Christian Computing November 2011

Founder & Editor-in-Chief Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com Online Community Manager Kevin Cross - kevin@ccmag.com

Applying Tomorrow’s Technology to Today’s Ministry Volume 23

November 2011

No. 11

3 cover story

ChurchHelper - The Name Says It All! By Steve Hewitt

Copy Editor Gina Hewitt Corporate Home Office

3 Editorial

And the winner of a new tablet is... Craig Saunders!

11 Christian Computing Hall Of Fame

Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com

Walt Wilson - A man of two worlds, technology and ministry

Steve Hewitt

14 ACS ideas to impact

6 Tips for Increasing Giving - from Year-End through 2012

17 Parishsoft’s Catholic Connection 20 Logos CMS

Christian Computing® is a registered trademark

29 The Power And The Danger The iPhone

33 Ministry Communication The FREE Kindle Reader

of Christian Computing, Inc. Written materials

from ParishSOFT

submitted to Christian Computing® Magazine become the property of Christian Computing®,

The Power of the Reverse Interlinear

Thankful Evangelism

from ACS Technologies

Why Your Church Stewardship Can’t Live Without Online Giving

26 Digital Evangelism

Mailing address: PO Box 319 Belton MO 64012 Delivery address: 306 Eagle Glen Ct Raymore MO 64083 Phone: (816) 331-5252 FAX: 800-456-1868

Branding: The Indelible Mark of Your Church

23 Higher Power With Kevin

Contributing Editors Lauren Hunter Yvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou Kevin A. Purcell Russ McGuire Bradley Miller Michael L White

Tony Ferraro

Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Christian Computing® Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials sub-

Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org

mitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or

Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplacepress.com

form without the express permission of Christian Computing®, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily

By Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com

the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Christian Computing® Magazine, or Christian

Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

Computing, Inc.

Articles that are highlighed are provided by our partners www.ccmag.com/2007_03/2007_03editorial.pdf

Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

editorial And the winner of a new tablet is…Craig Saunders! Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com

We drew a winner in our tablet giveaway on November 15th, 2011, and the winner is D. Craig Saunders. You can congratulate him on our Online Community by looking for Darrell Saunders (although he goes by Craig in most other places.) We contacted Craig to find out if he wanted the new iPad2 or the Toshiba Thrive (my two favorite tablets), and he is going to go with the iPad2. If you didn’t win this time, don’t give up! We will give away another tablet on January 31, 2012 again, the winner will be able to pick the tablet of their choice (see more about this below). I contacted Craig to inform him that he was are winner and asked him to share a little bit about himself with the rest of us. Craig serves as Associate Pastor at Highland Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. He doesn’t own a tablet and said he believes he hasn’t won anything since he was a child! I asked him how long he has been a reader of CCMag and he said since the beginning, which, if he is remembering correct, was 23 years ago! If you are not aware of HOW Craig won this new tablet from Christian Computing and Christian Video Magazines, all he had to do was to go to www.ccmag.com and register. And if YOU want to be included in the next drawing on January 31, all you have to do is be a member of our online community as well. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

We will be giving away TWO tablets on January 31, 2012. But I am not going to tell you how you can be eligible for the second drawing yet, but I can tell you it involves Twitter. So, if you don’t twitter, you might want to get yourself set up. And, if you’re not following me on Twitter, you might want to start. Follow me on Twitter @SteveHewitt. Thanksgiving I hope you all have a wonder thanksgiving. While I am thankful for so many in my life, I am thankful TO God for bringing them into my life. Thank you to all of those that write for CCMag and to all that have not only joined our Online Community, but are making connections, joining in the discussion, etc.

Together We Serve Him,

Steve Hewitt steve@ccmag.com Editor-in-Chief steve@ccmag.com

We have something really exciting to share!

Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

cover story

ChurchHelper - The Name Says It All! An interview with Steve Davis of ChurchHelper

By Steve Hewitt

ver the years, I have heard a bit here and there about a ChMS that went by the name of ChurchHelper. However, it seems I never actually made contact with them until recently. Steve Davis contacted me when he heard about last month’s ChMS Overview issue and I spent some time on the phone with him learning about the history and the many features of ChurchHelper. I decided our readership would like to know more about them as well, since we have never featured them in Christian Computing. So, this month, check out my interview with Steve and learn the history of ChurchHelper and what makes their ChMS offering unique! When and how did ChurchHelper start? ChurchHelper started in 1985, when I began volunteering for a large church in Hermosa Beach, California. The church was growing and had recently undergone pastoral changes. Up to that point they had been using a well known ChMS product for maintaining their mailing list and contributions posting, which took a minimum of 25 hours a week. It was difficult watching them work so hard to do such simple tasks - they had numerous piles stacked about for adding, editing, and posting. I started Christian Computing® Magazine

working from home to develop a solution for them, and within two months the process was streamlined, thereby eliminating many of the time consuming steps they had been using. This new process cut their weekly processing from 25 hours a week to 7 hours per week – an over 300% increase in productivity! Shortly after this I was hired full-time to head up their IT department which had over 100 users and managed over 10,000 records in the church mailing list. It was during that time I began to understand my calling to develop a quality, user friendly Church Management System, and TABS© (The Active Branch System) was born! As the sysNovember 2011

tem grew and developed, it was provided to over 25 daughter churches, and in a short period of time over 200 churches nationwide were using TABS©. After almost 12 years of working on staff I was hired by our District Office which oversaw 225 southern California churches. During this time the opportunity arose to further develop TABS© software. We provided TABS© FREE to all the churches in the District, while also providing training to pastors, church staff, and volunteers. Eventually TABS© software was used by two Districts with more than 500 churches. In 2000, TABS© was completely redesigned for the Internet in Microsoft’s ASPX.net with a SQL backend database. TABS© was enhanced and offered additional features such as an online church financial reporting system and online camp registration modules. Churches could now enter their financial data online—saving the district office over 40 to 50 manhours per month. One benefit was that the Districts could now provide their churches financial analysis for loan reviews and approval over the phone in minutes rather than the days it formerly took to research and consolidate the information manually. The new camp registration module allowed people to register and enter their camper registration information online. The District could then view and finalize all the camp rooming, payments, and reporting process online, saving another 20-30 man hours monthly. TABS© was further developed, making updates and enhancements that kept up with the latest technology. A few years later I was hired by our denomination corporate head quarters to develop and oversee a Change Management Office and manage the Help Desk Center. These departments supported and serviced 450 corporate office personnel, three national regional offices, and over 1,800 churches Christian Computing® Magazine

nationwide. ChurchHelper and TABS© were developed and designed specifically to enhance and simplify administrative tasks for all aspects of ministry from startup churches to mid and mega churches, to district and/or corporate environments.

What are some of the major changes you have seen in your product/ service over the years? Our TABS© ChMS has gone through several enhancements and platform design changes. Our primary goal has always been to provide our customers with relevant applications that take advantage of current technology. For example, as early as 2000, ChurchHelper offered a PDA (mobile devices) connection to the TABS© database for our district personnel. This gave them access to pastors and church information online long before mobile connectivity was popular. Our TABS© modules have also undergone quite a few changes over the years, and our most popular TABS© modules continue to be 1) Contacts and Groups - with simultaneous emailing and text messaging capability 2) Visitors Care Response Card processing - with team follow-up call assignments, and 3) Donations processing. Customers say that our donations, visitor’s care

November 2011

response cards, and email and text messaging features are far easier and faster than anything they’ve ever used or seen.

