Church + Akwai

Is Christianity a once weekly occurrence for your members or a daily lifestyle? What goals and aspirations do your churchgoers have? How can you ensure no one feels disconnected from the rest of the congregation? Are there ways to make it easier for people to invite their friends and family? Does everyone feel supported in their spiritual and non-spiritual endeavors? Are there opportunities for staff and volunteers to collaborate more effectively? After four years of research and development, Akwai has developed solutions to ensure you have favorable answers to each of these questions.

Research done by psychologist Dr. Gail Matthews concluded that those who merely formulate goals but don’t write them down only accomplish 43% of those goals. Those who write them down accomplish 64%, and those who both write their goals down and share them with a friend accomplish 76% of their goals. Unfortunately, less than 1% of people do both.  

The Akwai mobile app is a social network that’s based around goals and accountability. It has a marketplace with thousands of Action Plans that guide you on accomplishing specific objectives. We have Action Plans for any goal you can think of – parenting, fitness, finances… we’ve even converted books into Action Plans. As you use Akwai, the app collects data and measures attributes that are essential to success. Each week it pairs you with your group-members for guided check-ins.

The Action Plans in our marketplace was created by adapting books, research papers, articles and other sources. Through this process we established a methodology for converting abstract concepts into actionable measurements. The most important source we converted into Action Plans is the Bible. There is endless wisdom throughout its 23,145 verses, but its expansiveness makes it challenging to remember every instruction. The methodology for Akwai’s Action Plans was created to incorporate Bible verses into daily life and our team has crafted over 800 trackable metrics (Boms). In a way, this is similar to the Tassels God spoke about in Numbers 15:39.

How Akwai Works

Repeating Weekly Cycle

Thousands of Action Plans

What is a Bom

Boms are the building blocks for every Action Plan. Bom is the term we use to describe the questions the app will ask you about your progress toward specific goals. Whether positive or negative, Boms are what you will track to stay on course toward accomplishing your Action Plan. There are 8 different types of Boms (Bom-Types): Productives, UnProductives, Ratings, Deratings, Queries, Inquiries, Triggers and Tasks.

Productives (Bom-Type 1/8)

Productives are colored orange and are things you can do on a weekly basis to help you accomplish your goal. If I had a fitness goal, a Productive example could be, “How many times did I workout this week?” Productives are always written in the form of a question.

Bible Bom Examples:

How many times did I acknowledge that it is God who has the power, not me?
1 Samuel 17:45 – 47
Tags: honor, God, power, light

How many times did I remember God’s blessings last week?
1 Samuel 17:36 – 37
Tags: remember, remembrance, memorial, thankfulness, thankful

How many times did I search for what I was looking for?
1 Samuel 9:4
Tags: thankfulness, thanks, sing, worship, song

How many times did I encourage a fellow Christian last week?
1 Samuel 23:15 – 17
Tags: humility, humbleness, encourage, support, uplift

UnProductives (Bom-Type 2/8)

UnProductives are colored red and are things you are trying to avoid doing. UnProductives are things that may hinder you from accomplishing your goal. An example could be, “How many times did I bite my nails?” UnProductives are always written in the form of a question.

Bible Bom Examples:

How many times did I plan revenge?
1 Samuel  11:12 - 13
Tags: revenge, murder, hate, unforgiveness

 Last week, how many times did I act out of fear or lack of faith?
1 Samuel  13:8 – 14
Tags: fear, faith, wait, afraid, pride, boss, leader, leadership, humility

Ratings (Bom-Type 3/8)

Ratings are colored purple. Ratings are positive things that you can rate yourself on, on a scale from 1 - 10. A Rating example could be, “On a scale from 1 - 10, how much effort did I put into being optimistic?” Ratings are subjective so just give your best guesstimation. Over time your ability to rate yourself accurately will increase. Ratings are always written in the form of a question.

