Christian Computing Magazine - December 2013 by Now - Ministry Tech Magazine

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

December 2013

No. 12

4 cover story

Worship Keeper® Goes Way Beyond Online Worship Service Planning!

Contributing Editors Yvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou Kevin A. Purcell Russ McGuire Michael L White Copy Editors Gina Hewitt Magen Cross

By Steve Hewitt

Corporate Home Office

3 Editorial

Mailing address:

Tablets Outsell Mobile PCs (Notebooks, Laptops, etc) for the First Time This Year!

Protected with Purpose

Steve Hewitt - steve@CDPublishers.com

306 Eagle Glen Ct Raymore MO 64083

Christian Computing® is a registered trademark

Predicting 2014 By: Steven Sundermeier

Ministry Leadership

Keeping our Heads in the Clouds - Cloud Computing and the Church From: ACS Technologies

13 Church Windows Software

Ahhh, “The Season” – No, Not That Season…

By: Craig Chadwell

The Power And The Danger

Roomba

23 Digital Evangelism

submitted to Christian Computing® Magazine become the property of Christian Computing®, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Christian Computing® Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publi-

Higher Power With Kevin

Which New iPad Makes the Best Preacher’s Companion Kevin A. Purcell – kevin@kevinpurcell.org

of Christian Computing, Inc. Written materials

cation may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Christian Computing®, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily

By: Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com

Digital Evangelism for Websites - Using SEO for Your Web Pages By: Michael White

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

27 Ministry Communication

Don’t Worry About Being Pushy in Your Christmas Communication Outreach 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

December 2013

editorial

Tablets Will Outsell Mobile PCs (Notebooks, Laptops, etc) for the First Time This Year! Steve Hewitt - steve@CDPublishers.com A large part of what I try to do as Editor of Christian Computing Magazine, is predict the future in the area of technology. For several years I have been trying to convince both our readers as well as our sponsors that mobile computing with Tablets was going to become predominate. According to a new report released this month from Strategy Analytics, tablets will outship mobile PCs for the first time this year. Tablets use one of three operating systems (OS); Android, iOS (Apple) and Windows (Microsoft). With the move to tablets instead of PCs, it means there will be some major changes in the future over concerning the software that is available. Almost everyone predicts that Android is the leader in the tablet market now and will continue to grow in market share. It appears that Apple will be number two followed by Microsoft. This begs several questions. How long will people continue to use their PCs or carry around their laptops or notebook computers? The reason seems to be our love and dependence on Microsoft Office. You have to wonder how long many people will still hang onto Microsoft programs as a standard. Which brings us to our second question, why hasn’t Microsoft made a version of Office that would run on an Android or Apple tablet? I loved using PowerPoint but finally moved to Keynote. Keynote is a fantastic presentation software that stands nose-to-nose with PowerPoint. It was created by Apple, and works great on my iPad. But Apple’s vision wasn’t so limited that they kept it only for their iOS. You can purchase versions of Christian Computing® Magazine

Keynote that run on an Apple computer as well as an iPad or iPhone. And you can also purchase a copy of Keynote that runs on an Android mobile device (phone or tablet) as well as on Windows. The future for me and tablets in 2014? While I have enjoyed using my iPad for a couple of years, I plan to move back to an Android tablet in 2014. They are easier to connect to a full sized keyboard and monitor. Most contain a file manager (something missing from iOS) and my wife enjoys her Toshiba tablet connecting to her 30GB external drive. And, one of the main reasons I have been using an iPad instead of an Android tablet has been due to the apps. However, it now appears that Android has an app for everything I am running on my iPad now, so I believe it is time to make the switch. Let me close by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! We have an exciting year planned for 2014, and with this issue, we will be finishing up 25 years of publishing CCMag. Watch for some cool announcements in our next issue as we celebrate our 25th year! Together We Serve Him,

Steve Hewitt steve@cdpublihsers.com

December 2013

cover story

Worship Keeper® Goes Way Beyond Online Worship Service Planning!

By Steve Hewitt

ervant PC Resources will be 20 years old and has been a great source for quality products and services to help churches! Ed Newman, the founder of Servant PC Resources, didn’t just create a great ChMS solution, but has led his company to provide a host of great solutions to meet the needs of today’s church. I plan to take a closer look at Servant Keeper Notify in the near future myself, but thought that this month, you would enjoy my interview with Ed Newman and together we can learn more about their Worship Keeper service! Enjoy. Before we get into your Worship Keeper service, tell our readers a little about Servant Keeper. I started Servant PC Resources in January 1994 with a desire to provide churches with affordable, easy to use software to help churches and ministries get better organized. Our first product, which quickly became a leader in the ChMS arena, is Servant Keeper®. This simple yet comprehensive database program provides churches and ministries with a simple yet comprehensive solution for managing their contacts, classes, groups, appointments, contributions and more. Servant Keeper® offers exclusive automation features which save hours and hours Christian Computing® Magazine

of time setting up and keeping your ever changing information current. In addition to the many useful elements, Servant Keeper® also integrates with other services like online giving and background checks. Why do you think Servant Keeper® became one of the leaders in field? Well, first of all I would have to give all the credit to God, a great team of developers and employees, feedback and referrals from our users and I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t include the exposure from Christian Computing Magazines and trade shows! December 2013

I also believe another key to the overwhelming success of Servant Keeper® can be attributed to 5 basic principles that we adhere to in the our software development.: Products must be absolutely easy to use, completely customizable, entirely searchable, fully automated to save time and frustration; and finally, products must be totally affordable to own.

ly into Worship Keeper®… cut and paste from your existing library… or manually enter your lyrics, using the built in word processor, complete with spell check. Worship Keeper® is a songwriter’s dream with the ability to attach files directly from notation software like Sibelius or Finale making it a breeze to update sheet music to a different key or arrangement. For folks that simply want to chord the songs, there is a very handy right click option that intelligently provides chords, based on key

You’re a ChMS company. How did you get into worship management? I have personally been involved in planning music and leading singing and/or worship teams at our church for over 40 years. I, like most volunteer and full time church leaders, get your free demo struggled with the time, and effort spent planning, practicing and implementing quality music selections for weekly services and events. I especially strove to make sure that the music supManage your ministry with ported the message or theme. I spent a lot of time putting together the practice materials Track donations, Email Statements, from a variety of sources, not to mention notifying and providing Manage: Small Groups, Classes, Attendance, participants with practice materiVisitor follow-up, Outreach and MORE! als in the proper keys; and finally, designing the slides and making sure the audio visual folks were prepared.