There are many ChMS choices available today. Why do you believe your customers have picked ChurchHelper TABS© over other options? The most frequent answer our customers give us for choosing our system over others is the ease in which they can process and retrieve relevant information. Our method of processing and displaying information means their data is always fresh and relevant for today’s ministry needs and doesn’t simply become stagnate information or a repository for storing irrelevant information. Customers say they enjoy having quick and easy online access to accurate information. They can determine at a glance whether individuals or families have been active or inactive - giving them clear insight of how to best communicate and follow-up with everyone who attends their church. Our competitive pricing is also hard to beat. Churches and districts often choose TABS© Online because they receive huge savings on both our products and services—often 50-75% compared to other ChMS products and services.

Sometimes it seems that ChMS is all about administration and data. How can ChurchHelper and TABS© support and enhance a church’s ministry? We’ve been serving churches, districts, and corporate offices’ ministry and administration needs since 1985. Everything we do is with the focus of promoting pastoral care in peoples’ lives. ChurchHelper TABS© also has many special features which are not available with other products. Although TABS© Online is a Web-based system, it is designed to look and feel like a desktop application. Other Web-based ChMS are designed to have the individual scroll up or down while doing data entry or retrieving data. This can be both time Christian Computing® Magazine

consuming and tedious. By making our modules a one-page design, we’ve eliminated the need for scrolling, and dropdown or pop-up menus which are often confusing and awkward. Retrieving information Searching for data in TABS© is like no other. Users can perform searches from any of the data entry fields and screens – there is no need to go to

another page or window. For example, our Visitor’s Care Response Card module shows that searches can be performed from any of the yellow highlighted fields. You can also switch screens by clicking on the “Notes” or “Contacts” button and continue to search for any information entered into any of these fields. Based on any search criteria, you can generate reports, labels, and letters, or send personalized emails and text messages simultaneously to any individual or group! This method of searching is standard throughout the entire TABS© Online system. We proudly offer customer service which focuses on customers’ needs – above and beyond. We’ve even assisted church employees with administrative tasks when the regular staff was unavailable. When customers use our software and services, we like to think they are actually hiring us to be an extension of their team. Our no-worry policy ensures customers have the freedom to call whenever needed, without fear of being charged for support services. All online support and training is FREE! Consolidating and centralizing information We’ve witnessed time after time ministries that have reverted back to maintaining their contact/ group lists in a separate spreadsheet instead of conNovember 2011

tinuing to use their church’s ChMS system. We’re told they do this because the system they have is just too difficult to use, and it’s more work than it’s worth! Our goal to alleviate this frustration is to offer a system that is: 1) simple to use, 2) powerful to access/retrieve information, and 3) a solution that is ministry focused. We want our customers to feel good about opening up TABS© Online! If people shy away from using a ChMS, ministry may suffer, and peoples’ lives are impacted. Our purpose is to help churches facilitate ministry in people’s lives. Ministry and Accounting in ChMS Ministry and vision are fluid—even more so with today’s technological advances. Ministry can grow very rapidly, while accounting processes and procedures are primarily a supporting role to a church’s vision and ministry. A church should be able to grow and change tactics when needed to fulfill their God given vision. Our experience has shown that many churches struggle with balancing ministry and financial administration procedures and processes. Some ChMS offered a ChMS with both ministry and accounting functions integrated. Although intentions were good, inevitably the very things which were meant to bring balance ended up causing problems since these two departments have clearly different purposes. Often, ministry was hindered as one department or the other simply tolerated the software which was really not a good fit for both. We’ve also seen where a church’s ministry has outgrown or become dissatisfied with their ChMS application, but continue using it because the accounting functions are such an embedded aspect of the church’s administration. The accountants don’t want to change the ChMS because of the accounting processes and the functionality it has for their department. When necessary, we’ve also encouraged customers to continue to use their ChMS accounting system if they must, but use a different ChMS system for ministries so the vision and relationship aspects of ministries can flourish. ChurchHelper’s TAB Online can export data in various formats which can then be brought into most any account Christian Computing® Magazine

package. The bottom line: a win-win for everyone! With separated functions, each can grow separately and change at their own pace as needs demand, and the church’s God-given vision can grow as directed by the ministry leadership. Since God gives vision for ministry to his people, shouldn’t it be the ministry that drives the ChMS features and functions? We believe that having a ministry focused ChMS will help the church achieve its goals, while allowing them to be good stewards over the vision God has given them. Relevant and Integrated Information The key to effective ministry administration is having accurate, relevant information available to leadership, staff personnel, and ministry volunteers. People who attend a church also want to feel welcomed and recognized by those on the church staff or leadership. By having personalized and accurate information available in the ChMS, church administration and staff can have confidence knowing that the information is accurate and relevant – which can be critical in establishing or further developing relationships with them. When sending letters, emails, or text messages, the accuracy of the information used within the

ChMS system is critical.TABS© Online updates some data automatically so your ministry, leadership, and people can rest assured that TABS© Online is maintaining both accurate and up to date information. Here are a few examples of how TABS© Online works behind the scenes to make the process of retrieving accurate information possible. Whenever contributions, attendance, group activity, event registrations, or response cards, discipleship, etc… information is posted, the household’s last activity date is also automatically upNovember 2011

dated. This shows that this particular household was active within the church at that time. You’ll be able to define when a visitor is a regular attendee by the number of times they’ve given donations or attended your church. These simple features are beneficial when determining if visitors, regular attendees, or member households have or have not been active within the church for any time period. Listed below are just a few of the many possible searches from within all TABS© solutions: • Visitors, regular attendees, members, from last year (or any period of time) who are either active or non-active • Visitors, regular attendees last year, the past 6, 3 months, etc… and who are now members • Who is in leadership and active or inactive • Who are contributors and active or inactive • Who is in leadership and are or are not contributors The ease of accessibility of information about activity involvement of families and individuals within your ministries is a powerful feature. From

these same screens or searches, you can generate personalized letters, emails and/or text messages as needed. You can also create and send mail merged letters to weekly visitors or to families for any reason. The Groups solutions offer all these benefits and more! With two mouse clicks, you can see all the individuals involved within your church’s ministries and know instantly how many families/households these individuals belong to. In the Visitors Care solution, follow-up team members are automatically sent emails of people assigned to them for follow-up, and conversation Christian Computing® Magazine

notes can be reviewed by pastoral staff or administration personnel. These might include notes about evangelism or baptism, small group interests, personal comments, or any topics you deem necessary during your follow-up calls with individuals. Each solution module also integrates with Internet mapping functionality for accessing directions to specific addresses or locations. The same ease and powerful functions are throughout all TABS© solution modules.

What are some features you are planning for the future? We’ve designed our system around customer needs and highly value the feedback we receive from them. This is why we often provide customization and enhancement solutions for our TABS© Online customers. ChurchHelper is a very agile development environment, so requests from customers often become part of the system features or functions. We believe this helps make a richer experience for the end user. Here are just a few of the features we are working on now: • Online Response Card solution—very soon individuals will be able to submit response card decisions, interests, or request information online. They will also be able to submit prayer requests or edit their address and family member information. • Further integration with social media services will become a part of TABS© Online • Integrated, customizable newsletter modulechurches will be able to completely design their own newsletters within TABS© and mail merge information from their database directly within the newsletter, or choose to interface with other services • Customizable reporting application– we often offer report customization services for FREE to our customers Along these lines, we also provide complete software development and customization services. We work with organizations and churches to develop solutions to meet their specific needs. To receive an online presentation or to receive more information, call 951-398-5008 or email us at info@churchhelper.com. We are available to assist and serve you and your ministry. November 2011

