Ministry Tech Magazine - June 2018 by Now - Ministry Tech Magazine

CONTENTS

06.18

click print (but let someone else do the work)

Of course you need to distribute information online— but that’s not enough!

4 churches around the country are going solar

staying safe from rdp brute force attacks The game “What Am I?” is more than innocent family fun!

Why shouldn’t churches take the lead in this area?

16 parental controls still require parents Parental controls require ongoing parental involvement. It’s not a “set it and forget it” rotisserie!

TECH CHECK 06.18................................................................................ 11 7 BIG TAKEAWAYS FROM GOOGLE I/O CONFERENCE............................................................ 22

how to effectively communicate your financial needs Strong churches go beyond an annual sermon on “Giving”

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20 |2

A Word from the editor Ray Hollenbach

Managing Editor

Ray Hollenbach

Art Directors

Troy Irvin, Henny Vallee

Contributing Editors

Matt Farrand, Russ McGuire, Caleb Neff, Nick Nicholaou, Mike Norris, Yvon Prehn, Jonathan Smith, Steven Sundermeier

Copy Editor Laura Severn

ADVERTISING VP Advertising Sales

Jared Bryant

National Media Consultants

Nikki Dirks, Charles Fleece, Malari Foster, Joseph Landry, Seth Rankin, Barbara (McDonald) Wolfe, Ryan Yoder

Account Associates

Leslie Massey, Bethany Payne, Syndie Porter, Nicole Vargas, Lara Whelan

Administrative Director Rebecca Meyer

Publisher

Outreach Inc. 5550 Tech Center Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (800) 991-6011 Ministry Tech® is a registered trademark of Outreach, Inc. Written materials submitted to Ministry Tech® Magazine become the property of Outreach, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Ministry Tech® Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Outreach, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Ministry Tech® magazine, or Outreach, Inc. © Copyright 2018 Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

THE SCOPE & PACE OF CHANGE It’s the beginning of summer, and Sundermeier’s ever-vigilant look at that means greenery is growing just cyber security. about everywhere. In fact, if we’re not Part of the challenge of using careful our vegetable gardens, flowers technology in ministry is the vast and lawns will quickly become scope of so many topics. Honestly, it’s over-grown! beyond the capability of any one Technology is breaking out in the person to keep up with it all. Not even same way. The scope of innovation is a church staff can stay on top of the reaching into pace of change. That’s everything: solar why it’s more important Responding to technologies, e-maps, than ever to ask the the pace of email and all manner of Holy Spirit for help: to technical change data collection. And the increase our awareness, is beyond the pace of innovation just and to know where we capability of never slows down! should direct our any one person to Helping churches and attention. We can’t see keep up with it all ministries stay it all, but God can! technologically current The overwhelming is a noble calling—and it’s definitely a diversity and pace of change may be big part of ministry these days. beyond human capacity, but it is not This month’s issue covers a lot of beyond God’s. The intersection of territory: how the church can go faith and technology requires us to green (an article from new contributor learn the latest from the world of tech, Ben Zientara); the latest from Google’s but most important is our ability to I/O developer’s conference (seven keep our ears tuned to hear the must-know details from a true whisper of the Spirit. It’s possible for tech-giant); Jonathan Smith’s take on God’s people to stay ahead of the tech the never-ending necessity of parental curve, but only as we learn to depend involvement in tech issues; Yvon on God’s guidance. Prehn’s always-practical take on church communications; and Steve

Ray Hollenbach is the Editor of Ministry Tech magazine. He has previously served as the editor of Outreach’s Better Preaching Update, and as the editor of the Pastor channel at Churchleaders.com. You can reach him at rhollenbach@outreach.com.

churches around the country are

going solar Your Guide to First Steps by Ben Zientara

hether or not people regularly attend their churches, some three-quarters of Americans identify as religious, and there are hundreds of thousands of churches, synagogues and mosques in the country, all of which need electricity for lights, HVAC and charging the pastors’ electronic gadgets, among other things. So it’s no surprise that more and more churches are turning to solar power to keep the lights on and protect God’s/Allah’s/The Flying Spaghetti Monster’s green earth.

WHY DO CHURCHES WANT TO GO SOLAR? There are as many reasons for churches to go solar as there are for ordinary people, but churches and other faith-based organizations tend to be motivated by a couple of reasons: PROTECTING CREATION First, and most obvious, is that leaders of many churches feel they have a spiritual obligation to preserve the environment. GreenFaith, an interfaith organization dedicated to environmental leadership, writes as part of their mission MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

statement: “Protecting the earth is a religious value, and environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.” They go on to say “religious traditions see the sacred in nature, and people grow spiritually through a strong relationship with the earth.” Discussion of the spirituality of environmental stewardship can be found in many places in the religious world. There’s even a renewable energy company called Interfaith Power & Light that holds, as their mission, “to be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.” PROTECTING THE COFFERS Simply put, running a church costs money, and more and more churches are putting their often large and shadefree roofs to good use by installing solar panels, which can reduce their electric bills and even turn into a source of profit. After all, an investment in solar offers financial returns of over 10 percent on average in the U.S. right now, and churches could use some solid financial footing so they can focus on the flock instead of the fiscal outlook.