SOFTWARE FOR MINISTRY www.servantpc.com/ccmag 800-773-7570 ou:

Are y

Tracking Members/Donors?

Servant Keeper®!

: u o y e Ar

Caring for Children?

Worship Keeper® is an interesting name what exactly does it do? Actually the name was a takeoff of our flagship product Servant Keeper® and as the name implies, it is a program which keeps all of your worship materials in one easy to access and manage place. Handling every aspect of your service, from preparation to production; Worship Keeper® is arguably the most comprehensive worship service package on the market. You can download song words and music from CCLI’s SongSelect® directChristian Computing® Magazine

Keep children safe with

SK Check-In®!

Easy check-in, secure check-out, Syncs with Servant Keeper, Name badges w/ allergies, notes, alerts, class info. Claim tickets for parents/guardians, run background checks

ou: y e r A Leading Worship?

Plan worship effortlessly with

Worship Keeper®!

Keeps your song library at your fingertips, Quickly plan and schedule services and teams Easily track song usage and do reports December 2013

Christian Computing速 Magazine

December 2013

selection, and inserts them wherever you click on the sheet. It doesn’t get any easier or faster to add songs or make last minute changes especially when you utilize the chord transition tool. There are several customizable fields, in addition to the standard song information fields provided by most programs, which allow you to categorize your songs for easy song selection. You can attach multiple pdf documents, music notations, or mp3 files which allow you to actually preview, play and perform songs right from your computer. Perform songs right from your computer? Where the software really shines is the way it streamlines research, planning, projecting and scheduling musicians or participants along with distributing specific handouts for the unique needs of each member involved, with just a few click of a mouse. There is even a sermon outliner available for the pastor. The available Worship Keeper® Presenter allows you to project your words and service slides on screen. Who would benefit for using Worship Keeper®? Worship leaders, pastors, teachers, musicians/ song writers, audio visual people or pretty much anyone involved in music or service planning. Why would someone want to switch to Worship Keeper®? In addition to being the most comprehensive software for planning worship services and events, Worship Keeper® is absolutely easy to use, completely customizable, and searchable, fully automated to save time and frustration, and is totally affordable to own. Can you give us an idea on pricing? Sure, there are 3 versions which can be downloaded: • Worship Keeper® for Musicians $99 which includes the Events, Songs and Individuals Sections. • Worship Keeper® for Pastor/Teachers $49 Includes Events and Sermon sections • Worship Keeper® Premium $349 which includes both Musicians, Pastor/Teacher and the Worship Keeper® Presenter module for projection of your worship service materials. Christian Computing® Magazine

Is there a demo or way to try Worship Keeper®? We offer an absolutely free trial (no credit card required) which allows you to use the program and all of it features for 30 days. Where can I go to find out more about Worship Keeper® Just log on to our website at Worshipkeeper. com to view complete details and videos along with links to purchase or download the free 30 day trial program. Anything else you would like our readers to know? We want to thank Christian Computing for the opportunity to share about what we believe is the most comprehensive and exciting Worship planning tool on the market. Stop in and visit us at www. worshipkeeper.com today and learn more about how you can drastically save time while planning and producing quality worship events!

Easy

CHURCH WEBSITES FROM

Now your church can have a beautiful and welcoming website that is simple to maintain with our Websites for Ministry.

▶ Engage current members ▶ Educate everyone about the faith ▶ Attract visitors to your parish ▶ Welcome newcomers and returning members

Call for a free demo: 800-446-3035 December 2013

protected with purpose

Predicting 2014

By: Steven Sundermeier

he Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. I enjoy the delicious wafts of my wife’s homemade cookies baking and of Christmas pine, Christmas T.V. specials (especially Charlie Brown’s Christmas) with my kids burrowed around me on the couch, selecting and giving presents to loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Professionally, December is also one of my favorite times of year because we, as security experts, are probed time and time again by media outlets about our security threat predictions for the twelve months that lie ahead. For certain industries, making predictions can be easy. For example in the retail industry, I can predict with (almost) absolute certainty that while we are in the (yummy) midst of being bombarded with weeks of glossy, mouth-watering ads for holiday cookies, pies, trans-fat filled foods and threats of how every Christmas dinner will fall short without an insane abundance of these sweets…My prediction is that hours after the Ball drops on New Year’s Eve,--we will be bombarded with advertisements from the same stores, but these will shame us by recounting how much we ate, how out of shape and overweight we are, and the advertiseChristian Computing® Magazine

ments for treadmills, aerobic equipment and yogurt will begin. For the computer security industry, specifically the antivirus industry, predictions are much less, well, predictable and they get a lot trickier than work-out clothes and Slim-fast. The antivirus industry is one of the only industries that I know of that changes and evolves daily (sometimes by the minute!). You miss one day of updates and you could find yourself thousands of new virus signatures behind. And it is an ongoing game of cat and mouse with us (the good guys) verses the cybercriminals and hackers (the bad guys)- both December 2013

