Founder & Editor-in-Chief Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com Managing Editor Kevin Cross - kevin@ccmag.com
Applying Tomorrow’s Technology to Today’s Ministry Volume 25
August 2013
No. 8
4 cover story
Fresh Vine Web Based ChMS! By Steve Hewitt
Contributing Editors Yvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou Kevin A. Purcell Russ McGuire Michael L White Copy Editors Gina Hewitt Magen Cross
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Steve Hewitt - steve@CDPublishers.com
The Solutions - Part 2 The Institutional/Traditional Church in America is in Decline. Is Technology to Blame? from By Steve Hewitt
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editorial
Can I Help? Let’s Get Together! Steve Hewitt - steve@CDPublishers.com
I am passionate about the cover story I wrote last month, and about the second part that is the special feature in this month’s issue (The Solution). I am passionate enough to offer my personal assistance to consult with individual churches! I have been doing personal consulting for a limited number of churches for several years, normally limiting it to just two churches a year. However, I have been studying the decline of the church now for 13 years. I believe I understand the problem, probably better than most. It is not about you being contemporary, putting on a great show, seeking to be relevant, or even missional (I will be publishing an article soon on why most churches are failing in their attempts at being missional). I believe if a church can grasp the real reasons why the unchurched are avoiding the church, steps can be taken to counter those reasons. That’s why I’m willing to assist as often as I can. In many cases, I am always willing to combine trips to help cut down the costs, so if you know of other churches in your area that would like to be included, contact me and let’s set up a time for me to visit! I am also going to be in Dallas and Orlando during the month of Sept. If your church is in one of these cities and we can work out some time, I would love to extend my time and consult with you and your church and staff. In addition, I will be in Loveland, CO in October, so I will make the Christian Computing® Magazine
same offer. And, of course, if your church is in the greater KC area, and you would like my help, please feel free to call and explore what we can do together! If you don’t think your church could afford to bring me to your town, I am open to exploring a virtual meeting with you and your staff. It is never as good as being in person, but I have done it before! I hope the two articles will be a help to many, and that more churches, especially those in decline, will try some of the solutions I am offering. Although I don’t normally do so, I will publish both my direct line as well as my cell phone below. Give me a call if you are interested in having me consult with your church! Together We Serve Him,
Steve Hewitt steve@cdpublihsers.com Direct Line 816-331-5252 Cell Phone 816-550-8082
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cover story
Fresh Vine
Web Based ChMS! By Steve Hewitt
F
or some time now I have seen some really cool emails from Fresh Vine which included some great articles! The other day I decided I needed to learn more and I went to check them out. They have matured a lot since the first time I took a look, and they now offer a very robust online ChMS service. I like what they are doing, and I like where they are headed. I thought you would appreciate learning more as well, so I interviewed Paul Prins, the Founder of Fresh Vine, so we could all learn more about what they have to offer!
Please give us a quick overview of Fresh Vine. It is the innovative combination of understanding a community along with their ability to foster participation that is really game changing for churches and ministries that use Fresh Vine. At Fresh Vine we focus on helping your community accomplish two key functions. The first is to better understand the involvement of the people in your community. With a more developed picture of what is happening in your church or ministry you are able to make better decisions. If you were to know that only 25% of the people who attended your services in the last Christian Computing速 Magazine
month also attended a group during that time it might help you focus on a different or specific areas of growth. It is the second key function that we get most excited about. Helping you foster participation. There has been a lot of intentionality built into our software to make it easier for you to identify individuals, look up information, and follow up with those who are new or on the verge of slipping through the cracks. With our own built-in email campaign system, great event attendance and follow-up, and a bunch of other key features, you are better able to get people August 2013
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plugged in and growing in their faith. Tell us more about your history. Before founding Fresh Vine I had the opportunity to be a part of the launch team at a church plant here in Minneapolis. Having grown up in a mainline church that didn’t talk about church planting, this was a completely new experience for me. It was a couple years into the life of this new church when they introduced me to the tools they were using to understand who was a part of their community, and to understand who was giving. They instantly shared about how painful the software was to use, and how it only did a portion of what they wanted it to do. As our conversations progressed we dreamed about what it would look like to build a tool with a modern understanding of church health, and spiritual transformation that emphasized the importance of finding a group of people you could experience life with. The work started with a handful of churches as we experimented and journeyed with this project. It was in the spring of 2011 that we unveiled our brand as Fresh Vine and began to actively
pursue new communities, churches, and ministries to join us. Since then we have continued to iterate with the fresh perspectives and feedback from our growing customer base. What sets Fresh Vine apart from other church management software? It is really the emphasis on your community and empowering leaders. The software is built to help give you clarity around who and what is happening with your people. That includes a lot Christian Computing® Magazine
of the things you might expect: roster, tracking contributions, and check in. Yet for us this is a starting point to helping you understand involvement and foster participation. Our tagline is ‘Get Rooted and Grow’ because we understand that your core community of leaders are the ones who best understand your mission, and are the ones that are able to get those around them as passionate and excited as you are about your mission as they shepherd them. Who are your customers? They tend to express a deep concern about understanding the people in their church or ministry better. Beyond that there hasn’t been a really consistent thread between them. There are multi-site mega churches with 5 campuses on the large side, and then a number of new church plants with only a handful of individuals. These new plants get us excited because of our own history and finding our genesis in a church plant. Recently we’ve been having a lot of conversations with para-church groups and other ministries about how Fresh Vine could be a great tool for them. There has been a lot of interest and we’re excited about helping those communities also get rooted and grow. What benefits do your customers achieve using Fresh Vine? The first thing most of them notice is the efficiencies that come from moving the roster online, and integrating their email campaign system into their management software. As more and more of their leadership structure gets online with Fresh Vine they start to get the data they need to better understand their communities. Also, with our follow-up tools there have been countless awkward conversations avoided in supermarkets and hardware stores when group leaders bump into people who stopped attending months earlier. With the busyness of life it is so easy to forget to reach out, so the prompts from Fresh Vine help those transitions happen in a more healthy way. In addition to running Fresh Vine I am also a pastor myself. I’ve worked in both para-church, and mega church contexts, and know how amazing it is to have actual metrics to look at when making decisions and planning for the future. August 2013
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Can you give us some examples of how your customers use Fresh Vine? First is on Sunday morning. There is a really great concierge site built into the software that is the perfect compliment to the Check-In system. It allows your volunteers to wander through the foyer of your church with a smart phone or tablet. As soon as they meet a visiting family they are able to register them for children’s ministry. This allows you to instantly capture their names and basic contact information. After checking them in your pastoral staff can use the same concierge tool to look up who is new today, and also see who is in which classes. Fast forward to mid-week where a bible study is just about to start in someone’s home. The leaders of that group receive a push email notification right as the event starts from Fresh Vine that reminds them to log their attendance.
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They click on the link in the email and are brought directly to the page to log attendance for the group. Simply tapping the faces on the screen of those sitting around the living room with them gets this done in seconds, allowing them to get back to their group. Next time they are in Fresh Vine they are alerted to follow up with a member of their group that has missed their last 2 meetings. Are you focused completely on churches, or will your software benefit other types of customers? The first customers we had were churches, and they easily make up the majority of our customer base. Yet the conversations we’ve had with a number of our customers, and with other ministers have led us to start marketing Fresh Vine to other community based organizations as well. Because of the focus that our early customers have given us, our software is really designed to have the greatest impact and benefit for community based organizations. This is why it is so great for churches and other ministries. August 2013
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Do you have partnerships with other software or service providers? There are a number of partners that help us serve our customers well. We have two partners to help us with online giving: Ardent Giving Solutions and E-Give. There are two service providers for background checks focused on ministries: Secure Search and PreSearch. Label Value is another partner that gives Fresh Vine customers a great discount on labels and label printers that are used by the check-in system. There is more information about these partners, including links to their sites on our website. FreshVine. co/about-us/partners/ What future plans are there for Fresh Vine? The plans are to find ways to continue to serve the church/ ministry in understanding involvement and fostering participation. There are some really neat things that we have sketched out that we are hoping to be able to bring into Fresh Vine over the next year. More immediately will be the release of our API this fall to anyone out there who wants to tie into or extend our functionality. We’ve had a pretty busy summer preparing for the version three launch that you all get to see here with our brand new responsive interface and extended functionality. Right now we are really excited about the increase in exposure that we have been getting as a company. This means that we’ll get to serve more communities and have a much larger impact on the mission of God in the world. Conclusion To learn more about Fresh Vine visit FreshVine.com or call them at (888) 708-1905. Christian ComputingŽ Magazine
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special feature
The Solution
Part 2 - The Institutional/Traditional Church in America is in Decline. Is Technology to Blame?