Bible Bom Examples:

On a scale from 1 - 10, how much did I trust in God last week?
1 Samuel  13:8 – 14
1 Samuel  26:9 – 10
Tags: trust, wait, hope, believe

On a scale from 1 - 10, how precisely did I follow God’s instructions last week?
1 Samuel  13:8 – 14
Tags: obey, instructions, obedience

On a scale from 1 - 10, how tenaciously did I seek God’s blessing and favor last week? 
1 Samuel  1:10 – 11
Tags: unrelenting, perseverance, prayer, wailing, petition, seek, seeking

On a scale from 1 - 10, how efficiently did I resist temptation last week? 
1 Samuel  13:8 - 14
Tags: temptation, resist, humility, trust, fear

On a scale from 1-10, how wise were my actions last week?
1 Samuel  18:30
Tags: wisdom, actions, favor

On a scale from 1-10, how compassionate was I last week?
1 Samuel  24:1 – 20
Tags: forgiveness, compassion, honor

On a scale from 1-10, how patient was I last week?
1 Samuel  13:8 - 14
Tags: patience, wait, waiting, faithfulness

On a scale from 1-10, how well did I obey God last week?
1 Samuel  15:22
Tags: obedience, sacrifice, listen

Deratings (Bom-Type 4/8)

Deratings are colored blue and like Ratings, they have you rate things on a scale from 1 - 10. The difference with Deratings is that they measure negative attributes not positive ones. An example of a Derating is, “On a scale from 1 - 10, how worried or stressed was I this week?” Deratings are always written in the form of a question.

Bible Bom Examples:

On a scale from 1-10, how often did I compromise instead of doing what God asked of me?
1 Samuel  15:1 – 23
Tags: compromise, faith, doubt

On a scale from 1-10, how often did I judge others by their outward appearance instead of by their heart?
1 Samuel  16:6 – 7
Tags: outward, looks, judge, judgment, opinion

On a scale from 1-10, how selfish was I last week?
1 Samuel  25:2 – 17
Tags: Selfish, selflessness, selfishness, share

Queries (Bom-Type 5/8)

Queries are colored pink and are simply open-ended questions that you will periodically ask yourself. An example of a Query question can be, “What was my biggest accomplishment this week?”

Bible Bom Examples:

How have I discerned the voice of the Lord recently?
1 Samuel  3:8 – 10
Tags: discernment, voice, listen, hear

Talk about a time you encouraged someone recently. What did you do? How did they respond?
1 Samuel  23:15 – 17
Tags: encourage, love, care, caring, words

What ways was I blessed last week?
1 Samuel  17:36 – 37
Tags: remember, prayer, thanks, challenges, trial

How have I shown respect and appreciation for people in all positions – great or small?
1 Samuel  30:21 – 25
Tags: honor, respect, appreciation, poor, rich, leaders, ruler

Inquiries (Bom-Type 6/8)

Inquiries are colored turquoise and are open-ended questions that your group members will respond to. You can use Inquiries to get advice and insights from other people who have a different perspective than you. When other users come to your profile to Send Joy, they can answer your Inquiry question. An example of an Inquiry could be, “What are some strategies you use to relax and enjoy yourself?”

Bible Bom Examples:

How does God speak to you personally? What do you believe God is telling you? Why do you think that?
1 Samuel  3:10 - 11
Tags: hear, discern, obey

How did you search for what you were looking for? What techniques or strategies did you use?
1 Samuel  9:4
Tags: search, strategy, techniques, relentless, pursuit

Talk about a time you encouraged someone. What did you do? How did they respond?
1 Samuel  23:15 – 17
Tags: encourage, love, care, humble, humility

How have you been a blessing to others and/or did God’s work even though you were amid a major trial or difficulty?
1 Samuel  23:1 – 5 {David was fleeing Saul, the current king of Israel, but still went and protected one of the Israeli cities.}
1 Samuel  Chapter 27
Tags: obedience, obey, love, rescue, fear

Triggers (Bom-Type 7/8)

Triggers are colored brown and are two-part Boms. First it asks you how many times you encountered an initial trigger. Then it asks how many times you responded with a specific trigger response. Here is an example of a trigger, “How many times did someone do something that frustrated me?” And here is an example of a trigger response, “How many times did I put myself in their shoes and practice empathy?” Triggers are always written as two separate questions.