But there are complications there, too. Because churches are classified as nonprofit entities, they can’t take advantage of solar incentives like state and federal tax credits. So they often have to turn to their congregants to find creative solutions to the problems that arise. That’s where the fun starts!

how can churches go solar? Like we said above, churches are nonprofit entities, so they can’t take advantage of the tax breaks that exist to make solar cheaper for individuals and businesses. That means the upfront cost of solar is higher, and it’s often not economically viable to pay out of pocket. Most churches rely on contributions from their members, too, and using those contributions to add panels to the roof can bring the cost to the institution down considerably. Still, this may not be the best route from a financial standpoint. If you’re a church leader thinking about solar for your building, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting the most for your congregants’ hard-earned money.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS: • Taking contributions and paying up front for solar • Signing a Power-Purchase Agreement with an established solar company • Having congregants band together to form an LLC that can take advantage of tax breaks OPTION 1: CONTRIBUTIONS If your congregation is into tithing, and you can get a good deal from a local solar company (around $3 per watt installed is good), this can be a great way to keep things simple. After the purchase, your church will own a rooftop solar system, and accrue all the future financial benefits thereof. Here’s how the return-on-investment for that installation looks:

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

It’s an asset that guarantees lower costs for the next few decades; this kind of investment hits two goals: environmental stewardship and protecting the coffers. That’s not too bad, as payback goes. You’re looking at a first-year cost (the big negative bar in 2016) of about $27,500—that’s the $30,000 initial investment for a 10-kW solar panel installation minus one year’s worth of energy savings. As time goes by, the energy savings pile up, paying the cost of the system back after year 15. After that, the panels are under warranty to keep making electricity until year 25 (where our estimates end), but could continue to operate for years after. All-in-all, as an asset the church will own that guarantees lower costs for the next few decades, this kind of investment hits both the goals above: environmental stewardship and protecting the coffers. The problem is finding the cash to buy the system up front, which is why a Power-Purchase Agreement can sometimes make more sense. To wit: OPTION 2: SIGNING A POWER-PURCHASE AGREEMENT (PPA) WITH A SOLAR COMPANY A PPA is another relatively straightforward way to go solar, and it usually doesn’t require any money down. Under the agreement, a solar company installs panels on the church roof and sells the electricity to the church. The starting perkilowatt-hour (kWh) rate is usually a little below the price you pay the utility company, but it’s also usually designed to go up by a certain percentage each year (1-3 percent is common). A typical PPA contract runs for 10 years. The upside is you know exactly how much you’ll be paying for electricity for the next 20 years, and the solar output is guaranteed by the PPA company. They do all the work and put all the materials on the roof, and you pay the money. The downside is this kind of arrangement only works if your state allows third party solar financing (four states don’t) and whether your state has good net metering rules. For example, there’s a relevant solar horror story in one of those states that doesn’t allow PPAs: A church in North Carolina had solar panels installed by a local solar advocacy group called NC WARN, and began to purchase the energy from those panels under a PPA, but an April 2016 ruling by the state’s Public Utilities Commission found that NC WARN was breaking the law and resulted in a $60,000 fine against the group. The case is now working its way through the court system.

Long story short: make sure your state allows this kind of solar billing arrangement unless you’re prepared to take on the utility company, the state and the courts to win this moral battle. Here’s how the numbers shake out for a 10-kW solar PPA in the average state:

Here’s how all that works: The church signs a PPA agreement with a solar installer for energy at the cost of $.11/kWh, which is $.0125/kWh cheaper that the utility company charges (seriously, fractions of a penny matter here). So buying 12,480 kWh of electricity from the solar company saves the church $156 (12,480 times $0.0125) in the first year. The PPA stipulates that the cost of the solar electricity will increase by 2 percent per year over a 20-year

contract. But the percentage increase of electricity across the country has historically been about 3.5 percent, so the church starts to save more money as the years go by. If these numbers hold true, the church will save about $10,000 in electricity costs over the 20-year PPA contract. That’s not a huge “if,” but the price of utility company electricity could rise by less than 3.5 percent, which would make these numbers change. The net present value of the $10,000 over 20 years is about $6,000. That’s pretty good, but here’s why it isn’t the best: The church is still paying a lot for electricity, and to a company that cares little for its mission and values. That’s where the congregation comes in. Get a few people together who’d love to offer a long-term benefit to the church, and you might find just the right way to finance your solar installation. Here’s why: OPTION 3: HAVING CONGREGANTS ESTABLISH AN LLC If your church has a few parishioners with means, having them set up an LLC to purchase a solar installation and sell the electricity is a brilliant idea. That’s because the LLC qualifies for the Federal government’s direct grant of 30 percent of the costs of installing a solar array (under section 1603 of “the stimulus” of 2009).

