Gimong: A Church Management Platform with AI Chatbot-Driven Digital Assistant for La Trinidad Community of Believers Church

Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital technology has transformed the operational practices of organizations, including faith-based institutions. Churches today require efficient systems for membership administration, financial transparency, communication management, and community engagement. However, many local churches continue to depend on manual and paper-based processes that are often slow, error-prone, and difficult to sustain as membership grows. This study developed Gimong, a web-based church management platform integrated with an AI chatbot-driven digital assistant for the La Trinidad Community of Believers Church (LTCB). The system was designed to modernize church administration by centralizing membership records, donation tracking, announcements, resources, and user inquiries into one platform. The study utilized the Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology, which involved the phases of Requirements Planning, User Design, Construction, and Cutover. Data gathering was conducted through interviews with church leaders, document review of membership and financial records, and iterative feedback during prototype testing. The platform was developed using Next.js for the frontend, Firebase for backend database and authentication, Vercel for hosting, and Chatbase for the chatbot integration. Evaluation was conducted using Google Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Findings indicated that the system achieved strong results in usability, responsiveness, accessibility, and performance. The developed platform successfully reduced dependence on manual systems, improved communication efficiency, enhanced transparency in financial records, and increased accessibility of church information to members and visitors. The study concludes that Gimong is an effective digital solution for modern church administration and demonstrates the value of integrating artificial intelligence into faith-based organizational management.