QR (Quick Response) codes are everywhere now. It’s as if they are another modern creation of the internet age. And they are but not originally for consumers. QR Codes were developed in 1994 by Denso Wave in Japan which is part of automobile company Toyota . Their original use was to track automobile parts during the assembly process. Today though, they also store addresses (URL for example), locations (GPS/maps), contact cards, SMS and email initiation and are used for marketing, advertising, ticketing and general notifications. Here’s more detail on their structure from Britannica:
“Three corners of the QR Code contain the finder pattern, a nested series of black and white squares that, when detected by an optical scanner and interpreted by software, allow the scanning device to determine the orientation of the QR Code. Two other patterns are also present. The alignment pattern, smaller squares containing yet smaller squares, is used in all but the smallest codes to determine if the QR Code has been distorted, and the timing pattern, a row and column of alternating black and white squares connecting the large squares of the finder pattern, serves as the coordinate system of the QR Code.”
QR codes can be read by lasers or with cameras on our phones. With 82% of Americans having smartphones (94% of millennials and 98% of gen z have them), a large number of people at your church can and will scan a QR code to get information. And while their structure looks “techie”, there are many easy ways to generate a QR code requiring no technical skills. Here are some of the popular and free QR code generators:
- https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/
- https://www.canva.com/qr-code-generator/
- https://www.adobe.com/express/feature/image/qr-code-generator
- https://www.flowcode.com/free-qr-code-generator
And to make this even more interesting, here are the QR codes you can scan to take you to these URLs:
QR Code Monkey
Canva
Adobe
Flowcode
Faith Teams includes the ability to generate QR codes and associated branded URLs for events, groups, giving and individual forms. For example, the following is a QR code for an event form in Faith Teams:
And each key section of Faith Teams has a QR code associated with it. Here’s a link to a giving app:
Faith Teams Community, a microsite that combines giving, groups and events, also has a system generated QR code:
Ultimately, your QR is only as good as it can be seen. Great places are on business cards, event flyers or foam boards. Below is a good example of a QR code on a foam board that can be shown in an entryway or room. Whether you’re using Faith Teams or need to show other items on your website, QR codes can easily be created at little to no charge and shown anywhere you need them to be seen.