endlessly trying to stay one step ahead of the other. Being predictable is the last thing either side wants to be. And while I predict that 2014 will bring some big-time threats (such as increased risks of international cyber-espionage), I will focus this column on five predictions that I feel the typical reader may encounter and relate to. 1. Focus on file encryption malware (aka. Ransomware). With the unfortunate monetary and distribution success of CyptoLocker, cybercriminals will likely try to replicate its fortunes. Many us can’t live without our pictures and other files stored on a computer, and are quick to fork over large sums of money to get the encrypted files restored. Encryption Malware is sort of a new-wave cyber Black-mail, and unfortunately it is working. 2. Increase in human shielding practices. If you missed my column last month, the term “human shield” in this context is in reference to an attacker or some group breaching the computer security policy of lower profile organizations (usually by means of malware) and taking over their computers with the purpose to target high-level businesses or financial institutions. Utilizing the Human Shielding tactic, malicious doers not only mask their attacks, but also misdirect security officials to the wrong people. 3. Target based attacks. The saying goes that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Cybercriminals are getting good at locating these holes in your computer armor and developing malware to specifically target these openings. Watch for increased attacks on Windows XP once Microsoft pulls support for this platform early next year. 4. Mobile device malware increases. Smartphones and tablets are now a necessity for most, and something we can’t leave home without. They are being used to purchase merchandise, assist in our online banking, etc. Cybercriminals have taken notice, and have increased interest in this area. 5. Continuation of botnets. A botnet is a group of connected programs communicating online with other like programs in order to perform pre-defined (often time maliChristian Computing® Magazine

cious) tasks. Home computers can easily become part of the botnet after being tricked into running a piece of malware. Look for botnets to cross breed with other botnets for greater effectiveness. Okay, so I started with Christmas cookies and ended with “human shielding” and botnets. Sure, I am a security expert, but I have feelings too! While my intention within my articles is to better inform and equip you to stay safe in today’s everchanging world of technology, in conclusion I want to wrap up 2013 with my warmest wishes to you and yours. True security comes in knowing the One that humbled himself enough to be born in a stable, while cows looked on and people in town were too busy to notice. Don’t overlook Him, or get “too busy” with Christmas. Christ is Christmas. A merry one to all of you, and I look forward to keeping you informed in 2014.

December 2013

ministry leadership

Keeping our Heads in the Clouds

Cloud Computing and the Church

By: Carol Brown

hat is Cloud Computing?You’ve probably heard the term “cloud computing” but maybe you aren’t sure what it means. Cloud computing, in its simplest form, is Internet-based computing. Storage, servers, and applications are delivered to a computer or a device such as a smartphone through the Internet. An example of cloud computing that many ACS users may be familiar with is ACS Technologies’ OnDemand. ACS OnDemand lets church staff access ACS software and their data from anywhere, and OnDemand for HeadMaster gives school staff the same flexibility with HeadMaster software. This is because the software and data is not housed on PCs sitting in the church or school office, but rather “in the cloud”. Cloud Computing Examples Here are some examples of cloud computing: • Email – Years ago, most people only read email at work, but now we are on the go all the time and we want and expect to read email everywhere. Online email has been available for a long time by well-known Christian Computing® Magazine

names such as Yahoo!, or Gmail, and as long as you have Internet access, you can get your email. • Office software – Services such as Google Docs™ (now part of Google Drive™) let you collaboratively work on documents, spreadsheets and presentations even if the other person isn’t in your office. And because these documents aren’t kept on your computer, you don’t have to worry about backing up your work. It’s in the cloud! • Data Storage – You can access files stored in the cloud from anywhere with Internet. Storing important files, pictures, and videos on the cloud means that even if you lose them on your hard drive, you have a backup of them and they aren’t lost. December 2013

Pros and Cons So the cloud sounds like a great thing, and most of the time that’s true. But there are some things you should be aware of before you start flying. First, let’s look at the benefits: • Computer costs – Things like computer hard drive size, RAM, and processing speed aren’t nearly as important because web-based applications don’t reside on your desktop and use the computer’s resources. • Better computer performance – Because you are running fewer programs on your computer, you aren’t using up your computer’s memory. This means a faster running machine. • Seamless updates – No longer does your fearless IT person need to download the newest release or load and update from a CD. You automatically have the latest version. • Software costs – If you use software like Google Docs (free) in lieu of Microsoft® Office, you’ll save quite a few pennies. Fair warning – do your research before making a switch like this. Cloud programs that are similar to a program you have on your computer may not be exactly the same. If some features are very important to you, do your research to make sure the cloud version has everything you need. Remember, you want this to be a long-term solution. • Data backup – Working in the cloud means your data is not housed onsite. If your Christian Computing® Magazine

First-time visitor to long-time attendee -

MAKE A SUCCESSFUL CONNECTION!

Download our FREE ministry guide for ideas on how to make your connections last!

December 2013

office is struck by lightning or equipment is stolen, your data is safe because it is housed someplace else. • Storage – Ever run out of space on your computer or have to add more server storage? With unlimited storage in the cloud, there’s no concern that you’ll run out. Some companies put limits on how much storage you can use, so be sure to research this before you start using a cloud product. • Work from anywhere – As long as you have reliable Internet access you can get documents or access data from anywhere. This flexibility is wonderful when you can’t get to the office. • Collaboration with others – Projects usually involve collaboration of some type and cloud computing allows you to easily share documents with others, even if they aren’t in the same building, town, state, or country. But there are a few negatives: • Internet access – You must have Internet access, and you don’t want it to be intermittent. • Internet speed – Low speed Internet connections, especially if you’re working in the cloud, can be frustrating. Web apps take a lot of bandwidth and with a slow connection, load time and working on a screen may be slower than if you were working on the same application on your computer. • Security – Security is important whether a program resides in-house or in the clouds, but you’ll want to make sure whatever programs or apps you’re using in the cloud are secure because it is much more open. • Limited features – This isn’t always the case, but sometimes cloud software is not as robust as its desktop counterpoint. There can be several reasons for this – age of product, or the fact that it’s free. If you are a power Christian Computing® Magazine

