Apps taking religion to mobile audiences

Or take a glance at the church's Facebook wall while waiting in the grocery line?

There's an app for that — at Trinity Baptist Church.

The 60-year-old congregation near downtown is believed to be the first church in San Antonio and among a growing number nationwide to offer the popular iPhone software application.

More than 110 people have downloaded the app so far, Trinity Baptist church officials said, ranging in age from the 20s to 50 and above. The app makes the church's YouTube videos, social network sites, calendar and audio podcasts accessible within seconds on the iPhone.

“You're sitting there at lunch and talking about (a sermon) and you can show people what it looks like,” said Ross Johns, a 57-year-old Trinity Baptist member. “It's all right there.”

No official count is known for how many congregations are developing or have apps for iPhones and similar mobile devices. A search for “church” in the iPhone apps store generated at least 16 congregations with apps. All are free and provide the same features as the churches' Web sites that used to be accessible only through laptop and desktop computers.

Apps for the iPhone are proliferating because of their acknowledged ease of use, diverse functions and on-the-go access.

Churches must weigh new technology carefully, especially in managing concerns of traditionalists leery of technology, said Cynthia Ware, executive director of the Center for Church Communication and “The Digital Sanctuary” blogger.

But apps for mobile cell devices represent a landmark shift that churches should consider for their long-term viability, she said.