Christian Standard | March 2020 by Christian Standard Media

Merge!

Beginning with the April 2020 issue, The Lookout magazine will be incorporated into Christian Standard.

Christian Standard will be expanded to include the weekly Bible lessons and study questions. All print subscribers to The Lookout will continue to receive lesson materials as part of Christian Standard. We look forward to continuing the content of these two magazines in a single print platform, a necessary transition that will help us manage costs and ensure our ongoing ministry to the Restoration Movement for years to come. For more information on the transition, visit ChristianStandard.com. TH E LO O KOUT

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Letter from the Publisher Technology and the Church Modern technology is an incredible thing, and it’s especially impressive to someone my age. When I was a child, I used to wonder at the people I knew who were around before airplanes, mass-production of cars, and the discovery of antibiotics. With technology developing at light speed, I have become one of those people today that young people look at quizzically.

ing kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to return home until dinner. Things have definitely changed! Today, child car seats come with expiration dates; booster seats are used until a car’s seat belt fits a child properly, typically by age 12 or 13. Today, there are more channels, more services, and more instantly accessible entertainment than anyone could begin to consume. One can now grocery shop, pursue a college degree, bank, date, and share pictures of your dinner or your cat without leaving home. And, if you do leave home, your smartphone can serve as your camera, calendar, navigator, or just about anything else you might need.

I grew up when cars had painted steel dashboards, pointy control knobs, and a shelf beneath the back window for kids to sleep on during drives. The only “airbag” in our car was my mother’s arm when she reached out to hold us in our seat. Back then, there were only three television channels and we used tinfoil to get better reception. I remember milk delivery trucks, civil defense drills, and bomb shelters in people’s backyards. I remember be-

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No one would argue that technology is a double-edged sword. Devices that are convenient in one sense actually work against us in others. I was sitting in a backstage

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room at church and noticed that everyone was glued to their phone; no one was talking. In many ways, convenience has torn us apart. We are drowning in information, but we lack the relational wisdom to put it into use.

churches today, there are fewer suits, ties, dresses, and high heels, and there aren’t many robed song leaders beating out 4/4 time to hymn No. 62. Most churches don’t sing the Doxology as deacons escort the morning offering to the Communion table.

The same could be said for the church. Let’s be honest. There was a time when children and students were uncomfortable with traditional church and were given other spaces more suited to them where they could worship and learn. As those children grew up into leadership, those methods matriculated with them. Today, technology surrounds everything the church does. Lights are programmed, theatrical haze gives the lights body and motion, expensive sound systems bolster the environment and mood, and cameras capture the experience for an online audience. Most giving occurs online, emails and Facebook have replaced church newsletters, and sermons are archived in the cloud.

The Restoration Movement’s founders intended to go back to the primitive church— a church without denominational hierarchies, creeds, and a division between clergy and laity. But a church that is primitive in its beliefs does not have to remain primitive in the tools it uses to proliferate the message of the gospel. The Acts 2 church was new and exciting—it broke every mold of Jewish religious tradition—and so it wasn’t long before it was despised and persecuted. It was a church that baptized by immersion, devoted itself to learning and reading the Word of God, existed under local church authority, enjoyed the fellowship of “one another’s,” participated in weekly Communion, prayed corporately, utilized their gifts to edify the body, gave generously, praised God in worship, and witnessed the growth that only the Holy Spirit can provide (Acts 2:41-47).

Our church doesn’t speculate much anymore about our people. Instead, we do online surveys, work with big data to understand our church’s relationship to its community, use Net Promoter Score to measure how likely people would be to invite their friends, and track frequency of attendance through children’s check-in, giving, and service. We use a database for reports, communication, giving trends, and congregational mapping. We use our website to familiarize people to our church and an app that allows cutting-edge interaction from literally anywhere.

Whatever technological tools we have at our disposal, let’s use them to glorify God and deliver the message of the gospel to a world that desperately needs him.

Technology has completely changed church. We don’t literally cut-and-paste bulletins and newsletters anymore. Our church rolls aren’t kept in a ledger book and our attendance, giving, and song numbers aren’t posted on wooden signs. In

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Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris

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CHRISTIAN STANDARD — FOUNDED 1866 BY ISAAC ERRETT Devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.

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30 By Rusty George

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Six Reasons Your Church Needs A Mobile-Giving Option By David Dummitt

52 If You Lead Alone, You’re Doing it Wrong By Mark Kitts

56 The Church App

64 How Paul Used the Social Media of His Time By Jon Weatherly

By Sam Oss

TABLE OF CONTENTS â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

IN E V ERY IS S UE 2-3 | L E T T ER F ROM T HE P UBL ISHER Jerry Harris

8-9 | L E T T ER F ROM T HE EDI T OR Michael C. Mack

10-12 | e 2:EFFECTIVE ELDERS Leverag ing Technolog y for Minist r y Jim Estep

13-15 | HOR IZ ONS

A S o c i a l P r e s e nc e t h at Sp r e a d s t he G o sp el Laura McKillip Wood

60 how to use social media well in you r church By Tina Wilson

70 Your Digital Screen Door

16-21 | ME T R IC S

C hu rch Ma na ge me nt S ystem s

Kent Fillinger

22-23 | MINIS T RY L IF E The Power Room Brian Cook

By Tim Cole

24-26 | P OL ISHED T he C h a l le n ge Megan Rawlings

30-35 | F E AT UR E

How t o D e velop a n O n l i ne C hu r ch C a mpu s Rusty George

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Church Tech without the Technobabble