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By Steve Hewitt
n Part 1 of this two part series, we established the fact that while the institutional/traditional church in America is in decline, it isn’t really their fault. The facts are clear. All institutional organizations are in drastic decline since the 1970s. This is because of changes in our society, most brought about by new technology, which has ushered in the “personal communication” age. People simply don’t trust most leaders. They expect everything presented to them through traditional methods will be filled with agendas, marketing, and “spin”. This is why newspapers are going out of business, magazines have diminished, and people aren’t watching network TV news. Some believe this is because they have turned to the Internet for their news and information. However, online news services and publications haven’t ever really been hot on the Internet. The reason people have fled institutional organizations and traditional sources for information (such as newspapers) is because they desire their information to be from other people, people they know, or people they perceive to be free of spin, agendas and desiring to market something to them. Thus Facebook, Twitter, social media and texting have become the way people communicate, connect, and stay informed. They want to be included in the conversation, not just lectured. They want communication to come on a personal level, not just as a part of the masses.
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I believe most non-churched Christians make up a large segment of our nation. When asked why they aren’t involved in a church, they do what most people do when they feel they are being criticized - they begin to blame others. So they say the church is full of hypocrites, or they don’t like the way the church spends their money, or a host of other excuses. I believe that the un-churched Christian really doesn’t understand why they don’t want to join or become involved in an institutional/traditional church, but they do feel guilt for not attending, so they deal with it by being critical of church. What can institutional churches do to help the unchurched Christian connect and communicate? Many have felt that by making their services more contemporary, or relevant, they will draw the un-churched Christian to come into their church. To some extent, this has worked, however it has done little to slow the decline of church attendance across the nation. Some are dedicated to the Sunday morning church experience, and will gravitate to the best August 2013
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worship experience. However, more are simply feeling disconnected and are dropping out. The Solution Recognize and stay focused on the problem. The un-churched want an opportunity to participate in the communication and they want to connect in personal ways. First, churches need to start communicating in ways that project the personal touch. The number one way that those 40 and under communicate? Texting! I have been the Editor of Christian Computing Magazine for 25 years. I have seen new communication methods come and go, and I have heard church leaders cry and complain at each stage. When we pushed for churches to begin to use email, many responded that “our members don’t use email”. It is the same with texting. Regular mail and email both have a very low open rate and it can take days before you can get your message out to those you are trying to touch. However, when you send a group text message, over 90% of your targeted group will see your message in less than a minute! I have been preaching the importance of texting as a way to communicate and connect with congregations, and a few ChMS companies have started providing texting within their products and services, but not enough, and surprisingly not some of the companies that I hold as leaders in this industry. We will be adding this feature to the Christian Computing Magazine’s ChMS chart (http://www.ccmag.com/cms/index.php?chartid=1) and I will be making the case to ChMS sponsors that this needs to be a vital part of what they are offering in their communication tools. What would you text? Texting is a great way to connect with prayer Christian Computing® Magazine
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requests. If someone is in a car wreck and on the way to the hospital, you can text your congregation (or at least your prayer teams) and they will be praying in minutes, not days after the accident! You can also text out reminders just before meetings or events. In our busy lives, a text reminder before a group is to meet provides great response. I personally used texting to increase the attendance of a 50-65 year old adult study group. We went from averaging 15 to 30 in just a few months after we started texting everyone two hours before our Friday night meeting. Or, if you’re trying to close your back door, a text to an individual that hasn’t been to church for a while will
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make the connection you’re seeking. A letter, card or email simply doesn’t have the same impact, and texting is more comfortable for most than a phone call. Remember, schools, colleges and many companies moved to texting a long time ago because it is the best way to get their message out to their groups in the swiftest, most accurate way. And, you can include links in a text, so you could easily text out your church newsletter, pictorial directory, etc. I have recently been checking out Zipwhip as a texting solution. They not only can provide for broadcast text messaging, but they can do it using your churches landline (so they will recognize the number) and they do it for a pretty good price. They will be the cover story for next month’s issue! If you want information now, contact Mike for more information, mvandenbos@zipwhip.com or call 206284-2365. Second, churches MUST begin to use Facebook effectively. THIS is how people are communicating and connecting. Granted, people are spending WAY too much time on Facebook, and Facebook is full of scams and is far from secure (so don’t make your personal information available there), but it is how people are connecting. And, you can merge much of what you are doing now and re-present it on Facebook for additional impact. For example, we know that IF you were giving a lecture on the importance of brushing your teeth (trying to use a VERY generic example (grin)), and you invited people to come and sit and listen to your lecture and THEN posted it on Facebook, where people can listen to it when they wished, the end result is that those who listened to in on Facebook would be more likely to begin to take better care of their teeth than those that attended the live lecture. Why? Because when a person can listen to the message when they desire, the impact is greater. When they are sitting in a pew, listening to a lecture, they are August 2013
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a part of the masses, and the message doesn’t come across personally. But, when they are listening to it when they have time, on their schedule (sitting in their favorite chair, or listening on the way to work), the impact is that this message is one-to-one. And, an added advantage? They can “like” it (expressing their personal opinion and garner connection with the person who gave the lecture), or ask a question, leave a comment, and feel they are a part of the communication. For the life of me I do not know why a church wouldn’t have a Facebook site, encourage their members and community to visit the site and friend it or “like” it, and post their sermons on it. Minutes after the service is the best time! And, everyone who is connected will see the post on their Facebook site, have the opportunity to “share” it with their friends or loved ones, and leave a comment or question. Why aren’t we doing this? Is it because we need them in our buildings to take the offering? Not anymore! You can easily add a link to online giving. Just imagine, people who never entered your building could listen to the message, easily share it with others, connect with others on the church’s Facebook site, leave a comment or ask a question about the message and give their offering. If a church could establish this sort of connection with people, I am sure they would also find themselves visiting your church buildings on occasion. Third, I think churches need to be innovative and create opportunities for people to ask questions. You can certainly do this with “New Member” classes, and encourage people to connect with small groups where they can make personal connections, but think outside the box! I attended a mega-church where the pastor presented a series of sermons on “Is There Life After Death?” in which his messages covered heaven, hell, and answered questions in the series such as “Do People Get A Second Chance?” He promoted the fact that after each sermon (he preached three services in a row on a Sunday morning), he would make himself available for a Q&A session (meeting for 30 minutes in another part Christian Computing® Magazine
of the building while the music portion of the next worship service was taking place). He would have at least 100 people attend, including representatives from the local newspaper who covered his innovative idea. THIS is one of many ways a church could combine an institutional/traditional service while still giving those attending a chance to participate in the communication and connection. And, finally, I am beginning to discover institutional churches that are encouraging their members to go out and start micro-churches. Some call them cell churches. These are just different small groups. Small groups are a great idea to help keep your congregation connected. You encourage a number of your members to form up and meet during the week in homes for book studies, prayer or encourage the use of some curriculum. Cell churches seem to be small groups that are allowed to think of themselves as mini or micro-churches, but they are under the accountability and doctrine of the host church. Many times they are required to teach specific books or use specific materials. They are started by encouraging individuals or couples within the present church to go out and start a new cell church in their home. Some take other members of the host church with
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them, while some seek to encourage the cell churches to find and reach new people within their communities. And, finally, some are starting micro-churches. I have helped start Love God, Love People Ministries with the intent of providing a place for small micro-churches to register in the hopes that others within their communities might find them if they are seeking to connect with other Christians in a “microchurch” setting. For more information, visit www. LGLPMinistries.com. Conclusion Our society has changed and the church must change with it. I am not suggesting the message of Christian needs to be compromised, but we need to realize that our methods of presenting the message must. We cannot change society, nor should be judge the un-churched because they are not willing to “do” church our way. If your church is doing something new to enable better connection and two-way communication with your membership and/or community, I would love to hear from you. Please email steve@cdpublishers.com.