christian computing hall of fame

Walt Wilson - A man of two worlds, technology and ministry By Steve Hewitt

can still remember the first time I met Walt Wilson. I had been invited by George Barna to speak at a conference on technology and church ministry. Walt spoke just before I did, and as I sat and listened to his message, I began to cross off most of the content of what I was going to share since Walt was already sharing most of the content of my message! I don’t remember what I did share when it was my turn to speak, but I knew I had found a precious jewel in Walt! For years I had felt alone in trying to nudge Christians and the church towards accepting technology and computers as a vital tool for ministry. When I met Walt, I realized I had finally met someone that was able to nudge me even further than I could imagine! Walt is unique in that he has a fantastic love for the Lord, is evangelistic, and has had incredible experiences in applying technology for the business world. Combining his expertise, he has been a vital resource for helping ministries understand how to use technology, the Internet and modern communication tools to enhance and expand ministry. When you read Walt’s bio, below, read it carefully and note the opportunities Walt has had to impact Silicon Valley based companies for Christ, and, in turn, realize how Walt’s businesses experiences have helped prepare him to provide accurate and valuable information to the Christian Computing® Magazine

church! Walt knew Steve Jobs and many other pioneers in technology. And, Walt also has a close relationship with some of the greatest Christian leaders in our time. As a result, Walt has become, quite simply, a treasure for the church and ministries, as his advice, his vision, his passion for using the Internet to spread the Gospel, has impacted the lives of millions. The fact of the matter is, the more you know Walt, the more you realize how uniquely he has been used by God in our time. Because of Walt’s love for those that serve our country, as a US Marine, God provided him the opportunity to stand before large companies of Marines before November 2011

they shipped out to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, sharing the love of Christ and His message of salvation. It was a privilege to have Walt as a writer for Christian Computing magazine for several years. And he was the keynote when we used to hold our own annual conferences. It was always a joy to watch those in attendance listen to Walt share his passion for using the Internet and new communication tools for ministry. You couldn’t sit through one of Walt’s speeches without being moved to step up your efforts to share Christ using technology. And, finally, Walt’s work with the Global Media Outreach is his finest. I don’t think many Christians have a clue that this ministry has reached millions with the message of Christ. Over the years I have checked in with Walt, and his passion and vision for this ministry has never wavered. He lives, breaths, and loves this ministry, and it is truly the culmination of all of the experiences and knowledge that God has given Walt throughout his life to prepare him for this incredible ministry. Combined with Walt’s passion for sharing the Gospel, there was little doubt that the Global Media Outreach ministry would have such a fantastic impact on our world today. Read Walt’s bio and you will understand why he is so unique to serve our God in the areas of technology into which He has called him. And, read the testimonies of those that know and work with him and you will see the passion and love that Walt Christian Computing® Magazine

What Others Say About Walt Wilson I serve on the Board of Directors for Global Media Outreach but have just known Walt for a couple of years. I have come to respect and admire him a great deal. He is an incredibly gifted and passionate servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. His experience and background have prepared him in remarkable ways to give vision and leadership of an extremely significant ministry. I regularly commend Walt, his leadership team and the ministry of Global Media Outreach to other Christian leaders across this nation and around the world. Paul Cedar, Chair The Mission America Coalition I first met Walt Wilson in the early 2000’s at a meeting of a dozen people seeking to understand how the Jesus FIlm could utilize emerging technologies to expand its mission. Walt had a vision for starting Global Media Outreach and using the Internet to reach all nations with Bill Bright’s Four Spiritual Laws, the evangelical message upon which Campus Crusade was founded. We talked privately and Walt left the meeting energized to begin Global Media Outreach. Because of Walt’s vision of reaching a billion souls on the internet by 2020 and the Lord’s blessing, in its 7th year of operation, Global Media Outreach will reach over 100 million seekers on the Internet resulting in over 15 million professions of faith and millions of emails from online missionaries. Walt has been instrumental in the fulfillment of the Great Commission in our generation. Dr. H. Lee Martin, PhD, PE Engineering Entrepreneurship College of Engineering University of Tennessee, Knoxville I first met Walt at an event in 2005 at Camp Pendleton in California where he was the keynote speaker. He spoke of the tremendous need and opportunity to share Christ with our military and their families. It was immediately apparent to me that this man had a deep passion for the gospel, for evangelism, and, in particular, for our military. Being a Marine himself, I could understand. As our relationship developed over the years, I began to better understand how Walt was taking his passion for the gospel and for technology and blending them together in founding, and now expanding, Global Media Outreach. I have had the pleasure of traveling with Walt on various “journeys for the Kingdom” and I also have gotten to know him more personally November 2011

has for ministry.

Walt Wilson’s Bio Prior to selling his interest in the company, Mr. Wilson was co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Exclaim Technologies, Inc., an Applications Service Provider in the business-to-business Internet market. Before that, he was a senior vice president and corporate officer of the consulting group of Computer Sciences Corp., a $16 billion, US global corporation with 600 offices worldwide, employing over 100 thousand people. He has over 40 years as an operating executive having served in a variety of management positions with three Fortune 50 companies. Prior to CSC, he was an early employee of Apple Computer, serving as the first Managing Director of US Operations, as the company grew from start up to $5 billion in revenues. Before joining Apple he was Western Regional Manager with a division of Fairchild, the semiconductor pioneer. He has spent most of his career with Silicon Valley based companies. Mr. Wilson served over ten years in inter-

national business consulting with CSC and was responsible for the development of new markets in Asia, including Japan, Korea, China, Singapore and South East Asia, with executive offices in Tokyo and San Francisco. He directed major projects focusing on emerging digital technologies, Internet strategy development, corporate transformation, merger/acquisition and the strategic use of information technology for new levels of global competitiveness. His US and Asian based clients included global companies in electronics, computers, communication satellites, telecommunications, automobiles, airlines, nuclear power, and manufacturing. His team made major contributions to the strategic development of Travelocity and other operations of American Airlines. Mr. Wilson is an international speaker at corporate management meetings, government conferences, universities and executive seminars. These discussions have examined the impact of emerging technologies on economics, business process, social and political systems. He has served on the boards of several Silicon Valley companies and with Bob Buford’s Leader-

Looking for a

TOTAL integrated solution?

In today’s rapidly-changing computing environment, a church needs a tightly integrated system to handle the flow of information that keeps its ministry healthy and connects it with its people. CDM+ offers TOTAL integration both in devices and design. Whether you access CDM+ from your desktop, the web or your iPad, you’re using a powerful solution that’s complete in itself—no need to import or export data between programs.

CDM+ CHURCH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

www.cdmplus.com s

Christian Computing® Magazine

Powerful Desktop & Laptop Computing

✔

Dynamic Web Integration

CDM+

✔

Mobile Access

✔

November 2011

ship Network in Dallas, a strategy development organization for the growth of the Christian Church. He was also Chairman of the National Advisory Board for Christianity.com and author of the Internet Church, published and distributed by Thomas Nelson/Word Publishing Company. Walt currently serves full time as founder and chairman of Global Media Outreach, the largest Internet ministry in Christianity bringing tens of millions to Christ every year. Prior to his business career, Mr. Wilson served four years active duty with the United States Marine Corps and presently serves part time with the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade at the Marine Corps Training Command, Parris Island, SC.