Letter from the editor Most of us know the value of using modern technology for both personal and church use, but some of us—especially those of us over a certain age (and I’m uncertain what that certain age is anymore)—simply don’t have the expertise to use it well. Truth is, we’re afraid we’ll bumble the technological language well before we bumble the technology itself. I’ve experienced this while trying to talk to a 20-something wisenheimer at Best Buy. I stand there with a blank look on my face as he lays down some impressive technobabble. Just tell me which watch to buy! I want to say. He looks equally perplexed when I call him a wisenheimer. This is a humbling experience for some of us, which, as it turns out, is a good thing. In 1996 I started a web-based ministry (SmallGroups.com) before most people were actually on the World Wide Web. I used a Dell 386 PC with four megabytes of RAM and a 320-megabyte hard drive loaded with Microsoft Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 1.0. I started out accessing the web through my AOL account on a 14.4k dial-up modem. I didn’t actually know what all

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those numbers meant, but they got the job done . . . slowly. I knew little about the Internet, but I was blessed to have a web-savvy friend in my men’s group. He knew of my passion to start a magazine for small group leadership and suggested I start it online rather than in print. He helped me launch it and continued to encourage me and rescue me whenever I faced technological issues. The ministry grew quickly until it became bigger than I could manage or program. Today it’s owned by Christianity Today and continues to grow. My story may be valuable for people who have limited knowledge and experience in the tech world. We don’t have to allow our limitations to stop us from moving forward! But we do need to take the right steps to use technology well. First, it’s valuable to read and study and try to unde rstand as much as you can about the curre nt technology. That’s the purpose of this issue, to acquaint you with some of the innovations being used by pioneering churches and how you might begin. You don’t need to understand everything, but you’ll do well to get started.

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Ask questions. Be patient with yourself. Move at a pace that’s out of your comfort zone but not so fast that it becomes overbearing for you or the church. (That does not mean to sit still, however!)

Maybe you can relate to the preacher who was interrupted during his sermon. It seems a 5-yearold was playing on her iPad when something the preacher said triggered SIRI to say, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I do not understand what you are saying.”

Second, partner with some tech-savvy folks in your community. This step is critical for several reasons. Remember that the body of Christ is better together than any of us can be alone, so carefully delegate your church’s tech development to someone or a small group of people whom you trust and with whom you can work well.

Whether you’re a 20-something technogeek or a 70-something technophobe, it’s important that you communicate in a way that everyone can understand what you are saying. The world is changing at an ever-expanding pace. People don’t look for churches the way they used to, they build relationships differently, and they learn in a different manner than 20 or 30 years ago. You’ll see that as you read this issue. We need to learn how to tell the story about the old rugged cross using new, innovative methodologies. We must adapt to the new normal.

How can we effectively reach the next generation and get them involved? One way is to invite them to partner with us in the areas where they have expertise and we don’t. This is about building relationships as much as getting a job done. Talk together about what you want to accomplish together. Ask questions. Develop humility and a spirit of serving one another. Listen well. Watch for opportunities to disciple. This may be a wonderful opportunity for intergenerational growth. Each of you has something of value to add to the other’s life and to the church’s ministry.

And he re ’s the good ne ws. We have the biggest opportunities in history to reach our communities for Christ. Let’s use all legitimate possible means to do so.

Finally, keep doing what you do well—teaching, leading, shepherding—as you entrust your techsavvy friends to do what they do well. You continue to call the shots on content while allowing your ministry partners to manage how best to deliver that content.

@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack

Visit Christianstandard.com to check out our web-exclusive content! Monday | Weekly Bible Study Tuesday | Weekly Communion Meditation Wednesday | Ministry News Stories of the Week Thursday | Throwback Thursday from the Christian Standard Archive (1866—) Friday | Bonus Material Have a news story about your church or ministry to share? Please send it to cs@christianstandardmedia.com. While at our website, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter to receive even more current news, relevant articles, and other resources for your ministry.

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e 2 : e ffe c t i v e

e ld e r s

Leveraging Technology for Ministry BY JIM ESTEP

I recall Dave Stone once saying something like, “You can’t reach an MP4 generation with 8-track methods. The problem is that half of you are asking, ‘What’s an MP4?’ and the others are asking, ‘What’s an 8-track?’” It is not just that technological innovation continues at an unprecedented rate—I actually think Dave said, “MP3 generation”—or that its presence within our culture and our lives grows more pervasive daily, but that technology has changed how we perceive our lives, society, and especially the church.

Jim Estep serves as vice president of academics with Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and as event director with e2: effective elders.

The simple lesson is this: We either will learn to leverage technology in our ministries, or we will lose opportunities as we grow increasingly disconnected from an ever-increasing digitalized world.

/e2elders @e2elders

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I recently read a meme that said, “Technically, Moses was the first person to download information onto his tablet from the cloud.” Fifteen years ago, this meme would have been meaningless, which serves to demonstrate how our thinking about the world around us, and our expectations of it, have changed. (By the way, 15 years ago there were no Internet memes.) I know some of you are probably asking yourself, What’s a meme? This feeds into the larger point and my main question, which is this: Are we prepared to embrace changes or will we be left behind by them?