Christian Computing® Magazine
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protected with purpose
Android Defender
Be Wary of Trojan Malware Asking you to Open your Gates!
By: Steven Sundermeier
U
nfortunately, deceit and trickery are as ancient as human kind itself. Even the first two lied and tried to hide after that infamous bite into the apple. Today deceit and trickery bombard us from all directions and outlets, and with the addictive popularity of smartphones comes the influx of (disguised) malicious software. Technologies surrounding smartphones are evolving at a rapid rate, as is the overall interest and market share of Android and Apple devices - a combination setting up a dangerous, perfect storm for unsuspecting users lacking security awareness. Malware authors and other cyber criminals are fully aware of the critical roles smartphones now play in the lives of many [banking, sharing photos, browsing] and they are hard at work to exploit and capitalize on the popularity of the Android and Apple platforms. Our Thirtyseven4 Research Team consistently intercepts new threats against mobile devices, and it is becoming vitally important to secure these (mobile) devices and understand the dangers associated with these types of threats. Christian Computing® Magazine
To better comprehend the nature and severity of mobile device threats, I will highlight a recent Android-based Trojan that we had the opportunity to analyze. By definition a ‘Trojan’ is a type of malware that pretends to perform a specific function but instead does harm by performing a malicious action, such as granting unauthorized access to a user’s computer. (Harken back to your school days and remember the story of the Trojan horse and the people of Troy who were tricked into bringing it into their walled city. August 2013
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They were told it was safe and would bring them luck, but while they slept warriors climbed out of the Trojan horse and slaughtered their city.) Trojan malware is appropriately named: especially because so much of this malicious software begins with a pop-up that promises to keep us safe! Do not be fooled! Read on to become better educated than the citizens of Troy… Android.Fakedefender Android.Fakedefender is categorized as a Trojan that pretends to be a genuine anti-virus / security app under the app name ‘Android Defender’, and due to its scare tactics, it can also be categorized as ‘Scareware’. More than likely Android. Fakedefender would arrive on a system after visiting a website that has either been compromised or purposely crafted to contain malicious code. Most of these sites lure their victims by making too-good-to-be true claims, like pirated movies, free International phone minutes/texts, etc. If a user would happen to download the malicious app, Android.Fakedefender, it would display itself using icons of various popular applications such as Facebook and Skype. As mentioned above, the display name is Android Defender, and once installed and launched, Android.Fakedefender will immediately begin asking the user to authorize “Device Admin Privileges”. Regardless of the user’s choice, Device Admin Privileges are granted. Just like other (annoying) PC-based counterparts, once it grants access, the Scareware will start (falsely) notifying the user of hundreds of false security, virus and malware threats on the device. The purpose of the fake alerts is to scare the user into believChristian Computing® Magazine
ing his device is highly infected so that they will freak out and go purchase additional apps that will supposedly clean all of the infections. (Why virus-authors get a kick out of causing stress and havoc in people I will never know. A personal plea to all gifted computer software men and women: please use your gifts for good and not evil!) In addition to scaring and alerting the user of the threats, Android.Fakedefender could also lock the phone from any other uses until the suggested removal apps are purchased. To make matters worse, it also collects sensitive data from
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the device such as phone number, manufacturer, and your (GPS) location. and sends this information to a remote server. You can be certain that this collected information will be used maliciously as well. Another unfortunate aspect of Android Defender is that it is very difficult to remove because it changes the device settings so that a user is unable to perform the typical factory reset. For this Trojan and similar Android-based malware, I strongly urge that you (1) Keep alert of the recent threats associated with your phone. (2) Remain extremely cautious of any app asking for administrator rights. (3) Download only trusted apps through Google Play, and (4) Steer clear of pirated apps/products or too-good-tobe-true apps. You’ll notice a pattern in my weekly tips for staying safe online and on your devices: Use Common Sense! Don’t click on everything you see, and be warned that malware authors (like the warriors in the Trojan horse outside of troy) will do sneaky and mean things to violate you and your machine. But with an increased awareness and a good dose of techy street smarts, you will be able to discern that when something looks too good or sounds too good to be true, it often is. The people of Troy were ransacked while they slept and caroused. Don’t be caught unprotected when malware tries to intrude. Invest in reputable antivirus software that you can trust to be strong and backed with support. A Thirtyseven4 Mobile Security License is $7.95 for one year in Google Play, and it will secure your Android device and provide you with peace of mind. As an exclusive for Christian Computing Magazine, we would be happy to mail a free extended trial copy of Thirtyseven4 Mobile Security to anyone interested. Those interested need only to submit an email at android@thirtyseven4.com and provide us their mailing address to send it out to. We also provide professional Mobile Security Malware Safety Posters, and please contact Thirtyseven4 if you would like them for your school or workplace.
