The Super Church Lobby Kiosk Setup (Step-By-Step Guide)

This guide will show you everything you need to know about creating a church lobby kiosk. You’ll learn how to configure a lobby kiosk that can facilitate every next step in your church.

Best of all…this strategy will lead to more next steps at your church every week for new visitors and church members alike.

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But, first, a little history…

For decades, the church lobby has been the command post for churches to facilitate next steps:

• Ready to join a small group? Sign up in the lobby
• Want to learn more about the upcoming church picnic? Stop by the lobby
• Need more information? Let’s all go to the lobby

And for many years, the focal point of the church lobby has been the church welcome desk.

The church welcome desk is a physical structure in the lobby – often accompanied by a volunteer – a place where a person in your church can take their next step and track down any information they may need.

Simply stated, the church lobby welcome desk has been a staple in churches for a long time.

But, you and I are living through the single biggest communication shift in the last 500 years.

Technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. And I think it’s time for the welcome desk in the lobby to go through its own evolution.

How can you actually use this?

Look, I’m not suggesting your church eliminate the welcome desk. Instead, I want to give the church welcome desk a makeover along with a number of improvements to help your church capture more next steps, while actually doing less administrative work.

Real Church Lobby Examples

To make a point, I want to offer you a sneak peek into a number of different churches that are already succeeding with their own lobby kiosks.

Take a look:

Step #1: The Software

Here’s the deal:

The most important element of your church lobby kiosk is the software.

Each of the lobby kiosks pictured above is powered by a church website builder called Nucleus.

Nucleus is a new kind of church website builder that we created for churches to power their lobby kiosks and be the all-in-one central hub for ministry.

With Nucleus, you can say goodbye to paper signups forever.

Nucleus captures every next step and then distributes that information wherever it needs to go.

Here’s an example:

Imagine a person in your church wants to join a small group. Here’s how that process can look with Nucleus:

1. Church attendee registers for a small group using a Nucleus form hosted at your lobby kiosk
2. After the Nucleus registration form is submitted, an email notification is sent to the leader of the small group notifying them of a new member
3. A follow-up email is sent to the new small group member with any additional information they may need

That’s the power of Nucleus.

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Step #2: The Hardware

Now let’s take a moment and talk about the actual hardware you’re going to need to make your church lobby kiosk a reality.

Simply put, there are three separate items you’ll need:

• The tablet
• The browser
• The stand

Let’s start with the tablet…

The Tablet

Here’s the deal:

When it comes to selecting a tablet for your church lobby kiosk…go with an Apple iPad.

Too expensive? Here’s a pro tip:

If you’re looking to save money on the cost of an iPad, the easiest way to accomplish this is to purchase a refurbished iPad.

Refurbished iPads cost considerably less money than new tablets – and, because your primary use for these tablets will be lobby kiosks, you won’t suffer from having an older tablet lacking the newest novelty features.

Now, you might be wondering? “Brady, why go with an iPad? Why not get a Kindle Fire or a tablet that is more affordable?”

Simply put, the Apple App Store has a wider range of browser apps to choose from to help you power your lobby kiosk.

Speaking of browser apps…

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The Browser

Nucleus is the software that powers your church lobby kiosk. But your Nucleus is a website [Example: lifeabundant.info], and like any other website in the world, you’ll need an Internet browser to access it.

Instead of using an ordinary Internet browser like Safari or Chrome on your tablet, my recommendation is to use the Kiosk Pro App.

Kiosk Pro App will allow you to remove any and all navigation from your browser. This is especially important to ensure your lobby kiosk runs smoothly and won’t allow anyone to visit another website.

Now, all we need is a stand…

The Stand

The final piece of hardware you’ll need to complete your lobby kiosk is a physical stand.

Here you have a couple of different options…

The first option is the simple and low-cost option – it’s the Lamicall Tablet Stand.

The Lamicall Tablet Stand will cost you about $20 on Amazon. It’s sleek, it’s elegant, but it also doesn’t come with any of the frills of a more robust kiosk/stand setup. Another consideration is that it requires a table to stand on.

The second option is a kiosk setup from Mount-It!

Mount-It! stands will cost more money, but these stands also offer more features. You can choose between black and white color options, you can opt for a table-top option, or a setup with a fully built-in stand to create your own freestanding kiosk.

Not only that, but the Mount-It! kiosk setups also come with anti-theft features and the ability to cover up the home button on tablets.

Extra Pro Tips

Here’s the bottom line:

Right now you have everything you need to construct a super lobby kiosk at your church.

Nevertheless, if you truly want your lobby kiosk to succeed, you need to keep in mind the additional pro tips that I’m about to share with you.

Pro Tip #1: The Church Lobby Kiosk URL

When using a platform like Nucleus to power your lobby kiosk, remember that your website can be accessed 24/7 from any Internet-enabled device in the world.

Knowing this, every person in your church is actually walking around with a lobby kiosk in their pocket.

To make a point, when promoting next steps in your church, mention your lobby kiosk – of course – but don’t forget to mention that people can also take their next step from their own mobile device any time, anywhere.

Pro Tip #2: The Older Volunteer

Position a volunteer (preferably an older volunteer) at your lobby kiosks at all times.

By doing this, you’ll be able to offer a helping hand to anyone that needs it. Moreover, you’ll also communicate to your church that your new lobby kiosk isn’t just for young people – it’s for everyone.

Pro Tip #3: Naming Your Church Lobby Kiosk

Carefully consider what you name your lobby kiosk.

For instance, I don’t recommend publicly referring to your lobby kiosk as “the lobby kiosk.”

Instead, include your URL directly within the name of your lobby kiosk.

Here’s an example:

If your Nucleus URL is lifeabundant.info and that’s the website you’re using to power your lobby kiosk – I recommend naming your lobby kiosk: The LifeAbundant.Info Kiosk.

By doing this, you’ll reinforce the URL in the minds of your congregation, subtly reminding them that they can take their next step at any time from a single URL.

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Church Lobby Success Stories

Ready to start using The Super Church Lobby Kiosk Setup? Get inspired by reading these success stories from real churches using this simple strategy:

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