user of certain programs, carefully review the cloud equivalent before making a switch. Is the Cloud Right for you? If your computers are older and you don’t have the money for major upgrades, have budget constraints for buying software, travel a lot, have limited IT help in your office, have a hard time keeping up with updates, or frequently collaborate with others on projects, you are a candidate to work in the cloud. On the other hand, if your Internet service is intermittent or is slow, you don’t feel comfortable on the Internet, or you don’t trust the company who is providing your cloud program or app, then the cloud is not for you. Do your homework before moving to the cloud but chances are good your church will benefit from what the cloud can offer. For more information on ACS Technologies cloud software visit: http://www.acstechnologies. com/products/realm.

December 2013

church windows software

CHURCH WINDOWS SOFTWARE

Ahhh, “The Season” – No, Not That Season…

‘

By: Craig Chadwell

is almost the season. No, not Yuletide nor Christmas. Those are already upon us. It’s almost “January Madness in The Church Office” season. You know, the time to wrap up the old year, enter new year pledges, prepare new year budgets, print old year statements, and provide reports, all while juggling the many other activities that encompass this time of year. Whether you use our Church Windows Management Software or another package, here are some things to remember to hopefully help get you through. For contributors who wish to claim giving on their 2013 tax return, the gift must be received by December 31, 2013 (or postmarked on or before that date.) Monies received after December 31st legally need to be counted as contributions for 2014. We recommend putting announcements in your bulletins and newsletters so that your congregation understands how to handle their final contributions for the 2013 tax year. As far as providing a statement of giving to donors, the only legal requirement from the IRS

Christian Computing® Magazine

is that someone who gives a single gift of $250 or greater must receive a statement. (Though most churches provide a statement – and hopefully a thank you – to all givers for tax deduction purposes.) If you are a pledging church, you may have those who wish to pay toward 2014 pledges prior to the end of 2013. Make sure your accounting software can handle prepaid giving. You’ll also want to determine how your church wishes to handle prepaid giving. Some churches make the December 2013

The Church is people!

You’ve been called to minister to the people of your church. Let Church Windows manage the information so you can minister to your people.

CHURCH WINDOWS DESKTOP & WEB contain integrated: .FNCFSTIJQ t 4DIFEVMFS t %POBUJPOT "DDPVOUJOH t "DDPVOUT 3FDFJWBCMF t 1BZSPMM

Christian Computing® Magazine

full amount available to the appropriate fund as of January 1st. Other churches divide prepaid giving into 12 equal parts and transfer a portion at the beginning of each month. Make certain that your software program handles this on the accounting side. Speaking of accounting, the end of the year is a good time to review the existing chart of accounts and take some time to refine it. Chances are, your software allows you to create a new year yet still work in the old. That way, you can enter budgets and make account changes in the new year while still working in the old year. When making chart of accounts changes, please consider these suggestions: 1. Do you have any accounts that were not used in 2013 and will not be used again? You can likely delete those or make them inactive. Presuming your software is smart, it should not remove them from prior years. 2. Are there any accounts where names are misspelled or are confusing? It might be good time to ask those reading the reports if they have a different account name preference. 3. Subtotals often make reports clearer. Would it help to add subtotals or maybe reorder the existing subtotals? As you get ready for 2014 – both within and outside the church – your friends at Computer Helper Publishing, makers of Church Windows Church Management Software, wish you a safe holiday and a Merry Christmas!

December 2013

higher power with kevin

Which New iPad Makes the Best Preacher’s Companion? Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org

pple just released two new iPad models, the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display (called Air and mini going forward). The first measures 9.7 inches, the same size screen as previous “10-inch” models. The second updated the 7.9 inch iPad mini with a high resolution display, which Apple calls a “Retina display” which gets its name from the idea that the display looks so good the eye’s retina can’t distinguish perceive the dots used to make up the images on screen. That’s mostly marketing hype, but the Retina displays on both the Air and mini look great. Which one of these two new iPads should a pastor or other minister buy? People in ministry who teach or preach from the iPad, study the Bible on the iPad and use it for work and play need to consider a few things before handing over $400-$930 for a new iPad. For the quick answer, get the most iPad you can afford and get the size that fits your lifestyle. The larger works better for people who need a big screen, will use it more in one location and don’t mind carrying the bigger device. The mini works best for people who want to take it everywhere. Also, get the one with LTE if you can afford another wireless bill. It’s Christian Computing® Magazine

so convenient to always have an Internet connection. Read on for more detailed advice. Do you already own an iPad? Those who own an original iPad or the iPad 2 should upgrade if they can afford to. The new iPad Air or iPad mini with Retina Display December 2013

come with the Retina screens. These look great while reading, typing and viewing movies, games or pictures. Text in a Bible app or writing tool will look more crisp and detailed. The new iPads run apps and respond to the user’s touch faster than the first three generations of iPad. That means apps will start instantly, presentations run quickly and smoothly and the user-interface feels fluid and speedy. Finally, the new iPad Air takes up less space and feels lighter than the previous four larger iPads. It’s almost as light as an iPad mini. If you want a smaller larger screen iPad, then buy an Air. For those who prefer the small size, get the mini. People who own the third generation iPad, which Apple called the New iPad, have a harder decision. It was the first iPad to come with the Retina display, but not the faster processor on the Air or mini. Is it worth spending between $400 to $930 just for a slight speed improvement and size reduction on the iPad Air? You’ll have to decide that. I upgraded to an iPad Air from the iPad 3 and I’m glad I did. To do so, I sold my old iPad for $400 and got the 16GB iPad Air with LTE. After the sale of my old iPad, I paid the difference of $230. I wouldn’t upgrade from the iPad 4, what Apple calls iPad with Retina display not to be confused with the new iPad mini with Retina display. This larger tablet works great and comes with a nice screen. The only reason to update is the smaller size in the newer iPad Air. Finally, for upgraders, do you really wish you had a different size iPad? People who own the larger iPad may wish they had a mini for more portability and easier carrying in a bag, with their Bible or in a pocket. Yes, the mini fits in some Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