Bible Bom Examples:

How many times was I in distress last week? / How many times did I return to the Lord, seek Him or listen to His voice?
1 Samuel  7:3
Tags: distress, seek, pray

How many times did I feel attacked, insulted or marginalized? / How many times did I practice being slow to take offence, take it personally, make assumptions OR consider three ways that it was a harmless misunderstanding and not a personal attack?
1 Samuel 22:11 – 19
Tags: attack, insult, hurt, feelings

How many times did someone talk badly about me? / How many times did I keep my peace and stay silent?
1 Samuel  10:27
Tags: peace, quiet, revenge, silence, attack

How many times did I face a new challenge? / How many times did I proclaim how God has strengthened me in the past?
1 Samuel  17:36 – 37
Tags: remember, prayer, thanks, challenges, trial

Tasks (Bom-Type 8/8)

Tasks are colored yellow and they are things you are trying to accomplish on a one-time basis. A Task example could be, “Write a list of twenty things I enjoy doing.”

Bible Bom Examples:

Give a gift as a truce to someone you’ve had conflict with.
1 Samuel  25:18 - 35
Tags: gift, conflict, peace, war

Make a strategic plan of action.
1 Samuel  Chapter 20
Tags: action, plan, business, leader, leadership

Try to de-escalate a dispute by fully explaining my reasoning clearly and in detail.
1 Samuel  25:18 - 35
Tags: clarity, communication, talk, dispute, fight, reconcile, reconciliation

What is an Action Plan

Accomplish Any Goal

Some people think that success is found by having the right solutions. We believe that success is found by having the right questions (Boms). Using Akwai, you can accomplish any goal you imagine by following these steps:

1. Decide on what goal you want to accomplish. Search the Akwai in-app marketplace for an Action Plan that corresponds with your goal (Note: you may need to work with an Architect or customer support to help you locate Action Plans). If we don’t have an Action Plan for your exact situation then start off with one that is similar and then customize it by modifying its Boms.

2. Use the Akwai social network normally. You will get accountability and encouragement as you are guided through your Action Plan. As an Akwai member you will repeat this 3-step cycle each week: (1) Update Goal/Action Plan, (2) Send Joy and (3) Get Feedback/Receive Joy…

3. The app automatically stores and produces insightful data about your progress. After a few weeks, you will have accumulated tons of information that you can look back on. Evaluate this data to modify your strategy, add/remove Boms, edit the structure of individual Boms and change the type of feedback/Joy you receive from group-members.

4. Continue using the Akwai social network with your updated strategy and Boms.

5. After some time you will either [a] have accomplished your goal or [b] accumulated new data and information about your progress. Use this information to modify your strategy, update Boms or choose different Action Plans. Being able to always have insightful data to study will allow you to keep tweaking your strategy until you accomplish ever goal you put your mind to.

We put together two value-packed bundles that will allow your church to benefit from Akwai’s app

Package A

Bible Boms

Your staff and members will have access to the hundreds of Boms we created based on Bible verses. There will be Action Plans for each book of the Bible as well as topical Action Plans (e.g. parenting, marriage, finances, faith etc). You will also have access to the many new plans that’ll be released throughout the year.

1 Custom Action Plan

How impactful would it be if there was an Action Plan that got 100% of your members praying for one specific thing on a daily basis? What if an Action Plan could increase volunteer turnout or participation in your online tithing programs? We will work with your staff to customize a single Action Plan made to get the entire congregation on the same page. This Action Plan can be made to encourage certain behaviors and be based on your mission statement, vision, values or past sermons. This Action Plan can also include videos and progressive-activities to make it a more immersive experience.

Main Group

Within the Akwai app, your church will have its own Accountability Group that the entire congregation can join. Each week the app will pair members together and prompt them to Send Joy to one another. Our algorithm (AIVC) automatically ensures that 100% of all your active members will Receive Joy every single week. Everyone supports each other on spiritual and non-spiritual goals simultaneously. This will cause a major boost in unity and camaraderie.

