FreePlay" on your Apple TV, Fire Stick, or Google TV, download it, and browse Ark Curriculum or For Ministry Resources for your age group. Setup guides at support.churchapps.org.
Resources:
- support.churchapps.org (click FreePlay)
- lessons.church
- github.com/ChurchApps
...more
7min
March 06, 2026 Welcome to the ChurchApps Podcast
Micheal and Kari introduce The ChurchApps Podcast — free software, built by the church, for the church. In this first episode they cover what ChurchApps is and why it's free, the mission rooted in Matthew 10:8, key stats (14,000+ churches, $1,500 avg annual savings), and a walkthrough of all four apps: B1 Church, Lessons.church, FreeShow, and FreePlay.
Try It This Week: Visit churchapps.org, pick the app that fits your biggest need, and sign up — it takes five minutes and there's nothing to pay.
Resources:
- churchapps.org
- churchapps.org/why
- github.com/ChurchApps
...more
8min
March 06, 2026 What's New in ChurchApps - Spring Update
Micheal and Kari walk through all the new features that landed in ChurchApps this month — one of the busiest update cycles yet.
Features covered:
- Native event registration — toggle it on right from a calendar event, with capacity limits, family member signup, and CSV export
- Self-service volunteer signup — members sign themselves up for open positions, with deadlines and admin control
- Guest check-in via QR code — families scan and register on their own phone
- Check-in kiosk theming and idle screen slideshow
- Email templates for groups — formatted emails with merge fields, saved templates, step-by-step walkthrough
- Audit log under Settings — tracks every significant action with user, timestamp, and IP
- Giving dashboard KPI cards — total giving, average gift, unique donors, weekly/monthly/quarterly views
- FreePlay downloads tab — manage downloaded content on your TV device before Sunday
Try It This Week: Go to Groups in B1 Admin, open a group, click Email, and set up your first reusable email template.
Resources:
- support.churchapps.org
- churchapps.org/why
- github.com/ChurchApps
...more
10min
May 21, 2023 Technology and Ministry
Technology has an important place in the church. By ignoring it, you hurt yourself and those leading around you. We know it can be hard that's why we are here to help. Ministry is hard, we want to make it easier!

SignPresenter

Lessons.Church

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
13min
May 07, 2023 Scheduling Volunteers Effectively
The best way to schedule volunteers to create calm classrooms, consistency is key.

The Volunteer Playbook

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
11min
April 06, 2023 Time Fillers: Useful or Not
We all use time fillers in our classroom time but are yours helping or hurting? Join us as review some of the popular and talk about why we feel one is better than the rest.

Great games!!

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
12min
March 23, 2023 Church Camp
Are you going? Should you go? Why?

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
16min
March 09, 2023 "The Why" Behind your Curriculum
With tons of options to choose from why it is important to choose the right curriculum for your Ministry. Some options we talk about are listed below.
Available On Lessons.church
Ark Kids Elementary
Ark Kids Junior
High Voltage Elementary
Not on Lessons.Church but more than welcome to add their curriculum any time. :)
Orange
The Gospel Project
Hyfi

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
15min
February 23, 2023 Sunday's are your SuperBowl!!
Sunday Morning Responsibilities. How to make it the best day of everyone’s week including yours!

During the Week
Clean classrooms (put things away, throw away old papers, etc.)
Lay out a new lesson for each teacher (put in the same spot every week)
Lay out materials need for the lesson (i.e. crayons, paints, coloring pages, game materials, etc.)
Fix or replace broken items
Report things like lightbulbs needing to be replaced or other building items to the maintenance crew (replace yourself if needed)
Check technology items to make sure they play the correct material for Sunday and are running correctly
Check for emails from yourself or leaders that might remind you of to-do items

Sunday Morning

Arrive an hour early
Make coffee for volunteers (if that is something you do, we did it because we were in a separate building from adults)
Turn on lights
Turn on TVs, sound systems, etc.
Turn on kid game systems
Check the Check-in process to make sure all printers are working
Pray over each room, leaders, kids, and their parents
Take time to check in with your leaders and see how they are doing, take time to learn about them and their lives

Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
13min
February 09, 2023 First Impressions "Not just for Visitors"
First impressions aren’t just for visitors. You have a weekly first impression and it affects everyone in your ministry from kids to parents to leaders.
Questions, Comments, Just want to say hi?
Email us: [email protected]
...more
14min

FAQs about The ChurchApps Podcast:

How many episodes does The ChurchApps Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.