TL;DR: Digital Ministry News Recap 

• Tithe.ly: Mastering “Church near me” searches.

• Tithe.ly: Gen-Z is heading back to church. Are you ready?

• REACHRIGHT: Church AI trends 2026 - sorting hype from reality.

Mastering “Church near me” Searches…

Tithely shares "The Local SEO Checklist for Churches: 7 Things Every Church Website Should Have" (5-minute read), providing actionable steps to help your church appear when someone searches "church near me." Starting with the analogy that local SEO is the 2026 version of the “phone book,” the checklist covers Google Business Profile optimization, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across all platforms, embedded Google Maps, and clear service times and ministries. Millions search Google for a church at Christmas—and throughout the year. This practical guide ensures your church is findable by people looking for a faith community.

Gen-Z is Heading Back to Church. Are You Ready?

Tithe.ly shares "The Great Reversal: How Gen Z Is Leading the Way Back to Church" (6-minute read), exploring new Barna research that reveals a surprising shift: Gen Z is now more likely to attend church regularly than Millennials, Gen X, or Boomers. Averaging 1.9 weekends per month, this "spiritually curious" generation is looking for authenticity over production. The article outlines five actionable strategies for leaders, including prioritizing "belonging before belief" and creating "on-ramps" that fit their busy, digital-first lives—like biweekly meetups or "Tacos and Theology" gatherings. Ultimately, it’s a call for churches to shift from asking "how do we get them in?" to "how do we disciple them now that they’re here?" The article ends with a call to action to download a free “8 Ways to Reach Gen Z with Technology“ resource.

Church AI Trends 2026 - Sorting Hype from Reality

REACHRIGHT shares "Ranking Church AI Trends for 2026" (28-minute watch), providing a "keep, watch, or skip" guide to the AI technologies hitting the ministry space next year. The episode ranks eight major trends, distinguishing between genuinely helpful tools for administrative stewardship (like AI-driven guest follow-up and automated sermon clipping) and risky applications that could compromise spiritual discernment. For technology-challenged churches, the focus is on "wisdom over fear," highlighting where AI can remove the "drudge work" of ministry so leaders can spend more time on one-on-one pastoral care.

Closing

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Disclosures

In the interest of “shunning the appearance of evil” resulting from undisclosed relationships and/or potential conflicts of interest, we disclose our relationship(s) with the providers mentioned.