Christian Computing Magazine

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 24

March 2012

No. 3

4 cover story Parish Data System

Providing Computer Products and Services for Over 3 Decades By Steve Hewitt

Contributing Editors Lauren Hunter Yvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou Kevin A. Purcell Russ McGuire Bradley Miller Michael L White Copy Editor Gina Hewitt Corporate Home Office

3 Editorial

Recently, I received the following text, “Can I ask you about how to be come a Christian?” Steve Hewitt – steve@ccmag.com

8 Minstry Leadership

Giving Your Staff and Volunteers More Options

from ACS Technologies

11 Parishsoft’s Catholic Connection

Easter is Around the Corner – Grow with Grace

14 LOGOS CMS

from ParishSOFT from Logos Management Software

17 Higher Power With Kevin 21 Digital Evangelism Wireless Microphones

28 Nick at Church

submitted to Christian Computing® Magazine become the property of Christian Computing®, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Christian Computing® Magazine reserves mitted for publication that are deemed necessary

Kevin A. Purcell – kevin@kevinpurcell.org

for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Christian

Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplacepress.com

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 Computing, Inc.

What Role Does IT Play in Your Ministry?

30 Ministry Communication

of Christian Computing, Inc. Written materials

the right to make any changes to materials sub-

Interview with Bob Pritchett, Logos Bible Software

24 The Power And The Danger

5 Steps to a Successful Online Giving Program

Spring into Action

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

Nick Nicholaou - nick@mbsinc.com

What music and artwork is OK to download and use; and what are copyright guidelines?

34 Press Releases

Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

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

Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

editorial Recently, I received the following text, “Can I ask you about how to become a Christian?” Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com I am aware that the average age of our readership falls heavily between 40 – 60 years old. I am 57 years old myself! It is fun to get together with those that bought their first computers back in the day. My first computer didn’t even have floppy disks, but used cassette tapes to load programs and save data. If you’re like me, we could swap stories all day long about our journey from our first computers until now. However, the question for today is, do you still love technology? Sometimes we hate the learning curve when it comes to new technology, but I, for one, still love technology, even the new stuff. Some might say I am still addicted to the “gadgets”, but the very reason I started CCMag so very many years ago was because I believed technology could be a great tool for ministry. I still do. If you still believe technology is a great tool for ministry, I want to challenge you to continue to ride the wave of change. Be ready to embrace smart phones, Twitter and texting. Why? Because almost all new technology is about communication, and as Christians and ministry leaders, we have a message to share! I do my best to keep up, even in areas that I am not comfortable using, such as texting (I still think a phone call is a much better way to go). However, last month I received a simple text to my phone that said, “Is this Steve Hewitt?” I replied, “Yes”. The mystery person then texted, “Can I ask you about how to become a Christian?” I spent the next two hours, slowly sending text messages back and forth with this Christian Computing® Magazine

person, answering their questions, and eventually texting them a prayer they could say to accept Christ as their savior. After it was over, they revealed who they were. It was a young person that had been attending our church. She was 15, and had a great fear about becoming a Christian. Her father died when she was 8 years old, and she had felt that in some way it was her fault. She had real questions about a loving God, and wanted to ask them without revealing who she was. And, she wanted to ask them via text because it gave her a chance to type out her questions and thoughts, review them to be sure it represented what she really wanted to say, and then have the opportunity to do the same with my responses. It wasn’t the way I would have wanted to talk to her, but it was her way, and it was the way that I needed to be prepared to use in order to answer her questions and lead her to becoming a Christian. It is my hope that you continue to embrace new technologies. Together We Serve Him,

Steve Hewitt Follow me on Twitter @stevehewitt email - Steve@ccmag.com March 2012

cover story

Parish Data System

Providing Computer Products and Services for Over 3 Decades By Steve Hewitt

PDS Credo A computer program for a church should be more than the result of the programmer’s art. It is not just another commercial product which is bought and sold. Since the church is a unique entity in this world, the products it uses also share to some degree in this uniqueness. This should be especially true of computer programs for the church.

ecently, I had the opportunity to spend the morning with the folks at Parish Data System (PDS) in Phoenix, AZ. I love visiting with those who started providing their services to churches back in the early days of computers, and PDS is no exception. While Fr. Mike Boyle is now retired, he came up to the offices to attend our meeting and join us for lunch. It was great to visit with someone who remembers those early years of computing, and it was great to catch a glimpse of his vision and passion as he reminisced about starting PDS well over three decades ago. And, in case you didn’t know it, PDS was acquired by ACS Technologies in 2004, adding to their remarkable journey to minister to their customers. I hope you enjoy this interview, and as a result learn more about all they have to offer!

How did Parish Data System get started? Fr. Mike Boyle started Parish Data System (PDS) in 1978 to meet the information needs for his church in Phoenix, Arizona. With a small dedicated staff consisting of Roseann Trombley (parish secretary), and Joseph Gordon (programmer), they created the first PDS Census/Contribution program. Now PDS fulfills the needs of thousands of churches, schools, and dioceses that are each as individual as the people who manage them. Administrators have learned that we provide very-easy-to-use and yet genuinely powerful software programs. In addition, we offer incomparable support and friendly service that truly sets us above other companies. A superior product and great service may be an old-fashioned approach in a hightech environment, but we would not have it any other Christian Computing® Magazine

way, and neither would our customers. How did the product lineup evolve? It started with the basic needs of Fr. Mike’s church. From that, grew the realization that the Religious Education department and Schools also had similar needs. Initially, these were all separate programs with separate databases. Over time, there was a natural desire to share the core common information so that changes given to the church office could also update the religious education and school offices. This led to our release of PDS Church Office, Formation Office and School Office in 2002. This trio of products was designed from the ground up to share their core information. Along the way, the parish recognized the need for March 2012

accounting and scheduling capabilities. From this need grew our Ledger/Payroll, Facility Scheduler, and Ministry Scheduler programs. During the early to mid-2000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, we began to focus on diocesan solutions. There was a need for better and timelier information to be exchanged with the Diocese. Our DioOffice and DioView programs allow the synchronization and exchange of core family contact information as well as financial information. What does your product lineup look like today? We have 10 modules for use at both the church, school and diocesan level. For Churches/Schools: Church Office: tracks, organizes, and analyzes complex information about your parishioners. Formation Office: manages details about your Religious Education Office. You can quickly see who is enrolled in classes and keep track of financial information. School Office: simplifies the administration of private and parochial schools. Ledger / Payroll: handles your nonprofit accounting needs and ensures your office complies with IRS and FASB requirements. The Payroll automatically calculates federal, state, and local taxes. Facility Scheduler: calendar and facility management tool that allows your staff or volunteers to reserve rooms, etc. Ministry Scheduler: eases the task of coordinating and assigning ministers for various functions at weekend, daily, or special masses. For Diocese: DioOffice: synchronizes family contact information and uploads member details among parishes in your diocese. Christian ComputingÂŽ Magazine

