A Digital Parish Office — From Funerals to Baptisms
The Protestant parish of St. Pauli in Lemgo, led by pastor Helge Seekamp, shows that churches and social organisations can organise their work far more efficiently — and get closer to their members at the same time.
The Challenge: Paper, Email and Lost Information
Work used to be organised with Word documents, emails and phone calls — even baptism celebrations were planned on paper. There was no project management for tasks, steps and milestones, and not everyone could see or find every piece of information. That made the workflow slow and tiring.
The Solution: Every Process in Podio
All parish-office processes were moved to Podio and shaped to fit the way the team works. In the pastor’s office there is a strict “no email, no Word” rule: everything, from funerals to baptisms, is handled digitally — an ongoing development from which the whole parish benefits.
Out of this work, Kollaborateure and Helge Seekamp started neXs, a joint project to help other parishes and organisations on their way to structured, connected teamwork.
“Mein St. Pauli”
Podio is used not only in administration but in everyday parish life. Many members joined the community platform “Mein St. Pauli”: a virtual marketplace to offer, give away or look for things, plus channels for discussion, past sermons and events. It is especially valuable for young people who leave for university and want to stay connected with home.
Replaced
Word documentsEmailPaper filesJoint project
neXsThe Outcome
Nothing to search for
Every document has its digital place.
Automated processes
Incoming emails can start a project on the right topic.
Transparent work
Comments and steps are visible for each project.
Independent of location
Everything is shared digitally — fewer trips to offices and authorities.