Christian Computing® Magazine

as I participate in various prayer initiatives for him and for GMO. Walt is a man of immense integrity, intelligence, and kindness. He is also a man of great vision and focus. He is wildly creative. And, he deeply loves Christ and has a passion in his very DNA to share the good news of Christ with as many as he can around the world. The Kingdom is blessed to have Walt as one of its “generals” and my wife and I are deeply honored to know him personally. Jeffrey Lavender I began working with Walt about 7 years ago with Global Media Outreach, the internet ministry he began to share the Gospel. His technology background with Apple, Computer Sciences and other Silicon Valley firms equipped Walt uniquely to harness the power of the digital age and leverage it to bring the message of hope in Christ. It soon became apparent that in every corner of the world people are connected through smart devices that allows GMO to tell November 2011

them about Jesus. Walt is one of those rare leaders today whose faith is lived out in daily dependence on Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s provision. As a former Marine, his discipline to not waiver from the calling to reach lost people is a wonderful model for all who know and work with him. Dan Pierson Director Ministry Response Global Media Outreach Walt and I bonded over our mutual love for the U.S. Marines. I pastor a church thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filled with them, and as a former Marine, he loves to share Christ with them. Walt Wilson is a modern day Apostle. For five years now I have watched Waltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for the Lord combined with his profound understanding of digital communications develop what I believe is the most effective evangelism ministry in Christian history. By sharing the gospel 24/7 over the internet, satellites, and other cutting edge technology, Global Media Outreach is and will play a disproportionate roll in ushering in the return of Christ. Dr. Hal Seed www.pastormentor.com www.newsongchurch.com Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the pleasure of working with and for Walt for three years now at GMO. His heart for ministry I love hearing the story from Walt about a meeting at MIT way back in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s with other Silicon Valley execs. Walt thought he had joined the others to brainstorm about monetizing the forthcoming worldwide web. But, apparently, the Lord had other ideas. God kept peppering Walt with questions like: â&#x20AC;&#x153;how will you be able to use this (the web) to advance the Gospel, to disciple the nations?â&#x20AC;? The questions were so resounding in his heart, Walt left the meeting and told Dee they had to leave their job, because they needed to start a ministry! Though God then impressed on Walt that the timing wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t right yet, the seed had been planted. Christian ComputingÂŽ Magazine

Walt is never satisfied with the status quo even if that is 15.5 million indicated decisions for Christ in one year (2010â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s numbers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which represents growth of 73800% in six years)! His vision for GMO had always been to give everyone on earth multiple opportunities to hear the Good News of Christ by the year 2020. A bigger vision I have never heard. Then, early this year, he springs this on us at corporate: â&#x20AC;&#x153;what if that is just my vision, what if that is just our vision? What if God wants to move faster? Can we handle it?â&#x20AC;? Wow. This vision and these results are birthed in his prayer closet. And, prayer is the foundation of GMO, as well. Every morning at 8 am Pacific time, we have a 30- minute staff-wide national prayer (conference) call. Waltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faithfulness to these calls is inspiring: even with his extraordinary travel schedule, he makes these calls a priority. John Blandford

"OOPVODJOH $)63$) 8*/%084 8&# 6TF $IVSDI 8JOEPXT i*O 5IF $MPVEw 0O 5IF (P "OZXIFSF "OZUJNF

$IVSDI 8JOEPXT 8FC PĂ˛FST t TFDVSFE PĂ˛ TJUF BDDFTT t TBNF TPGUXBSF VTFE EBJMZ CZ NPSF UIBO DIVSDIFT t DPOUJOVPVT EBUB CBDLVQT t EBUB TUPSFE JO XPSME DMBTT EBUB DFOUFST t BVUPNBUJD FĂ˛PSUMFTT VQEBUJOH

1PXFSGVM BOE $PNQMFUFMZ *OUFHSBUFE .FNCFSTIJQ 4DIFEVMFS %POBUJPOT "DDPVOUJOH 1BZSPMM $)63$) 8*/%084 8&# XPSLT PO 8JOEPXT 1$T t .BDT t 8JOEPXT -BQUPQT t 8JOEPXT /FUCPPLT .BD#PPLT t J1BET t "OESPJE 5BCMFUT t J1IPOFT t "OESPJE 4NBSUQIPOFT

4UBSU UIF KPVSOFZ OPX BU XXX DIVSDIXJOEPXT DPN $IVSDI 8JOEPXT %FTLUPQ $IVSDI 8JOEPXT 8FC $IVSDI .BOBHFNFOU 4PGUXBSF November 2011

ACS

ACS ideas to impact

6 Tips for Increasing Giving – from Year-End through 2012

from ACS Technologies

he annual end-of-year contributions boom is upon us. The question is: are you ready to take the bump in contributions and turn it into an entire year of stewardship success? With just a few relatively simple adjustments to your contributions strategy, you could see major growth in giving to your ministry in the coming year. In this article, you’ll find excerpts and highlights from the ministry guide “Five Sundays: the Power of Online Giving” to provide you with concrete tips on increasing giving at your church—and increasing the consistency of giving throughout the entire year. Expert Brian Kluth says 95 percent of church offerings were received in cash less than 100 years ago, and the remaining 5 percent was given by check. Today another financial transition is taking place—nearly three out of five people in the U.S. handle at least part of their financial lives through electronic transactions such as direct deposits, electronic fund transfers, or online payments. Here are some ways you can increase the impact of fundraising efforts at your ministry: Christian Computing® Magazine

1. Improve online donations. It’s not just young people who want to give online – baby boomers on up are also going online more and more to pay bills and make charitable contributions. Allowing people to also give online to the church can create a convenient way to give, creating a giver who gives consistently throughout the year. 2. Make giving easy! Place a giving button in an obvious location on your site, and make sure that the giving tool matches the look and feel of your website as a whole. 3. Minimize staff burdens. Staff are always busy at year-end. Simplify their jobs, streamline their workload, and you’ll see automatic improvements in the contributions processes. Try these tips for helping staff work easier, November 2011

outlined in more detail in our free ministry guide: • Let staff work from home • Eliminate the need for staff to do ongoing software upgrades • Reduce the IT functions of your staff by outsourcing 4. Know your donors - and why they give. If you’re not utilizing donor insights and the major reasons people give, you could be missing out on significant contributions to your ministry efforts. Keep good stats on your givers, and analyze the data regularly to see what patterns emerge. 5. Timing is everything! Plan the launch for your fundraising campaign to maximize giving impact. You’ll want to start planning about 6 months in advance of your launch date, creating a schedule for key campaign dates. Begin promoting the online giving ministry the month before launch. 6. Full Integration. Integrate your online giving with your church management software for maximum ministry impact. Full integration also means donors can choose specific campaigns to give to, and your staff will be able to track the gifts to the campaign simply and effectively. As society begins to deal less with cash and more with credit cards, the use of these electronic methods is expected to continue growing in the coming years. Looking at the trends, the Network for Good has discovered some surprising insights about online donors: Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

• Online donors are generous. While the causes aren’t entirely clear, online donors give significantly more than offline donors. • Online donors tend to be younger than offline donors. The median age of online donors is 38; median age of offline donors is 60. If you don’t offer online giving, you may be missing out on the contributions of an essential segment of your church. • The majority (52 percent) of online donors are female. This follows closely in line with findings that show that women make 84 percent of all charitable donations. • Some churches report that 15-30 percent of their total giving now comes from online giving methods. The ministry guide “Five Sundays: the Power of Online Giving” outlines in detail many options for moving money from the Internet to your church. One-time gifts, contributions from members and non-members, event payments and more are all described. It is largely through recurring gifts that many organizations have found more giving consistency throughout the year

Christian Computing® Magazine

than they ever thought possible. If your church or organization makes it easy for contributors, many of them are happy to make their tithes and offerings automatic. “Our members love the fact they can give how and when they want with no hassles – on vacation, in the middle of the night, on a regular basis, or making one contribution at the end of the year,” said John Scibilia, Parish Manager at St. James’ Church in New York, N.Y. “No matter how they choose to give, online giving within Access ACS makes it easy to accomplish.” For more information, including a step-bystep guide for getting Online Giving within Access ACS going at your organization, download the free ministry guide “Five Sundays: the Power of Online Giving” today.

November 2011

ParishSOFT

ParishSOFT’s Catholic Connection

Branding: The Indelible Mark of Your Church from ParishSOFT

ach year at our annual ParishSOFT Conference, the subject of “church branding” comes up in at least one workshop. And each year, we find that for some church and diocesan staff, the very idea of branding in the church is a hard sell. We’ve heard them pose questions like these: • We’re a church, not a business—what do we need a brand for? • Do you live in our church territory? Then this is your church! Here’s the hard truth: Whether you like it or not, the reality is that your church already is a brand. Throughout your history, and as long as your church exists, you leave an indelible mark that tells the world who you are, what your purpose is, and what your value is. The value of branding

Good branding has many components, and together, they have the power to support your ministries, engagement levels, and evangelization. When you do it right, good branding strengthens the positive emotional connections people have with your church. It makes your current members feel good about being part of the strong Christian community they call home. It reveals the gifts you have to offer (think mission here), motivates people to participate, and shows them the way.