March 2012

Development Connection: synchronizes family contact information among parishes in your diocese with The Raisers Edge™. DioView: streamlines financial reporting between your parishes and diocesan office. QuickBooks Interface: plug-in for QuickBooks™ streamlines financial reporting between your parishes and diocesan office. What Services Are Available? We offer a variety of other services to ensure clients can maximize the full potential of the technologies we have developed. Our Training team produces a variety of training guides and videos. They are also available for on-site visits and one-on-one private training over the Internet to get new staff members up to speed quickly. Our Central Services team provides a variety of compatible forms for tax statements, checks, and other hardware such as barcode scanners to make the user more efficient. Our Professional Services team can help with network issues and solving other hardware and software challenges. Our dedicated Data Services team specializes in converting data from a variety of commercial and homemade solutions. We can get you up and running with PDS with minimal reentry of data. Our friendly support techni-

Christian Computing® Magazine

cians help you resolve any issues that may arise. How many organizations do you serve today? What began with one church has now become a partnership with over 9000 organizations worldwide that are using our programs. This is more than a business relationship. It is an ongoing ministry to enable churches to tap the exciting potential offered by computer technology. We believe it can be more than a means to efficiency – it can become an instrument for communication, evangelization, and planning. Computerization in the church office is only one step in an ongoing process of becoming a more responsive church… Why would prospective parishes be intrigued by our products and services? As a church administrative professional, you are faced with numerous challenges. PDS helps you to be more efficient with your data processing needs so you can be more focused on ministry and less focused on the details of technology. Unlike the partial stand-alone products from some other vendors, PDS provides an integrated answer to

March 2012

a church’s mailing, financial, and staff-related offices. The PDS Office applications (Church Office, Formation Office, and School Office) can share one database. When you change something like an address or phone number, that same data is automatically available for use in the other Office applications. How did the user experience evolve? Each of our products is unique; however, they all share a common look and feel. This reduces training costs and improves the experience for the user. Once you have mastered the basics, it is easy to learn new modules. This consistent user experience goes back to our earliest programs. Programs would go through an initial development, and then they would be revised as Fr. Mike and Roseann worked with the result. Early on, we realized that a consistent user interface was better for everyone. What is required to run PDS? Our full-featured applications can be run locally on your desktops and servers, or we can host through our data center. Our hosting service is called PDS OnDemand.TM It allows you to access your data from anywhere you have an internet connection. This access is available through your PC, Mac®, iPad® or Android™ device. PDS was acquired by ACS Technologies in 2004. How did that impact the company? In April 2004, PDS was acquired by ACS Technologies® as a distinct division of that company to continue to serve the Catholic market. Recognizing our leadership in the Catholic market and ACS Technologie’s focus on the Protestant and non-denominational markets, it was a natural fit and allowed ACS Technologies to further its position as the largest supplier of software and services to the faith-based community. The PDS goal and mission remains unchanged and the brand continues to this day as the leader in its market. How do you incorporate feedback from your clients? We are always listening for ways to make our products better. This input comes from a variety of sources including on-site visits with clients from the training and implementation teams, instructors in the training classes, and our support team to name a few. Early last year, we launched on online community where folks can post their enhancement requests publicly. Other users can add additional feedback, use social media to promote topics, and vote on issues. It Christian Computing® Magazine

helps us to see which features are significant which in turn helps us plan future releases. Clients can access this by visiting the Client Portal on our website and then selecting Enhancement Request. What is your national conference? ACS Technologies has held an annual national conference for the past 25 years. PDS started conducting an independent conference 5 years ago. Last year for the first time we combined both events into one super-event called the Ideas to Impact Conference. This year we will get together with hundreds of our clients in Atlanta (May 29 – June 1) for several days of breakout sessions, training, guest speakers, and camaraderie. It is a fantastic opportunity to get together and meet face to face with company representatives and other users. Our theme this year is “Spark.” Every ministry needs a new spark now and again. A spark of innovation. A spark to rejuvenate. A spark of energy. A spark that ignites ministry! We are all facing similar challenges and this is a great venue for exchanging ideas. Who comes to the national conference? We get all different types of attendees at our national conference; pastors, priests, deacons, nuns, secretaries, business administrators, diocesan personnel, and others. Everyone who is involved in church, school, and diocesan administration can find something of interest. What is the vision for PDS? Our vision has always been to help volunteers and staff to make life easier in terms of the administration of the business of the church. We allow them to focus more on the ministry. Where is PDS headed? We will go where our clients lead us. Right now, tablets and mobile computers are very popular. This month we are debuting access to all of our products on iPads. The Android client is in testing now and will be ready soon. We will keep listening and adapting to future changes – whatever comes on down the line. Over the years, so many of our competitors have come and gone, but PDS has survived by adapting to the changing environment. 34 years ago our first computer was the size of a desk. Now a small pocket phone gives us instant access to millions of computers on the Internet. The future will be filled with amazing tools, and PDS will be there to help integrate them with your ministry.

March 2012

Ministry Leadership

Giving Your Staff and Volunteers More Options from ACS Technologies

ncreasingly, churches are finding that in order to get the most out of their employees and volunteers, they need to be flexible. That can mean allowing staff and volunteers to work “while traveling, or anywhere they have an Internet connection. This is vital because we all know about the demands and deadlines placed on church staffs. It can provide another powerful way to ease workloads and give your staff and volunteers more options and flexibility in when and where they work, which results in more productive employees,” according to the authors of Your Ministry On Demand.

In fact, cloud computing and hosted software is increasingly cited as the future of all computing. The 2008 study “Cloud Computing: a Perspective Study,” by the Rochester Institute of Technology, predicted nothing but growth in the coming decades. And churches shouldn’t get left behind. “If you are like most churches, you want to devote as much time, effort, and resources as needed to nurture and grow your ministry,” states Your Ministry On Demand. The solution has been focusing on ministry, not technology – all by utiChristian Computing® Magazine

lizing hosted software solutions. Here are a few key areas to consider when you’re considering the flexibility of your key church management software: Remote access Ask yourself this: How easy is it for your staff members to access your key systems when they’re working from home or when they’re on vacation? What if a key staff member has a baby? What if your building floods? Can work still be done? March 2012

Improving security When was the last time your church did a security infrastructure assessment? Do you have thorough backups performed regularly and automatically? Are your backups stored offsite and by professionals? What about protection from fire and storms? Your church has very important financial data in its hands – are you protecting your reputation appropriately by properly protecting that data? Giving your IT staff a break “Many churches have staff that fill multiple roles, such as being a part-time IT Director and a parttime Youth Minister. What if the IT needs of the church could be reduced to let your multitasking Minister do more?” ask the authors of Your Ministry On Demand. These are valid questions to ask. A cloudbased, hosted option might be the best way to release the IT pressure. Message from your peers: “I like having the ability to receive and enter information from anywhere, freedom from backups, and freedom from potential networking problems. The initial cost was lower than buying and installing the software on our workstations.” Bob, Treasurer, Hope Cancer Ministries “If you’re considering moving to a hosted ChMS, my advice to any organization is to go for it. When you add up all the money that has to be spent on service technicians, maintenance, and updating regular software systems and hardware, OnDemand is the perfect solution. Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

It frees up your time, makes you more productive, and keeps you mobile. It has definitely exceeded all of our expectations.” Becky Witt, Administrator of Finance and Language Ministries More options = happier employees and volunteers (and more money in your budget) Flexible work arrangements are much more than just a perk for church staff. Workplace flexibility helps reduce turnover. And turnover is expensive. Organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management estimate that direct replacement costs can reach 50-60% of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs as high as 90-200% of an annual salary. That’s money your church could be spending elsewhere – on more missions, on better outreach, on newer facilities. There’s more information out there about adding more flexibility to your church management software setup. Start by downloading the free ministry guide Your Ministry On Demand.

Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

ParishSOFT

ParishSOFT’s Catholic Connection

5 Steps to a Successful Online Giving Program from ParishSOFT

hatever the financial situation of your church, Online Giving is a must for today’s families who are managing their personal finances on the Web. Whether you’re considering Online Giving for your church for the first time, or you would like to give your existing program some new life, here are five easy steps that have worked in other churches.

1. Know, share your offertory statistics Understanding your current giving statistics will help you set your goals and communicate clear messages to your members as you promote your program. At St. Thomas More Parish in Darien, Conn., their numbers helped make it a little easier begin a frank dialog with parishioners about a subject we would all rather avoid in church: money. Data from their Offering & Pledges software showed that of the 1,470 registered families in the parish as of August 2011, there were a lot of zero givers, and their offertory had dropped 15%. That left St. Thomas More in a situation common to many churches: 20% of the families were contributing 80% of the offertory. And it was not enough to cover church program and physical plant costs. The hard facts can serve as a real eye opener for

Christian Computing® Magazine

members who may not understand how churches fund their fixed costs and ministries. Numbers paint a clear picture and boost the credibility factor, while helping people think about stewardship and the perspective of their church giving, compared with other family spending. Address the misconceptions In the Catholic Church, I’ve actually overhead statements like, “With all the money they’ve got in Rome, I don’t see why they’ve got to be harping on us all the time.” In addition to that person’s lack of understanding about the basics of stewardship and sacrificial giving, there is an erroneous assumption that “Rome” pays the bills of any local church. Seek out the misconceptions members may have so you can address them and build awareness about where the money comes from, how it’s used, and how it’s secured. March 2012

2. Set Goals Once you know where you stand with your balance sheet and offertory statistics, you’ll be equipped to set goals with confidence and create a plan to achieve them. At St. Thomas More, their assessment of offertory statistics and their journey into a stronger Online Giving program were just two components of an overall campaign to move the parish from significant financial challenges to a state of long-term financial sustainability for future generations. Boosting their income by at least 20% will help them get there, and growing their Online Giving participation is helping them achieve that goal. Since August 2011, parishioner response has been tremendous. They went from 85 families donating approximately $10,000 per month in combined Online Giving to 168 families (as of March 1, 2012), donating between $20,000 - $22,000 per month. Stability, transparency, convenience Even if your income levels are sufficient today, Online Giving offers many benefits. As check writing continues to decline by double-digit percentage points, it’s clear that people who manage their personal finances electronically will welcome that same option for their church giving. In fact, some of your zero givers may not be contributing simply because they aren’t carrying checkbooks or cash with them. Online Giving provides a highly secure, convenient way to accept their gifts and payments. It’s great news for churches. Online givers tend to give more, and they give more regularly, even while they’re on vacation or “snowbirding” in a sunny locale for the winter. And when members manage their own online giving, their deposits flow directly from their securely encrypted accounts to yours. Not only are church funds available faster, they’re processed with complete “basket-to-bank” transparency. And every online gift represents one fewer gift that needs to be handled (i.e., counted, batched, posted, deposited) by your church. Take the benefits that mean the most to your church and your members, and establish goals that will be meaningful to all of you. 3. Choose the Right Service Provider And here I’ll provide a shameless plug and tell you that ParishSOFT’s Online Giving program is outstanding. To date, we have 64,377 families giving an estimated $71.4 million annually to the 833 churches they call home. If you’re in the market and don’t know where to begin, get recommendations from other churches in your community. Or drop in on one of our Online Giving webinars (www.parishsoft.com/olg)— they’re a convenient way to see the system in action and ask questions. Whatever system you choose, be sure it offers the following:  

Customizable website with your church logo and personal mes sages, so members know they’re in the right place Handles pledge campaigns, offertory, all special collections, and fees

Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

    

Integrates with your contribution management software Makes it easy for donors to manage their own accounts and access their personal giving reports online any time they like Lets donors give when they want using the pay ment methods they prefer Sends automatic payment reminders, confirma tions, and expiring credit card alerts Secures encrypted account information and stores data using the highest industry standards

Do look at more than one system, and get indepth demonstrations to gauge your comfort level and the true ease of use of the service. Reputable vendors are happy to show you the system and take the time to answer your questions, even if it needs to be done after standard business hours so your entire staff or finance council can be present. 4. Plan a Launch The #1 reason people say they enroll in Online Giving is, “Because my pastor said it would help my church.” Tell members that if they’re comfortable with electronic giving, it is the preferred way to support their church because it is more secure and predictable, reduces administrative work, and supports your church’s goals. Whether you’re launching a new Online Giving program or giving an existing program a fresh power-start, do pre-launch announcements during services, in your print materials, and on your website. These create a sense of anticipation and introduce members with the language of your goals and your Online Giving program. You may also want to prepare in-pew information cards so they’re ready in time for your launch. Templates of these cards, as well as announcements and letters that you can adapt as you like, are available from ParishSOFT for free (email me at santtila@parishsoft.com). Prior to launch, complete the initial setup of your Online Giving system to add your church’s logo, a personal welcome message, and all of the funds and payment methods you want available to your members. Add the Online Giving link to your website in a place where members can find it easily. On your official launch day, set up “sign and drive” stations in your gathering space, where members can try the system and create their personal Christian Computing® Magazine

accounts on the spot if they choose. Have educated staff or volunteers on-hand to answer questions about functionality, options, and security. 5. Build on Your Success Keep your Online Giving program in the news, and get creative with your marketing to keep the number of donors growing. Choose optimum times to promote Online Giving enrollment, aligning your efforts with seasonal attendance increases, stewardship and engagement initiatives, and even your envelope order. Tuck information about your giving options into the welcome packet for new members. Ask for their offertory commitment, and give them a way to indicate whether they wish to enroll in Online Giving, receive envelopes, or both. You’ll build comfort levels and support for the program by having members share why they like it. Here again, the numbers lend credibility. Report your Online Giving donation income separately in your bulletin or online. When members see the fluctuations in income from checks and cash compared with the consistency of your Online Giving income, it shows that Online Giving helps the church budget be more stable, and members using Online Giving are sticking with the program for the long haul. Start Now You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Look to your Online Giving vendors and other churches for help with everything from system options to logistics to program planning. And don’t let the vendors scare you. Those of us who serve churches are in tune with the best practices of our other church customers, and what works for them may also work well for you. Visit www.parishsoft.com/OLG to learn more. Working together, we can help your church achieve a healthy level of Online Giving participation, which will naturally result in greater budget stability and higher income (maybe even reduce the time you spend having to talk about money). It all translates into better funding for ministry and stronger churches today and in the future. Amen to that! Stacey Anttila ParishSOFT

March 2012

LOGOS LOGOS CMS

Easter is Around the Corner – Grow with Grace from Logos Management Software

e live in a country that affords us the opportunity to choose where and with whom we worship. While this is a blessing, it also means that people can and do complain about the very things that make church comfortable for us. It can feel awful when people apply the Burger King “Have it my way!” principle to what we hold so dear, whether it’s “That song the worship team sang at the end didn’t work for me,” or, “They don’t have the same program the other church does down the street.” But just as criticism in our work and personal lives can make us better people, negative comments can be turned into an opportunity. Even if the critique is presented in the wrong way, with the wrong heart and motive, it’s always to our advantage to say, “Is there any truth in it? Anything good I can pull from this to grow to maturity?” And then leave the rest.