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So that means the $30,000 10-kW installation would result in a direct cash payment of $9,000 to the LLC, reducing the year-1 cost to just $21,000. At that point, the LLC could sell the solar energy to the church at a flat rate of 8.5 cents/ kWh for the next 20 years, which would allow the investors to break even while helping the church benefit to the tune of $22,000 in energy cost savings. Check it out:

Looking at that chart, you can see how this kind of PPA can result in amazing savings for the church. And it’s not like we’re talking about a pipe dream here. People have done almost this exact thing before, with excellent results. In fact, depending on your state, there can be other ways to profit from solar—like SREC sales—that can change the payback numbers for the better.

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

What can go wrong with solar for a church? The list here is about the same as the list for a homeowner—the roof could need reconstruction before the system can be installed, the price of electricity could rise by less than 3.5 percent per year, or the state laws about net metering could change sometime in the future, making the installation less profitable. The good news (no pun intended) here is that many churches have gone down this path, and they love to share what they’ve learned. Here are a few inspiring stories and articles that may be helpful if your church is thinking about solar: • Nine churches in a Massachusetts diocese using solar energy • Solar ideas for nonprofits • Brotherhood Mutual Insurance FAQ on solar for churches • Interfaith P&L page for churches • New York Catholic church goes solar Ben Zientara is a writer, researcher and data analysis expert who’s worked for clients in the sustainability, public administration and clean energy sectors. Ben earned his B.S. in Scientific & Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota in 2013, with special coursework in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainability Studies. You can read more of his work by following the links in the sidebar, or visiting Solar Power Rocks.

PARENTAL CONTROLS STILL REQUIRE PARENTS Honestly, More Than Ever! by Jonathan Smith

ast month we talked about the illusion of privacy on social media. I appreciate the many responses I received, and want to continue to build on the discussion by adding in the element of parental controls. With privacy online subjective at best, parental controls are one mechanism for parents to help young people learn to use social media, and behave online in a God honoring fashion. Oh—and summer is upon us. It seemed it would never arrive but it's here! That means kids will be out of school and have more time to spend on their devices, doing what kids do on devices, which is playing games, and based on the research, spending huge amounts of time on social media.

back in the day When I was a kid summer was all about summer vacations. My mom is a schoolteacher so we used our summers off to travel (and by travel, I mean road trip!). We road-tripped MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

everywhere, and this was well before screens would fit in our hands. In those days, screens took up large amounts of real estate on our living room floors. For entertainment on long cross-country drives, my sister and I would listen to cassette tapes on a Sony Walkman. (Remember those? If not, you might want to Google it.) As long as our two AA batteries would last, we listened to whatever cassette tapes my parents gave us. That was a very early from of parental control. They knew what we were listening to and could control how much time we spent with our headphones on. Then we upgraded—to a Discman! (Again, Google it.) Discmans provided a portable means with which to listen to the latest in technology of the early '80s, compact discs. Cassette tapes were nice but you had the slowness of fast forwarding and rewinding to get to what you wanted to hear. With CDs, we could skip tracks or chapters, instantly. Again, my parents controlled what we listened to as they controlled the media, or discs in this

We listened to whatever cassette tapes my parents gave us. that was a very early form of parental control. primitive form of parental controls. Listening time was again limited to the charge in our AA batteries. There was also a form of parental controls with the early video games. Early on to play a video game you had to be transported to a place called the “mall” where they had a video game arcade store with video game consoles the size of the refrigerator in your kitchen at home today. You would put a quarter in these refrigerators, I mean video game consoles, and you could play a variety of games, but you had to physically get to the arcade. Then we got games at home. Then Atari came out allowing for arcade games on your TV at home. These early gaming systems, like the Atari or the original Nintendo (calling all original Super Mario Brothers fans)

required a cartridge that contained the game you wanted to play. You inserted the cartridge into the video game system to play the game. It was easy for parents to control the games their children played as they controlled the game cartridges. Without the cartridge, you had no game, making it easy for parents to control what games their kids played. You also were unable to save your progress with these games; making it similar to the “uphill both ways in the snow” we’ve all heard was part of the education system of days gone by. Granted, an enterprising young person could sneak a cartridge into the house, but most of these consoles were hooked up to the TVs in the family room and the types of games available to play on these systems was very limited. Super Mario Brothers was amazing when compared to Space Invaders. In other words, there wasn’t much to sneak. Trust me. I was there.

