Discover how the newest features and updates in Gloo help churches reach and serve more new people—each week.
Article Quick Links
- What’s New in Gloo
- How We Got Here
- Why the Update
- New Features for Reaching Explorers
- Resources for Serving Explorers
- How to Get Connected to Explorers
People in your city want prayer and help—can your church reach them?
It’s an age-old dilemma. People are looking for help, but don’t know that there are churches nearby that can provide help. At the same time, churches don’t know how to reach local people in need and keep them engaged.
Here, we explore why we set out to solve this exact problem with the newest evolution of Gloo and the different ways in which it can strengthen your digital outreach. With new features and capabilities that make it easier than ever for church leaders to reach and serve more new people in their city—especially those who need help, have a prayer request, or have questions about Jesus. We call them Explorers. Let's dive in!
Watch a quick video about reaching Explorers →
What’s New in Gloo
Gloo works with partners to run digital campaigns 24/7 on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and more to connect with Explorers, provide them a message of hope, and invite them to connect with your church. We then send them directly to your Explorer Inbox so you can reach out to them and do what you do best.
Learn more about campaigns on Gloo →
The latest Gloo updates bring together the best of research-backed Explorer connections with automated, natural language processing messaging capabilities from the church texting app formerly known as Thryve, making it easier than ever for church leaders and ministry teams to communicate and engage with new Explorer connections right from the platform (and activate your team as a part of the process).
Sign up to start exploring exciting new features such as:
- Explorer Inbox where you can respond to and pray for new connections directly in-app
- Prayer Requests Inbox where you can automatically receive prayer requests from your people
- The ability to assign team members to pray for and connect further with Explorers
- Communications tools for ongoing engagement with Explorers and your church
Skip ahead to learn more about the new features →
How We Got Here
For those familiar with Gloo, you’ll know that in 2021 we launched GlooConnect in four major U.S. cities with two goals in mind: to improve the narrative about the church and reach and connect people to churches and programs. That was just the beginning.
We then shifted our focus to needs and connections, serving people looking for answers online called “Explorers” and connecting them with local churches.
We learned from churches that there was a gap between receiving those connections and being able to effectively engage and build relationships with them. And it needed to happen without extra training, new people, or getting a whole new cellphone dedicated to the process.
We heard you, which is why we made Gloo a one-stop-shop from awareness to connection for churches to see more lives changed in their city.
Read stories of lives changed by churches on Gloo →
Why does Gloo make it easier than ever for churches to connect to and serve Explorers?
For us, the goal is simple: to help churches like yours supercharge their outreach so that they can connect to more new people and serve them well. That’s why Gloo does the heavy lifting to reach people in need, connect them with a church, and provide an easy way to build relationships with them. Whether you’re already a digital outreach expert or don’t know where to start, Gloo is a no-brainer for your outreach strategy.
Here’s why:
- You're able to maximize your impact with new Explorer connections sent to you each week.
- You'll improve your reach by benefiting from ongoing outreach campaigns run by our partners that reach a variety of these Explorers in your city.
- It's easy, simplifying your engagement communications so you can get people to their right next step.
- And...it's more effective because it relies on a cooperative model that helps the faith ecosystem come together to serve Kingdom efforts with powerful resources, tech, and data. instant feedback and stories of success.
Long story short—you’ll be a part of seeing more lives changed, right in your city.
How do we know it works? Over 2,000 churches nationwide already use Gloo to supercharge their outreach, and that’s growing daily.
In fact, every 14 minutes a new connection is made to a local church.
Explorers in your city are looking for someone to talk to. Get connected with them today.
Request your live demo of Gloo →
New Features in Gloo for Equipping Churches to Reach Explorers
Let’s check out some of the latest features you can explore on Gloo.
Learn more →
- Explorers Inbox: Receive Explorer connections & respond all in one place
- Explorer Settings & Profile: Customize your experience & invite your team to respond
- Prayer Requests Inbox: Receive prayer requests automatically
- Series Messages: Create a devotional or prayer series
- Broadcasts: Send one-to-many messages such as an encouragement or verse
Learn more →
- Templates: Kickstart your messaging to connections with pre-written, ready-to-send texts
- Automated Responses: With unlimited keywords, set up automated replies to FAQs such as service times & locations
- Texting Simulator: Test your messages and automated responses before sending
- Stories & Surveys: Collect instant feedback and stories of success
Learn more about the unique outreach tools and services in Gloo that are specially designed to support your church—no matter the size →
Resources for Churches Ready to Serve Explorers
Have questions about a particular situation? We’ll be there with you every step of the way.
Connect Hub is full of resources, events, webinars, dashboards, and more created by our partners to help you serve Explorers.
You can also crowdsource solutions, share resources, and get ideas on how to serve Explorers by connecting with other faith leaders in our private Facebook community.
Best yet, you can always reach out to our friendly support team. Start by sending us a chat and we’ll help you make the most of your Explorer connections.
How to Get Connected to Explorers
If you have a Gloo Premium subscription, great news! You already have access to all of these new features. Simply confirm your account information in the new environment and you’re all set.
If you’re new to Gloo or currently have a free Gloo account, consider upgrading by claiming our 6-month scholarship offer so you can start responding to people looking to connect right in your city.
The upgraded Gloo means you:
- Access the full Gloo experience
- Grow your community outreach
- Simplify your follow up
- See more lives changed in your city
Gloo’s tools for local outreach and engagement will be available nationwide in Spring 2022 so that together we can see people rediscovering hope that churches provide, churches serving into areas of need in their communities, and more lives changed for good.
Local Explorer connections are now available in select cities. If we haven't reached your area, you can still access the Explorer settings and be the first to know when local connections are available in your city.
We're working to expand to more cities
|
Dallas-Ft. Worth |
Phoenix - Coming soon! |
|
South Florida |
Colorado Springs - Coming soon! |
|
Columbus |
Orlando - Coming soon! |
|
Kansas City |
Portland - Coming soon! |
|
Atlanta |
Oklahoma City - Coming soon! |
Request your live demo of Gloo →
To Sum it All Up
Gloo makes it easier than ever for your church to reach and serve more new people in your city each week—especially those who need prayer or have questions about Jesus.
The connections come right to you, and you can either respond with a text message right in the app or assign them to a team member.
Plus, we’ll be there right alongside you every step of the way.
It’s like having a full-time outreach team on staff, but way easier.
See for yourself. Start reaching more people in your city, and supercharge your church’s outreach with Gloo.
