{"id":423,"date":"2026-08-13T02:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T02:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/daily-press-release-ministry-growth-news-7\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T02:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T02:02:49","slug":"daily-press-release-ministry-growth-news-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/daily-press-release-ministry-growth-news-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Press Release &#8211; Ministry Growth News"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><br \/><strong>Daily Ministry Growth News<\/strong><br \/><strong>August 12, 2026, MST<\/strong><br \/><strong>Colorado, USA<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Grow Ministry highlights AI CRM updates, digital services, and faith-based travel programs<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry today shares its latest ministry growth news for churches, ministries, and faith-driven organizations exploring practical ways to improve communication, organize member information, and serve their communities through technology.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2005, Grow Ministry has supported faith-based organizations with digital marketing, consulting, ministry technology, and growth strategies. Its current platform brings together congregation relationship management, AI telephone support, social media management, website development, search optimization, faith-based travel, and branded merchandise services.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s approach remains simple: technology should support ministry leadership, not replace it.<\/p>\n<h2>Services: An integrated digital ecosystem for ministries<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/services\">services platform<\/a> is designed to help churches and ministries reduce administrative complexity by bringing key digital functions into one connected ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Current services include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Congregation Relationship Management:<\/strong> A centralized platform for contacts, attendance tracking, care requests, follow-ups, and reporting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI Telephone Agent:<\/strong> An automated answering service that supports incoming calls around the clock, routes callers to the right resource, and can connect messages with CRM follow-up tasks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social Media Management:<\/strong> A single dashboard for planning, scheduling, and reviewing social content across multiple platforms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Website Development, SEO, and AEO:<\/strong> Website services that help ministries improve their visibility in search engines and AI-powered answer platforms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Faith-Based Travel Services:<\/strong> Planning support for mission trips, pilgrimages, retreats, workshops, and conferences.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Branded Merchandise Store:<\/strong> A print-on-demand store that allows ministries to offer branded products without carrying inventory.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ministry Technology Master Report:<\/strong> A broader overview of how ministry leaders can use technology to address administrative overload and improve communication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The company\u2019s service page identifies the Congregation Relationship Management platform as a single source of truth for contacts, care requests, follow-ups, and reporting. The Growth plan also includes automated visitor follow-up, care and prayer request management, AI-assisted messaging, and weekly leadership scorecards.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fservices%2Fcrm.webp&#038;w=3840&#038;q=75\" alt=\"Ministry CRM dashboard concept representing organized congregation contacts, care requests, follow-ups, and reporting\" title=\"Congregation relationship management CRM for churches and ministries\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\"><\/p>\n<h2>AI CRM updates: Automation with human oversight<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry continues to focus on automation that helps ministry teams spend less time on repetitive administrative tasks and more time building relationships.<\/p>\n<p>The current AI CRM capabilities described by Grow Ministry include AI-assisted messaging, automated visitor follow-up, and reporting tools that help leaders review ministry activity. The AI Telephone Agent can answer frequently asked questions using information specific to a ministry, route calls to appropriate staff members, take messages, and create follow-up tasks through CRM integration.<\/p>\n<p>The service also includes crisis safeguards with escalation to human staff. This reflects an important principle in the company\u2019s technology model: AI can assist with communication and organization, but it should not take the place of pastoral care, counseling, preaching, or human judgment.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/press.dakdan.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/07\/grow-ministry-expands-digital-outreach-platform-empowering-faith-based-organizations-with-modern-media-tools\/\">digital outreach platform announcement<\/a> also describes expanded multi-channel publishing, automated email nurturing, visitor follow-up workflows, and analytics intended to help ministries understand digital engagement.