pockets. Some people bought the first iPad mini, but wish they had a larger screen. If either scenario describes you, then make the switch. You can keep the other one around for the times you wish you had the other size. Best iPad for Preaching Which iPad works best for people who use their iPad to preach? I’ve covered my workflow of using the iPad for my preaching notes before. If you want to do the same, then I strongly suggest the larger iPad Air. You get more screen space for notes and it’s easier to see them as you wander around the stage or classroom during your message. People with better eyes than mine won’t mind the smaller screen of the iPad mini with Retina display. The iPad Air works great for reading Bible apps and typing up messages too. Hook up a Bluetooth keyboard or a keyboard case and it works well as a nice laptop replacement. Look for keyboards from Logitech, Zagg or search for iPad and keyboard at www.GottaBeMobile.com where I’ve reviewed a number of excellent iPad keybaords. Some people don’t want to use their iPad for teaching or preaching notes, but do want it to read the Bible and other books as well as play some games, watch some video and get online to check out favorite websites or read email. For these tasks, the iPad mini with Retina Display works best for a very mobile lifestyle while the iPad Air works best for people who stay put at work or home.

4. Watching video on Netflix, Hulu, YouTube or one of the many network TV apps 5. Doing homework, preparing job tasks or other uses like writing, creating presentations or using proprietary apps for specific jobs like Bible study apps for preachers If these uses describe your usage then, you need to ask one question. What’s more important to you, portability and small size or larger screen to view content? If the former weighs heavier then get the mini and if the latter then get the Air.

General Purpose iPad Use The top five uses for an iPad include: 1. Internet and email 2. Reading books or magazines 3. Playing games Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

How Much Storage and Do I Need LTE? Apple offers a minimum of 16GB. The Air starts at $499 while the mini starts at $399. Add $100 per storage increment upgrade. So they cost as follows: • 16GB - $399 for iPad mini with Retina display and $499 for iPad Air • 32GB - $499 and $599 respectively • 64GB - $599 and $699 • 128GB - $699 and $799 Add another $130 for LTE capabilities. LTE versions work like a cell phone with wireless Internet capabilities, but they don’t make phone calls, unless you use Skype or Google Voice. People can’t call the iPad’s phone number and talk to you nor can you dial a phone like you can with a smartphone. LTE users can download email while away from home or work where there’s no Wi-Fi network. They can surf the Internet or access streaming video, audio or apps like Logos Bible which streams books for reading. LTE iPads work with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile to name the big companies. The T-Mobile

versions come with 200MB of data per month for free. That’s enough for an afternoon of typical web browsing or a month of text email plus a few visits to web pages. It’s an emergency capability, not a daily use feature. Remember that getting an iPad with LTE requires a subscription to an expensive data service from one of the wireless companies mentioned. Check with them before buying to see how much they charge. With LTE users can “tether” which means they can connect to the Internet using the iPad’s Wi-Fi feature to hook up a laptop to the Internet. Not all wireless services allow for this. So how much storage do you need? Get as much as you can afford! It’s a pain to get error messages on the iPad saying you’re out of storage space when you try to download a new app or some pictures from a camera. Here’s a list of uses that require more storage space than the the basic 16GB model. • Storing a lot of movies or TV shows downloaded from iTunes or created by the iPad’s camera • Using the iPad to store all of your Bible study books in your Bible app • Viewing pictures from a camera by loading them from the SD card connected using Apple’s $29 SD card adapter • Large video games If you plan to do any of these things, then get at least a 32GB iPad and probably the 64 or 128GB model. Here’s my recommendation: • 16 or 32GB iPad Air - Simple web, email, Bible study and preaching notes • 16 or 32GB iPad mini with Retina Display - same as above but don’t want to use it for preaching notes • 64 or 128GB iPad of either type if you plan to store a lot of movies, tv shows or home movies or if you plan to use it to offload pictures from a camera with the $29 SD card adapter or plan to load large games • Go LTE if you can afford it, but don’t do it if you only work from home, an office and some businesses which all have Wi-Fi access

Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

the power and the danger

Roomba

By Russ McGuire - russ.mcguire@gmail.com

very year at this time, I’m tempted by new technology choices as my wife asks “What do you want for Christmas?” The Roomba is not new, in fact, we’ve had one in our home for over five years, but the vacuuming robot is probably the most recognized example of how robotics are increasingly prevalent in our lives. Are there implications from this trend that we, as Christian technologists, should be aware of? What opportunities do robots create for ministry? Are there dangers that we should be concerned about? What are consumer robots? According to Wikipedia, a robot is “a mechanical or virtual agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry.” Robots were often featured in science fiction, perhaps most famously by Isaac Asimov. Robots can be remote controlled, programmed, or autonomous – meaning that they control themselves. In reality, at least for now, autonomous robots are really programmed with very sophisticated programs that include instructions for how to deal with discovered changes in the environment and how to deal with uncertainty. Christian Computing® Magazine