#RUHOOKED

Teens & Social Media By Jonathan Smith

MinistryTech Monthly Contributor & National Speaker

times have changed How things have changed today. Technology has converged all of this into small, high definition screens in devices that fit in our pockets and contain access to every song on the planet and an endless supply of games, not to mention access to the Internet and social media. These devices have become an integral part of our lives and parental controls are no longer as simple as they used to be. There is no media to remove, the batteries rarely run out, and the content is constantly changing. Parental controls require ongoing parental involvement. This is not a “set it and forget it” rotisserie. (Again, Google it.) Parental controls are like swimming in a pool. You don’t just let your kids play in the pool without any adult supervision, or even a lifeguard. While parental controls are a great tool, they require constant MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

A book for teens and the people who care about them. #RUHOOKED ISBN: 9781939881175/$6.99 Available at TRISTANPublishing.com and Amazon.com involvement and supervision. Playing on devices requires the same amount of adult supervision as playing in a pool. Parental controls are a great life preserver but they still require active parental involvement. There is no doubt that screens do a great job of babysitting, parenting and occupying our kids' time. It is easy to say go watch a movie or play a game and then enjoy the quietness of the moment. As we enter summer time

and family vacation season, let me encourage you not to rely on your devices to entertain, or dare I say raise, your kids. As we discussed in last month’s article, the privacy of your children’s data is at stake. Kids and teens don’t know what should be posted online and shouldn’t be, nor do they know what gaming companies are doing with the data they provide. Parental controls can’t solve data over-sharing;

Don’t let your kids play in the technology pool this summer without close supervision.

only parents can, and should! In the April 2018 issue we talked about taking ownership over this and not blaming Apple because their technology is too good. Much like we shouldn’t blame Krispy Kreme for making donuts that we can’t stop eating or McDonald’s for making tasty French-fries. We have to be disciplined in our technology use like we have to be disciplined with what we eat. Asking for more parental controls is not the solution. Research indicates that parents are barely using the controls they have now; having more won’t make it any better. Having more will simply widen the knowledge gap between what the parental controls are capable of and what the parents actually know they can do, as most parents are not keeping up. One way to help narrow the gap is to not overcomplicate family time, as we talked about in the March 2018 MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

issue. Use family time to learn from your kids and to instill in them what it means to be godly online. Use family time to teach about online bullying, information over-sharing, data privacy, and how God knows what you do both online and offline. (Watching a movie you aren’t supposed to watch online is the same sin as it would be watching it on TV.) Investing this time builds involvement in our kids’ lives and that involvement is critical to success with any form of parental controls.

it's worth the effort! Unless parents today start investing time and building involvement with their kids in how they use their devices and what content they consume, the knowledge gap talked about in the February 2018 issue will only grow larger, and the larger it gets, the more trouble our young people find to get into. Take time this summer to put

the devices down. Some kids just need to be taught how to go out and play and imagine and create. Others may need to play a sport to learn how to work together on a team and get some much-needed exercise. While it may be easier to just let our kids play on their devices, it is not better. Don’t let your kids play in the technology pool this summer without close supervision. Use the parental control tools at your disposal, but also invest time learning the new ones, watching what your kids do on their devices, and teaching your kids that God created a beautiful world beyond the technology we use to capture pictures of it. Teach them to spend time in it and to love the One who created it. I know we’ve been talking about parenting in the traditional sense of a mom and dad, but I recognize that many young people today are not in traditional homes. As I’ve mentioned parents, that could mean grandparents, family friends, foster parents, other family members or really any authority figure that has influence over the lives of young people. While teachers and youth pastors and youth workers are not the parents of their students or youth groups, they still have an opportunity for influence so feel free to replace the word “parents” with whatever fits best in your situation as you impact the lives of young people around you for Christ. MT Jonathan Smith is the Director of Technology at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana. You can reach Jonathan at jsmith@faithlafayette.org and follow him on Twitter @JonathanESmith.

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tech check

06.18

CHURCH NURSERY TECH Without a doubt the most important parts of a church’s nursery ministry is the safety of the children. Along with their physical safety comes the need for love and care. Have you done a tech review of your nursery facility, your nursery procedures, and your nursery staff and volunteers? Here’s a checklist of must-haves for every church—big and small—when it comes to nursery ministry:

SECURITY •

•

Who can open the doors to your nursery? Many churches have moved to keyless entry systems. There are plenty to choose from, Procare software is a good place to start. Security cameras are also a must: Webcams are a low-cost solution, and digital storage of the video safeguards your church (and the volunteers) in the event of any complaint. Here’s a recent ranking of the top 10 software systems.

