All the Things 2025: A Year In Review

It’s hard to believe another year of blogs is already wrapping up! Our Fire-Starters theme this year focused on streamlining processes and maximizing impact. From testing best practices to refining camp registrations, it’s been all about finding ways to make ministry smoother, smarter, and a little more fun.

And it truly was a year of “all the things”—from launching new products to releasing powerful new plugins—each designed to help churches do more with Rock and simplify their day-to-day processes.

And as always, your needs and ideas helped shape what came next. Let’s revisit some of the releases that came directly from the real-world challenges you’ve shared.

New Plugins:

Agent 9 

Built in partnership with Pushpay, Agent 9 was designed to be a daily copilot for Rock teams. Because our crew has deep experience in churches and in Rock, we focused on eliminating the friction points you hit when building processes and handling common staff requests. Available now in the Rock Shop, Agent 9 launches with three assistants: Rock Admin, Profile, and Data View (Public Beta).

Real-world example: on a recent call, a client used the Profile Assistant to ask, “Based on Ted Decker’s activity in the last two months, what’s a good conversation starter when I call him?” In seconds, Agent 9 surfaced thoughtful prompts—one of many ways it speeds up meaningful work. The more you use it, the more use cases you’ll uncover.

Agent 9: Admin Assistant on profile

And we’re not done. Next up is the Agent 9 Lava Builder, a truly transformative assistant that helps you craft Lava for communications and templates. You’ll be able to talk through what you want, generate the Lava, and even see the logic behind it—so it doesn’t just do the work, it teaches you along the way.

Learn more about Agent 9

Download Agent 9 in the Rock Shop

Group Finder 

Over the years, we’ve built countless Group Finders for churches around the world. Along the way, we noticed the same features being requested again and again. So we built a solution that delivers those best-practice patterns right out of the box — while still giving internal Rock teams the flexibility to tailor it to their culture and ministry needs.

Key Features

• Flexible Filters - Search by keywords, campus, meeting day, proximity, and easily add custom attributes to quickly narrow options.
• Map Integration - Display group and campus locations with clear markers and clustering for groups in close proximity.
• Performance & responsive design - Built-in caching keeps things fast, and the layout works beautifully on desktop and mobile.
• Color Customization - Match your church branding and visually distinguish group categories with custom colors.

We’ve also invested in robust documentation — including printable step-by-step guides and video walkthroughs — so you can confidently install, set up, and customize your Group Finder. And if something doesn’t feel quite right, our support team is always just a form submission away.

Plugin Support Form

Download the 9 Embers Group Finder in the Rock Shop

New Product:

Compass Mobile

Our newest product brings the power of Rock straight to your congregation’s fingertips. It’s your church app — branded your way — without needing a developer.

With Compass Mobile, we wanted to help churches launch beautiful Rock-powered apps that come with the features ministries ask for most often. We also wanted to remove the “we’ve thought about it for years but it feels overwhelming” barrier by making the process approachable, guided, and achievable.

What's Included (at no extra cost)

• Brand Settings – Match your church colors and logo.
• Dynamic Homepage – Highlight key ministries with customizable tiles.
• Messages – Display sermons using Rock Content Channels.
• Message Notes – Take, save, and share notes with ease.
• Saved Content – Keep favorite messages, prayer requests, and notes in one place.
• Prayer – Submit and view prayer requests right in the app.
• Group Finder – Help people find and join small groups quickly.
• Serving Signups – Let users say, “I’m in!” for volunteer opportunities.
• Events – Browse and register for events with a tap.
• My Account – Update personal information in seconds.

We’ve included detailed printable setup guides and step-by-step video walkthroughs to help you feel confident and supported throughout the process. And because Compass Mobile is a true Rock app, it’s published through the App Factory just like any other.

Learn more about Compass Mobile

Contact Us if you're interested in launching Compass Mobile.

And if you'd like a peek at what's possible, check out our visual preview tool!

Explore App Design

Most-Read Blog

Our most-read article this year was “Streamlining Your Camp or Retreat Processes” — proof that every ministry, big or small, loves practical ways to simplify complex workflows. If you missed it, you can read it here here.

In the post, we shared strategies for:

• Tracking registration fees
• Creating cabin rosters
• Exporting nurse reports
• Managing a structured scholarship review process

Camps and retreats are some of the most high-energy, high-engagement events on your calendar. With so many moving pieces — families, payments, safety, communication, housing — a thoughtful system makes all the difference. This blog walked through real-world setups to help others plan well, streamline the experience, and set their teams up for success.

As we wrap up Fire-Starters 2025, we’re grateful for the creativity, collaboration, and curiosity this community continues to bring. Every idea, process, and plugin this year has reminded us how small embers, with care and creativity, become steady fires that fuel long-term ministry impact.

Follow us on social media to stay inspired, stay connected, and be the first to see what’s coming next.

Looking Ahead

In the new year, we’ll continue sharing practical ideas and real-world solutions to help you make lasting impact in your ministries.

And keep an eye out — we’ll also be unveiling new enhancements and tools, including the anticipated Agent 9 Lava Builder, designed to make communication templates and Lava logic easier than ever.

Here’s to another year of building well, serving well, and growing together.

About the Author

A published author with more than 15 years in church ministry, Tina D. Stephens serves as Ministry Analyst & Content Writer at 9 Embers, crafting clear, practical content to help ministries use Rock RMS well.