We can take that same approach looking objectively at our church as a whole. At the time of this publication, Easter will be right around the corner. Many of the people who will be coming through your doors haven’t been in a church for maybe a year or more. Some will come out of obligation. Some out of nostalgia. Some for their kids. Whatever the reason, you have a captive audience for the duration of their stay at your church. Christian Computing® Magazine

In this article, we’ll tap into some practical tips to help strengthen the scaffolding of your infrastructure so you can be better prepared to welcome new or returning people and grow with grace. Now is a great time to take that good, hard look inward with so many new faces about to walk through the doors. Whatever the Holy Spirit has in store for your church on April 8 and in the weeks that follow, you’ll be ready. March 2012

Pursue Kind Over Clever Be nice and smile. The leaders and those with official looking clothing, lanyards, nametags or what-have-you often smile because it’s expected. But how do you get the person sitting in the chair or pew to smile? You talk about it. Often. If it’s important that people are nice, you tell them so. A succinct reminder at various places in your church could go a long way. We are forgetful people. We need to be reminded sometimes to do the simple things. Plus, as I just heard in a talk on Servant Leadership within our company, “Being nice is free.” Take the burden off the staff for assimilation Assimilation is the process of getting new people who walk through your doors involved in a meaningful way. Most church staff are wearing a number of hats. It is not feasible for the staff to be the entire body of Christ. In fact, growth will likely not be sustainable for long within this model. That’s not how the church is supposed to operate. However, the staff are the natural go-to folks for newcomers. And this also makes sense. What to do? • Empower people in their gifts. Can you remember a time when you were affirmed by someone you respected in a gifting you possessed? If that’s happened, I bet you remember it. Those moments are powerful. Be that gift to someone else. Maybe, right before Easter, this looks like an email sent out to a group of people you know are encouragers. Tell them this email has come to them specifically because of the gift of encouragement you have identified in them. Ask them to prayerfully sit next to someone they’ve never seen before and introduce themselves. Make sure they know about the available resources the church Christian Computing® Magazine

has to offer so they can relationally usher people into some next steps for involvement. Have them report back what that next step was, and be sure to enter any known communication into your database! • Offer safe places to learn more. At one local church, a missional team took on the responsibilities of next steps for new Christians or those wanting to learn more. The Missional Team put on classes like “Steps to Faith” for those interested in learning in a safe, no-pressure environment. (See class resources at http://soulwhispererministry. com/products.) This ministry then effectively took off some of the burden from the staff. March 2012

Take on the burden, as a staff, for assimilation Wait. She just said take the burden off the staff. Yes. And take it on? Yes. It’s both. As the body of Christ, think of the staff as the nerve center. It’s the place where information is held and disseminated out to those who will do something useful with it. This means you need to be organized and strategic.

• Say thank you. Why not close your service with gratitude? “Thank you for your presence and prayer today,” or, “Our chorus of prayer was made all the more beautiful today because each of you was here with us. Thank you!” Have your pastor personalize this, so it really comes from the heart. I pray all our eyes are ripe for the harvest before us. Like someone said to me recently, “What if God • Build your email list. Make it as easy as poswere to open the floodgates of revival tomorrow? sible for people to connect or learn more about you. Could the church handle it? Or would the blessing Try growing your list through “Text to Join” options. slip through our fingers?” Whatever happens Easter Offer an incentive to join. Ask visitors for their email Sunday, above all “Exalt God. Magnify His holiaddress when they sign your visitor registry—and ness. Praise His greatness. Exult in His grace. Set the collect their information on paper or from computers magnificent, majestic God of the Bible before your or tablets set up in your gathering spaces. Email is people.” Well said by Ed Stetzer from The Lifeway one of the best ways to let people know of upcoming Research Blog. events and opportunities. Get on your face and pray. Then get on your feet • Know where your people are plugged in. and run hard this race, with a plan. Take on the responsibility to know what ministries or groups your people are involved in. This will make segmented communication much easier. • Send a welcome video. You can pretty inexpensively purchase an HD video camera. Get in some good lighting and record a welcome message by your Pastor to visitors. Have a link to it ready to be sent out in your first email communication to visitors within their first 48 hours of attendance. • In every communication, give a clear call to action. In your emails and any other posts about events and opportunities, give people easy ways to sign up or learn more. The simpler your “online” registrations or RSVPs are, the better your chances of getting great responses and participation. In your video, close with an invitation to return to church. Provide a way to RSVP for a particular service, and extend a warm welcome when they come. This also targets returning visitors and new members for special acts of kindness from your “encouragers.” Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

higher power with kevin

Interview with Bob Pritchett, Logos Bible Software Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org

hen I first learned of Logos they were in version 2.0 and my limited experience quite frankly wasn’t that good. When version three hit the market one thing grabbed my attention – the Passage Guide. It works like a study assistant, searching your entire library for books and information related to your chosen passage. The moment I saw it I knew that Bible software would likely change. The Passage Guide was to Bible Software what the iPad was the computer world. Since then multiple other software applications followed their lead and added something like the Passage Guide to their applications. That illustrates how revolutionary Logos can be.

The man behind the company that introduced that ingenuity is Bob Pritchett, CEO and founder of Logos Bible Software. I interviewed Bob and found out some very interesting things about the man and the company. I was impressed to see that Bob, despite being a very busy man, finds time to interact with his customers one on one. We’ve heard stories about Steve Jobs offering terse responses to email, but those were rare. It’s actually pretty commonplace to email Bob and get a response, even if it does come a few days later. He also spends time anChristian Computing® Magazine

swering questions posted in the company’s support forums at community.logos.com/forums. If Logos had five people working there and they made a simple book reader app that only ran on Windows, I’d not be as impressed. However, Logos has 250 people that work in two different locations – both Washington state and now Arizona. The company distributes Bible software for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and the Internet. They also publish Bible study materials a monthly print magazine and now have a new venture into Christian eBook distribution March 2012

called Vyrso. This year they are launching a new Worship Presentation tool called Proclaim. Bob also said they are working on some projects that are “… top secret for a little while longer…” that will be “… connected, mobile and social” like their other ventures. Sounds interesting. One thing you can be certain of, whatever it is it will drive customers to buy their Bible software and buy new books. Bob Pritchett told me that he started Logos back in the days of Windows 3.0 when he and a friend created a Bible program that could store and search the entire Bible. The idea was birthed when he was 15 years old, but it didn’t finally come to fruition till 1991 with the release of their first version of Logos Bible Software. The program went through a number of revolutionary changes. Each time they released a new version they rewrote the program and recreated the experience. Such a dramatic change each time meant risk but despite their naysayers the company grew with each new release. I have to admit that when my beloved Logos 3 was totally rewritten and released as Logos 4, I wasn’t happy. It took me about six months to get used to the idea. In that time the company saw amazing growth. I asked Bob what makes their program unique and he listed four things: 1. A “large library” of Digital Bible Study tools 2. “Elegant design and user interface” 3. Attaching the license to the book and not the actual files giving customers the right to access the book regardless of what platform or what version of the software they are running. 4. “Most importantly, we’ve stayed on the cutting edge of technology and platforms.” Today, more people are moving towards mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. While Digital Bible Christian Computing® Magazine