Christian Computing® Magazine

Find out who people think you are In branding, as with any journey, you have to understand your current position before you can get where you want to go. One of the best ways to gauge your existing branding is to ask people—members (noun—in the church) and non-mem- (brænd) bers alike— The heart, soul, personality, what they think and culture of your church, about your often expressed by your comchurch. Ask munity as the “gut feelings” your memindividuals have about your bers why they church. keep coming back (Constant Contact’s survey tool is a great way to collect their answers online). Really listen to these responses and allow them to inform your own inventory of your church’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunity, and threats (affectionately known as SWOT). Here are a few examples to lend context:

Brand

• Strength: “When I was sick, people from November 2011

my church were so good to me. They brought meals, communion, prayed with me, and helped get my children to church when I couldn’t drive.” • Weakness: “I met with the priest there when my mother died, and the first thing he asked me was whether she left money to the church. At first I thought I’d misunderstood him, and I changed the subject, but he kept bringing up her will. I was offended. My mother served in that church for 70 years before her health failed, but she didn’t have any money, and she had been too ill to attend church for many years.” • Opportunity: “I used to go there when I was a kid, but I moved out of my parents’ house and haven’t been back since. • Threat: “Oh, St. Thomas. I went there once when we were looking for a church to join. Nobody ever said ‘hello’ and I got the impression they couldn’t have cared less whether we were there or not. They seem pretty cliquey.” The weaknesses and threats identify serious disconnects between the church and her people. And you can bet that a person who has had a bad experience with your church is probably not keeping it quiet. So move forward honestly to define the spiritual elements of your church’s brand, and communicate your brand “story” to every staff person, volunteer, and member. With a better understanding of who you want to be, and the knowledge of where you have fallen short in the past, you’ll be in a much better position to serve God’s people in ways that show His love.

Census

Sacraments Offertory

Online Giving

Religious Education Ministry Scheduling Church Accounting Email Newsletters 24/7 Web Access

Great! Now I can get on with ministry.

Define who you want to be The foundation of a strong church brand is built from your spirituality, your history, and the vision of how you want the world to feel about your church. To do it right, you’ll want to get input from lots of people. Listen to what they say, and use that knowledge to fully define and document all the spiritual elements of your branding—your vision, core values, mission, culture, and strengths—before you begin creating (or updating) any of the physical elements of your brand, like your mission statement, logo, tagline, and communications. With a clear understanding of your spiritual branding, it becomes much easier to design collateral materials that match. Understand your demographics You also need to understand who your parishioners are, what ministries they’re participating in, and who your ministries serve. Your church management software should give you places to track all of this information and provide easy ways to get meaningful Christian Computing® Magazine

www.ParishSOFT.com November 2011

reports using that data. Accurate demographic data shows your current reality and gives you a baseline to measure progress. It also shines a light on what ministries you might be missing and specific demographic groups to whom you can reach out with your fresh, new branding and invitations to all the wonderful things your church has to offer. Live your brand by living your mission Branding makes its most powerful impact in how the people of your church treat each other. If your mission includes being a warm and welcoming community, yet people are not greeted with a smile when they walk into the church on Sunday mornings, the fix is pretty simple: get your hospitality ministers together and let them know exactly what’s expected of them (greet every churchgoer with a smile and say hello, shake hands). In my parish, our priest asks everyone to turn and welcome each other before mass even begins. The simple act of saying “good morning” has brought out thousands of smiles and awakened our hearts to the people around us. Today, being friendly is an integral part of our culture. Do our 1,400 families ever think about the term “church branding”? Definitely not! It’s just who we are. As you build your brand, talk about what it means in your church office, in your ministries, and in your community. Discuss how in the dayto-day work of your staff, every call, drop-in visitor, and communication is an opportunity to fulfill your greater vision. Talk through specific scenarios, like how calls and drop-in visits to the parish office should be handled—your Threats and Opportunities responses may reveal some specific examples. That way, when a new mother calls to have her infant baptized, but she’s not a member of the church, she’s either connected directly with your Christian Computing® Magazine

pastor or scheduled to come in for a one-on-one appointment…not turned away by someone who tells her, “sorry, we only baptize members.” Tell the stories of how your mission or specific ministries are sharing God’s many gifts. Your stories acknowledge your church’s good works, show what’s possible, and give credibility to the spiritual and physical components of your brand. Stay the course Consistent, good branding makes people understand intuitively what you’re all about. And it helps your members reach the place where they aren’t just showing up on Sundays because your place of worship is closest to their home—rather, they’ve found in your church a community that gives them purpose and helps them fulfill their personal spiritual needs with tangible service to God. Recommended reads http://www.breakthroughchurch.com/branding.htm Church Brand Camp: Marketing Your Parish, by Penny Warne, pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Parish, San Jose, California (Presentation from the 2011 ParishSOFT Conference)

November 2011

LOGOS LOGOS CMS

Why Your Church Stewardship Can’t Live Without Online Giving

by Tony Ferraro

he market is up. The market is down. And in today’s volatile economy, if your church is not offering members a way to contribute online, you could be missing out on planned, proportionate stewardship from your congre-

gation.

Billions going to religious organizations In October 2011, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that charitable giving in most small organizations, including churches, either remained static or decreased during the first half of 2011. Still, a June 2011 Giving USA Foundation study showed that of the $290.89 billion in donations to charity last year, 35%, or $100.63 billion, went to religious organizations. Compared with 2009 data, total charitable giving from Americans rose 3.8%, with giving from individuals up 2.7% in 2010. These studies tell us two things: 1. people are still giving a lot of money to their churches; and 2. churches that secure real stewardship commitments are in a much better position to insulate their income and operating budgets from the volatility of today’s markets. Online Giving is a must for churches Jonathan Prisant, Director of Product Development at LOGOS Management Software, Inc. said, “Having a great Online Giving system is no longer an option but a necessity for churches.” Christian Computing® Magazine

Once people make a stewardship commitment to their church, they are much less inclined to retract that gift because they are now thinking of their donation in terms of a promise, rather than making an arbitrary decision each week and giving from what’s left at the bottom of the purse on Sunday morning. In today’s economic climate, Online Giving provides exactly the type of consistency churches need for sustained financial health. For every age group One of the great myths is that Online Giving is just for the young. In fact, people in their mid-60s and older are already comfortable with online transactions because they manage their 401Ks, pensions, and household bills online. In fact, since May 2011, new Social Security applicants must receive their checks electronically. And when you consider that this demographic has likely paid off their homes and put their children through college, it’s not surprising that churches report their seniors are typically the first to sign up for Online Giving. Development consultants at the Winkler Group are November 2011

well aware of the acceptance rate trends across age groups. They report more than half of donors ages 65 and older said they would make a charitable donation via the Internet. Threefourths of people ages 35-64 said they would give online. And 86% of those under 35 prefer to give that way. Stewardship benefits We’re called to be good stewards of our God-given treasure, so it just makes sense that as Christians, we give dependable, thoughtful financial contributions to our churches—not what’s left over. Online Giving services create the ideal environment for this level of giving. The very act of setting up planned giving lends perspective. While deciding how much and how often to give, members report being highly aware of how their church giving compares with other spending, like utilities or dining out, and how it fits into their budgets. They also consider their spending on splurge purchases (like fancy coffee drinks or football tickets) and calculate an annual gift that truly measures up to be a real stewardship commitment when viewed as part of the greater overall financial picture. Studies by Charles Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at the University of Villanova, report that people who make a monthly giving commitment to their church give 40% more annually than those who give without a plan. In fact, one Iowa church, reports that since offering Online Giving, they’ve gained what amounts to an extra week of tithes every month. If you’re doing the math in your head right now, you know what an extra 52 collections every year Christian Computing® Magazine