<\/p>\n<p>For a small church, automation may begin with one simple workflow, such as a welcome message for first-time visitors. For a larger ministry, it may include coordinated communication across email, social media, websites, phone calls, and online content. Starting with one clear need can make adoption easier for staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n<h2>Who We Help: Churches, ministries, and faith-driven nonprofits<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry serves faith-based organizations of different sizes, including local congregations, ministries, community churches, and faith-driven nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/about\">About page<\/a> emphasizes that organizations should have access to practical digital tools without unnecessary complexity or confusion. Grow Ministry\u2019s integrated model is intended to help small and growing organizations avoid managing multiple disconnected vendors for CRM, websites, social media, phone support, and related services.<\/p>\n<p>This can be especially helpful for organizations that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep member information across separate spreadsheets.<\/li>\n<li>Need a more consistent visitor follow-up process.<\/li>\n<li>Want to improve online visibility.<\/li>\n<li>Receive calls when staff members are unavailable.<\/li>\n<li>Need help planning digital marketing content.<\/li>\n<li>Are preparing a mission trip, pilgrimage, or retreat.<\/li>\n<li>Want to offer branded merchandise without purchasing inventory in advance.<\/li>\n<li>Need a business, marketing, or financial strategy for a growth project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Grow Ministry also offers consulting services that help leaders create a stronger foundation for faith-based growth. Consulting may address business plans, marketing plans, financial strategies, digital outreach, and funding approaches.<\/p>\n<h2>Thought leadership: Technology should serve the mission<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry takes a practical position on the growing use of AI in ministry: automation is useful when it supports people, protects trust, and remains accountable to ministry leadership.<\/p>\n<p>This position is consistent with the organization\u2019s stated values of being faith-centered, integrity-first, community-driven, and purposeful in innovation. AI can help organize information, draft routine communications, answer common questions, and identify follow-up needs. It should not make spiritual decisions or replace the personal relationships at the heart of ministry.<\/p>\n<p>This discussion is becoming more important as churches evaluate how to measure engagement and discipleship. <a href=\"https:\/\/research.lifeway.com\/2026\/01\/15\/12-ministry-trends-for-2026\/\">Lifeway Research\u2019s 2026 ministry trends report<\/a> notes that many churches value discipleship but have limited systems for measuring it. The report states that 30% of surveyed pastors say their churches have specific methods for measuring discipleship.<\/p>\n<p>The finding does not suggest that spiritual growth can be reduced to a dashboard. It does suggest that leaders may benefit from better systems for tracking participation, follow-up, care needs, and engagement. Used carefully, CRM reporting can provide useful operational information while leaving spiritual discernment and pastoral leadership with people.<\/p>\n<p>Grow Ministry encourages ministries to begin with clear policies, human review, and transparent communication about how information is collected and used.<\/p>\n<h2>Brand ethos and culture: Faith, integrity, and service<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry describes technology as a servant to ministry leadership. Its culture is built around serving the mission of the local church while maintaining human oversight.<\/p>\n<p>The company also identifies itself as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/about\">Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business<\/a>. Its leadership highlights military discipline, strategic thinking, and mission-focused execution as influences on the organization\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<p>These values shape how Grow Ministry approaches innovation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Faith-centered:<\/strong> Services are developed for the needs of churches and ministries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Integrity first:<\/strong> AI boundaries help keep technology outside counseling, pastoral care, and preaching.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Community-driven:<\/strong> Tools are intended for organizations ranging from small congregations to multi-campus ministries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Innovation with purpose:<\/strong> New technology is evaluated by how well it supports people, communication, and spiritual growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fservices%2Fgrow-ministry-ai-phone-40020.jpg&#038;w=3840&#038;q=75\" alt=\"AI telephone support service for churches, showing a ministry team using technology to improve caller response and follow-up\" title=\"AI telephone agent for church communication and ministry follow-up\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\"><\/p>\n<h2>Innovation and pilot concepts: Connecting communication, travel, and follow-up<\/h2>\n<p>A promising area for ministry innovation is the connection between digital communication and real-world experiences.