Call for a free demo: 800-446-3035 Christian Computing® Magazine
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the browser
Who Are You, Really, and Why are You Here? Identifying Yourself in Social Media
By: Susan Codone
S
ocial media provides us with an amazing opportunity to define ourselves or our organizations based on our own perceptions of whom or what we are. For church and ministry, the driving mission underlying our social media presence needs to be that of authenticity. Are we really who we say we are? In 2011, four authors at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver wrote an article that described seven foundational building blocks of social media. Jan Kietzmann, Kristopher Hermkens, Ian McCarthy, and Bruno Silvestre wrote about these building blocks in a journal called Business Horizons, and their descriptions of these building blocks has been cited by many others who write about social media. Consider the similarity and differences between the social media tools you use – perhaps Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. In their article, Kietzmann, Christian Computing® Magazine
Hermkens, McCarthy, and Silvestre wrote that the seven foundational building blocks of all social media platforms are these: • • • • • • •
Presence Relationships Reputation Groups Conversation Sharing Identity August 2013
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If you examine the major social media platforms commonly used in the United States like Twitter and Facebook, it is true that they are indeed built on these concepts, although some utilize some differently than others. Twitter doesn’t promote groups, but Google+ is built on the concept of circles of users. Pinterest doesn’t necessarily promote conversation, but it does strongly encourage sharing. I know this to be true because Pinterest’s primary demographic, adult women, often share recipes on Facebook they first find on Pinterest. So what does this mean for the church? Beginning with this month’s column, I’d like to begin a series of articles to probe more deeply into how churches can communicate their messages more effectively through social media. These articles will focus more on concepts and strategies than the tools or platforms themselves. Many practitioners freely share tips and techniques for maximizing the popular social media tools. What’s missing in the conversation, though, especially within the church, are the questions of “Why?” and “Who?” As part of my series, I’d like to focus on these questions, and at the same time, add a few more building blocks to the ones described by these authors – those of maintenance and impact. This month, let’s discuss identity in social media. To answer the “Who” and “Why” questions above, churches and ministry leaders need to ask why they are using social media – for what reasons and what central purpose. Then, we need to ask exactly who we are trying to reach – those social media users already in the church or those outside, each of which are distinctly different audiences. If we can’t answer these questions, then our social media strategy lacks strategic direction. Whether the social media platform is Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, Tumblr, Orkut, or, if you’re in the United Kingdom, then perhaps Bebo, the most immediate issue is to define our identities – part of answering “Who”. To do this, we first need to decide how much self or institutional disclosure we want to make and how far to go with revealing who we are. Profiles are the venue for claiming identity on social media. If you are communicating individually through social media as a ministry leader, the Christian Computing® Magazine
first question to answer is how much to reveal about yourself. High levels of self-disclosure can lead to privacy issues and to misunderstandings about you and your role. On the other hand, carefully selected parcels of information about who you are can be humanizing and create a perception of approachability. Whether that perception is authentic or not depends upon how you craft your identity through your profile. For example, in Rick Warren’s Twitter profile, the first thing he mentions is “No socks”. Then he mentions “Love Jesus”. In four words, Warren is communicating that he’s casual and loves Jesus. In just these four words, he makes himself approachable – my goodness, he doesn’t even wear socks, so he must be one of us – and then he claims his identity as a follower of Christ. Twitter limits profiles to 160 characters so a user only has a short space to create their identity, but carefully crafted, what is said creates a lasting impression on followers, and this holds true across all platforms. But again, we must be intentional about authenticity. If we’re not genuine online, we’re not genuine in person. Churches and other religious organizations can customize social media profiles differently because they identify as a collective group, not as an individual. Rick Warren’s church, Saddleback, states two things on its Twitter profile. First, they clarify that this account is the “official account” for Saddleback Church – a statement that is necessary in an age of copycat and parody accounts across all social media platforms. But in the next sentence, they describe Saddleback as a place that is passionate about loving God and people. Very clearly, they answer the questions of “Who” and “Why”. Rick Warren and Saddleback Church are not necessarily power users of social media or the only examples to follow. Warren has over 1 million folAugust 2013
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lowers, but on Twitaholic.com’s list of Twitter users worldwide, he ranks 1, 450th in the world. Yet if you read his posts on Twitter and Facebook, you’ll find that he makes silly jokes, posts random comments, and grieves publicly. He also relentlessly promotes the activities of his church. As part of his social media identity, he reveals enough information about himself to make him accessible to those who follow him. He shares his life and journey through social media, but he does so carefully. He also works hard to shut down fake accounts trying to undermine his identity, which is another danger. At the same time, Saddleback Church uses their identity to promote church events and share information, and an examination of the posts of both Warren and his church are very consistent in this purpose. The questions of “Why” and “Who” can be answered quickly by looking at the social media identities of Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. Why? Both have a presence on multiple social media applications to spread the message of God, and both do so consistently and passionately. To whom? The world, just as we are commanded to do in the Bible. Both Rick Warren and Saddleback Church have followers all across the world, extending their reach, reputation, presence, and impact as far as possible – but those are other articles that I will write in future months. So, take a moment and examine your identity on social media. Have you answered the “Why” and “Who” questions? On your profiles, are you presenting a genuine description of who or what you are? If someone who finds you on social media walks through the church door on Sunday morning, will the identity you have posted match up with what that person has seen online? The concept of identity in social media is crucial, because it drives the rest of our social media activity. In the next few months, I’ll discuss how presentation, relationships, Christian Computing® Magazine
reputation, groups, conversation, sharing, maintenance, and impact can extend your social media identity and make it powerful and effective. Happy browsing! Susan is an associate professor at Mercer University. In Mercer’s Technical Communication undergraduate degree, students can specialize in Ministry Media & Technology. Contact Susan anytime for more information at codone_s@mercer.edu.
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ministry leadership
What Online Giving Can do for Your Church By: Mark Thompson
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ou’ve probably heard about churches that accept contributions over the internet and wondered if you should do the same. Larger and urban churches saw early, immediate benefits and were among the first to adopt the practice. But now churches of all sizes and denominations are adopting this tool. The COO of Network for Good, a fundraiser for many non-profit organizations, says “Online giving is no longer the domain of wealthy early adopters—it’s more and more mainstream.”1 So, is online giving right for your church? Let’s look at the potential benefits, and then at some of the concerns churches often have. Increased Overall Giving In 2011, Reuters reported that churches who added online giving increased their overall collections anywhere from 10 to 30 percent.2 Altoona Alliance Church in Altoona, PA, for example, increased their total contributions by 18 percent within 5 months of introducing online giving.3 TJ Schultz, Technology Specialist at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, MN, boasts even greater success at Christian Computing® Magazine
his church: “The financial impact of online giving is similar to Autumn Ridge adding an additional service. It is either even with—or outpaces— our onsite giving for each of our three weekend services.”4 No surprise then, that at last count, 41 percent of American churches offered online giving to their members, and that number continues to grow. 5 The respected State of the Plate report annually publishes fundraising statistics for US churches. Its author, Brian Kluth, sees a definite trend toward more online giving and says there is a good reason for it: “The availability of August 2013
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electronic giving has a direct correlation to an increase in overall donations.... You do get more income from the church.”6 So, is online giving just a way to raise more funds? Surprisingly, there’s a lot more going on here than just chasing new money. There are other benefits you probably never considered. Income Consistency Inconsistent giving can be almost as serious a problem for churches as low overall giving. Budgeting requires a fairly steady flow of money. Without it, salaries, expenses, and missions all have to compete for their cut of yoyo’ing funds. Holidays, travel plans, and illness conspire to make you choose what will get cut this month. But online giving can even out your church’s income. Jim Gum, Executive Pastor at Heartland Community Church in Olathe, KS was amazed by this effect. One of the unexpected surprises that online giving has brought about is a much smoother summer giving period. Once people have their recurring gifts set up, they are able to give even when they aren’t physically present. This is significant as studies have shown people do not typically “catch up” on their giving after missing time due to vacation, sickness, or other times when “life happens.”7 Chris Gunnare, COO at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA, found that “over 30% [of regular givers] gave on a more consistent basis” after his church added online contributions.8 And it’s those regular, consistent givers that are so important. Gifts from visitors and guests are welcome, of course. But it’s your steady attendees that let you make budget. Tithing now makes up only 2-3% of religious giving in the US, so those steady contributors are harder than ever to come by.9 Online giving, especially when set up as a recurring, automatic process, might just be the answer. Reporter Kristy MacKaben discovered Christian Computing® Magazine
“faithful church members find it easier and more convenient to donate, and the church can depend on their donations even if they are unable to attend church or forget their checkbook.”10 A Tool for Reaching New People When somebody anonymously drops cash into the offering plate, you miss a golden opportunity to improve stewardship at your church. Who gave that money and why? What motivates them to attend and contribute? How can you better address their needs? Autumn Ridge Church found “with one central database that would connect giving as well as attendance, volunteering, and small group participation, we had a much clearer picture of a member’s involvement in our church.”11 And not only can you build up a picture of those previously anonymous people, you’re no longer hidden from them either. A fascinating result of churches accepting online giving is that contributions start coming in from, seemingly, out of the blue: “Over 36 percent of the people who gave online were not in our database. Which meant they were either—A—not giving to the church in the past—B— they were just giving by cash and never registered for a class, or—C—we were not, August 2013
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by just passing the plate, making it very easy for them to give. And this definitely provided them an opportunity. So I guess you would maybe call it a new revenue source.”12 Chris Gunnare commented. Concern 1: The Generation Gap Churches new to online giving usually have several reservations. One is the belief that “our church is very traditional. They will never go for it.” But you might be surprised at the number of people who are not only willing, but actually prefer to give online. Even among people 65 and older, that number reached 50% in 2011 and continues to grow.13
And what about the other 50%? Will they sink your online giving program? Not at all! The goal is not to make all your members contribute online. You can expect many to continue using the offering plate. Online giving only targets those people who enjoy the convenience. The idea is to capture funds that might be lost because some members would rather give to another cause — one that does offer an online option. As long as your online processor doesn’t charge a fee when giving falls below a minimum, you lose Christian Computing® Magazine
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nothing on plate-only givers. Concern 2: Personal Debt Part of your ministry certainly includes looking out for your members’ financial welfare. Churches don’t want to burden anyone with excessive credit card debt. If you think this might be a stumbling block to some members of your congregation, consider the approach used by First Baptist in Joelton, TN. They allow gifts by debit card, but not credit card.14 This is an option offered by many online processors. Your contributors’ money is taken directly from their checking accounts, and they avoid the interest and fees of a credit card. Concern 3: The Cost Until recently, accepting money online was the province of large businesses, many of whom maintain legal and accounting teams to handle the contractual details. Most churches don’t have this luxury. But online transactions are now being used by organizations of all sizes: from large corporations to small, self-employed home businesses. Now that everyone is getting into the act, new laws have been passed to limit the amount of fees online processors can charge. It’s become a much more democratized process in the past few years. Because of this, churches have discovered that the overall increase in funds — made possible by new, electronic gifts and the more consistent regular giving afforded by online processing — more than makes up for any fees they have to pay. Again, when it comes to fees, you just want to make sure your online processor’s fees are in line with those of the industry at large and that they do not require a minimum amount of activity each month. That way, you are not charged fees unless you receive contributions. You should also look for a simplified billing structure in which you only pay fees to one entity. You will benefit from having a single bill from a single company instead of paying the credit card companies, the online processor, and your software company separately.