What are your church’s ministry hours? Many readers would say, “Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday.” That may technically be true, but it also indicates ministry is limited to when the office or church building is open and accessible. However, in a digital age, the church can be accessible 24 hours a day. People can go to websites 24/7 to gather information, access previous sermons and lessons, watch video announcements, listen to recorded messages, see introductions of staff members, and explore links to related resources. All of these things extend the ministry of the church beyond office hours or service times.

What is your congregation’s first impression? Your church’s first impression is not the church sign, parking lot, greeters, or worship center. It’s your website! Let’s be honest, before we go shopping or out to eat or to a movie, we consult a website or an app to check it out. If the store, restaurant, cinema, or movie has a bad digital presence, we don’t even bother to go. Instead, we change our plans. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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If someone visited your congregation’s website or app, what impression would it leave? How does it represent your congregation? Is it still, stagnant, stale, and nonengaging; or is it dynamic, visually appealing, informative, and interactive? (Read more in “Your Digital Screen Door” on page 70.)

How do you receive tithes and offerings? It’s been a long time for most of us since a boss or office manager handed us a paycheck or we paid a bill by mailing a check or we carried cash in our wallet. For generations, it was normal to do such things. However, younger generations live in a world of direct deposit, automatic payments, and debit cards. What are these young folks supposed to do when someone hands them an offering plate? Many congregations that use “giving apps” or offer online giving options find that the majority of their folks prefer these modern methods over the traditional passing of a plate. It’s not a matter of either/ or, but both/and to accommodate the community of all believers.

How fast do you communicate? I’m from a time when the congregation disseminated information through a weekly or biweekly printed MARCH 2020

e2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS

church newsletter; some older congregations, in fact, continue to do this. However, the information in a printed and mailed newsletter is often a few days old by the time it arrives in the mailbox, and once the newsletter is sent it cannot be readily updated or corrected. Many churches have archaic rules they must follow. “The bylaws require two letters sent over a two-week period at least two weeks prior to. . . .” It seems only reasonable to upgrade to more modern, flexible, and updateable means of communication (websites, email, and social media).

When will we do another church directory? I remember my home congregation scheduling a photographer, gathering the most current information, and awaiting the release of the up-to-date, comb-bound church directory. Honestly, it was outof-date upon its release, and within a few years it was completely inadequate. New information could not be added; there was no accounting for people moving or dying, or for staff changes. A digital directory, however, can be kept current regardless of these inevitable changes. Some congregations even use a private social media platform as the church directory. Once again, a digital directory has distinct advantages over a printed one; plus it’s far less expensive and there’s virtually unlimited space. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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How do you connect with the modern ear? We no longer live in a world of overhead projectors and static visuals. Today, videos are omnipresent, from our smart watches and smartphones to our tablets, laptops, and flat-screen televisions. The old Bible maps suspended from an aluminum tripod are not comparable to high-resolution, color images on an illuminated 105-inch screen. Likewise, we no longer need to paint a word picture of a movie scene to illustrate a sermon or lesson; now we can simply show a clip during a worship service or class session. With the ready availability of digital media, contemporary teaching and preaching has become augmented oration . . . words accompanied by relevant videos and images.

A cautionary note: Technology is not a solution to every problem. Technology is certainly no replacement for personal relationships, sharing the gospel with others, teaching the truth in love, and mentoring others into the kingdom and toward Christlikeness. Technology is a tool that can aid, support, and extend our abilities, but it can never replace doing ministry.  MARCH 2020

Horizons

A Social Presence that Spreads the Gospel BY LAURA MCKILLIP WOOD

Terry pounded the steering wheel and cried. It took her last ounce of restraint not to throw open the car door and march right back into the boarding school to collect her son’s things and take him home. Who cared if the mission organization she and her husband, Kevin, worked with required them to send their child to boarding school? Was it even worth it? “Please, God, just give me my son back!” she cried.

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now serves as the registrar at Nebraska Christian College in Papillion, Nebraska, and works as an on-call chaplain at a nearby hospital. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers.

In the stillness that followed, the assurance that God was working through them in their ministry settled her heart. “I loved Jesus, and I wanted to obey him, so I did what he asked me to do,” Terry says. In this case, it meant leaving their oldest son at a boarding school when he was only 8 years old. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

/laura.wood2 @woodlaura30 @woodlaura30 lauramckillipwood.com lauramckillipwood@gmail.com

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This decision occurred many years ago, when sending agencies often thought it best that missionary children attend boarding schools. Their philosophy was that the children would receive a Western education in a safe environment, and parents would be freed to work. By the time Kevin and Terry Smith* had a second child, their sending agency had relaxed those rules. Their younger boy stayed on the field with them.

On the Field While their oldest son was away at boarding school, God worked in wonderful ways through the Smiths’ ministry. They originally planned to go to Lebanon as cross-cultural workers (since Kevin’s grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Lebanon decades before) but changed directions when war broke out in that country. Instead, they ended up in Africa working with Arabs. They had a long and successful ministry in several African countries. In 2009, after many years on the field, Kevin was pastoring a church in North Africa and decided to make use of Facebook—then still a relatively new social media platform—to reach out to people who were interested in Christianity. At the time, most pastors in North Africa did not post pictures of themselves on their church’s Facebook pages because they feared retribution by those opposed to Christianity. People are drawn more to people and personalities than to logos, Kevin reasoned, so he took a step of faith and posted his image as the church’s Facebook profile picture. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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This proved effective and drew new members to the church. People were impressed that he was courageous enough to say he’s a Christian and post his photo. It generated interest and led people to check out the church.