can mean for your ministries. Zech also reports that regular church-goers say they attend church 37 weekends per year. That means nearly 30% of Sundays, they’re not present to drop an envelope in the basket. For these members, and for your less regular attendees, Online Giving can serve as another means of engaging them into a stronger relationship with your church. They’ll know their financial support always shows up on time, and that’s a connection you can use to draw them into more regular participation. For example, you might write to thank them for their November 2011

contribution, and extend a personal invitation to a special church event. Better yet, have your pastor or a staff member call them and say, “We really appreciate your financial support. What’s going on in your life? What can we do for you? We’d love to have you help us with. . . .” Still personal, and much safer When you hand a check to any organization, your sensitive account information may pass through as many as eight different people during processing. Plus, each check must be posted and deposited, which means it’ll be some time before your funds are available in your church account. With Online Giving, members set up their personal gifts and handle their own account information in a secure environment. All account processing between your bank, the member’s bank, and the payment processing agency happens beneath security layers using encrypted data, so you’ll never see their account numbers. Online Giving donations post and deposit directly into your church bank account accurately and automatically, giving churches what we like to call “basket-to-bank transparency.” So not only are your online gifts available much faster, your wonderful count teams and church staff will save hours of manual adding, posting, and batch reconciling. Church members will know their contribution, pledge, or payment went exactly where they intended, which goes a long way toward achieving the trust needed for sustained giving over time. What every good online giving system should deliver If your church is looking for an online giving system, use the checklist below to find a system that meets the bill. LOGOS’ Online Giving program meets all of these requirements and more!

• Self-managed and easy to use, so donors can manage their own accounts and access contribution reports online 24/7 • Flexible giving options, donors can give when they want or set up recurring giving – a key factor in increasing giving over time • Automated notifications, so donors get payment reminders, confirmations, and expiring credit card alerts • Security through encryption and PCI compliance required for online transaction processing • No registration required for donations allowing nonchurch attendees to easily give online For more information on how to get started with Online Giving, please visit www.logoscms.com, or contact at 800.266.3311 or info@logoscms.com.

• Customizable, so it carries your church logo and communicates with donors using messages you can personalize • Comprehensive, so it handles pledge campaigns, offerings, all special collections, and fees • Integrated, so online gifts can flow electronically to your contribution management software Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

higher power with kevin

The Power of the Reverse Interlinear

Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org

or a long time Logos Bible Software, and more recently WORDsearch, have had what they call Reverse Interlinear Bibles. What’s that? An interlinear puts the Greek or Hebrew text in-line with the English text below it, showing the translation of each of the words along with, in many cases, some of the important grammatical information. Interlinear Bibles usually include a version of the word that you would find in a typical lexicon (called a lemma), possibly the word’s Strong’s number, and a one word or short phrase translation of the word. A Reverse Interlinear goes the opposite way putting the English text of a translation, like the ESV, at the top and then has the other information including the Greek or Hebrew words below. Both kinds of interlinear Bibles help students of the Bible get at the original language without knowing the language so proficiently that he or she can translate it from the original. Thanks to the Reverse Interlinear, this becomes easier since it starts with English. You don’t have to know any Greek or Hebrew to look up words in lexicons or find information about their grammar. As far as I know only three Bible software distributors offer Reverse Interlinear. Please correct me Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

if I’m wrong. You can get a hard copy from Amazon for about $30 (here’s one based on the Logos ESV Reverse Interlinear - http://amzn.to/ vRTEFy) The benefit of a Reverse Interlinear over the traditional Inter… reach out linear is this (from Logos website http://bit.ly/rp3z2d): … minister to people The structure of a Reverse … create fellowship Interlinear presents the English and original language text together, so … contribute to the translation is connected with the your community original at the individual word level. It is one thing to read a text that has PowerChurch Plus was been translated by someone else, or created for just that! that gives you phrase or sentence level translations. But with the ESV English-Greek Reverse Interlinear Membership We provide you with the tools to electronic text, you have the ability increase administrative efficiency to see direct translations for every word in the Greek New Testament. and streamline accounting tasks, Accounting This makes direct study of a specific freeing you up to perform the work word easy, with original language that matters. Contributions tools only a click away. Here’s some of what you can Install on your PC or network, or access online. quickly do with a Reverse InterEvents Choose which fits your needs. linear. Right click the word and Calendar search the Strong’s number to find out where this same word shows up Check In in other places in the Bible, even if it isn’t translated using the same English words. You can also quickly Completely see the lemma and look it up in a We provide software tools, Integrated freeing you up to fulfill your mission. lexicon that shows you the nuances of meaning. With the Logos Reverse www.PowerChurch.com • 800.486.1800 Interlinear you get a number that shows the word order. Often the first be first in a sentence. These are but a few things you 3&6 &KXUFK([HFXWLYHB [ LQGG $0 word of a Greek sentence denotes can do. emphasis, especially if that word wouldn’t normally As I said, I only know of three Bible software programs that offer them. It is built right into the interface of Accordance and Logos so long as you have a translation installed that includes the Reverse Interlinear markups (examples include ESV, HCSB, KJV, etc). With WORDsearch it comes as an add-on that you have to buy and then download and open like you would any other WORD-

You want the freedom to

Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

search book. Here are the links to each company’s website to learn more about them. Accordance Bible Software (Mac only) - http://bit.ly/s0ZzHc Logos Bible Software (both Mac and Windows) - http://bit.ly/tzPNXM WORDsearch Bible Software - (Windows only but runs on Mac with emulation) http://bit.ly/u8wvda

The most expensive of these comes from WORDsearch at $119 for the entire HCSB translation. With Accordance and Logos they are built into the versions that have Strong’s tagging so you may already have them if you own one of the two programs. If not, for $119 you could get three or four translations. The differences of the actual Interlinears are not great. With WORDsearch’s HCSB you get pronunciation built into the interface. Just click on the speaker icon at the bottom. As I said above with Accordance you can also add text of other translations. And with Logos you get a little more information but it comes at the bottom of the window, a little annoying. They do have the full size texts available too that you open like any other Logos book for those who prefer this. The benefits of a Reverse Interlinear make these three programs a little more user friendly if you don’t know the original languages. But they are not reasons by themselves to pick one of these three programs. If I had to rank them in terms of usefulness I’d pick the Accordance interface just slightly ahead of the Logos with WORDsearch a very close third. In other words, they are too close to really say one is much better than the other. Again that’s not a good reason to pick Accordance over the other two. You can go on over to our site - www.ccmag.com - and search for my previous reviews of all three of these programs to decide which one works best for your needs.

Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

digital evangelism

Thankful Evangelism

Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplacepress.com

n the United States, the fourth Thursday of November each year is a day set apart for giving thanks. It is a mixture of patriotism and religious faith rolled into one important occasion. The patriotic aspect comes from celebrating the historymaking event of the pilgrims’ first year of survival in the New World that would later be known as the United States of America, as they invited their neighboring indigenous friends to share in a bounteous feast. They called them Indians, because Columbus thought he had reached the eastern side of India more than 100 years earlier. According to The History Channel’s History.com Web site (http://www. history.com/topics/thanksgiving), this first documented thanksgiving feast in America was celebrated over a three day period in late 1621, following a successful first harvest in the New World. While turkey may have been on the menu, pilgrim chronicler, Edward Winslow, wrote in his journal that Governor William Bradford sent men out “fowling” to get some meat for the feast, but they came back with five deer. Because the pilgrims were also very strong Christian Computing® Magazine

Christians, and their choice to come to this land was, in fact, due to their quest to find a place where they could worship as they desired without harassment, it is quite likely they evangelized their indigenous neighbors as well. Surprisingly enough, at least two of these native people already spoke English! One was an unnamed member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English when they first came ashore, and the other was named Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, who spoke English as a result of having been kidnapped and sold into slavery by an English sea captain some years prior. My personal opinion is that just as God sent Joseph into slavery in Egypt several years ahead of the rest November 2011

of his family to prepare the way for them, God must have sent Squanto into slavery in England several years ahead of the first American colonists to prepare the way for them. It is possible that Squanto had already been evangelized during his stay in England before he escaped and returned to his homeland. Furthermore, he may have already been evangelizing his own people after he returned. This might explain their polite welcome of the pilgrims, instead of attacking them out of fear. As we celebrate another feast of thanksgiving in 2011, how might we fulfill the purest intent of the occasion for our time? One standard I use for measuring a person’s sincerity of stated faith in Jesus Christ is the visible level of gratitude in his/her life. Thanksgiving, after all, is not a once-a-year event, but a daily one. Jesus Himself once said of the woman with the alabaster container filled with expensive perfume that “she loved much” because she knew she was forgiven much (Luke 7:36-50 NKJV). Therefore, the one who fully understands the forgiveness Jesus has made possible for his/her sins will be very grateful and will demonstrate that thankfulness with his/her actions. Part of being thankful to Jesus for our salvation is sharing that joyous hope with others. We call that practice evangelism. This English word is derived from the Greek words euaggelizo (pronounced yoo-ang-ghel-IDZ-o) or euaggelion (pronounced yoo-ang-GHEL-leon), which literally means “good announcement” and “good message,” respectively. We have little difficulty sharing the good news of a successful medical treatment for a terminal Christian Computing® Magazine

illness by a skilled doctor, so why do we hesitate to share the good news of salvation by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? If we truly understand how close we’ve come to being condemned and separated from God forever, having been spared only by the saving grace of God through our acceptance of that grace by faith, we cannot help but be thankful! As an act of humble gratitude to God for our own salvation, we will then share this same hope with everyone else who will listen, because this is what pleases God. Thankfulness naturally results in thanksgiving and obedience to God’s Word! What are some ways we can demonstrate our gratitude to God with thankful evangelism this season using the digital media available to us? Do you have a Web site, whether personal or organizational (e.g., for your local church), by which to offer visitors an opportunity to interact with you about the Gospel? Do you write a blog where you November 2011

can challenge and engage readers about the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith? Do you manage a discussion forum where you present the Gospel to those who participate in discussions with you? Do you frequent discussion forums managed by others where you can share the Hope of Christ? Do you have a social media account, such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or Twitter, whereby you may share your faith in Jesus with your family, friends, and whoever else may happen to browse your postings? Of course, there is a plethora of other venues by which to share our faith in Jesus, too, and we can use any one or several or even all of these to conduct digital evangelism, not only during the annual Thanksgiving Season, but all throughout the year. I pray that as you celebrate Thanksgiving Day with your family and/or friends this year, you will not be satisfied with a mere table grace over a plentiful feast, but that you will actively seek many other ways to demonstrate your love and gratitude to God by evangelizing those around you and those in other parts of the world via online, digital evangelism. Happy Thanksgiving! Michael L. White is a full-time pastor, part-time military chaplain, and part-time independent Christian publisher and author living in Mobile, Alabama. His book Digital Evangelism: You Can Do It, Too! (Parson Place Press, April 2011) has been revised and expanded for a second edition. revised and expanded for a second edition.

Christian Computing速 Magazine

November 2011

the power and the danger

The iPhone

By Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com

wo major events last month helped drive iPhone sales to new levels. On October 4, the iPhone 4S was introduced by Apple CEO Tim Cook. The next day, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away. When the new phone (and new lower pricing for older models) became available on October 14, it set new records for first day sales. There’s no question that the iconic device is popular, but is it good for Christians and for ministry? What’s so special about the iPhone? The iPhone is the most popular cell phone on the planet. The first model was introduced by Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007 and available for purchase in June of that year. Since then, over 100 million iPhones have been sold worldwide. The iPhone falls into a category known as “smartphones.” Although there’s no official definition of a smartphone, the simplest way to think about it is that a smartphone is like the marriage between a cell phone and a small computer with an operating system that can run a broad array of third party applications. Prior to the launch of the iPhone, the smartphones market was largely limited to geeks like us and was led by Nokia, RIM (Blackberry), Microsoft, and Christian Computing® Magazine

Palm. Since the launch of the iPhone, smartphones have become a mass market phenomenon. As I discussed a couple of months ago, Palm no longer exists; Nokia and Microsoft have lost unprecedented market share and have recently partnered to try to regain relevance; and RIM seems to be in freefall. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android have become the two dominant smartphone operating systems. So, what did the iPhone do differently to so dramatically change an entire industry (or actually many industries)? For starters, Apple introduced significant technical advances. Most notably, the first iPhone included the first full web browser on a smartphone – this meant that wherever they were, people could see the web November 2011

the way it was meant to be seen. The iPhone also introduced a new user interface based on multi-touch technology. Today, we are used to pinching and swiping to navigate through applications and the web on our smartphones, but this was a revolutionary concept just four years ago. The iPhone’s 8GB flash drive was also a breakthrough and enabled the iPhone to serve as a credible replacement for an iPod. At least as significantly, the iPhone introduced a new business model when Apple introduced the App Store in June 2008. This move enabled a huge ecosystem of application and content developers to create third party products for the iPhone, bring those products to market, and make money from their sale. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of applications available for iPhone users, with the catch phrase “there’s an App for that” implying that the iPhone can do anything you want it to do. Virtually all of these advances have been replicated for Android, and to a lesser extent, the other smartphone platforms. But the iPhone was the first, and carried the additional benefits of Apple’s impeccable design and marketing which fuels die-hard Apple fan-boy loyalty.

Retain visitors and increase member involvement with an Inreach Site powered by IgniteCRM, a web-based Church Relationship Management suite that allows you to: • Connect People with Interactive Member Dashboard • Empower Members to Give Online & Your Staff to Track through Integrated System • Increase your Reach & Member Participation with Social Media Integration • Track Contributions, Attendance & Member Engagement

Call 877.703.2484 and Press 2 to Receive Free eBook on Connecting Visitors and Members

What is the Benefit of the iPhone for Christians? The iPhone and other modern smartphones can be a very helpful tool for Christians. Consider all the things you do in your daily walk with the Lord, and there’s probably an app for that. There certainly are plenty of Bible apps for reading and studying God’s Word. There are also prayer list management apps, sermon preparation apps, church finder apps, and hundreds of denominations and Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

individual churches have created iPhone apps. Bottom line, the iPhone (and other smartphones) can be a tool to help you stay connected to God, to your church (and vice versa), and to your brothers and sisters in Christ. What are the Dangers of the iPhone? So, are there dangers for Christians using the iPhone? Of course, as with any technology, there are many dangers of which we must be aware and from which we must pray for God to deliver us. I’ll summarize them in terms of spiritual dangers, physical dangers, and financial dangers. I believe the greatest danger from the iPhone is idolatry. In the first of the Ten Commandments, God commands us: “You shall have no other gods before me.” When the iPhone was introduced, technology writers dubbed it the “Jesus phone” and spoke of the Cult of the Jesus phone. Pastor and evangelical blogger Tim Challies warned “This iPhone - it gives me such joy, it makes my heart long for it. But yet it can very easily take the place of God in my life.” As Tim further explained “we look at idols as bad things, but generally what happen is you take a good thing and make it an ultimate thing, and that’s what idolatry is.” We must be careful to not put anything, including the iPhone, in the place of our love for God and our faith in His power and provision for our lives. The iPhone also places many temptations at our fingertips, from time wasting games to gambling to Christian Computing® Magazine