of a free market, but there’s no doubt that churches have hit upon a great new way to raise funds. Well-planned and well-advertised rollouts of electronic giving programs have ensured that many churches can compete with the growing crowd of sophisticated fundraisers — and succeed. Mark Thompsom has taught English and written for PeopleSoft, Progress Energy, and Borland before coming to ACS Technologies, where he has been for the last 6 years.
1—Katya Anderson, COO, Network For Good. “What 1.9 Million Donors Can Tell Us About Fundraising on the Web.” The Nonprofit Technology Network. (www.nten.org). 2011 2—Susan Schept, “Electronic Giving Increasing for Church Collections”, Reuters. 2011. 3—Kristy MacKaben, “Offerings Go Digital,” Altoona Mirror. 2012. 4—Ben Stroup, Giving Case Study by Ben Stroup. 2011. 5—Brian Kluth, Christianity Today, and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability; 2012 State of the Plate. 2012. 6—Brian Kluth, Christianity Today, and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability; 2012 State of the Plate. 2012. 7—Ben Stroup, Giving Case Study by Ben Stroup, 2011. 8—Chris Gunnare, Video made for ACS Technologies. 2012. 9—Sarah Murray, “Blessed are the Generous,” The Financial Times. 2012. 10—Kristy MacKaben, “Offerings Go Digital,” Altoona Mirror. 2012. 11—Ben Stroup, Giving Case Study by Ben Stroup. 2011. 12—Chris Gunnare, Video made for ACS Technologies. 2012. http://www.acstechnologies.com/foundationalchurches/online_giving/article242176.htm?body=1 13—Holly Hall, “Internet Giving Grows in Popularity with Older Americans,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 2011. 14—Marcia Frelick, “Churches Embrace Online Credit, Debit Card Donations,” CreditCards.com.
Conclusion Call it a godsend or the natural consequence Christian Computing® Magazine
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higher power with kevin
5 Simple WORDsearch 10 Tips
Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org
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e’re giving users some useful tips for using their Bible software applications. Last month we looked at five tips for making use of Logos Bible Software (see http://www.ccmag.com/2013_07/ ccmag2013_07.pdf). We now turn to another extremely popular program for Windows and now Mac users – WORDsearch 10. Make Use of Easy Start Screen Some power users turn off this useful opening screen because they want to jump right into the library of WORDsearch 10 (WS10). To do that, go to Options, Settings and choose something other than Show Easy Start Screen from the top drop down list.
However, before skipping past it, check out the useful tools it includes. • Ads about deals available to expand the library • Video Tutorials about how to use the program • Daily Devotionals • Browse Add-On books available at the company’s website • Link to check for upgrades at the bottom of the screen • Look for version number in the bottom left corner in case you need support or are just curious Go Power User in Settings Speaking of the Settings, go there (again Options, Settings) to set some power users settings. Here’s a few I’d recommend changing.
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• Start with this Desktop from the Startup and Paths tab – create your own desktop and choose to have WS10 open to this desktop every time the program launches • Change the Bible text format from the bottom left of the Books and Windows tab – paragraph arranges a Bible by paragraphs and the one verse per line puts each verse on its own line • Change font in the Book Display Font tab • Format the way it copies Bibles and book
text in the Bible Copy and Book Copy tabs – I like to put the Bible citation after the verses on the same line so I change this from the Bible Copy tab • Use Turabian citation for books from the Book Copy tab – unfortunately it doesn’t offer other citation formats • Create a highlighting legend from Highlighting tab – assign topics to a color like Faith to the purple color or Grace to the red color • Add social networking accounts from Social Apps tab to allow posting content to Facebook and Twitter • Remove unwanted translations in Info Window – I never use certain translations so I only put my used translations in the “to be included” pane and I use the CTRL+Click to select them all first and then hit the Add arrow Those settings will help get WORDsearch 10 in working fashion for power users. Look at the others to see if you want to change some more. Access Charts, Maps and Special Features in Certain Books When a user opens books with special features like maps and charts, the first time WS10 gives a message informing the user can access these from the book’s toolbar. The book’s toolbar is different than the program toolbar. There’s an orange star just left of the reference box. Click it and a list of special features shows up. This button opens the Table of Contents (aka TOC) and selects the tab of the special feature the user chose. Create a Desktop In a previous tip we suggested setting a desktop for startup. To do this, one must create a useful desktop.
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So what kinds of desktops would you set up? How about one for reading multiple translations? Make one for favorite commentaries. Another can include all the original language tools. If you often setup and use the same sets of tools in the same arrangement, then create a desktop. Do this by arranging the desktop windows and tabs as you like them. Then click on the Desktop icon on the application toolbar. Choose Desktop and then give it a name. Write Your Own Commentary or Add Your Sermons to WS10 The built-in word processor won’t replace MS Word, but it’s useful for creating documents within WS10. Some people put all their sermons in the
Christian Computing® Magazine
program so they can link to Bibles or books they cite. This also makes them searchable. Open a new Word Processing document using the WORD PROC button on the toolbar. This opens a simple word processor. Either cut and paste your sermon or documents from an external source into the word processor or create it from the window.
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digital evangelism
Digital Evangelism with e-Sword (Part 3) Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplace.com
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n the July issue of CCMAG, I discussed the value of using e-Sword’s Graphics Viewer for supplementing your weekly Sunday School or Bible Study lessons. If you missed it, you can read the archived issue at community.ccmag.com in the “Digital Evangelism Community” at your leisure, although you’ll need to be a subscriber to the community, of course.