HEALTH •

•

EDITOR’S NOTE: Who can possibly keep up with all the tech options available these days? TECH CHECK highlights tech news and new gadgets that save you time, energy, money—and keep you from reinventing the wheel. Have a hot tech tip or news item? Email rhollenbach@outreach.com.

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

Killing germs may not sound hightech, but it’s vital—and there are surprising new solutions on the market, like Sienna’s UV Light Sterilizer. An infrared forehead thermometer is a low-cost necessity in a nursery these days. Some ministries pre-screen toddlers in order to make sure one child doesn’t infect all the others. Amazon.com lists more than 15, all for $25 or less!

BACKGROUND CHECKS •

•

Screening volunteers doesn’t mean a ton of paperwork any more. Online services like SafeChurch.com make this vital part of your preparation quick and painless. Visitor-friendly tip: Post a discreet sign at the nursery door assuring parents that your church performs online background checks.

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COMMUNICATIONS

CLICK "PRINT"

(BUT LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE WORK) Use Online Printing Services to Lighten Your Load by Yvon Prehn

You’ll have this information online also, but to reach all those you want, YOU NEED IT PRINTED.

An easy way to get brochures done

want, you need it printed. I created my brochure and then found some HP paper at the office supply store that was opaque enough to print it without bleed through. It was pricy, but I felt worth it for the project. The brochure was full-color, double-sided. It seemed like it took forever to print, and it used an incredible amount of ink. After they were printed, I looked at the pile of papers and realized I needed to tri-fold them all. I did a lousy job of that! Half way through the pile of sloppy looking brochures, I went online to the website of a printing company I’d used in the past (more about that in a minute), uploaded my file and a few days later had 250 perfect, full-color, nicely

hen you want to bring new people into the church and grow them as disciples, there is never enough time or resources to get all the communications done. One way to make your load lighter as you tackle the communication demands of ministry is to check out the online printing companies. There are many reasons why you might want to consider using an online printing company. Let me give you two examples where I found them very helpful.

I wanted to create a ministry brochure. There are many reasons why a printed brochure is helpful, including as a handout for first-time visitors, to explain ministries for children, women or men, or seniors, or just to list the options available for Bible classes and small groups. You’ll have this information online also, but to reach all those you MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

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COMMUNICATIONS folded brochures. After figuring the costs of high quality paper and ink, it wasn’t that much more than doing it at the office by myself. For a program that needs many more brochures or something that can be used for several months, the online print costs drop drastically as the quantities increase, but they don’t change in the church as printing one brochure on the church copy machine costs just as much as the next hundred do.

cards and encouraged to share them in situations, perhaps at a store, or in a park with a mom with kids. The woman who told me the story said their group had tripled since they started using the cards and continued to grow. There is a very practical reason why cards like this work so well—most of us don’t remember details clearly even though we might be excited about an overall idea. You might meet someone

who seems like she could use a support group with her kids. You invite her; she seems like she wants to attend. But without a card like this, she may get home and think, “Now where was that church?” and “What time is the group meeting?” Those all-important connecting details can be hard to remember, and chances are the invited mom will end up frustrated and hoping she runs into the person that invited her next time she’s at the park.

Invitation cards to church, sermon series and events Business card-sized invitation cards are one of the best ways to invite people to your church, a sermon series or special event. They work so well because you can give them to every person in the congregation and encourage them to carry them wherever they go to give out to friends, the people they interact with at coffee shops and when eating out. They can be posted on bulletin boards or left anonymously by timid church members. You can design the cards with a standard side that has basic information about the church (which I’ll list in a minute), but then on the other side you can promote a sermon series or special event. These are invaluable outreach tools for ministries in the church. True story: One church started a program for the moms of preschool kids, but they had a hard time getting people in the community involved. One of the moms suggested doing up cards like this with an upbeat design and the details of where and when the group met. All the ladies in the group were given a stack of MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

To fully fulfill the Great Commission

RESOURCES FOR CHURCH COMMUNICATORS Training Templates Strategy Resources Podcast

www.effectivechurchcom.com | 13

COMMUNICATIONS Again, for cards like this, on one side have a description of your special event, on the other side of the card it can say something like this:

last minute we hadn’t created a brochure we planned to for a large Christmas outreach. I ordered them in the morning and they were printed, folded and done by early afternoon. In addition, there are numerous other online printers including: GotPrint, UPrinting (they do magnets and boxes also), and finally Moo, one of the more

expensive companies, but they have great contemporary designs—it’s a great company to use for inspiration. Many online printing services have templates you can modify and detail to your needs. This might work well for projects like business and invitation cards that have simple designs. For pieces like a brochure, you may want

You want the freedom to … reach out … minister to people … create fellowship Here are a few examples of how I did this for summer and some free templates you might use for your church. One additional thing I really like about the online companies is that you can make up the cards not only in standard business card size, but also in the trendy square size and the miniature card size. They are inexpensive, as it seems like all the online print companies use business cards as one of their marketing tools, which means you can take advantage of their promotional pricing.