Small Groups

You can also create up to ten additional in-app Accountability Groups that can be used for small groups, volunteer groups, staff members or prayer groups. Each of these will also have AIVC algorithms ensuring that all members Send and Receive Joy each week. The way our app automatically facilitates productivity and accountability allows your church to manage more groups without needing additional facilitators/group leaders. Just create a custom Action Plan for that group and let it loose to fulfil its mission!

New Invitation Strategies

Inviting someone to church can be intimidating for a lot of people. In today’s climate, people are quick to take offence and engage in confrontational conversations. They might say things like; “You must think I need Jesus because I am a bad person. Are you judging me? Are you saying I will burn in hell If I don’t come to church?” Rather than asking them to come to church, your members can say, “I am using this app that helps me track my goals and would love if you’d be my accountability partner.” “If you create an account on this app you can see my progress. Knowing you can check in on me will motivate me to stay on top of my goals.” “What are your goals? I can help you find an Action Plan that will walk you through the steps to accomplish it. I can also show you how to customize the Action Plan and be one of your accountability partners who’ll give you positive feedback on a weekly basis.” Whenever your members invite co-workers, friends and family those people will be added to your church’s Accountability Group. This will cause them to Send and Receive Joy from others in your congregation which will have them feeling connected to your church even though they’ve never stepped foot in the building. Over time, seeing all the Bible Boms the members are tracking might spark a conversation that could lead them to Christ.

Package A costs $200 per year

Package B

Everything in Package A

Package B comes with everything explained in Package A.

10 Custom Action Plans [per month]

Each month, your church will be able to create 10 custom Action Plans and add them to our in-app Market (up to 120 per year). They can be free or cost money – you decide. Boms and Action Plans can be based off books your pastors have written, mission statements, vision statements, church values or past sermons. Creating Action Plans is simple, so we encourage you to create one for each sermon preached in the future. This gives listeners the ability to incorporate these weekly lessons into their daily life.

Ultra-Year

Ultra-Year is a 12-month program that has participants focus on a different goal category each month. One month will focus on health goals, one month will be about altruistic goals, another will focus on career goals and so on… For each goal category new Action Plans, webinars and activities can be made available. Not only is Ultra-Year an amazing bonding activity for your congregation, but it is also an effective referral tool. Each month, when a new goal category is announced, this gives your members a new reason to invite (or re-invite) their co-workers, friends and family. The goal is 1 - 4 invitations per month. They can say, “This month we are focusing on goals related to passions, skills, leisure and hobbies. Do you have any goals related to these topics? You should join our group accountability app and I’ll help you customize an Action Plan.” To learn more about ultra-Year visit www.akwai.com/ultra

Mass Vlogging

One strategy for inviting people is to directly ask them. Another strategy is to simply share a video with them. Akwai has a Vlogging Platform made to help app users vlog the journey toward their personal goals, church-wide goals and Ultra-Year goals. Additionally, we have tons of episode ideas, show content and templates vloggers can use to create highly engaging content. Your church will receive our Vlogging Platform, guides and support from our team to help your members start their own YouTube vlogs/shows. In today’s media-centered environment, there are probably a few people at your church who’d jump at this opportunity. The more video content being created by your members, the more people will be inspired to visit your church or join its in-app Accountability Group.  To learn more about how we empower first-time vloggers visit www.akwai.com/architects

Student Program

Akwai’s roots are in education and we have over 550 Action Plans made specifically for students. These Action Plans help students improve their GPA, secure funding for college, develop a growth mindset, get support from family members and much more. Similar to Ultra-Year, we have a program tailor-made for 3rd – 12th graders as well as those in college. Learn more about how we help students overcome obstacles and reach their full potential by watching this video https://youtu.be/cVHzp7fqe0s

Package B costs $1,000 per year

Sponsorship Opportunities: Do you have something that you want to get in front of Christians, pastors and/or churches? We have two opportunities for you to get exposure and help us create new experiences for our users. Click here to learn more