Back in the U.S. Unfortunately, Kevin’s church activity eventually drew the attention of ISIS, which put a hit out on him about five years ago. As a result, Kevin and Terry returned to the United States to continue their work from here. They have since started a Media to Movement ministry with a different sending agency, Team Expansion, in which they use Facebook to reach people and form relationships. Kevin and Terry create material for posting on Facebook that targets people in specific areas of North Africa. Through these posts, they make contacts with people who are interested in spiritual things and put them in touch with others working on the field. These contacts eventually progress to Bible studies and discipleship groups. The people they reach are trained to go back to their own people and reach out to their contacts, and this spreads the gospel naturally. MARCH 2020

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Advice to Others The Smiths’ social media ministry has helped them reach many people they never would have connected with otherwise, and they say this approach can be effective in most ministries. They advise people who want to use social media in their ministries to be flexible. “Accept change,” they say. When things do not turn out as expected, accept it and adjust to it. Kevin and Terry’s current work focuses on unreached people groups and unengaged people. Kevin says 3 billion of the 7.7 billion people in the world are unengaged or unreached. That means they have no Scripture in their languages, no churches, no Christian presence. Scrolling through Facebook and posting once in a while might sound like an easy job, but there is a science and an art to it. “I’m a professional social media church leader,” Kevin says. He studies two hours a day and meets regularly with a Facebook adviser to improve his advertisements and learn how to be more effective in his ministry. About 1,000 people see his text posts each day, and about 100 to 200 see his videos. Using their $600 monthly budget, Kevin and Terry reach many people with the gospel message, and then direct them to people in their own towns who want to establish relationships and disciple them. The Smiths also send out daily devotions to about 100 people, messaging them directly with devotional thoughts in Arabic, French, and English. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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They advise people to cultivate their social media contacts and to remember how important these can be. They suggest carefully writing and creating content, rather than just randomly posting without thought. Many years after packing up her oldest son and sending him to boarding school at the tender age of 8, Terry asked him if he thought boarding school was a mistake. She wondered if their decision to obey their sending agency and God had taken a toll on him. Their son told her he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He loved his friends, got to play sports, and had a completely different life than he’d have had on the mission field. Terry can rest assured that her willingness to submit paid off for her son and for the many people their family influenced over the years. “There are thousands of people in Heaven because I obeyed God,” Terry says. That’s enough confirmation for her!  *Names have been changed to protect those in sensitive political situations.

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Me trics

Church Management Systems: Who Is Using What . . . and How? A Christian Standard Survey on ChMS Usage Among Christian Churches and Churches of Christ BY KENT E. FILLINGER

For all but the smallest of churches, leaders need an efficient and effective way to collect, organize, and utilize church-member data. A Church Management System (ChMS) is a powerful tool that can help churches with communication, giving and other financial reporting, event registration, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s check-in, and more. In the last four years, a seismic shift has occurred in the ChMS world, according to leading expert Mark Kitts. During this time, a technology company called Ministry Brands has bought up more than 20 ChMS companies and their programs and consolidated them into a few basic platforms. This move created a massive shake-up in the ChMS arena.

Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.

I conducted a survey of our Christian churches and churches of Christ in December 2019 to discover which ChMSs churches are using and to learn how they are employing them in their ministries. The survey was completed by 169 churches, with a good representation from churches of all sizes.

/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com

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I also enlisted the expertise of Mark Kitts to provide insights to help church leaders effectively navigate the ChMS world. Kitts founded People Driven Software, a church management software company, in 2002; that company merged with Elexio in 2009. He served as the lead software architect and then as CEO at Elexio for several years. Since 2015, Kitts has served as a ministry and technology consultant with some of the largest churches and parachurch organizations in America.

• A ChMS can make it easier to update your website, a key evangelism and discipleship tool that’s always on and always working for you.

Why Is a ChhMS a Must-Have for Churches?

• A ChMS can include a mobile app with a giving feature, which is a great way to maximize a church’s giving. People younger than 40 don’t write checks anymore.

Fifteen of the churches (9 percent) noted they do not currently use any type of ChMS in their ministries. Thirteen of these churches averaged fewer than 100 in average worship attendance, and nine of the churches (60 percent) with no ChMS were in a small town or rural community.

How Many ChhMSss Do Churches Use? Of the remaining churches—that is, the 154 churches that use a ChMS—a total of 46 different church manage me nt syste ms we re used. While more than half of the churches (52 percent) use only one ChMS, the average church used 1.8 systems. Three churches (2 percent) reported using five different systems. Megachurches (with an average weekly worship attendance of more than 2,000) used an average of 2.25 ChMSs, which was the most of any church size category. Small churches (average attendance of 100 to 249) reported using the fewest ChMSs, with an average of 1.6.

But the benefits of having a ChMS are unmistakable. I asked Kitts why every church should have a ChMS; he shared these reasons: • A ChMS is a very powerful tool when used correctly. Nearly every ministry task can be done more efficiently using software, especially a ChMS. If you aren’t using a modern ChMS now, you should seriously consider moving it to the top of your to-do list. • A ChMS can aid tremendously with knowing and keeping up with an ever-growing congregation.