Resources and tips when you use an online printing service I have had great luck with Outreach, VistaPrint and OvernightPrints. You can also order printed items through Office Depot and pick them up on same day at a store near you. That was a lifesaver when one year we realized at the MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

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to create that off-line and then upload. If you chose to do that be sure you use one that makes it easy to upload your designs. This primarily means one that is compatible with the programs you use. Most businesses like expensive software like Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat PDFs, but many churches don’t have these programs (or someone proficient in them). I create everything in MS Publisher and then I save it as a 300-dpi jpg—not all the online printing companies like it, but it works great with VistaPrint, which is one of the main reasons I use them.

In addition, once you do something with a company, for example have a card printed as I recommended above, they will store the design for you and you don’t need to recreate the back side of the card every time you create a new one. For additional tips and lots more free templates for church business and invitation cards for inviting people to church and for various holidays, check out my website. It takes a little time to experiment with a company to find one you like to work with, but once you find one you’ll have a great resource to save you time and sanity and to create great communications for your church. MT Yvon Prehn’s ministry to church communicators has two parts: http://www. effectivechurchcom.com, a site of FREE templates, strategy and resources, and http://www.churchcomtraining.com, a Church Communicators Online Training School.

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

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Kids Ministry Wall Graphics & Banners With brands like VeggieTales, The Jesus Storybook Bible, The Action Bible and other gorgeous designs, kids from nursery to preteen (and their parents!) will love coming to your church to learn more about Jesus!

Visit Outreach.com/KidMin to learn more!

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PROTECTED WITH PURPOSE

staying safe from

rdp

BRUTE FORCE ATTACKS

Best Practices to Protect Your Organization by Steven Sundermeier

ne game we like to play while taking in the sights and sounds of interstate driving is the old classic: “What am I?” It’s is a simple game to play: A family member simply thinks of a household item, or an animal, fruit or vegetable, and the other members try to guess what they “are” by asking a series of Yes or No questions. My kids also own the “official” board game style version of this game called HedBanz. The only twist or alteration to its rules is that each player will wear a headband on their forehead that contains a card, displaying an animal, tool, food that they themselves must guess by asking similar Yes or No questions

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

about themselves. The first player to guess his or her own card wins. (And the saying, “there’s an app for it” also holds true for the “What am I” game as well: The most popular is the ‘Head’s Up!’ app made famous on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where her guests place cellphones on their foreheads and try to guess things like blockbuster movies and superstars.) As families begin packing their suitcases and flocking to beaches and state parks, guessing games and apps like “What am I?” or “Head’s Up!” will kick into gear for the summer. However, I’m also witnessing cybercriminals increase their guessing games in 2018 as well! Unfortunately,

Cybercriminals are specifically using a RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) brute force attack:

are you prepared? the straightforward, time-passing fun of popular children games is not what I am referring to. Cyber attackers are interested in breaching networks and client systems alike, stealing valuable information and inflicting (many times) unrepairable damage on your computer systems. They are achieving this using a technique called BruteForce Attack. A brute-force attack involves targeting servers and workstations

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PROTECTED WITH PURPOSE directly, rather than indirectly (i.e., relying on a user to open an attachment or click a link) and looking for an opening or hole into the system. It most cases an attacker will attempt to guess the user’s password by trying passwords or passphrases repeatedly, with the goal of guessing correctly. An industry specific term for the guessing of passwords is called “password spraying.” As a note to those of us that are not yet taking the concept of strong-passwords seriously, there are many easily available brute force techniques that can effectively crack weak passwords. In many of the recent cases of new ransomware samples or other destructive malware I’ve analyzed, I have observed that cybercriminals are specifically using a RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) brute force attack. In an RDP brute force attack, the attacker scans a list of IP ranges for the default RDP port 3389 looking for open connection. Once a port is found, the brute force attack is launched. The brute force technique uses a trial and error password guessing attack with a list of commonly used credentials, paraphrases, dictionary words and other combinations. Once access is established, the attacker can disable the system’s antivirus, firewall and other in-place security measures so that the malware payload can run without detection. This means that even if the user or administrator had the very best, top-notch antivirus installed (Thirtyseven4 Endpoint Security, anyone?) and was diligently keeping it updated to protect against the thousands of new malwares added daily, turning off the protection renders the system powerless. Again, MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