In this issue I’ll discuss the value of using eSword’s Dictionaries and Commentaries for sermons, Sunday School classes, Bible Studies, and practically any other type of Biblical instruction. You can download all of these from the Download menu in e-Sword. I recommend you get them all so that you’ll have them for handy reference when you need them. One of my favorite dictionaries has long been Smith’s Bible Dictionary (I had also owned a copy in print at one time early in my ministry), because it provides a wealth of information about people, places, objects, and cultural insights in the Bible. It is very reliable for finding little-known details about all kinds of things, such as this little tidbit of inforChristian Computing® Magazine
mation I discovered when I looked up the name of Isaiah: “Rabbinical tradition says that Isaiah, when 90 years old, was sawn asunder in the trunk of a carob tree by order of Manasseh, to which, it is supposed, that reference is made in Hebrews 11:37.” That is an intriguing bit of knowledge, don’t you think? Nevertheless, while I still value Smith’s Bible Dictionary, I have come to have a great appreciation for both Easton’s Bible Dictionary and Fausset’s Bible Dictionary as well. All three of these are available for free in e-Sword. Until I found Easton and Fausset among e-Sword’s download options, I must confess that I was unfamiliar with both of them. Now, I use all three of these dictionaries August 2013
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when researching a topic. translators of the Bible to this day. At least the JewSpeaking of researching and looking up names, ish scribes continued to write the name of God onto another of my favorite dictionaries available in eeach new scroll of Scripture, though they refused Sword is Hitchcock’s Bible Names, though I someto pronounce it out loud. Indeed, in both writing times disagree with the wording of Hitchcock’s and speech they usually refer to God as HaShem definitions, based on other insights I’ve received (literally, “The Name”), even rather than use the from other sources, as well as my own personal un- generic name “GOD” (Elohim in Hebrew). The derstanding of certain Hebrew words. I must hasten argument, whether Hebrew or Christian, that the to add that I am by no means a Hebrew or Greek personal name of God is too holy to pronounce just scholar, however. I find this reference most helpdoesn’t square-up with God’s willingness to give ful when I want to know the literal meaning of a His personal Name when Moses asked for it (ExoBible name, such as Daniel (which means “God my dus 3:13-14) and when He commanded the people Judge,” though I would suggest “God is My Judge”) and Eleazar (which means “Help of God,” but I think “God is My Helper” fits well, too) and Isaiah (which get your free demo means “the Salvation of the Lord” www.servantpc.com/ccmag though I personally think “the Salvation of Yah” or even “Yah’s 800-773-7570 Salvation” is more accurate). Interestingly, the names of Joshua and Jesus also mean the same as Manage your ministry with Isaiah. Due to the fact that Jewish tradition prohibits the uttering of God’s personal name, partly Track donations, Email Statements, because they think it is too holy Manage: Small Groups, Classes, Attendance, to pronounce and partly because Visitor follow-up, Outreach and MORE! the precise pronunciation is uncertain, they substitute “Adonai” when reading it, which is translated as “LORD” in English. Most translators suggest either Keep children safe with Jehovah or Yahweh for God’s personal name, but after reviewing H1961 and H1933 in both Easy check-in, secure check-out, Strong’s and the NASB’s concorSyncs with Servant Keeper, dances, I think Yahavah (literName badges w/ allergies, notes, alerts, class info. ally, “I am the breathing or living Claim tickets for parents/guardians, run background checks One”) could also be a possibility. In fact, I think English translators, starting with some of the earliest translations (such as the Bishops, Geneva, and King James Bibles), Plan worship effortlessly with did us a great disservice when they took this tradition one step further by actually changing the Keeps your song library at your fingertips, word for God’s name in the text Quickly plan and schedule services and teams to “the LORD,” a practice which Easily track song usage and do reports is perpetuated by most English
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of Israel to swear by His name (Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20). If God didn’t want to reveal His name to Moses, He could have said what the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” (Judges 13:18 NKJV). A similar event occurred a few hundred years earlier when Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the LORD at Peniel (Genesis 32:29-30). While we are to guard our use of God’s personal name to insure we don’t profane it (i.e., use it wrongly, as we are commanded in Exodus 20:7), we are certainly free to call on God by His personal name in prayer or to refer to Him by His personal name in conversation with others or in writing. It actually seems contradictory to me (and even hypocritical) to give people names that include the personal name of God (such as Isaiah, Joshua, Hosea – which are all variants of “Yah’s Salvation”) and to shout, “Hallelujah!” (which is derived from the Hebrew – “Halal Yah” – for “Praise Yah!” and yet still claim that we can’t speak the name of God out loud. See Psalm 135:3 as just one example and compare it with both the Complete Jewish Bible and Young’s Literal Translation to see what I mean. Compare Psalm 68:4 and Isaiah 12:2, 26:4, and 38:11 in the New King James Bible with the Complete Jewish Bible, Young’s Literal Translation, and the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible just for the fun of it to see how it reads in each of these versions. You see how much knowledge of God and the things of God you can gain from a simple reading of these dictionaries and various Bible translations, and I haven’t even begun to talk about the benefit of the commentaries e-Sword has to offer! Speaking of commentaries in e-Sword, my alltime favorite is Matthew Henry. Whenever I come across something in the Scripture that is unclear or even baffling to me, I usually head straight for Matthew Henry to see what revelation God gave to that great man of faith. One such instance that stands out in my memory is a passage I wrestled with for a while. It is found in Isaiah 7:1-16, and I was specifically baffled as to how verse 16 could refer to the Messiah (Jesus), as it seems to do, when the prophesied calamity upon Syria and Ephraim refers to a time in the more immediate future for King Ahaz, before Jesus would even be born. Furthermore, I notice that even the New King James translators appear to have misinterpreted this verse by capitalizing the word “Child,” which they mean to refer to Christ. Nevertheless, Matthew Henry clarifies this Christian Computing® Magazine
passage most insightfully in his Isaiah 7:10-16 commentary where he explains in point IV.2 that “the child” refers to Isaiah’s own son in his arms, whom God directed him in Isaiah 7:3 to take with him to prophesy to King Ahaz. John Wesley came to this same conclusion in his commentary, though we may never know whether he learned it from reading Matthew Henry or someone else or whether the Holy Spirit revealed it to him as He had revealed it to Matthew Henry. One of the truly excellent features about using e-Sword is that when you are reading a Bible passage, all you have to do is click on a particular verse which you want to review in the commentaries and it will be synchronized in every commentary you have installed in e-Sword. Simply switch to the commentaries workspace by using the Ctrl+F3 keyboard combo and then click on the tab of the commentary you wish to read. The same is true when you click on one of the Strong’s Concordance numbers. Just click on the Strong’s reference number you wish to review, switch to the dictionaries workspace by using the Ctrl+F4 keyboard combo, and then click on the Strong tab to view the Hebrew or Greek word in question. You can use this same synchronization feature with the dictionaries workspace by clicking once on a specific word in a Bible passage and having it display in each of your installed dictionaries where it is found. This is a real time saver. There’s so much more to share about using e-Sword’s dictionaries and commentaries components, but I’ll leave it to you to discover the rest. After all, I don’t want to spoil all of your fun! In my next and final article in this series, I will discuss using e-Sword’s Reference Library component. Just like the Editors, the Graphics Viewer, and the Commentaries and Dictionaries components, this tool can also greatly enhance your knowledge and understanding of practically any topic. Don’t miss it! Michael L. White is the founder and Managing Editor of Parson Place Press, an independent Christian publishing house in Mobile, Alabama. His book Digital Evangelism: You Can Do It, Too! (Parson Place Press, 2011) is available wherever books are sold. Visit his Website at books.parsonplace.com for a list of his other books and articles.