The larger the church, the more likely they were to use multiple ChMSs. No small or very small church (averaging fewer than 100) used more than three different ChMSs. Large churches (averaging 500 to 999) and medium churches (250 to 499) maxed out with four ChMSs, while a few megachurches and emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999 weekly) reported using five different ChMSs.

• A ChMS will help everyone in the church work together and share their knowledge in one place. • Mass communication via email, texting, social media, and direct mail is much simpler with ChMS software. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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Which ChhMSss Are Most Popular? Planning Center was the most popular ChMS in our survey with just over half (51 percent) of the churches using it. Kitts reported that Rock RMS is currently used by 80 of the 100 largest evangelical churches in the country. Rock RMS is an open-source ChMS that provides flexibility and power for larger churches; it’s expensive to use, though, because a church must either have its own in-house computer programmers or pay big bucks for outside consultants to configure the system to the specific church. Kitts predicted that in the next three to five years Rock RMS will be accessible for smaller churches to use. The following chart shows the five most popular ChMSs, plus the most popular for each of the six church size categories based on the percentage of churches using them. 75%

How Satisfied Are Churches with Their ChhMS? The churches that participated in our survey had high satisfaction levels, with 81 percent saying they were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their current ChMS. Only 8 percent of churches said they were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their ChMS. Large churches reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their ChMS followed by megachurches (89 percent and 88 percent, respectively, were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied”). Emerging megachurches and very small churches reported the lowest levels of satisfaction (74 percent and 75 percent, respectively, were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied”). Small churches registered the highest levels of dissatisfaction—20 percent reported being either “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their ChMS—followed by megachurches and emerging megachurches (8 percent each).

50%

25%

0% 75%

The churches using a combination of three ChMSs reported the highest levels of satisfaction followed by those using only one ChMS option (87 percent and 85 percent, respectively). The highest levels of dissatisfaction were reported by the churches using a combination of four or five ChMSs. So, it appears that increasing the number of systems doesn’t create higher levels of satisfaction.

50%

25%

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Which Factors Most Influence Church ChhMS Decisions? The top three purchasing factors were consistent across the board. Overall, the “features/options included” was the primary decision driver (57 percent) followed by “ease of use” (52 percent) and “price” (39 percent). The order of importance varied some based-on church size, and megachurches were the only category to prioritize “scalability” over “price” as the third most important buying factor. Scalability was also the third highest priority for the multisite churches in our survey.

How Are Churches Using Their ChhMS? Our survey provided churches with a list of 15 services and tools that ChMSs often provide to determine how churches are using their ChMSs to maximize their ministry efforts. Overall, the top five most common uses were: church database (91 percent), child check-in (85 percent), event registration (68 percent), financial tracking/reporting (68 percent), and attendance tracking (68 percent).

The least important factor when considering which ChMS to buy was the “training/coaching available” (14 percent).

Here’s an overview of the top five ChMS uses based on church size. While there are many similarities in how churches of all sizes use their ChMS, the percentage of churches using each service or tool can vary considerably, and usage increases with church size.

Twenty percent of those completing the survey reported they were not the one to select the church’s ChMS. Here’s the breakdown of the top three buying factors for each size church studied:

100%

75%

50%

25%

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- METRICS -

Other Factors to Consider When Buying a ChhMS • Church size is the biggest factor in determining which system is purchased. A small church wants something affordable and easy to use. A large church wants flexibility and power. There are trade-offs. No one product will meet your needs through all growth stages of a church. • Most churches have some technical in-house expertise. If the person with this knowledge isn’t currently serving, then ask them to serve! But keep in mind that most people in the IT industry are highly skilled and may be highly paid. Don’t take them for granted. • The best ChMS is the one you will use. So, figure out what’s important to your team, and look for a product that provides that. • Seek advice churches.

from

similar-sized

• All modern ChMSs are subscriptionbased because they are web-based. The days of buying boxed software for a one-time fee are over. So, you need to consider the ongoing cost. Will you be locked into a contract? Will the price increase as you grow (i.e., add more users, use more space, grow in attendance, etc.)? Prices usually increase as you consume more, but it’s good to have an idea of potential cost increases.

How Do You Pick the Right ChhMS for Your Church? Kitts shared some key factors a church should consider when “test driving” or exploring the available options for a ChMS as a first-time buyer or when looking to switch to something new. He suggested the following: • Spend time thinking about who will be using the system in addition to what it can do. Churches can spend a lot of money on features, but they are worthless if no one uses them. Training and time are required to learn the new system. If you have staff that will never use the ChMS, move them to another position or remove them from your staff! • Research the organization/company behind the software. Do they have a good reputation for working with churches? Have you talked with other churches that use the software and are they happy with the level of support they get? Ask the company for references. • Consider other costs such as data conversion, training, support, and hardware needed (for kiosks and label printers, check scanners, etc.). • Don’t be “that guy” that looks at all the vendors and then expects one vendor to provide all the features they’ve ever seen. It’s very doubtful you will get everything you want, so be realistic. Just do your homework, get your leaders on board, and jump in!