the damage done by the executed malware can be irreversible and could open the possibility for future attacks and confidential information to be stolen and later released causing significant embarrassment to the user or organization. While a built-in Thirtyseven4 Firewall feature will effectively prevent RDP brute force attacks by allowing only trusted IP addresses

from accessing the system via remote desktop, I wanted to mention a few other tips and suggestions that can be put into practice by everyone. Some best practices to help prevent brute force attacks: 1. Use strong and unique passwords on user accounts that cannot be easily guessed. Weak passwords like admin, admin123, qwerty, 123456, password, Spot (don’t we all have a dog named

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PROTECTED WITH PURPOSE ‘Spot’?), can be easily brute forced in just a first few attempts. Remember the saying: “Strength in Length.” Your passwords should not only contain a mix of uppercase, lowercase and special characters, but it should also be at least 12 characters long. 2. In addition to installing strong client-based security software, make sure to configure your endpoint security software settings with password protection. Doing so would prevent any unauthorized users that may have breached or gained access to the system from disabling or uninstalling it. (For example, Thirtyseven4 users can enable this feature from the Settings => Password Protection.) 3. Disable the administrator account and use a different account name for administrative activities. Most brute-force attempts are done on an administrator user account, as it is present by default. 4. Remove any other unused or guest accounts, especially those listed under the administrator account. You may have the strongest login credentials on this side of the Mississippi, but if the older default Admin\Admin account created by your former colleague was never disabled or deleted, your system is open for business. 5. Take the time to change the default RDP port from the default location of 3389. While a full port scan done by the attacker would still reveal available ports, most RDP attacks focus on targeting port 3389. 6. Enable the Network Level Authentication (NLA) feature in your RDP settings available in Windows Vista and later OS. https://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc732713.aspx 7. Configure Account Lockout Policies that will automatically lock an account after a specific number of failed attempts. https://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd277400.aspx Steven Sundermeier is the owner of Thirtyseven4, LLC, a leading provider of antivirus/security software. With 17 years of experience in the cybersecurity field, he is one of the nation’s leading experts in virus, malware and other threats. Before founding Thirtyseven4 in 2009, Steven worked in a number of roles in the antivirus industry dating back to 1999.

MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

While games like “What am I” and “Hedbanz” can bring smiles and pass the time on a road trip, playing games with your network security is no laughing matter. Harmless questions to win a game are in stark contrast to the repeated barrage of password attempts cybercriminals have programmed to penetrate your Network until they find an “in." While students enjoy their summer break from school and many families plot and plan summer vacations (and activities for the ride), always be aware that not everyone is lounging around in the months of June, July and August. Cybercriminals are still hard at work exploiting you, your business and your livelihood. Remain vigilant, and utilize the above tips to arm yourself in the battle.

Let’s check ourselves with a little game of Cybersecurity “Who Am I?” Do I use strong passwords (12+ characters)? Yes Do I use strong AV software, including password protection? Yes Have you disabled your Administrator Account and used a different account name? Yes Have you removed Guest and Unused accounts? Yes Have you switched your default RDP port away from 3389? Yes Have you enabled the Network Level Authentication (NLA) feature in your RDP settings? Yes Have you configured Account Lockout Policies? Yes Winner! And even better than winning a round of “Who Am I,” by ensuring these policies are met, you have won the privacy to your data, your information and your peace of mind. Now that’s worth playing for!

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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE

YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS Stewardship Requires Great Connection by Hillary Bowling

hen many people hear the term “stewardship,” there’s often a tendency to think “money”—and even more specifically, Oh boy…they’re going to talk about money again today. But you know that stewardship can involve myriad possibilities for making an “invitation to give.” Money, yes, but also—and perhaps more importantly—time, talent, passion, and participation. The question is: How will you communicate about these ideas? Certainly, as a leader in your church, you have the right and responsibility to guide and teach about stewardship, including the many times it is referenced in the Word. You can do this in the sanctuary and in an article for the bulletin or your newsletter. If yours is like many churches, however, it can be easy to address this topic only in times of need.