Robots have been used in manufacturing for decades, however, unlike science fiction heroes and villains, industrial robots do not look like humans. Today, most factories are heavily automated using programmed robotics. The Roomba brought practical robotic automation into the home. Roomba is a brand of robotic vacuum cleaners marketed by iRobot. The first Roomba was introduced over a decade ago and millions have been sold. Over the years, many enhancements and new models have been developed by iRobot. Roombas are programmed to be fairly autonomous. They run on their own and as they discover the environment they are vacuuming using various sensors, they adjust their path. They “remember” what they’ve vacuumed and keep going until they’ve cleaned the entire room, or until their battery dies. Hobbyists found ways to hack early December 2013

rapidly, and even at low speeds the car keeps me from running into things in front of me. A lane keeping system also helps me stay in my lane. All of these advances are moving us towards autonomous vehicles – cars that drive themselves. Taking autonomous vehicles to the next step, earlier this month Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the company was working on delivering products within 30 minutes using a robotic helicopter. Although years away from feasibility, the fact that a major retailer is seriously considering it indicates how pervasive and acceptable robotics is becoming in the consumer mindset. Although not a consumer product, I also recently “attended” a distant meeting as a robot. I sat in my office in Kansas, controlling a robot in California. The webcam on my computer was used to display my face to the folks I was interacting with. Although far from the same as being there, this approach did allow me to follow along with the activities better than a simple video conference.

Is Facebook safe for your family?

http://cxfriends.com models – a move that iRobot embraced by making it easier for developers to write software to monitor the sensors in the robot and control its movements. Based on the success of the Roomba, new entrants have introduced competing products. In our home, we also have a Mint hardfloor vacuum. Other leading robotic vacuums on the market include ones from LG and Neato. Robotics have also become increasingly common in children’s toys. Over the years, state of the art has advanced from Tickle Me Elmo to Pleo the Dinosaur to RoboMe, with increasing adaptability and personality. But perhaps the most interesting children’s robotics product has been the line of Lego Mindstorms that make it easy for kids to build and program robots to perform various tasks. In many ways, even our automobiles are becoming increasingly robotic for our safety. Cruise control has been available for cars for decades, but recently, with the addition of a number of sensors, new features give increasing control of the car to the computer brains within. My latest car has adaptive cruise control, which adapts to the speed of the traffic around me. Assistive breaking helps me stop the car when I’m approaching stopped vehicles too Christian Computing® Magazine

How can robotics help in ministry? It’s hard to imagine uses for robotics in our local church. However, as the cost of robots continues to come down, I imagine that they could become useful in ministry, especially serving poor communities in developing countries. Robots could help find and harvest food. Robots could help provide education. As the technology improves, robots could also help in providing higher quality healthcare, perhaps even allowing trained doctors to perform surgeries from thousands of miles away. What is dangerous about robotics? I see two primary dangers related to robots. The first is the classic fear that robots will take over the world. In his science fiction writing, Isaac Asimov introduced the Three Laws of Robotics: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, December 2013

through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26-28) God created mankind differently from the rest of creation and gave us dominion over the rest of creation. He created us to worship Him, but in our fallen state, as Paul tells us, we “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

Of course, these laws are merely wishful thinking, since fallen man is the maker of robotics technology, meaning that our evil nature purposefully introduces sin into our creations, and our imperfection allows programming bugs to thwart even our good intentions. Roomba maker, iRobot, probably makes more money selling robots to the military than it does … reach out selling to consumers. To date, their military robots aren’t sold … minister to people for killing purposes, but they … create fellowship certainly would be capable of doing so. We certainly have heard … contribute to plenty of stories of drone aircraft your community taking out enemies of the state. But I see the second danPowerChurch Plus was ger as greater than the first, for created for just that! it represents rebellion against God’s creative order. Roboethics is a growing field and the calls for Robot Rights are growing Membership We provide you with the tools to louder and more frequent. As increase administrative efficiency we’ve seen with animal rights, and streamline accounting tasks, Accounting activists are now equating robots freeing you up to perform the work with humans. As the web site that matters. for the American Society for the Contributions Prevention of Cruelty to Robots puts it “Robots are people too!” Install on your PC or network, or access online. In the opening chapter, God’s Events Choose which fits your needs. Word tells us “Then God said, Calendar ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let Check In them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all Completely the earth and over every creeping We provide software tools, Integrated thing that creeps on the earth.’ freeing you up to fulfill your mission. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He www.PowerChurch.com • 800.486.1800 created him; male and female He

You want the freedom to

Christian Computing® Magazine

3&6 &KXUFK([HFXWLYHB [ LQGG

December 2013

This is the greatest danger that robots represent. 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 the printing press, radio, television, personal computers, the Internet, the Cloud, smartphones, or even robots, new technologies continue to advance our ability to know God and to serve Him, wherever we go. 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 (https://cxfriends.com), a social network for Christian families which is being built and run by four homeschooled students under Russâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; direction.

Christian ComputingÂŽ Magazine

December 2013

digital evangelism

Digital Evangelism for Websites

Using SEO for Your Web Pages

Michael L White - mlwhite@parsonplace.com

hile writing Web content is one of the most effective methods for doing digital evangelism, it will do folks no good if they don’t know your content exists or if they can’t find it with a simple search from one of the search engines for the Web. While I don’t consider myself by any means to be an expert at SEO (or search engine optimization), I have tinkered with it enough over the decade or more since I first began studying this subject and reviewing my sites’ statistical data to have a reasonably good idea of how to use it to my advantage. In this article I will cover just a few of the key concepts for how to do effective SEO for your Website. Assuming you have created and set up your Website (including choosing your Website analytics software – check with your Web host if you aren’t sure about this), the next step is to have it indexed by the search engines and then optimize it for a higher ranking on their SERPs (or search engine results pages). The quickest way I’ve found to have a brand new site indexed in any of the search engines is to find another site with like-minded content and ask them to swap links. Of course, if you already have a separate site of your own which has like-minded content, you can link to your new site from your Christian Computing® Magazine