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the power and the danger
Kickstarter
By Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com
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ast month, I mentioned that the Pebble watch had been the most successful Kickstarter campaign ever. When I wrote that, you might have wondered – what is Kickstarter? Kickstarter is the leading example of a crowdfunding site. In ministry, we know all about the need to raise funding, and we likely have a sense for crowds, but… What is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding websites provide a mechanism for a large collection of individuals (a crowd) to contribute money (funding) for a project they are passionate about. It is estimated that crowdfunding sites raised $2.7 billion in 2012 and will raise $5 billion this year. Types of projects commonly funded include new products by startup companies, new recordings by musical artists, new books by authors, new movies by independent film makers, and even scientific research. Christian Computing® Magazine
More than a million projects were crowdfunded last year. Often, the folks seeking funding will promise special treats to those willing to fund them, with bigger and better offers going to those who promise to provide the most money towards the goal. For example, last year I participated in the funding of a double-disc CD of children’s music by the Christian folk duo, Alathea. Those pledging $15 would receive a digital download of the music; those pledging $25 would get an August 2013
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Is Facebook safe for your family? http://cxfriends.com
autographed copy of the CD; while those pledging $100 or more would receive “THE COMMUNITY BREAKFAST BASKET: with CD, homemade blueberry jam, eggs from our chickens, fresh local bread, and a personalized morning prayer.” What is good about Kickstarter? Many ministries seem to always be raising support. Whether it be for a missions trip or a building fund, it seems that being in ministry means becoming a part-time fund raiser. And what does that mean? Usually it means finding people who care enough about the end goal to prayerfully contribute a few dollars in support. It sounds like Kickstarter is a perfect fit! Kickstarter makes it easy to set up a page to describe the project. They make it easy to accept a variety of forms of payment. They track who pedged support and send receipts on payment. They make it easy to send supporters updates as funding and the actual project advances. In short, they simplify many of the tedious aspects of fundraising. What is wrong with Kickstarter? The biggest issue with using Kickstarter for ministry fundraising is that, for many ministry needs, using Kickstarter is not allowed. From the Kickstarter website: “Kickstarter cannot be used to fund charity projects or causes. While there are countless causes worthy of support, we believe that creativity deserves its own space.” Kickstarter is for “creative projects only.” That means that your music ministry can use Kickstarter to raise funds to record a CD, but Kickstarter cannot be used for a missions trip. Another concern with Kick-
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CSG.173.mEs Digital Ad CCMag_Layout 1 8/1/12 9:25 AM Page 2
starter is that it follows an “all or nothing” philosophy. Kickstarter campaigns have a clear goal for how much money will be raised in what timeframe. If the funds aren’t raised by the deadline, none of the money gets collected and none of it gets distributed. That’s a different model than most of us like to follow when raising money for ministry activities. Kickstarter backers also tend to get something directly from the project in return for their money. Again, that’s not the way we typically work when we’re raising support for our ministries. Sure, sometimes we’ll hold a bake sale, or sell coupon books to our neighbors, but mailing tangible rewards to supporters is beyond our normal mode of operation. Are there better alternatives? Thankfully, alternatives have emerged that combine what’s good with sites like Kickstarter with the specific needs of non-profits and even specifically Christian ministries. FaithLauncher is one of the more prominent Christian crowdfunding sites. It operates similar to Kickstarter in many ways, but:
• It’s not “all or nothing” – ministries get however much is pledged, even that amount doesn’t meet the goal • It doesn’t limit what can be funded – “FaithLauncher provides a platform to raise funds for any Christian inspired project.” • It doesn’t require providing tangible incentives for folks to support the project. FaithLauncher also introduces new concepts that don’t fit the Kickstarter model. In addition to asking for money, you can use FaithLauncher to ask for help – volunteers and for prayer support. In addition to FaithLauncher, other alternatives include DonationTo, fundraise.com, CauseVox, and Fundly. While these sites aren’t specifically Christian, they are designed to meet the needs of non-profit fundraising. We have certainly come a long way since the days of Paul, when it was really hard for people to get money to the ministries they were passionate about. Consider this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth: “Now it is Christian Computing® Magazine
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superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.” (2 Corinthians 9:1-5) It is my hope and prayer that these articles on the power and danger of technology will encourage you in your daily walk with Christ. Whether it is crowdfunding, the printing press, radio, television, personal computers, the Internet, the Cloud, smartphones, or augmented reality, new technologies continue to advance our ability to know God and to serve Him, wherever we go.
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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 CXfriends (http://cxfriends.com), a social network for Christian families which is being built and run by four homeschooled students under Russ’ direction.
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ministry communication
A free calendar program to help your church organize holiday resources Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com
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s we head into the fall season of celebrations, it can be hard to keep track of all that is going on and everything we need to do to be ready for it. Not only that, but how do you let people in your church and those associated with it know what resources you have for them associated with the holidays—for example, special events at church or Advent celebrations resources for parents. I recently completed a search for calendar software for my website and realized it could be very helpful for churches.
How I discovered the software I was working on resources for church communicators as we approach the busy fall season of outreach events and church celebrations, but with over 1,000 resources, articles, templates, ebooks, training lessons, on my website, ( http://www.effectivechurchcom.com ) I realized that some sort of calendar program or plugin for my website would be useful to help visitors link to what they need. I wanted more than something that just listed holidays, even though I wasn’t sure exactly what, so I started searching. I began my search by looking at and trying various calendar programs. I tried reveiws and lists on the web as well as WordPress Plugins. After numerous dead ends and after trying numerous ones, and not getting the results I Christian Computing® Magazine
wanted, I did get a good idea of what I really needed in a calendar program. Finally, I found the All-In-One-Event Calendar by Time.ly. It is available as a free plugin through the WordPress Plugin directory and it can also be downloaded and used in a number of ways from its website: Time.ly. What I like about the program and why I chose it I chose this particular program based on what I felt was important for the users of my website—church communicators. My reasons for choosing it would not apply to your personal calendar (don’t even consider it for that)—I needed one for a ministry organization. I have to stay very focused when I’m looking for a way to meet a specific August 2013
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The All-In-One-Event Calendar by Time.ly does all these things. If you want to jump to see how I am using it, before reading more and if you want to see the neat Posterboard layout, click on this link: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/calendar-2/ I know the software will do so much more than what I use it for and I have no experience with their pro version or any tools available in the program that I’m not using. I have so many things I need to do to equip church communicators that once I get software or a program or plugin to work and do what I need, unless I have a good reason, I leave it at that.
