10 Ways QR Codes Can Help Your Church

I remember the first time I saw one. I thought it was some kind of puzzle I was supposed to figure out, like one of those Rorschach tests. If I stared long enough I would see something there. It was not nearly as neat as the UPC codes they use at my grocery store. Then someone told me they were called QR codes, and they were in a language only my phone’s camera could understand.

If you didn’t know what a QR code was before the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably learned very quickly. QR codes and our smartphones became handy everywhere we touched something others might have to touch. Restaurants did away with menus and instead linked us to online pages where we could see what choices were available. It was a quick way to get us to the information we needed. We access the QR code by pointing our phone's camera at the strange black dots and shapes.

You may not have known that as easy as it is to use your phone to read a code, it’s even easier to make your own QR codes, or more specifically, to make QR codes that will support your church’s ministry. You need a QR code generator. These are included in some popular software applications such as Adobe Express or Canva. I use the website ME-QR to create QR codes for free.

Remember, you don’t need to use a QR code on anything that will be read online. In those cases, create a hyperlink (as I did in the previous paragraph for Adobe Express and Canva). A link is a more efficient way to direct people to another page when they are already reading from a screen.

Here are ten ideas for ways your church might want to create and use QR codes. Not all of these ideas will be helpful for every church. In fact, using too many of these codes may be confusing. For most of us, QR codes all look the same.

1. BETTER ACCESS TO ONLINE GIVING.

Print a QR code in your bulletin that leads directly to your online giving page. You might consider including a short video on that page explaining how simple, safe, and secure it is to give digitally.

2. INVITE MORE PEOPLE TO YOUR DIGITAL FRONT PORCH.

Use a QR code on any signs around your church (outside primarily, though inside may also work) that will direct people to your church’s home page on the web.

3. PROVIDE A MAP TO YOUR CHURCH THAT DOESN’T REQUIRE FOLDING.

Yes, in the dark days before GPS, we used large maps printed on paper, which were a pain to fold up once unfolded. Those tended to add to the stress of family car trips. Thankfully, you can create a map QR code that can connect to Google Maps and provide turn-by-turn driving directions to your church building.

4. HELP PEOPLE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

Share a QR code to help direct new people attending your church to some information about The United Methodist Church. You might use UMC.org or umc.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-believe.

5. ENGAGE YOUR VIRTUAL WORSHIPERS IN THE OFFERING TIME.

If you are streaming your worship services, be sure to have a QR code on the screen during the offering time so your online congregation can participate.

6. TRACK ATTENDANCE AND COLLECT PRAYER CONCERNS EFFICIENTLY

Incorporate QR codes for your worship (in-person and streaming) services to direct people to a short online form to record their attendance, which service they attend, whether they are regular attendees or first-timer visitors, and if they have any concerns they would like lifted in prayer. The code can direct these folks to a Google form to enter this information. Creating a Google form is free and easy – probably someone in your church has already created one -- but if not, you can teach yourself (with a little help from YouTube).

7. REDUCE YOUR BUDGET FOR PAPER.

If your church spends a lot on paper, consider letting folks access important information on their phones via a QR code. Make the church’s monthly newsletter, the announcement section of your weekly bulletin, or the whole bulletin itself available via a QR code. Yes, some will still want printed versions, but you should be able to print less and waste less.

8. HELP YOUR FOLKS CONNECT TO GUEST WI-FI.

You can use a QR code to give folks the information they need to access the church’s guest Wi-Fi. Post the QR code in your fellowship hall, in the pews, or other places where people gather. Making it easier for folks to check in on social media that they are in your church for worship or Sunday school is good publicity for your church.

9. ADD CODES TO BUSINESS CARDS AND CHURCH STATIONERY.

Church staff can have a QR code added to their business cards that will direct people to the church’s homepage or a specific page related to their area of interest (e.g., youth ministry).

10. MAKE YOUR VIDEO SCREENS MORE CONNECTED.

If your church has a video screen (or more than one), you are probably running some slides before the service as people make their way to their seats, chat with friends, and get their kids or grandkids settled. QR codes on the screen can help. Instead of filling your slides up with details, use a QR code to direct people to pages on your website that contain more specifics. Make sure the QR code is large enough on the screen so that people sitting farther back will be able to capture the code in their cameras.

These are just a few ideas, and as you begin to use QR codes in your church and as you find more ways others outside the church are using the codes, more opportunities for their use will become apparent!