existing site. On the other hand, if your existing site has nothing in common with your new site (other than the fact that you own and/or manage them both) you don’t want to do this or else you could jeopardize the ranking you’ve already attained with your existing site! If you manage a local church site, however, it’s a no-brainer to swap links with other local churches and ministries in your community. Link-swapping is faster at getting indexed than manually submitting your site’s URL to the search engines one-by-one because existing sites that are already indexed will usually get almost-daily visits December 2013

tent is because the search engines’ complicated ranking algorithms will likely flag both your sites as link spamming. This means they suspect your sites of colluding to boost your rankings unnaturally by means of link popularity through swapping links with any site that is willing. Thus, they will devalue such a link and actually lower your ranking rather than raise it. After you have swapped links with another like-minded site, you can verify that your site has been indexed simply by doing a search on your site’s domain name. Allow at least 24-48 hours for the search engines to index your site, and then once it appears on a SERP using the specific domain name, you can try searching on some of the keywords associated with your site to see how highly your site ranks among the billions of other pages indexed. This is where the really intense competition for a top rankby the search engines’ spiders to re-index their site, ing among various keywords comes in. and in the process of re-indexing their site, these If your site does not appear on at least the second spiderbots will automatically find the new link to page (the top 20) of search results for a particular your site and follow it to index your site, too. Just keyword or phrase, chances are pretty slim that your make sure you have a link to every page on your site site will be discovered during a search using that from at least one other page on your site or else the particular keyword or phrase. It is rather rare for spiderbots will not index those pages that are not searchers to dig any deeper than the top 20, though linked. If you use the manual submission method, I personally often check the top 30 or even the top you may have to wait a while before your site is 50 results when I do a search, depending on how eventually indexed. satisfied I am with the top 20. The prevailing SEO The reason you should swap links only with like- wisdom, however, is that the vast majority of searchminded sites is to maintain a “natural link” between ers give up looking after viewing only the first or your site and those you link to. An “unnatural link” second page of results (the top 10 or 20, since there is a link to a site with no similarity to the content on are only ten results listed per page). After all, if you your site. “Like-minded” content then means conare searching on the keyword phrase “crowns of retent that is naturally similar in topic. For instance, a ward”, for instance, who has the time to sift through page discussing Christian digital evangelism should the 1.78 million pages on Google or the 6.88 milnot swap links with a page explaining how to fix a lion pages on Yahoo or the 7 million pages on Bing? plumbing problem, because visitors who search for That’s how many I found at the time of this writing. how to conduct digital evangelism for Christ aren’t By the way, if you’ll try searching on that phrase particularly interested in do-it-yourself plumbing (“crowns of reward”), you’ll notice that my page repairs at that particular moment in time or vice “Crowns of Reward in Heaven” (www.parsonplace. versa for those searching for do-it-yourself plumbing com/crowns.html) turns up at the number four posirepairs. The primary reason you don’t want to swap tion on each one of these top three search engines links with a site that doesn’t have like-minded conon the Internet (the paid ads displayed at the top Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

don’t count). If you surround the phrase with quotes, however, my site’s ranking moves up to the highlydesired number one spot on Google and it moves to the number three spot on both Yahoo and Bing. Of course, these rankings are somewhat fluid and may change by the time you do this search, though it shouldn’t differ dramatically. So, how does one go about improving a site’s ranking in the search engines? This is done most effectively by optimizing each individual Web page separately and uniquely on your site, since each page’s content will have a different focus. For instance, your Home page should be an introduction and overview of your site’s purpose while your Outreach Ministries page (if you’re a church or parachurch organization) describes the various ministries you do to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission. However, aside from obtaining links from like-minded pages on other sites (especially those that already rank highly in the major search engines using the same keywords you’ve used), you need to optimize your site’s pages with the particular keywords and phrases specifically related to each page’s content. You do this primarily by selecting keywords which are al-

Christian Computing® Magazine

ready used organically within the textual content on your page and by using these same keywords in the KEYWORD and DESCRIPTION metatags in the HEAD section of your HTML code for that page. Although the KEYWORD metatag is not visible to your visitors, it is readable by the various spiderbots which come to index your site’s pages. Moreover, each of these metatags’ content (including the TITLE metatag) plays a role in ranking your pages according to the keywords contained in them. While some SEO pundits argue that using the KEYWORD metatag is not advisable, I use it on my pages and it doesn’t seem to have had any adverse effect. If anything, I think using only keywords or phrases in your KEYWORD metatag which are already organically contained in your site’s textual content is actually a plus, since it reinforces the validity of those keywords for the search engines. By “organically contained” I mean those words are a natural part of the page’s narrative content, meaning also that their usage doesn’t appear awkward or forced in the narrative context. Furthermore, you can sprinkle a few of your primary keywords or phrases within your site’s DESCRIPTION metatag and im-

December 2013

ages’ ALTERNATE attribute across your page, too. By “sprinkle” I mean use these keywords or phrases sparingly. Overusing them looks like “keyword stuffing” to the search engines’ algorithms and will likely result in getting your site flagged for keyword spamming. Therefore, I recommend using a different primary keyword or phrase for each of the aforementioned tags and property attributes. While link-swapping and keyword placement are likely the two most important steps to take in achieving higher search engine rankings, there are a lot of others things you can do, too. For more tips on

how to do effective SEO, be sure to read the search engines’ site content guidelines. They may be found on the Google, Yahoo, and Bing sites, respectively. Since Google is the most popular search engine (with more than a 60% share of all Internet searches) and Yahoo and Bing are a distant second and third, I recommend focusing your SEO efforts on just these three. You might also consider subscribing to any number of helpful SEO newsletters which monitor the major search engines’ guidelines, algorithm updates, latest news, and webmaster tips and warnings. One such e-newsletter that I skim each week is Axandra Search Engine Facts. You can read archived issues and subscribe either by email or RSS feed on their Website. There are numerous other such enewsletters available, too. A quick search of the phrase “seo newsletters” yielded 8.7 million pages (without the quotes) and nearly 8,600 pages (with the quotes) when I checked it on Google, so you can do that search to find others that may interest you. There’s so much more to doing effective SEO for websites, but this will have to suffice for now in the limited time and space I have available here. I will continue this series on doing digital evangelism via websites in my next article. For now, I wish you a very Merry Christmas season and a most blessed New Year! 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.

Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

ministry communication

Don’t Worry About Being Pushy in Your Christmas Communication Outreach Yvon Prehn - yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

any churches consider the Christmas season a huge success if they have a large turn-out a Christmas events, but sadly, many of them remind me of the line from Macbeth where he describes life as “fully of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That may seem a bit harsh, but it is tragedy to celebrate the birth of the Savior without telling people about Him. Following is a true, but sad story about one such event and how it could be different…..

Sad, but true story of a city-wide Christmas outreach As in all the stories I tell on the Effective Church Communication website, this is a true story, but without specific details, location, people, or church mentioned. I also remind people that because I look at and hear stories about communications from churches literally from all around the world (one of our latest members and stories came from a Pastor leading a group of churches in the Australian bush), if you think the story is about you, it probably isn’t. Christian Computing® Magazine

Here is what happened: a church in a fairly large city decided to host a Living Nativity for their community. They were given a large lot with a winding driveway leading up to it in a location near a busy shopping area. Because of generous donations by many members (it was a moderately large, well-off church) they put on an extravaganza. There was a huge turnout every night for the week it was held. And no wonder—they put on quite a show. They had live animals, a full size inn, angel choirs, and leading up the road, Roman soldiers and December 2013

shepherds in the field. They had 3 shifts of actors in full costumes and make-up. They had cider and cookies for guests as they left. What was the one thing they didn’t have? Any communication, that in any way, told people what they were seeing and invited them to learn more about Jesus. What a sad, missed opportunity. When I asked why they didn’t create any communication pieces that told guests about Jesus, the extremely frustrated church communicator who was part of the host church replied that “they didn’t want to seem pushy.” I have heard that excuse many, many times when I’ve asked church communicators, after looking at seasonal communications, why they didn’t include anything about Jesus or how to find out more about Him. Though I appreciate the desire for civility in our world that is often lacking in this characteristic, I think in this instance the desire was misplaced. We wouldn’t think it pushy if we saw a crowd of people passing by who were heading to their deaths off a cliff they couldn’t see in the mist. It wouldn’t seem pushy to warn them. It isn’t any different to have a crowd of people pass through a church event that are on their way to an eternity of conscious, unending suffering Make the move… if they don’t know Jesus as Savior. from Church Management Software… They need a warning also. Jesus did not come into the to Church Ministry Software world to give us the theme for a Christmas pageant—he came to Built by the Church, for the Church save us from our sins and the just penalty for them. ▪ Open Source (the code is free) ▪ Web-based You can communicate the good ▪ Church Sponsored “BTW, each day I am more news about Jesus without being thankful that we are using ▪ Ministry Focused pushy BVCMS. The rate you are You aren’t being pushy if you adding features and improving tell people the reason for the “great the database blows my mind and Joy” the angels sang about. The I really appreciate all you do.” Gospel is GOOD NEWS—it is - Jared Coe something we can share with great joy! You don’t have to individually corner and preach at every person that drives through a Living NativWorld Class Hosting and Support ▪ 220+ Churches ▪ Active Development ity to share with them. People will take anything you give them as www.bvcms.com for more information and pricing they leave something like this or a Christian Computing® Magazine

December 2013

church service where you have entertained them with a professional, uplifting program. If you give them a brochure, flyer, card, CD or DVD they will take it and will probably look it over at home. Here are some suggestions of what you could put on it: • We are so glad you shared this evening with us as we celebrated why “Jesus is the Reason for the Christmas Season.” We also know that for many people who come to see our show, many of you don’t know much more about Jesus than his birth as an excuse to spend time with family and give gifts. • But his life is about so much more and we would love to share that with you. On this card are some links to our (website, Facebook page, YouTube videos, Vimeo channel, whatever) that will tell you more about Jesus and give you some links to explore his life further. Though his birth is the story of legends, he made some truly revolutionary claims during his life, that if they were true (and we believe they are), make an eternal difference for all of us. • We invite you to check out these resources and remember our church is always here for you!

Here are 2 additional articles and ideas for outreach at Christmas: • 6 communication strategies for successful Christmas outreach http://www. effectivechurchcom.com/2012/11/6communication-strategies-for-successfulchristmas-outreach/ • 4 ways to overcome the fear of being too pushy about Christmas evangelism http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2012/11/whats-toopushy-in-evangelism-at-christmas It won’t take much time to make up a simple handout, but far more important than impressing them with the extravagant or humble Christian production of your church is that you make the most of this opportunity to encourage them to find out more about Jesus. For more simple and practical training in print and digital communications that will help your church fully fulfill the Great Commission, go to: http://www. effectivechurchcom.com

ONE staff, many needs.

Something like the short statement above, with a hand-out that contains more information and links totally changes your event from mere entertainment that signifies little beyond the moment into a potentially life-changing encounter. Don’t have time to make up a communication handout like this? No worries! I have one FREE for you –just follow the link here and download it: http://www. effectivechurchcom. com/2012/11/a-christmasletter-you-can-use-toshare-jesus-with-yourchurch-friends-and-family/ Christian Computing® Magazine

logoscms.com/tour December 2013