need for my site. My choosing this for my website is not an endorsement for its use for anything else. It fact, it isn’t necessarily even an endorsement for this program—I am simply sharing what works for me—and since I hadn’t heard about it before I recently found it, wanted to share it with all of you. Here is what I wanted whatever calendar I chose to do: • I wanted to be able to link a variety of resources (training, articles, templates, videos about the holiday) to the calendar. • I wanted the pop-out to look good and to have what I consider the right amount of teaser lines (not something you could adjust in most other programs). • I wanted to be able to assign categories and make it possible for users to call up only what they wanted or needed. • I wanted it to be accessible in a number of formats so church communicators could use as little or as much as they want in whatever format they want, eg. calendar view, list view, etc. • I wanted something easy to use and figure out (no coding required). • I wanted it to look good (I LOVE the Posterboard layout). Christian Computing® Magazine
It could also be a great plugin for a church website As I’ve worked with the program, I realized this calendar system could work really well for a church website if the site was based on WordPress. It may work on others, but I don’t have experience with that. It could be very useful because you can have the overall calendar view and when you click the pop-outs can give a brief explanation of the event or holiday and then in this expanded view have direct links to other resources. You could organize the categories to the various ministry groups and people could simply click on and have all the events perhaps for the youth group or whatever come up together. You can add images, ministry logos, or colorcode the various ministries. I know the program has many more tools for sign-ups etc. that I don’t need, but that might be useful for a church. Though they have a Pro version that costs, the one I use that has more features that I make use of is free-which is always a plus--feeding hungry children and rescuing the oppressed are far more important ways to spend our money than buying some fancy calendar program or software. So far, I really like the program—now I just have to get all the holidays and my resources linked to it! _________________________________________ For more information on the All-In-OneEvent Calendar by Time.ly, I also did a little video demo here: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=VMR7ZTKQtMA&feature=c4-overview&l ist=UUmHq46fONHxOgIF1vF4OrtQ To see it in action on my website and how I’m using it to help equip church communicators: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/calendar-2/
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nick at church
Nick’s Software Picks
Nick Nicholaou - nick@mbsinc.com
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ur team has had the privilege of serving many hundreds of ministries nationwide as network engineers and consultants. In those roles we have found that some software works better in church and ministry offices than others. We have also found that some software seems to be more trouble-free than others. It is with that perspective that we make the following recommendations. Software comes in three basic categories: operating systems, applications, and games. Although games are the most fun, in this article we will only look at operating systems and applications. Operating Systems Operating system software (often called the OS) is what helps computers know what to do with the commands they receive from users and programs. The most prevalent is Microsoft Windows. Thanks to Apple and Microsoft, the 1980’s saw a significant reduction of operating system choices. PCs and Macs became very popular, and with them custom-written operating systems nearly disappeared. Christian Computing® Magazine
From that point on OSes came from one of only a few providers, compared to hundreds previously. Computer standardization began, and everyone benefited. Today we’re seeing a slight reversal of that trend we enjoyed in the 1980s. And although the choices have become more complex, the operating system decision can still be fairly simple. Desktop & Notebook Operating Systems Desktop and notebook OSes today are mostly from Apple or Microsoft. Some OSes, such as Linux, are gaining momentum and support. As OS competition heats up, the general public wins. Each OS provider will be driven to improve their features and August 2013
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reduce cost; and quality and stability will improve. Our current PC OS of choice is Windows 7 Pro. To run Win7 Pro well, we recommend buying the fastest processor you can afford with at least 4Gb of RAM. We recommend avoiding the Home edition in office environments, and Microsoft agrees. We also recommend avoiding Windows 8 because of the steep learning curve for office workers on non-touch screens, and almost all of corporate America agrees. Mac OSX 10.8, Mountain Lion, is the latest Mac OS as of this writing, and it’s a solid platform. Apple is working towards the release of its successor, Mavericks, which we’re looking forward to testing once it is in final form. Network Operating Systems Microsoft Windows has won the NOS (Network Operating System) wars for now, and we recommend using Windows Server 2008r2. Though Microsoft has released Windows Server 2012, it has basically the same interface as Windows 8— specifically, no Start Button— which makes using it on servers a challenge. Microsoft’s answer is to do more through the PowerShell, which is akin to using DOS commands. It just doesn’t feel like 2012 was a step forward for
Microsoft, and we hope they correct their course soon. Hypervisors This newer software category allows us to turn the computer we historically referred to as a server into a host for many virtual servers. Though it sounds complex, it’s actually simple once seen. Some of the reasons this new category of software has gained so much acceptance are: • The computer’s processor chip is the most expensive component in the computer. Most servers only use 5% - 10% of their processer capacity after they’ve been started, and so this very expensive component goes mostly unused. By installing a hypervisor and then hosting virtual servers on top of it, you are able to get more use out of your physical server computers, achieving a much higher return on your investment. It also reduces the number of physical servers needed, and that saves money and energy. • Windows NOSes function best— that is, most reliably— when they only run one service,
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Nick Nicholaou, President
“. . . freeing those in ministry from business distractions.” Phone: 714.840.5900 • www.mbsinc.com • info@mbsinc.com
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like Exchange, for instance. That means in a Windows network you’re best to have many servers, which can be expensive if they’re physical boxes. Using hypervisor technology reduces your cost significantly because you’re able to run many virtual servers on one host, and the only additional cost to configuring a host is that it may need more RAM and should have two power supplies and two network interface cards. • In most networks, the level of hypervisor software needed is completely free!
charting, pivot table, and diagnostic functions are powerful and easy to use. And Excel spreadsheets and charts paste easily into Word documents. Excel can also link to many databases (using pivot tables), providing real-time diagnostic charting to help make good management decisions. • Slide Presentations. This software lets you put together lessons, sermons, classes, and more in outline form. Those outlines can be presented as attractive slide shows that can be projected through monitors or projectors with attention-getting graphics and animation.
Hypervisor software is heating up to be the next battle frontier for IT domination, which is good for consumers of the technology. The company that invented the technology for the PC platform is VMware, and their software is currently the best— no contest. Microsoft, Cisco, and others are also in the market, so that may change. But for now, VMware is the software to go with, having about 70% of the worldwide market share. You can download it for free at www. vmware.com. Applications The programs we use to get our work done (I refer to this category as productivity software) can come in separate pieces or in suites. Microsoft Office has the lead in this area. Office 2013 for Windows systems and 2011 for Macs make sharing files very easy across both platforms. • Word Processor. Church word processing is highly layout and mail-merge oriented, as opposed to simple document processing. If your team uses Microsoft Word, then you probably augment the layout function with a light desktop publisher like Microsoft Publisher. • Spreadsheet. The best spreadsheet program available is Microsoft Excel. The formula, Christian Computing® Magazine
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The two greatest benefits we’ve found are: 1. Reduced preparation time since the software works in outline form; and 2. Enhanced delivery of your message because it involves more senses and can be graphically memorable. The best software in this area is Microsoft’s PowerPoint. • Email, Calendars, Contacts, & Tasks. Outlook and Exchange are the combination of choice for this category. Exchange is the email server, and Outlook is the client that presents Exchange’s contents to the user. And since Outlook 2007 also has the ability to receive RSS feeds (blog updates, etc), keeping the user in one simple-to-use program (this feature is only available to Windows users). Database Most ministries are best to buy a ministry or church management system (ChMS) that is designed to serve the needs of ministries rather than to buy a database and develop one of their own. There are many good ChMS providers listed in this journal. But don’t try to buy a database and develop your own; it takes too much time, is too hard on the staff, and will eventually cost much more than you probably want to spend. Documents That Are Portable Portable Document Format (pdf) files are a great way to send documents of all types to others via the Internet while maintaining fonts and layout. Acrobat Reader is free for all, but until recently you had to buy the full Acrobat product or a PDFcreating utility to create pdf files. Microsoft Office modules have the ability to save files as PDFs, saving the extra expense of purchasing another product. Internet Browser There is a growing number of people using Mozilla’s Firefox internet browser. It can be downloaded for free from www.mozilla.com, and is easy to install. Firefox is easy to use and has some features that don’t exist in Internet Explorer or Safari. It does a great job at securely remembering website IDs and passwords, and is safer to use than other browsers. Christian Computing® Magazine
Many like Google Chrome, but we find it to be a little thin on features, and thus prefer Firefox. Bible Study Tools & Libraries There are many good tools to help in this area. My favorite is the Logos Scholar’s Library. One that many like to run on their SmartPhone is simply called Bible (see www.youversion.com). Remote Communication If you have a Windows Server in your network server cluster, you already have a great tool available to make your network available to those who need access from other locations. These NOSes ship with a service called Terminal Services. Enabling and configuring Terminal Services can allow authorized users to work on your network from any computer with an internet connection. This is also a great way to keep network support costs low because many network issues can be resolved through Terminal Services. Project Management/ Whiteboard Our team was looking for a simple project manager we could list our projects on with the tasks that need to be completed for each project. We tried Microsoft Project, but found it to be too intense. Some colleagues recommended we look at Trello (www.trello.com). We did, and were very impressed with how simple it was, powerful enough for our needs, and accessible to all our team members through all of our Windows, Macs, iOS, and Android devices. Happy Shopping! For ministries, many vendors offer to pass the manufacturers’ charity pricing benefits to you. Our favorite vendor for these purchases is Dell. Because they aren’t in the software business, they offer charity licensing discounts without a profit markup. Nick Nicholaou is president of MBS, an IT consulting firm specializing in church and ministry computer networks, VoIP, and private cloud hosted services. You can reach Nick at nick@mbsinc.com, and may want to check out his firm’s website (www. mbsinc.com) and his blog at http://ministry-it. blogspot.com.
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