Communicating about stewardship needs to begin with a strategy Download our free article: Stewardship Communications and Picking the Right Messaging Service for Your Church. That strategy must speak to your financial goals, both operational and capital-intensive, and also include your goals for people and their participation and the value they bring (both the intangibles and anything you can quantify as “in-kind”). You might also want to MinistryTech.com JUNE 2018

identify which civic, social and business associations or partnerships contribute to the caretaking and well being of your church. Next, you’ll need a plan, or roadmap, for how and when (and to whom) you’ll communicate about your stewardship goals, specific needs you might have along the way, and any progress you can measure. This might include updating your member database information regarding skills and ministry interests (think “census”), and gathering information in stages, via multiple methods like email, feedback forms or telephone polling. Encourage visitors to share what they bring to the community in addition to their contact information. Be blatant in your explanation of what stewardship can be for your church. Ask each member to consider the totality of what he or she can bring to the community. You might be amazed at what will come forth with just the right hint or other encouragement. Understand that your communications need to reach several audiences within your church, and you might even want to practice with the verbiage, style and channel of communicating to these audiences.

One caveat... Rather than communicate through every channel, try to select the channels you can do well. If you have someone who’s talented at making social media posts, that’s great. But if not, find other ways to play to your strengths. You’ll want to develop communications that have a regular cadence and identity, rather than

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what might look like the “fits and starts” approach. This gives your communications a connected, consistent feel—and that goes a long way to building culture. Technology obviously can enhance your communication campaign, but again: Be careful to use those tools you can manage well. An invitation to help with a fundraising car wash will lose its effectiveness if the message pops up on your electronic signage two days before the event, or if it’s still in the slide rotation two days after the event. If you use Facebook or Twitter, update frequently and be concise in your message, whether educating, requesting, referring or recognizing. Many churches now also use a group messaging system to manage voice, text, email and social media notifications. The advantage of a tool like this is the ability to have one source for reaching diverse groups within your church through a method appropriate to them. Pastors also like the ability to extend Sunday’s message with follow-up examples over the phone or in text or email later in the week. Some of these systems even provide a polling feature, whereby the church member can RSVP to a particular request for help with a ministry or event. Regardless of your audience and your communication channel, be sure to regularly discuss the shared stewardship of your church and the many ways that members can contribute. Identify your needs and the type of “giving” (including specific skills, money or other resources) that will not only help you fulfill your vision, but which will also draw your faith community closer together in the service of each other and your neighbors. MT Hillary Bowling is a marketing program manager at One Call Now, provider of simple, affordable broadcast messaging.

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ONEC ALLNOW.COM/CHURCH

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7 BIG TAKEAWAYS froM GOOGLE'S I/O CONFERENCE

Part of doing church is reaching your congregation, and reaching your community. Last month Google held its annual developer’s conference, Google I/O, and there were plenty of lessons related to technology in ministry. Here are our top seven take-aways, plus one more bonus lesson.

Know Your Rock Stars! These days tech gurus have reached rock star status. When Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) took the stage at Google I/O just a few weeks ago, the crowd of 7,000+ went wild. Check out the opening 10 minutes here. This is worth knowing—could you name the CEO before you read it in the sentence above? (Who are the founders of Google? Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Do your modern-day preaching illustrations reflect this knowledge?

Gmail’s Smart Compose: These days Gmail can practically write your emails for you. That’s either a good thing (if you’re in a hurry) or a bad thing (if you are trying to share God’s love in a truly personal way). Even if you would never use the feature, from now on people will stop and think, “Did a human write this, or a machine?”

Privacy Issues are HUGE: After a greeting and a little bit of fun, Pichai moved on to the topic of privacy. It’s on everyone’s mind! Whether you use Church Management Software (ChMS) or paper files, have you considered a privacy policy for your church? Have you communicated that policy to your congregation?

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Cameras are Going Smart: Paperwork may finally be going away. Google demonstrated the capability to take a picture of a paper form, digitize the content, and allow people to complete and return the “paperwork” digitally. Is your church up to speed?

Google Assistant is full-on AI These Days It’s startling to see and hear Google Assistant pretend to be a real, live person, capable of making phone calls to notify congregants or make reservations at restaurants. Has your staff had conversations about what communication could be moved to AI, and more important, what contacts require a human touch.

Google Maps is more than just a link: Self-driving Cars – for churches? That’s right! What used to be called “bus ministry” is poised to move high tech: Selfdriving cars and ride share technologies are beginning to shape the transportation landscape right now. Do Uber or Lyft operate in your area? How can you use these new technologies to serve your congregation—and your community?

Does your website use the full power of Google Maps? Innovations such as street view technology and customized directions can become a big part of attracting people to your Sunday morning services, or helping people find their way to mid-week small groups.

BONUS LESSON: Resolve the “Major Bug” Sundar Pichai led off with—FUN! Did you notice he started with a light-hearted critique of Google’s own mistakes? Thousands of people in attendance and major technological advancements on the line, but he opened with the “cheeseburger fix.”

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MinistryTech.com MAY 2018

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THE LAST WORD

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 PETER 4:10 (NIV)