How Big Church Festival Streamlined Volunteer Communication with Joyned
How a three-day, 20,000-person festival used Joyned to streamline coordination, support nearly 1,000 volunteers, and strengthen communication on the g
project Snapshot
Joyned in Action at Big Church Festival
In 2025, Big Church Festival introduced Joyned to support its expanded three-day event and nearly 1,000 volunteers. The result was a more connected, supported, and efficient festival experience—setting the stage for an even wider rollout in 2026.
About
Introducing Big Church Festival
Big Church Festival is a flagship moment in the UK’s Christian calendar. Hosted in West Sussex each summer, it brings together over 35,000 people for a weekend of music, worship, teaching, and celebration across a sprawling countryside estate. In 2025, the event reached new heights:
- Expanded from two days to three
- Introduced full youth and kids programmes (each with 2,000 participants)
- Mobilised 952 volunteers across 43 teams
- Welcomed church groups managing 100+ attendees each
To coordinate all of this, the organisers needed to solve communication challenges they often faced on-the-ground during the event. So, they turned to Joyned. Being chosen to support communication at an event of this scale is no small feat – and a major validation of Joyned’s capabilities.
The Challenge
The Communication Challenges Across a Multi-Day Festival
Running a multi-day festival with nearly 1,000 volunteers can be tough logistically (for some, it can be a nightmare). But for Big Church Festival, 2025 introduced new complexity:
Communication breakdown once on-site: As soon as the event began, organisers went fully offline - meaning email (their primary communication channel) was no longer an option. This left volunteers without a clear way to communicate with leadership.
Physical reliance for updates: Without a centralised platform, volunteers had to track down team leads in-person to ask questions or get last-minute info. This was an inefficient and often stressful experience.
Support for large church groups: Teams managing hundreds of attendees needed a direct, reliable way to communicate with festival staff before and during the event.
Pressure from scale: With expanded programming and thousands more participants, even small delays or miscommunications had a ripple effect.
The team knew they needed a tool that could cut through the noise and enable instant, flexible, and intuitive communication – even when plans changed on the ground.
The Solution
Joyned Was Built for This Kind of Environment
Big Church Festival’s organisers needed a communication platform that would:
- Handle real-time queries from hundreds of people
- Be simple enough for volunteers to adopt instantly
- Offer secure, controlled communication that respected privacy
- Support decentralised teams and large groups on the move
And, of course, Joyned delivered.
Once introduced to the event organisers and volunteers, Joyned became the go-to space for key updates, support requests, and group communication. Whether it was volunteers asking where to find their coach tickets or group leads coordinating access times, Joyned kept the information flowing.
Joyned didn’t just support the festival – it enhanced the entire experience. It gave volunteers a new sense of connection, empowered group organisers, and removed pressure from the core team during the most intense days of the event.
“The volunteers absolutely loved it. They felt like they could actually just reach out and ask a question – that was really beneficial.”
The Results
The Impact of Joyned Was Instant and Meaningful
While setup began later than planned, onboarding was quick – and adoption among teams who used it was enthusiastic. For many, it fundamentally changed how they experienced and contributed to Big Church Festival.
More connected teams: Volunteers felt seen, supported, and heard. This was a huge morale boost for teams working long hours.
Faster response times: Questions that would have required radio messages or face-to-face conversations were handled in seconds.
Reduced stress for organisers: With fewer on-site interruptions and ad hoc requests, the leadership team could stay focused on running the event.
Easy to use: No steep learning curve. Volunteers could log in and start communicating immediately.
Joyned exists to bring people together and that’s exactly what happened at Big Church Festival. With powerful feedback from volunteers and a hugely successful rollout, the festival team is now preparing for a broader rollout in 2026. With Big Church Festival continuing to grow, the potential is enormous.
Lessons & Takeaways
What We Learned Together
“The feedback’s been incredible. Honestly, it’s all good things.” – Georgia Lasley-Bond, Big Church Festival
The 2025 rollout showed just how transformative real-time, centralised communication can be during large-scale, fast-moving events. For Big Church Festival, Joyned removed long-standing friction by giving volunteers and group leaders a direct, dependable way to get answers and share updates. In turn, we at Joyned saw the platform operate effectively under intense, real-world pressure, validating the app’s ability to support high message volumes and diverse user groups.
Ultimately, this collaboration showed that when an event and a communication platform work in sync, the impact goes far beyond logistics. Together, we proved that better communication isn’t just operational; it transforms how people serve, participate, and experience community.
Let Joyned Support Your Big Event
Ready to streamline communication at your next event? Whether you’re running a festival, conference, or community event, Joyned can support your communication needs. Start free trial.
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