Ed Frisbee, Worship Pastor and founder of Church Staff Apps, LLC will never forget the day someone from his choir mentioned that their mom, who was also a church member, had been in the hospital for nearly a week and he was clueless.

“I felt about an inch tall,” said Frisbee. “I hadn't known, and neither had anyone else in the church leadership, so we hadn't called them or visited them or been able to pray for their needs.”

Fortunately, this church member was forgiving and they were able to move past it but he knew not all members would have reacted the same way.

“This person was gracious and forgiving but we all know there are some people who, unfortunately, would leave a church and never return because they would feel uncared for," said Frisbee.

He knew he needed to come up with a better way to stay in the loop regarding church members health statuses and needs so he came up with the idea for “Care Connect” a first–of-its kind app that provides pastors, clergy and lay leaders up-to-the-minute updates of the health situation of members of their congregation if they are ill, hospitalized or otherwise incapacitated.

The app has color-coding feature alerts that allow church leaders to quickly determine the relevant needs of each member. Not only does the app tell them if the member’s situation is urgent, but it also tells them if the situation has been resolved.

"In effect, it keeps everyone in the loop and ensures that the individual is getting the best possible ministry," said Frisbee. "Users love the fact that they can glance at the people listed and through the color-coding identify how serious their condition is. Reading notes of previous visits empowers them to pray more personally and more meaningfully on follow-up visits."

The app also tells them if someone needs to be visited, their location and their current health status, along with letting them know who the last person who visited that person was and what needs were expressed.

All information is stored within the app so when someone calls the church office with information, the office personnel can go right to the app, upload it and email staff members. The information uploaded to app is also loaded securely and confidentially, ensuring coordinated visitation is done properly, with no member receiving too few or too many visits.

"Care Connect takes so much pressure off everyone on the church leadership team,” said Frisbee. “The information is accessible 24/7. You don't have to be in the office, or even in the country."

If your church congregation is interested in the app, it is available through iTunes, Google Play and the Windows Store. All you have to do is go to churchstaffapps.com/care-connect to setup a username and password. The app also allows for a 30-day free trial period. For more information on the app, visit churchstaffapps.com.