How Can Churches Make the Most of Their ChhMS? Training the church staff to use a ChMS is critical to getting the most from your system. Jerod Walker, a former ChMS trainer for Ministry Brands, said, “Untrained staff will always think their software is inadequate.” Our survey supported this statement. Only half of those who thought they had not received enough training were satisfied with their ChMS. Our survey discovered, however, that 73 percent of church staff believed they had received “enough” or “more than enough” training to effectively use their ChMS. The larger the church, the more likely this was the case. At megachurches, 96 percent of the respondents said the church staff has received “enough” or “more than e nough” training. Me anwhile , 46 percent of the survey respondents from medium churches said they had not received enough training to use their ChMS.

What Percentage of Church Staffs Use a ChhMS?

Kitts suggested these tactics for maximizing the tools and resources in your ChMS:

Overall, 58 percent of the churches surveyed reported most of their staff (76 to 100 percent) use their ChMS. Twenty-two percent of the churches said half to three-fourths of their staff used a ChMS. Megachurches had the highest percentage of users; two-thirds of these churches reported that 76 to 100 percent of their staff used a ChMS. Very small churches had the lowest level of users; only 42 percent of these churches reported that 76 to 100 percent of staff used a ChMS.

• Invest in your people! Provide training and time for each staff member to work through selfguided training materials (videos and manuals). Also, convey the expectation that all staff will participate. • Join (or start) user groups. Ideally, several churches in your area will get together regularly to share information. Remember, you must give and receive for these to be effective.

More than two-thirds (70 percent) of churches said a full-time staff member oversaw their ChMS. The larger the church, the more likely a full-time staff member managed the ChMS (rather than a parttime staffer or volunteer). For example, 91 percent of megachurches had a full-time staff member managing the ChMS while only 42 percent of very small churches had the same. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

• Hire temporary (or permanent) expert help. I know a large church in Indianapolis that hired a full-time staff member whose sole job is to help the church take full advantage of IT systems, especially for core mission endeavors such as evangelism and discipleship. Technology is complex, so don’t be afraid to get help.  - 21 -

MARCH 2020

Ministry L i fe

The Power Room BY BRIAN COOK

Three people gather quietly around a small table. Their bodies hunch forward as their lips move silently. The drone of electrical machinery whirs around them, punctuated only by the soft rustling of Bible pages and the gentle creaking of chairs. Brian Cook is an associate minister with Central Christian Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he serves with his wife, Shelly. He recently earned a Master of Strategic Ministry degree from Johnson University Florida.

The sign on the door says “Power Room.” It is a cramped electrical closet situated on the far side of the stage in our worship center. Our church’s facilities have been updated significantly over the years, but its sturdy mid-century bones can still be seen amid the bulky circuit breakers and snaking wires that inhabit this secluded space.

/brian.cook.129794

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MARCH 2020

Spare music stands and boxes of duct tape are stacked in one corner of the room. A mysterious woodpaneled contraption stands in another, its regally engraved, gold-lettered plaque proudly proclaiming, “This carillon is given ‘to the Glory of the Blessed Trinity.’” I have no idea what a carillon is. Scuff marks, strange-colored stains, and the occasional crusty carcass of a deceased cockroach litter the vinyl flooring. But do not be deceived—for us, this is holy ground. This humble and overcrowded closet is our very heartbeat, our epicenter of spiritual activity, our “holiest of holies.” Every weekend, two or three people gather during each of our worship services and devote themselves wholly to the sacred vocation of prayer. During all of the singing and sermonizing, these faithful few function as intercessors—21st-century priests and priestesses who earnestly petition for the presence, participation, and, yes, power of almighty God to be evident in our midst. Our prayer team has stationed itself in the Power Room for several months already, but it’s a warm autumn morning before I finally have the opportunity to join in this prayerful labor. To my left sits Larry, a retired minister from rural Indiana; to my right is Sophann, a retired medical doctor from Cambodia. Both were making disciples and proclaiming the gospel for decades before I was even born. It is profoundly humbling (and somewhat intimidating) to be seated among such time-tested saints; if “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective,” then for the sake of effectiveness, I am very grateful they are with me. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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As the worship team leads the congregation in song, we pray through the lyrics line-by-line. During the greeting time, we pray for the forging of deeper relationships among those gathered. During the sermon, we pray for the Holy Spirit to cultivate a greater degree of receptivity, obedience, and transformation in the hearts of our people. During Communion, we pray that the crucifixion, resurrection, and promised return of Jesus will sustain our people through their doubts and discouragement. We “pray without ceasing” for an hour, interceding in real time on behalf of our congregation. It gives me deep comfort and confidence to know that all of our activities and operations each week are undergirded by the prayers of the faithful. In everything we do, we are asking, seeking, and knocking—praying for God’s kingdom to come and for his will to be done in our church, city, and world as it is in Heaven. Sunday mornings have felt markedly different since the prayer team took up residence in their homely little compartment. There’s a sense of anticipation, an expectation of greater things to come. There’s a buzz of excitement, an electricity in the air. But what else could we expect? The lights are on and the circuits are strong. 

Submit your own 500- to 700-word essay telling of an experience through which you learned a vital ministry principle by emailing it to cs@christianstandardmedia.com with “MinistryLife” in the subject line. See more information at www.christianstandard.com/contact-us/submit-articles.

MARCH 2020

Polis hed

The Challenge: Learn How to Study the Bible and Equip Other Women to Do the Same! BY MEGAN RAWLINGS

Do you know how to study the Bible? Studying is very different from simply reading; to study requires more effort. We study Scripture to gain understanding, and understanding entails more than merely skimming through a passage and letting that be enough.

