Mobile App
The Thrive mobile app is the primary way many attenders interact with sermons and church information on their phones.
Main Features
- Listen
- Browse sermon series with artwork and titles
- Open a message to see details: title, speaker, date, passage
- Read a short, AI‑generated summary
- See topical tags and tap them to find related content
- Stream audio or download messages for offline listening
- Notes
- Take personal notes while listening
- Keep notes organized by message and searchable on the device
- Connect & More
- Access contact info, directions, small groups, serving opportunities, prayer requests
- Open “I’m New”, “Give”, and social media links
- All driven by configuration from the Global API, so content can change without updating the app itself
Diagram
+--------------+
| Mobile App |
+------+-------+
|
| HTTPS (sermons, config)
v
+--------------+
| Global API |
+------+-------+
|
data |
v
+-------------------+ +-------------------+
| Database (cloud) | | AI Pipeline |
+-------------------+ +-------------------+
(On the device)
+--------------------------+
| Downloads & Local Notes |
+--------------------------+
How It Connects
The app uses the Global API to:
- Load series and messages
- Fetch summaries, tags, artwork, and audio URLs
- Get configuration for menus and quick links
The podcast feed generated by the AI Processing Pipeline is consumed by external podcast apps, while the mobile app itself reads data directly from the Global API.
Design Goals
- Simple for attenders - clear entry points (“Listen”, “Notes”, “Connect”, “More”).
- Reliable offline - downloads and local notes keep working even with spotty connectivity.
- Config-driven - many parts of the app can be updated from the Admin Tool without shipping a new version.
Typical Attender Journey
- Open the app and land on a home screen with recent or featured messages.
- Tap into a series to see all messages in that series.
- Choose a message to:
- Read the short summary
- Skim the tags for topics that matter to them
- Start listening right away or download for later
- While listening, open Notes to capture key points or personal reflections.
- When ready to take a next step, tap Connect or More to find groups, serving opportunities, or giving options.
The goal is that a first-time user can intuitively find and play a message within seconds, while regular attenders have quick access to deeper content and next steps.
Key Technologies (High-Level)
From a technology perspective, the mobile app:
- Is built with Expo/React Native for cross-platform support (iOS and Android)
- Talks to the Global API over HTTPS using JSON
- Uses the device for local storage of downloads and notes
- Integrates with the platform’s native audio playback so it behaves like other media apps on the phone