Study still works best on a laptop or desktop computer, having a mobile device to supplement your work helps. Logos took this plunge starting with the creation of an iPhone app soon after Logos 4.0 hit the Internet. Later they created Biblia, a cloud-based version of Logos that gives users access to most of their digital libraries regardless of what kind of computer they own. Bob said this was a good fit since they shifted to keeping user licenses on their servers. “Because we store the user’s licenses on our servers, it’s easy to deliver our ebooks via mobile devices and over the web. And our very powerful sync framework, which backs up users notes, highlights, documents, preferences, etc. to the cloud, means we our users can mix and match platforms to meet their needs, rather than picking one OS or device to use for their Bible study. Our users can use a Windows machine at work, a Mac at home, and a smart phone on the road, knowing their books (and soon all their Logos-related data) will be at their fingertips on every device.” Logos started as a Windows only company, but then Apple’s share of the computing world grew and they began to support Mac OS X a few years ago. The early version was pretty horrible, but today the Mac version of Logos 4.0 runs really well. I use it often, along with my other favorite Mac Bible programs. I asked Bob about Apple’s market share increase and its affect on Logos and he said:

March 2012

“The percentage of our users on Mac continues to grow. Developing for two platforms has definitely increased our costs, but we love how the Mac is leading friendlier user interfaces and helping us serve more people with Bible study tools.” Right now the Mac version of Logos 4 doesn’t include every feature of the Windows version. He said that they were “almost there now” promising that any new features added to Logos will work on both platforms at the outset. On the mobile side, the Apple version of their Logos mobile app has more features than the Android. They don’t even make a version for Windows Phone 7. I asked him about that and he said that they would start making one if the market share made it worthwhile. “Windows Phone isn’t there yet, and it presents a few unique technical hurdles with its lack of support for C++, but we can work around that if the user base shows up.” That sounds like a “we’ll see” answer, but it also makes sense. Until a platform becomes cost effective for a company like Logos, that makes software for a profit, they won’t likely support it. The move into worship presentation software surprised a lot of Logos observers. I asked Bob why they chose to make the move and he said that since the desktop software is popular with church leaders and the mobile versions are likely to be found on the phones of church members, it made sense to create a tool that bridged the two groups. Proclaim has a feature that lets the preacher or worship leader send “signals” to a mobile phone connected to the presentation. In other words, I can show my text in their worship presentation software and include a signal that shows a map of Paul’s missionary journey. It’s like having little extras for those with the app. Now I get it. Proclaim will drive church people to download and potentially buy the program so they can enjoy the signals their pastor uses in his sermons. That’s my conclusion reading between the lines of Bob’s explanation. In his own Christian Computing® Magazine

words he added: “Proclaim is also an important part of our mission to help people engage the Bible: in the past it’s been inconvenient for multiple people to edit a presentation at the same time, so by default the worship team has often “owned” the screen in the sanctuary. Proclaim makes it easy for pastors, worship leaders, and others to all work on the same presentation during the week, wherever they’re located. This helps “take back the screen” for the sermon and the Bible, not just song lyrics.” I asked Bob what frustrated him the most. He said, “…hiring!” He can’t find enough talented people to help him create and improve the offerings they produce. The result is that this … slows down new features and products. We have more than a dozen openings right now, and are especially desperate to find talented software developers.” If you’re a programmer in need of a job and willing to move to Washington or Arizona, then let Bob know (bob@logos.com) and I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you. As a user I’ve been frustrated by the long delay in adding note taking features, highlighting and the recent breakage of their reading plan synchronization. Most mobile Bible apps have the ability to add personal notes and highlighting as well as bookmarks. Fortunately, the Logos iOS app now has these features and they will sync with your desktop application. Sermon notes taken at church will show up the next time you open your Windows or Mac version of Logos. For quite some time the mobile app would also synchronize your personally created reading plans between the desktop and mobile app. I created a yearly reading plan on my laptop that gave me a daily reading from the Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament. I could read it on my iPad or iPhone and mark it as read and the progress would be saved on my desktop as well, even if I never opened the reading plan there. Sometime in late summer or early fall, the load of users who were synchronizing things broke this feature so that anyone who opened their reading plan on the computer app and made changes would not be able to access these changes on the mobile app. This became a serious frustration and we begged Logos to fix it. They’re getting close but it took a total rewrite of the March 2012

synchronization structure of their mobile and desktop applications. I asked Bob if this would take place in the future and he shared when the mobile app came out their user base increased by “a factor of more than 100 in a very short time, and overwhelmed our servers and even our system architecture.” Instead of coming up with a quick fix, they chose to totally rewrite the system so it would scale in the future if this sudden increase happened again. The result was a system that could handle “thousands of times the volume” of their current system but also at an expense of “hundreds of thousands of dollars of hardware” not to mention the man-hours it took to re-do all that code. This came in spite of a shortage of qualified personnel. I’ve been one of the most vocally critical people when it comes to this situation. However, I will also say that their app is definitely one of the best available. It has a coveted spot on my home screen on both my iPhone and my iPad. The huge library available to users plus the great interface Logos already has made it a good app. The addition of syncing notes, highlighting, bookmarks, and the soon to be fixed reading plans makes Logos a must have mobile Bible app and desktop app. I’m looking forward to having the same quality on my Amazon Kindle Fire, an Android device. I’m also thankful for all the free books you get from their Vyrso Christian eBook store. Every day they seem to have a new free book to download.

Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

digital evangelism

Spring into Action

Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplacepress.com

pring! Spring! Spring! It’s my favorite time of the year! I love to see the budding trees, the blossoming flowers, the flitting butterflies, the singing songbirds, the procreation of a new generation of nearly every type of creature, and so much more that goes along with the season. The month of March (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) initiates this whole process.