Megan Rawlings is the founder and CEO of The Bold Movement. She is an extrovert, pastor’s wife, and lover of the Scriptures.

For example, in Acts 8:26-40, the Ethiopian eunuch was in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. After the Holy Spirit directed Philip to go over to the man, Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” Philip then explained the Old Testament passage in detail, showing how Isaiah had been writing about Christ.

/tbmministry @tbm_ministry @tbm_ministry @theboldmovement theboldmovement.com

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MARCH 2020

Nine Steps for Studying the Bible More Deeply If as a Christian you identify more with the eunuch than with Philip, use these steps to begin to deepen your knowledge: 1. Choose a book. A good first step for learning to study the Bible is to choose one book and work all the way through it. If you are new to this, start with the Gospel of John. 2. Address the starter questions. Seek to answer these questions about the book: Who wrote it? To whom was it written? When was it written? What was happening when it was written? Why was it written? What is the genre and style? What are the central themes? 3. Read the book in its entirety. Doing so will help you understand the context of the passage. Then reread the book, perhaps using a different Bible translation. It’s likely you’ll discover a particular Bible version that clicks best with you. 4. Write about what you have read. This could involve creating a version of the Scripture in your own words. While doing this, highlight particular sections that stand out. Also, jot down questions that are raised. 5. Make a list of key words and repetitious wording in the passage. Use this list as the basis for more study (similar to step 4). C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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6. Research the historical context and culture. A good understanding of the book’s writer and his intended audience is crucial to understanding Scripture. 7. Consult commentaries. Use websites like www. bestcommentaries.com to find appropriate and highly rated study aides. 8. Study how the book relates to the rest of Scripture. For example, is it Old Testament or New Testament? Is it history, biography, poetry, prophecy, letters . . . ? Is it closely associated with another book? What are its similarities and differences to other Bible books? 9. Look for the application. Consider how you might put into practice what you have just studied. MARCH 2020

- POLISHED -

Bible Study Resources A variety of helpful resources can assist you with these nine steps. Some can be found online, and many are even available for free. Here are five primary tools: A study Bible is the easiest tool to use and has much to offer. For starters, study notes act as miniature commentaries. The notes are typically arranged verse by verse. A study Bible also contains crossreferences, illustrations, introductions to each book, timelines, maps, and an index that make it easy to find any subject matter. A concordance is an alphabetical listing that shows where words and phrases occur in the Bible. This allows you to better understand the way a word is used in different passages of Scripture.

The Next Step: Equipping Other Women

A Bible dictionary helps to identify people, places, and items found in Scripture. A Bible dictionary typically acts as an encyclopedia too.

I have been openly critical of women’s ministry that relies on watching a video and then discussing, “How does that make you feel?” What is biblical about that? Instead, we need to increase our knowledge and love of God through serious study of Scripture. That is what I am passionate about. That is what women truly need.

A Bible atlas helps the Bible student picture the land mentioned in Scripture. For example, Mark 1 starts by describing how people traveled from various lands to see John the Baptist. A Bible atlas allows you to see how far away those places were and what it took to get there. Commentaries help put into perspective what is being taught in Scripture. It can be easy to miss information as we read. A cultural fact might be overlooked because we tend to read through a 21stcentury lens. Commentaries are great tools . . . but don’t immediately run to them! It is important to wrestle with the text to become a better student of God’s Word. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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As important as it is to personally study the Bible, a key next step is to train up others to do the same.

And so I have challenged myself, even as I now challenge you, Let’s equip and teach women to study the Bible. In the early church, mature Christian women trained the younger women in how to be Christians. Teaching someone how to study the Bible is one of the greatest gifts we can give. When done correctly, studying the Bible can be time-consuming. But as missionary C.T. Studd wrote, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”  MARCH 2020

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MARCH 2020

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MARCH 2020

how to develop an online church campus

by Rusty George

- FEATURE -

“Church online isn’t church.” Yep, that’s what I used to say. Of course, I also thought texting would never last and Facebook was a fad. But hey, what do I know? I guess you might call me a late adopter. Needless to say, starting an online campus wasn’t at the top of my list. But six years ago we decided to add an online option at our church, and I’ve changed my mind about its importance.

the first question:

why mess with it? It sounds like a lot of work when a simple website with service times listed seems adequate. After all, our goal is to push people toward the physical location, right? Yes. And that’s exactly why I changed my mind about online campuses. Churches have always put a lot of effort and resourcing into creating a great first impression. We paint the building, pave the parking lot, beautify the landscaping, and then update the lobby. We swap out the carpet, paint the walls, and invest in monitors and creative signage. Some churches add coffee shops, bookstores, ministry tables, and an information booth for new guests. Whatever it takes to make a great first impression.

Most of us conduct online research of restaurants, movies, and hotels before we ever decide to visit. Our guests are doing the same thing with our churches. They are deciding whether to attend your church by watching a service online. Even if they are invited by a friend, the friend is most likely to say, “Check it out online” . . . and they do, and then they decide. So, we had to ask, Does our current website help a first-time guest take a next step . . . or does it just help our current attendees navigate their next activity? Our website historically has been a place of insider information. But now that the lobby has moved, how should our website help a new person take the next step?