<\/p>\n<p>A congregation may promote a pilgrimage through its website and social channels, organize interested participants in a CRM, answer questions through an AI telephone service, and continue communication after the group returns. This type of connected workflow can help ministry teams keep travel participation connected to worship, fellowship, teaching, and ongoing community life.<\/p>\n<p>Grow Ministry\u2019s travel department currently supports mission trips, pilgrimages, spiritual retreats, and workshops or conferences. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/travel\">faith-based travel page<\/a> lists more than 29 destinations across six continents and describes options including mission service, Bible-focused pilgrimages, retreats, and leadership events.<\/p>\n<p>Destinations listed include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jerusalem, Israel<\/li>\n<li>Athens and Corinth, Greece<\/li>\n<li>Amman and Petra, Jordan<\/li>\n<li>Cairo and Sinai, Egypt<\/li>\n<li>Ephesus and Cappadocia, Turkey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The page also states that Grow Ministry has served more than 200 church groups. Travel planning includes support for flights, accommodations, meals, local transportation, itineraries, guides, and post-trip follow-up. Organizations should review current travel advisories, insurance requirements, accessibility needs, and local conditions before confirming any itinerary.<\/p>\n<p>Faith-based travel remains more than a logistics project. For many groups, it is an opportunity to build relationships, serve communities, study church history, and create shared spiritual experiences. Digital tools can support the process, but the purpose remains the people and the mission.<\/p>\n<p>For additional context on faith-based communication and travel content, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/\">United States Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/a> provides current news, reflections, resources, and pilgrimage-related media for Catholic audiences. Ministries should always select resources that fit their own traditions and audience.<\/p>\n<h2>Featured video<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry also invites readers to view the featured YouTube video below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l6J-0zileKE\" title=\"Grow Ministry featured YouTube video\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>About Grow Ministry<\/h2>\n<p>Grow Ministry provides digital marketing, AI CRM, automation, consulting, website, social media, telephone, travel, and branded merchandise services for faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Organizations interested in learning more can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/services\">review Grow Ministry services<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/travel\">explore faith-based travel programs<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/contact\">contact the Grow Ministry team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media contact:<\/strong><br \/>Dan Kost, CEO<br \/>Grow Ministry and Dakdan Worldwide<br \/><a href=\"mailto:Dan@dakdan.com\">Dan@dakdan.com<\/a><br \/>(970) 436-0580<\/p>\n<p><em>Image metadata: All images include descriptive SEO and AEO-focused alt text and titles for accessibility, search visibility, and content context.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"about\":[{\"name\":\"AI CRM for ministries\",\"@type\":\"Thing\"},{\"name\":\"Faith-based travel\",\"@type\":\"Thing\"},{\"name\":\"Church digital marketing\",\"@type\":\"Thing\"}],\"image\":[\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fheroes%2Fservices-hero.webp&w=3840&q=75\",\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fservices%2Fcrm.webp&w=3840&q=75\",\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fservices%2Fgrow-ministry-ai-phone-40020.jpg&w=3840&q=75\"],\"video\":{\"name\":\"Grow Ministry featured video\",\"@type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l6J-0zileKE\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l6J-0zileKE\",\"description\":\"Featured Grow Ministry video included with the daily ministry growth news release.\"},\"author\":{\"url\":\"https:\/\/growministry.com\",\"name\":\"Grow Ministry\",\"@type\":\"Organization\"},\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"headline\":\"Daily Press Release - Ministry Growth News\",\"publisher\":{\"url\":\"https:\/\/growministry.com\",\"logo\":{\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growministry.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fimages%2Flogo.webp&w=48&q=75\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\"},\"name\":\"Grow Ministry\",\"@type\":\"Organization\"},\"description\":\"Grow Ministry shares updates on AI CRM tools, digital services, ministry technology, faith-based travel programs, and responsible innovation for churches and faith-based organizations.\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T00:00:00-07:00\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T00:00:00-07:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/growministry.com\",\"@type\":\"WebPage\"}}<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDaily Ministry Growth NewsAugust 12, 2026, MSTColorado, USA Grow Ministry highlights AI CRM updates, digital services, and faith-based travel programs Grow Ministry today shares its latest ministry growth news for churches, ministries, and faith-driven organizations exploring practical ways to improve communication, organize member information, and serve their communities through technology. Since 2005, Grow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growministry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}