So, how can we couple the exuberant celebration of spring with our ongoing efforts to share the Good News about Jesus Christ and His salvation via digital evangelism? Well, we can use the multitude of methods for digital evangelism available to us to draw the parallel between the regeneration of the earth during springtime and the regeneration of the spirit and soul when one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. We can blog, write articles for a variety of publications (including our own Web sites), post comments on forums, send emails to both our personal and organizational lists, send e-cards (as we discussed last month), and so much more. As you may have noticed from my list above, almost all of them require writing of some sort. I can’t help myself; I love to write! Of course, it isn’t as much fun to write if no one is interested in readChristian Computing® Magazine

ing what we’ve written. The whole point of writing or speaking anything is for the sake of an audience. Granted, there may be a number of folks who write strictly for their own personal journalistic pleasure, but I suspect that even they either have someone in mind while they’re writing or expect that one day (perhaps after they die) someone will read what they’ve written. When it comes to communicating about Jesus and what He has done for me, I never run out of things to say or write. Maybe that’s the preacher coming out of me, but as long as I can find an interested audience, I will happily speak, preach, teach, or write about the things of God. Although I am most definitely a strongly introverted personality, there’s something about addressing an audience of any size that energizes me. I don’t feel the least bit March 2012

tired while I’m laboring in this manner for the Lord. If people would come to listen to me preach or teach on the Word of God every single day of the week, I’d gladly show up for the pure joy and privilege of doing so. I attribute all that energy and enthusiasm during my preaching and teaching to the work of God’s Holy Spirit, because I know that I can’t do it alone. It’s after I finish these preaching or teaching engagements that I usually feel completely exhausted, however. Besides preaching and teaching the Word of God, I have written a large number of articles and devotionals dealing with a wide range of topics (including evangelism, of course) over the past 15 years, and I’ve posted many of them on my personal Web site at www.parsonplace.com/articles.html, for those who may be interested in reading them. Of course, along with my avid interest in writing for the glory of God, I have also written a few tutorials to help beginners with some common (and maybe even a few not-so-common) issues with their computers. As I wrote in the January issue of CCMAG, I wrote such a tutorial for setting up Windows Live Mail and Microsoft Outlook for email service on your computer. If you missed that article about using email for digital evangelism, or if you’d like a little refresher, you can browse the archives in the Digital Evangelism group on community.ccmag.com to read it, thanks to Steve Hewitt. Once you’ve logged in to the main community site, click on the “Communities” menu item just below the masthead of the site. When that page finishes loading, scroll through the alphabetized list of communities and join those that interest you. The Digital Evangelism community is listed on page two of four (at the time of this writing). When you get to the Digital Evangelism community’s listing, you’ll see on the right hand side of the page, just underneath the “Join” button, a hyperlink for the number of posts to the community, then the number of files stored in its library, and finally the number of members who have subscribed to the community. Click on the middle item to browse the number of files Christian Computing® Magazine

stored in its library, and you can read every article I’ve written for CCMAG since joining its writing staff nearly a year ago. Invite others to subscribe to CCMAG and to join the Digital Evangelism Community, too. The more, the merrier! While you’re there, why not take a minute or two to post a comment or question? Share some of your own experiences using digital evangelism. Can’t think of anything to say? Well, how about responding to one or more of the following questions to get you started? Do you do most of your digital evangelism as a part of your local church or as a part of another kind of ministry or on your own personal initiative? What is(are) your favorite type(s) of digital evangelism? Who can you name as an effective digital evangelist, whether renowned or unknown to all but the Lord? What are you doing that qualifies as digital evangelism? Let’s interact on this topic of digital evangelism, and let’s put this community to work doing what it was designed to do. Let’s generate some active discussion for everyone’s benefit, engender encouragement and enthusiasm for digital evangelism and digital evangelists, and spread the Good News about Jesus Christ to a needy world by any acceptable March 2012

means available! When was the last time you engaged in any sort of evangelism, digital or otherwise? Was it today? Hallelujah! Was it yesterday? Praise the Lord! Has it been a while, or have you never shared the Good News about Jesus? Well, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no time like the present to get started or to begin afresh! In appreciation for the coming season of spring, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring into action now! Michael L. White is a pastor, retired 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 and may be obtained wherever books are sold.

Christian ComputingÂŽ Magazine

March 2012

the power and the danger

Wireless Microphones

By Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com

he vast majority of churches in America use wireless microphones. Most of them don’t realize that, by doing so, they have been breaking the law. They also run the risk that those microphones will encounter significant interference in the future. What’s a church to do? Wireless microphones are illegal? Wireless microphones are not illegal. Churches using them has been. Bizarre, I know. No, this isn’t a case of persecution, intentionally picking on churches. The reality is that, according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, “Part 74 devices” (wireless microphones) are only to be used under license by broadcasters. So, not only churches, but also theatrical companies, musical performers, and convention operators have been violating these regulations. Why do these rules exist? Because these microphones operate in a frequency range Christian Computing® Magazine

licensed for television signals, they can interfere with the television broadcasts trying to use the same frequencies. Television stations have paid for the exclusive right to use these frequencies to operate their business. Since the FCC regulates spectrum use, the commission made it illegal for anyone to use a device which operates in those same frequencies except with the explicit permission of the broadcasters. Practically speaking, this has never been an issue. Users of wireless microphones simply chose a frequency band corresponding to a television channel not used in their local area. So, for all the years that wireless microphones have March 2012

been used, nobody’s really been overly concerned, and I’m not aware of any wireless mic users being charged with breaking this law. Are wireless microphones valuable to churches? I’m guessing I don’t really need to answer this question. If you’ve read this far and started wondering how you will ever survive without wireless mics, you’ve probably already thought through how much you rely on these devices and how painful it would be to go back to the old days of wired microphones. Wireless mics significantly simplify the set up process for worship, preaching, and events. Using them can easily save hours of work per month. Wireless microphones also provide flexibility and freedom to preachers and worship leaders. They no longer feel like they are on a leash, constrained in what they can do and where they can do it. I have seen pastors spontaneously come down off the chancel and into the congregation in ways that would never work with a wired mic. Why is this an issue now? In September of 2010, the FCC approved the use of vacated television spectrum for “white space” unlicensed applications, such as “Super Wi-Fi.” In January of this year, the first of these “white space” networks launched in Wilmington, North Carolina. This is the event that creates real, meaningful potential for interference between “illegal” wireless microphones and “legal” uses of the same frequency bands. In February of this year, Congress passed a bill that will lead to even more “white space” bandChristian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

width becoming available for unlicensed use. It will take months or years for the FCC to put in place the rules for this use, but eventually it will further challenge the use of wireless microphones. Once “white space” devices are in use (as they are beginning to be used in Wilmington), they run the risk of interfering with wireless microphones. For example, if someone in your congregation has a mobile Internet device in his pocket and it is using the same frequencies as your microphones, then you may experience signal drop outs or noise in your audio channels. What is “white space?” According to Wikipedia: “In telecommunications, white spaces refer to frequencies allocated to a broadcasting service but not used locally. National and international bodies assign different frequencies for specific uses, and in most cases license the rights to broadcast over these frequencies. This frequency allocation process creates a bandplan, which for technical reasons assigns white space between used radio bands or channels to avoid interference. In this case, while the frequencies are unused, they have been specifically assigned for a purpose, such as a guard band. Most commonly however, these white spaces exist naturally between used channels, since assigning nearby transmissions to immediately adjacent channels will cause destructive interference to both. In addiChristian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

