Apollos + Crossroads Church: Accelerating Church App Development with Custom SaaS

In this breaking news and bonus episode, join Tyler (Apollos) and Matt Welty (Crossroads Church) for a deep dive into the massive strategic shift happening between Apollos and Crossroads Church Cincinnati, Ohio. For over a decade, these two organizations have been partners in digital ministry, developing the highly effective Crossroads Anywhere app.

Now, Crossroads is moving to become a Custom SaaS Apollos user. What does this mean for the future of church technology? The leaders discuss their journey, from building a custom app for the "Brave Journey" to creating a digital ecosystem where thousands of people engage with scripture, prayer, and community every week.

This new Apollos Custom SaaS partnership is designed to accelerate innovation, allowing the wins, learnings, and features developed at Crossroads to be quickly and easily shared with the entire Apollos community and the "Big C" church worldwide. Discover the vision for a shared, collaborative platform that helps churches go farther, faster in their digital engagement strategy and ministry.

About the Guest:
Matt Welty helps teams and organizations clarify vision, align strategy, and grow leaders who move the mission forward. With a passion for creating innovative solutions, Matt is dedicated to building healthy, resilient teams and leveraging digital innovation to expand reach, strengthen engagement, and build community—all while staying anchored to the mission.

🔗 Connect with Matt Welty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwelty/

🚀 Learn How Apollos Can Accelerate Your Church Growth Strategy: 

Visit: http://apollos.com/church-growth

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro: Crossroads & Apollos Church Tech News (Hook, introducing the topic and brands)
• 0:26 What is Custom SaaS Apollos? (Defining the core technical term)
• 1:01 Breaking Down the 10-Year Partnership (The historical context)
• 1:45 Origin Story: The Brave Journey App (Key anecdote and success story)
• 2:46 The Shift: From Journey App to Crossroads Anywhere (Evolution of the digital strategy)
• 4:19 "Today or Together": Core App Strategy (Explaining the user focus: daily habits and connection)
• 5:00 The Impact: 12,000 Users Reading Scripture (Quantifying the success and scale)
• 5:47 The Problem: Exporting Custom Code to the Big C Church (Defining the pain point the new partnership solves)
• 6:46 The Solution: Custom SaaS Partnership for Kingdom Movement (The main strategic goal)
• 8:24 The Value of the Apollos Church Community (Focus on collaboration and peer support)
• 9:30 Bringing the WINS Back to All Apollos Users (The specific benefit for existing customers)
• 10:40 Technical Deep Dive: How Custom SaaS Accelerates Innovation (Explaining the two-way street of features)
• 12:48 Leadership Vision: Why This Matters to Matt Welty (The personal and organizational why)
• 14:00 The Pace of Technical Change and AI in Church (Addressing future challenges and the need for partnership)
• 16:20 Paving the Way: Creating Spaces to "Plow the Ground" (The metaphor for ministry innovation)
• 17:45 Strategic Investment: The Next 10 Years of Ministry (Forecasting the importance of this shift)
• 18:11 "We Love Jesus First": The Mission Behind the Tech (Reiterating the core values)
• 19:45 Thank You: Acknowledging Sacrifice and Stewardship (Closing remarks and gratitude)