DigiFest: Discover tools to make your job easier

Captain Jon Doyle (Sunderland Millfield) tells Stevie Hope how IT and digital tools have empowered his ministry.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m a corps leader and I’m also chair of the local mission focus group, which is about getting The Salvation Army across the city – three corps, a hostel, a family centre, three charity shops, Employment Plus, Starfish and the Ukrainian project – to work together more effectively. The next big thing we’re looking to do together is a university freshers fair.

What took you to DigiFest last year?

I used to work in industry, where I had a personal assistant and a team behind me; it’s one of the things I miss most. I had a conversation with Regional Digital Manager Paul Nash (THQ) at officers councils about tech to help me keep on top of emails and make sure I’m not missing things. He had a list of possible tools.

That continued a relationship of speaking about what I need as an officer and Paul linking me up with services at THQ provided by the IT and Digital teams. He emailed me about DigiFest as an opportunity to set aside some dedicated time to see what’s available. As an officer with a young family, getting away to conferences isn’t easy, so DigiFest being online made it accessible.

How have the technologies you were introduced to impacted your ministry?

We’re using ChurchSuite to keep track of visits and make sure we know who’s where. If someone is interested in membership, for example, we can log it and it’s not relying on me remembering it. This ensures we’re following things up correctly and in a timely manner.

Microsoft Copilot has also been a life-changer. I’ve been resistant to AI, but learning that Copilot is ring-fenced within the Army’s guidelines means it’s as safe as it can be to use. It’s been trained to understand an officer’s role so, when I ask it to plan out a week, it’ll know I need to put in my Sunday meeting prep. It also points out if I haven’t scheduled a weekly rest day. If I’m meeting an MP, Copilot can look through Army policies to suggest talking points. It’s like a research assistant in that sense. Of course, I double-check the accuracy and sources, but it saves me hours, which gives me more time for other mission and ministry.

And then there’s email system Dotdigital. For the freshers fair, we’re setting up a digital welcome pack tailored to students. Hopefully, building those links will give them somewhere to worship. Having this email platform helps our outreach by enabling us to do stuff we haven’t done before.

That’s great, but it sounds like it could get complicated!

People might think these tools are confusing – and sometimes it can be hard to get up to speed – but, once implemented, technology can make your job an awful lot easier and ministry more effective. And when I haven’t understood something, the Digital team are really good at getting me where I need to be and signposting when needed. Going to DigiFest meant I saw the people I needed to speak to.

Why would you encourage people to go to DigiFest?

Because you don’t know what’s available unless someone tells you. DigiFest told me what I could be doing and gave me access to some of the people who could show me how to do it.

More than anything, the Digital team are as passionate about frontline ministry as I am. They want to use their skills and their knowledge to make sure that I can be as effective as I can be.