tion to white space assigned for technical reasons, there is also unused radio spectrum which has either never been used, or is becoming free as a result of technical changes. In particular, the switchover to digital television frees up large areas between about 50 MHz and 700 MHz. This is because digital transmissions can be packed into adjacent channels, while analog ones cannot. This means that the band can be “compressed” into fewer channels, while still allowing for more transmissions. “ In 2007, a coalition of large technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Intel, came together to lobby the FCC to provide unlicensed use of the newly freed white space spectrum for broadband wireless Internet services. They created prototype white space devices to demonstrate that the technology could work without disrupting television signals. The coalition faced significant resistance from groups including broadcasters, wireless microphone makers, and groups that use wireless mics. However, based on successful tests, the FCC approved white space devices in November 2008. It is expected that a variety of types of devices will use white space technology for Internet access. What can we do? When the FCC authorized the use of “white space” frequencies, the commission put in place two mechanisms to protect wireless microphones. First, the FCC has reserved two channels in each city for use by wireless microphones. Second, the commission has established a geo-location database. The database provides the information on reserved channels, but more importantly wireless mic users can register when and where they will be using which channel. White space devices have to dynamically check the database and aren’t allowed to interfere with that channel at that time near that location. The initial database is available at http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.com/Main.aspx. (Note that unlicensed wireless mic users, like churches must first get approval from the FCC before being listed in the database.) The good news is that by putting these accommodations in place, the FCC is effectively approving the use of wireless microphones by all. Hallelujah, we are no longer law breakers! Of course, for those of us in Christ, we have an even greater reason to rejoice! “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 ESV) Russ McGuire is an executive for a Fortune 100 company and the founder/co-founder of three technology start-ups. His latest entrepreneurial venture is Hschooler.net (http://hschooler. net), a social network for Christian families (especially homeschoolers) which is being built and run by eight homeschooled students under Russ’ direction.

Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

nick at church

What Role Does IT Play in Your Ministry? Nick Nicholaou - nick@mbsinc.com

here was a day when computers had little-to-no role in churches and ministries. But today, they play a very crucial role, helping fulfill nearly every aspect of our ministry calling! Most church and ministry leadership teams are unaware of how visions cast and implementations planned affect or are affected by their computer systems. Let’s look at how leadership can improve this process and achieve more successful results. The Situation There are very few church and ministry departments that are not completely dependent on their computers today. From worship to education; preaching to maintenance; environmental systems (HVAC) to parking lots— all depend heavily on computers today. And while that’s true, it’s also true that churches and ministries often find themselves having to overcome last minute new-initiative challenges due to their computer systems. The Dilemma Herein lies the problem: while most for-profit organizations invite their chief technologist (Network Administrator, IT Director, etc) to the leadership table, most not-for-profits still do not. So in churches and ministries, when vision is cast and plans are formulated that rely on technology, those casting and planning aren’t getting the input they need to ensure a successful launch of their new initiatives. And their chief technologist is often unaware that a change is coming that Christian Computing® Magazine

will need to be accommodated and whose needs require more than what the current system can deliver. The result is last minute adjustments that must be made and that compromise the potential high-quality and reasonable-costs that could have been accomplished. So, why do churches and ministries continue this disconnect that adds so much stress to all involved in their new initiatives? One of the reasons the chief technologist on their teams is not invited to the vision-casting and implementation-planning leadership table is that the chief technologist role is usually not seen as a ministry role. The person filling it rarely has a ministry credential, and the role itself is a somewhat secular function. But if asked, the person in that role most likely feels strongly that it is a ministry, and that their function on the team is their ministry to the Lord! And, if pressed, leadership probably feels the person in that role should be performing their duties as a ministry in service to God. March 2012

Possible Solutions The best solution is to adopt what corporate America has found to work best. They invite their chief technologist to sit in leadership meetings where vision is cast and implementation plans made; even if only as an observing/ non-voting participant. This ensures that as vision is cast and implementation plans are made that both can be adjusted as necessary to take full advantage of current computer systems and capabilities. It also ensures that your computer system, if it needs to be upgraded or enhanced, can be ready when needed. The second-best solution is to have another member of the leadership team who is very technology savvy and who fully understands your computer systems well fulfill that roll. • This is more than someone who knows how to use Word and PowerPoint or Excel well; it is a person who is a technologist of some sort. • If there is a member of your board or pastoral/ leadership team that can do that well, this option can work. The challenge with this second-best solution is communication: details may not always get communicated to the chief technologist in a timely manner.

• If you find that this option doesn’t deliver the results needed over time, it may need to be adjusted or abandoned in favor of the best solution. The third-best solution is to have your chief technologist’s supervisor fulfill that role. • The same challenge in the second-best solution exists in this solution; that of timely communication. • An additional challenge often exists with this option: the supervisor may not be as technically savvy and may not fully understand your computer systems. • Again, if you find that this option doesn’t deliver the results needed over time, it may need to be adjusted or abandoned in favor of the best solution. The worst possible solution is to continue to cast vision and make implementation plans without the input and involvement of your chief technologist. Involving your IT person— your chief technologist— in your strategic processes early on will help shape your strategies in ways that will facilitate greater success. Though it may feel a little risky and may need some adjustments along the way, doing so will be good for your church or ministry.

Why put your servers in our private cloud? • Eliminate the distraction & hassle of hosting your own servers • Reduce IT staff costs • Gain 100% up-time • We’re in the most advanced datacenter on the planet – located in the USA • Low monthly fees based on charity licensing • Excellent domestic support We can save you money because we only host Christian churches & ministries! Christian Computing® Magazine

With Cloud technology, your servers can be located off-site. MBS has extensive church and ministry IT expertise – let us host your servers in our datacenter! Serving you and your team would be an honor! Call or email us today to learn more!

714.840.5900 cloud@mbsinc.com

Nick Nicholaou, President

“. . . freeing those in ministry from business distractions.” Phone: 714.840.5900 • www.mbsinc.com • info@mbsinc.com

March 2012

ministry communication

What music and artwork is OK to download and use; and what are copyright guidelines? Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

recently received the following question: “I am wondering about getting permission to use music. I understand the copyright law to mean that as long as we properly cite copyrighted material, we can use it. Is that not right? I always buy the song for 99 cents on Amazon.com and then cite it at the end,” and realized once again that it’s an important area to cover for church communicators. Read on for the answer. . . . Though my specific answer here will involve music, this question of the proper use of copyrighted materials has caused confusion for decades for church communicators and the confusion has only gotten worse because the internet makes it possible for us to easily download and use anything that is online. In addition to ease of use, confusion enters in with the idea that, as the person above mentioned, that it is OK to use something as long as you cite the source. Here’s a synopsis of how I’ll answer these questions: Is it OK to freely use music you download so long as you cite the source? The short answer is “no.” I’ll explain why and Christian Computing® Magazine

why there is confusion about it. How do you get legal permission for music? There is no short answer here. The process is complex and may be costly. Where can you get free sounds and music? The option is to use free or copyright-free material, sources and links will be listed. OTHER RESOURCES: What about materials for my other creative projects other than music? Links will be given for how copyright applies to images and clipart, along with great links for free material. March 2012