pornography. Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” And that prayer is certainly on my lips daily as I use technology. As the iPhone and other smartphones have become central to our lives, there’s an almost inexplicable temptation to reach for the phone every second to check for text messages, e-mails, and Facebook November 2011

updates. Unfortunately, this “How to have more time for ministry!” temptation doesn’t stop when we Do you want to save time, get more done and get behind the wheel of a car. In have fewer headaches? Then Donarius Church February of this year, a church van Management Software will make it easy for you carrying elderly parishioners was to track your members, contributions, pledges Starting at $63.97 struck by a car driven by a woman and more. Imagine what you can do with the for the base version with 25% off for small churches extra time! Donarius will also: talking on the phone while she was Download a free demo at: • Print your tax receipts driving. Thankfully none of them www.donarius.com • Show the giving pattern of your members was badly hurt, but there have been • Print your church directories 1-888-479-4636 many well publicized stories of • Send personalized letters, emails and text Nuverb Systems Inc. messages to keep your members informed more tragic results of texting while “Software tailored for you” driving. At least one church featured the danger on their message board, saying “Honk if you love Jesus, text while driving if you want to meet him.” Finally, we must recognize that iPhones and other smartphones carry a substantial financial burden. I can buy a simple phone for $20 from a prepaid provider and get 200 minutes of calling for $30 a month. Or, I can buy an iPhone 4S for $200 and pay Verizon $90 a month for the smallest bucket of minutes available (450) and the smallest bucket of data available (2GB). However, the beautiful web browser and plentiful apps make it hard to live within 2GB, and unless I’m on an unlimited data plan (only available in the US from Sprint for $80/month), I run A powerful suite of web tools for you to manage your website, email the risk of paying $10 for each additional accounts, enewsletters, multimedia, calendars and much more. Yet, GB of data I consume. Bottom line, as it’s so easy, anyone can work with the content of Radius Web Tools. good financial stewards, we must make • Easy to Use • Wide Choice of Designs sure we’re living within the means God • Fast and Friendly Help has provided us and appropriately priori• Search Engine Optimization tizing where we spend our money. Just $50/Month (Set up fee required) It is my hope and prayer that these articles on the power and danger of technolTake a look around Radius Web Tools and try it out. It’s that easy! ogy will encourage you in your daily walk Call for a free demo. 1-800-446-3035 with Christ. Whether it is the printing press, radio, television, personal computers, the Internet, mobility, Wi-Fi, social networks, or smartphones, new technologies continue to advance our ability to Hschooler.net (http://hschooler.net), a social netknow God and to serve Him, wherever we go. work for Christian families (especially homeschoolers) which is being built and run by six homeschooled Russ McGuire is an executive for a Fortune 100 students under Russ’ direction. company and the founder/co-founder of three technology start-ups. His latest entrepreneurial venture is

Websites For Ministry Made Easy

Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011

ministry communication The FREE Kindle Reader—How to use it for Ministry, Communication, and Teaching Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

his holiday season we are bombarded by advertisements enticing us to purchase the various electronic readers—Kindle, Nook, iPad. These can be great tools for ministry communication and teaching preparation, but for church leaders and communicators on a tight budget there is a free option. The following article will explain the free Kindle application for your PC, as well as how you can use it to download, quote, copy and use content for your teaching and ministry communications. Read on...... Why bother? The ease of an ebook goes beyond having a cool new tech toy for the Christian teacher and communicator. When you have a resource book in the Kindle reader format on your PC, it is much more useful than the PDF format because you can easily jump to content anywhere in the book, copy and paste it into Word and PowerPoint for teaching and handouts, and for copy content to share in blogs, videos, and emails. This content grab-and-share process is useful for both congregational teaching and staff training. Not only is it easy to share the content, but the free Kindle bookstore on amazon.com and the free books on sites such as Smashwords (I’ll explain more about that later) have a wealth of free or low cost material for you. What this meant to one Christian teacher In addition to my ministry in church communications, for many years I’ve been a Bible teacher at church. Currently in our Adult Sunday Morning class, we are teaching a series on Christian Computing® Magazine

“Are Mormons Christian?. . . . this nothing to do with politics and everything to do with assurance of salvation” (if you want to see what we do, it is at http://www.livelifebythebook. com ). Because I want to give people in-depth content and handouts, I use a lot of primary material to prepare my lessons. For this series I wanted to be able to quote materials from the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants and I found the perfect resource in a downloadable Kindle book which is now on my PC and easy to use to teach and quotations. What do you mean, on your PC? Many people do not realize that you don’t have to have the Kindle appliance to read Kindle format books. In fact, if you want them to be truly useful in study, sermon and lesson preparation, you aren’t able to do many things you may want to do with the content on the Kindle appliance. To use them fully you need the Kindle reading application on your comNovember 2011

puter. This application is free through www. amazon.com. However they obviously aren’t very excited to have you download the free application instead of purchasing their devices, so it isn’t advertised and can be a bit tricky to find. Following are some instructions on how to download it and here is a link to a series of short videos that illustrate the process and how to use the books: http://www.effectivechurchcom. com/2011/11/how-to-download-anduse-the-free-kindle-reader-for-ministry-communications-and-teaching/ How to download the free Kindle reader 1. Go to www.amazon.com 2. In the Search Box, hit the drop down button and scroll down to Kindle Store 3. This will take you to a page that of course wants you to buy the latest reader and new books. 4. Ignore all of them. 5. Go to the top bar, all the way at the end where it says “Kindle Support” 6. That will take you to a page where in the left hand column, you’ll see the term: Kindle for the PC. There are also versions for the Mac or Mobile devices if you prefer those. 7. On the Kindle for the PC page, simply go to “Install Kindle for PC” 8. Click on the link and download the application. 9. Save application and launch it. 10. The Kindle icon will appear on your desktop and that’s all there is to it! How to get Kindle books Once you have the reader here are two sources you can go to for Kindle books: www.amazon.com: to take advantage of the books on Amazon, you first need to set up an account with Amazon. If you haven’t done that as yet, go to their home page up at the top and where it says, “New Customer? Start here.” simply follow the prompts and set up your account. Once you do that, downloading books from the site to Christian Computing® Magazine

your PC is a one-click operation. To find books, again go to the Kindle Store and you can enter in any search term you’d like. I started with “free religious books.” Lots are available so scroll through and explore. You can get free Bibles on this site also. For my research on the Mormon Church, I entered in “Book of Mormon” and found a book that had all three books I wanted for .99. One click and it was on my computer and ready for me to use. Free Yvon Prehn communication books: http://www. smashwords.com/profile/view/yvonprehn At this link you’ll find free special editions of many resources for church communicators including: • Why discipleship is essential for the church to survive, and why your communications are essential to develop disciples • Devotions for Church Communicators, SPECIAL EDITION • Church Connection Cards, Special Edition, connect with visitors, grow your church, pastor your people, little cards, big results I’m involved in a lengthy process that I’ll share in another article on creating materials for this site. November 2011

CAUTION: the Smashwords home page has all the books people publish on the site and some of them are not fit for Christian libraries. Fortunately you can turn on a filter so none of them will appear when you go on the site. Once you do that, there are many free Christian books available. Check out the Kindle The ability to download the reader on to your PC or mobile phone is a great way to access Christian content for free: Bible, resource books, how-tos. Please share with your missionaries and congregation how to use this resource so that we can all be better equipped to fight the good fight of faith. __________________________________ For many more resources, training, tips and links useful for church communicators, go to: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com

shelby Church Software

“I use Shelby to assign & manage workflows to different church staff members.”

Scan or click to see our

Webinar Schedule

800 - 877- 0222 Christian Computing® Magazine

November 2011