New Research on How Churches Align Technology with Mission

For more than a decade, conversations about church technology centered on adoption. Should churches livestream services? Should they offer digital giving? Should they invest in apps or online engagement tools? Today, most church leaders agree technology has a place in ministry. 

According to Barna’s new study, Technology for Missional Impact: State of Church Tech 2026, produced in partnership with Pushpay, a more pressing question now is how intentionally churches align those tools with their mission. In many ways, it’s not a matter of if churches use technology but how they use it for faithful and fruitful ministry.

Technology Is Opening New Ministry Opportunities

In this regard, church leaders overwhelmingly see technology as a positive force in ministry. The report finds 95 percent of church leaders agree (strongly + somewhat) that technology opens new opportunities for ministry, and 94 percent agree (strongly + somewhat) that it helps their church fulfill its mission in today’s digital culture. 

Leaders also see its impact within their congregations: 79 percent agree that technology has significantly or moderately improved connection within their church community.

These findings reflect a significant shift. Digital tools are no longer viewed as unusual for ministry; they have become part of the everyday infrastructure of ministry. But adoption alone doesn’t guarantee impact.

The Gap Between Technology Adoption and Strategy

Barna identifies one in four church leaders as “highly missional” in how they approach technology. In these congregations, technology isn’t simply a tool for operations—it’s woven into the church’s spiritual and relational mission.

To define this segment, church leaders were asked to rate how important technology is to their church’s mission across three areas: discipleship, worship, and community. Ratings were given on a five-point scale ranging from “not at all important” to “extremely important” and then combined into a composite score. Churches landing at the top of that scale represent environments where technology is deeply embedded in mission (see About the Research for full definitions).

Leaders of these “highly missional” churches—where technology plays a central role in mission—consistently report a few distinguishing characteristics: stronger congregational engagement, deeper connection among attendees, and higher participation across generations.

Moving From Tools to Mission

Early investments in church technology often focused on solving practical challenges—broadcasting services, managing attendance, or facilitating giving. While those capabilities remain essential, many church leaders are recognizing that technology can also support deeper ministry goals.

The research suggests the churches seeing the strongest engagement are those aligning technology with discipleship, connection and ministry goals. These churches are using technology as a strategy rather than treating digital tools as standalone solutions.

For many church leaders, the next step is not adopting more tools, but asking a more strategic question: How can the technology we already use help us fulfill our mission more faithfully and effectively?