Is it OK to use something so long as you cite the source? The confusion here comes from what we were taught in school in that if you use something, say in a research paper, or for teaching that all you need to do is cite the source and you are OK. This is the doctrine of “Fair Use.” The following quote is from http:// www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html, a section of the U.S. Government Copyright Law. Reading the entire section is useful, here are some useful parts: One of the more important limitations is the doctrine of “fair use.” The doctrine of fair use has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years and has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law. Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. . . . .The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission. In summary, what was OK and proper procedure for a term paper or school project (use and cite) is not OK, according to law, in something you create under your name and, for example, post on the internet or even more importantly try to sell in any way. One more clarification: Just because you buy a piece of music or artwork or anything else does not mean you have purchased the rights to reuse it in any way you want. This is easier to understand when you think about buying a book. Just because you buy a book, does not mean you can take the author’s words and reuse them any way you want in a book of your own and then share it online to sell your creation. You must either get or purchase permission or use copyright free materials which we’ll now explain following. How do you get legal permission for music? We aren’t talking here about permissions for music Christian Computing® Magazine

in your church—most churches are familiar with CCLI and if you aren’t, please check them out. Below is a brief description of who they are and a link to them. “Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) was established in 1988 to provide churches with simple, affordable solutions to complex copyright issues. CCLI helps churches maintain their integrity and avoid costly lawsuits, while also giving churches the freedom to worship expressively and spontaneously.” http://www.ccli.com/ In referring to CCLI, Wikipedia adds this note, which may be useful when looking for music: No license is needed if all music is in the public domain or covered by something like the Creative Commons licenses. As an example, most hymns published before 1940 are in the public domain. CCLI maintains a list of songs that are in the public domain. If all the songs that an organization uses are in that list, then the organization does not need to pay the CCLI license fee. As of July 15, 2007, CCLI’s list contained 7270 public domain songs. However, this would not cover the performance of a piece of music, which in itself would require permission. So how do you get permission to use music? This is where the hard work comes in. Overall here is what you need to do: March 2012

1. Contact the owner of copyright for the materials. 2. Clarify how much, when, where, and why you want to use the material. 3. Ask for permission to use it 4. Be prepared to pay an often significant amount of money. There is no easy way to do this. The sites below explain the process in more detail and gives links to groups who own copyrights. http://www.copyrightkids.org/permissioninformation.htm Though this site was created for students, this link is a fantastic resource explaining copyright and even more importantly with the addresses of the many music and movie companies that hold copyrights to materials you may want to use. http://www.multcolib.org/guides/ copyright/music_pub.html This is an excellent article that tells you how to research the owners of music—it gives you links to look up various groups and provides advice on what to do. Once again, careful professional research and correct answers often involves a significant financial investment—not difficult for publishing companies, but often not possible for individual. http://www.copyrightsolver.com This is a well-done Christian site that can help with permissions for Christian music and performances. Once again, and I hate to keep saying this, but formal permission often comes with significant costs.

then use your own material however you like. If you do this, however, I’ve seen an interesting thing happen. Suddenly people who don’t seem to care at all about using someone else’s work without permission or payment become very concerned that no one use their work in the same way. This sometimes serves as a better lesson than anything else on the importance of respecting the rights of content creators. If you do create your own work,

So what is an individual or small church to do? If all that seems like too much work (and for most individuals and smaller churches it is), you do have other options. Obviously you can create our own material. You can write songs, sing, record them. You can do original artwork. You can write articles and books. You can Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

you then are in a place to decide what you will do with the rights of it. Do you want to share it? Do you want to lock it up with licenses? Do you want to give some away and sell other parts of it? It’s all up to you. Where can you get free or copyright-free sounds and music? There is a big difference in both art and music (and any other created materials) with free, as in no cost at all or copyright-free or managed rights material, which means you can use it though you paid for it. Each source listed below or each source on my website or the ones I link to will always spell out these conditions, please always read “TERMS OF USE” and similar areas closely to understand what you are downloading, free or not and how you can use it. You can do Google searches for any area of music or for how-tos such as ones related to “podcasting” that always include links to free or copyright free materials. Below is a list of some helpful sites to start—there are many of them on the web as any search will show you. If you have additional ones you’ve found useful, please put them in the comments section.

In addition to music, you need illustrations my website (http://www.effectivechurchcom.com) has some excellent information about and links to free images and clipart, here is one of the best ones and a good place to start: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2010/08/ clipart-images-articles-if-it%E2%80%99s-on-theweb-is-it-ok-to-use-it The bottom line is that for the Christian, if we want to act with integrity, it often takes additional work to use materials that are very easy to grab, but that are not ours to use without permission. The world may have no idea of the extra work it takes to do the background labor, but when we do that, it makes our work pleasing to our Lord. __________________________________________ Yvon Prehn is the founder and director of Effective Church Communications, http://www.effectivechurchcom.com, a website that provides training, encouragement and resources in church communications for both print and online.

Some sites with both music and helpful information: http://www.partnersinrhyme.com http://www.blazeaudio.com http://www.musicalley.com For a video that has an additional list of free sounds and music, plus links to them: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NU_wdIKnqjM Please be aware that you need to know how to download, mix, modify and add sounds to make the most of any downloaded sound or music. Putting together your own sound tracks is challenging, but there are a lot of tutorials on the web that can help you—again do a web search for them. Additional resources for free materials in the area of images and clipart Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012

Press Releases IconCMO Cloud-Based Church Software Wins Customer Approval

It’s not every day that a company polls their customers and is overwhelmed with positive feedback. That’s exactly what happened when Icon Systems did a recent survey of their customers to gather information on what their customers most liked about their software. The results indicated that 96.4% of customers were extremely satisfied with their IconCMO church management software (chms). “We like to stay in touch with our church software customers to find out what’s working and what’s not,” says Bill Gifford, president of Icon Systems, Inc. “When we decided to survey our customers, we weren’t sure what to expect. The results told us that, other than customer service, being cloud based was the number one factor in churches being satisfied with their software.” After polling churches, Icon found the following qualities were best loved by their customers: Top 10 Features of Effective Church Management Software (as determined by Icon church software users):

real-time IconCMO church softwareiPadwebapp that offered churches–from church plants to mega churches–a way to simplify church management; they followed up a few weeks later with an Android web app to make sure they covered all their bases. The iPhone app forIconCMOLite is also a popular option for mobile phone access. “The system is VERY easy to use. We are a start up church plant with no full-time staff so being able to have multiple users access the system over the Internet is a great feature. I had to check the balance of an account the other day and just logged on with my smart phone and got what I needed,” comments John, a church treasurer. Churches interested in finding out more about IconCMO church management software should visit Icon’s website and click “Guided Tour” on the bottom left of the website. For a full list of the features IconCMO offers, visit the featurespage. Churches can also call 1-800-596-4266 or email sales@iconcmo.com to get started with a free 10-day trial of IconCMO.

1) Customer service that is fast, accurate, and detailed with phone and email support. 2) Accessibility via the Cloud. 3) Affordable pricing. 4)

Compliant with government regulations.

Easy and intuitive navigation.

Simple reporting tools.

7) Total integration of membership, contributions, and finance tools. 8)

Off-site regular backups with maximum security.

iPhone/iPad/Android tablet apps for all products.

10) Willingness to listen to customer input. “IconCMO does all that we need in a very userfriendly way, coupled with prompt, effective, friendly tech support—all this for a very reasonable cost. To top it off, the programmers are always seeking ways to make the application more efficient, capable, and relevant to the ever changing needs of churches. I’m a user of IconCMO for over 5 years,” remarks Chris, an executive pastor. In July of last year, Icon released a fully-functional, Christian Computing® Magazine

March 2012