For years I taught a class for our first-time guests and I’d ask, “How’d you get here?” The number-one answer used to be “a friend” or “your sign,” followed by, “and then we showed up and the place just felt inviting.” But slowly I began to hear less of that and more of, “I’ve been watching online for months and decided to show up.” One day it hit me: The lobby has moved!

“Our online campus is not only one of our biggest campuses, but also our fastest growing and least expensive!”

MARCH 2020

what’s the next step? The next step may just be to attend a physical location. That isn’t a problem, except your church will be limited in reach to the communities nearest your campuses. Our church wanted to reach further. We felt the Great Commission called us to think beyond just our city. We knew of many people who would invite friends from far away to “go to church.” So, our goal was to connect with people regardless of where they lived. Because of this, we’ve now heard stories of people “going to church” online with family members who don’t live anywhere near us. We’ve had guests come to a Christmas Eve service from out of town or other states, and then return home but stay connected by watching online. At a baptism service one August, I met a man with a British accent. I said, “Where are you from?” He said, “London.” I said, “Oh, when did you move here?” He said, “I still live there, but I’m part of your online campus and flew here to be baptized.” So, with this in mind, our next step for anyone attending online is to get them to engage in some sort of community. It might be at one of our physical locations, it might be an online group, or it might even be a church or group in their town.

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the next question:

the big question:

the relevant question:

But is it really church? To answer that, let’s start with how we define church. Is church simply a building? We all would agree it’s more than that. Church is engagement . . . with the music, with the teaching, with Communion and offering, and with other people. An online campus can provide all of these things. In fact, in some ways it can be an even better experience.

So, what are the best first steps to start an online church campus?

is it really church?

For example, if you were in a physical building and decided to stand up and ask a question about something the pastor had said, you probably would be politely escorted out. But online, you can have an ongoing dialogue with the online campus pastor and other attendees while the teaching pastor is speaking. Recently our online campus pastor engaged in a conversation with a former Jehovah’s Witness who knew the Bible but didn’t know Jesus. They ended up meeting, and this man came to faith in Christ. Compare that with the guy who shows up late to a service, sits in the back, plays on his phone or sleeps, and then leaves early. Was he in church? Yes. But was he a part of church? No. As much as we think this method of ministry is new, in some ways it dates back to the first ce ntury. Conside r how the apostle Paul’s letters were used. He wrote them as a way to be in many places at one time. (See Jon Weatherly’s article, “How Paul Used the Social Media of His Time,” on page 64.) They were passed about from house to house as a means to help “church” happen. Paul was the originator of multisite!

how do we start? 1. Start livestreaming your current service. Some churches broadcast their service on demand, some use Facebook Live, and others are trying Instagram Live. We’ve found so many people in our culture still think of Sunday as church day that the best thing is to livestream services as they happen. We livestream all three of our Sunday services. 2. Talk to the online audience. All of our communicators are taught to include the online campus by saying phrases such as, “We want to welcome everyone online,” or, “For those of you watching at home. . . .” With this in mind, you must make sure everything you offer inside can be offered online. For example, when you ask people to sign up for something and when you receive the offering. You can even give a shout-out to people from the stage—“I see you in Cleveland!” 3. Have an online campus pastor. He or she doesn’t have to be ordained or have seminary training, but a trained volunteer can chat with those who are online, pray for people, and help them connect with someone who can help. We actually outsource this to volunteers around the country who want to be involved. 4. Find ways to drive people to the online campus. One of the best things we did early on was to close our physical locations on the Sunday after Christmas. I know, that’s

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controversial, but due to the 10 Christmas Eve services we were doing, and the fact that most people are out of town that weekend anyway, we announced, “The only campus open next Sunday is our online campus. You can get some take-home Communion on your way out, and we’ll see you there next weekend!” We had a unique prerecorded service that people loved. And it taught everyone how to access it. Plus, it gave our regular in-person attendees a unique perspective on how Jesus can reach people in the 21st century. People attend a physical location only 1.9 times a month, so offering an online option allows people to be a bit more consistent . . . even if they aren’t in the building. Through periodic surveys, we’ve learned that two people are watching per every online login. Since starting this, we’ve seen our online attendance grow from a couple hundred to nearly 2,000 every weekend. Our online campus is not only one of our biggest campuses, but also our fastest growing and least expensive! Developing our online campus has helped us grow quickly and cost-effectively. I’m not sure how long this style will work, but then again, I thought Facebook was a fad.  Rusty George is an author and the lead pastor of Real Life Church Ministries in Valencia, California. For nearly 20 years, Rusty has provided visionary leadership and teaching to his churches in the Santa Clarita Valley and Simi Valley, California. /rustylgeorge @rustylgeorge @rustylgeorge

Stop making your faith complicated. Rusty George’s new book takes the complication out of faith, and so can you. Order your copy of Justice. Mercy. Humility. today. Order now at https://justicemercyhumility.com.

S IX

Reasons Your Church Needs A Mobile-Giving Option

by David Dummitt

MARCH 2020

The advent of smartphones over the past quarter century has revolutionized the way people prefer to learn, shop, and, yes, give. While many churches are embracing financial technology in new ways and are experiencing the positive impact on congregational generosity, many churches in America continue to rely solely on traditional giving methods like passing a plate during worship services. In case you need more convincing about mobile phone trends and their effect on the world, here are a few interesting statistics: • 39 percent of smartphone owners used their phone to pay a bill within the last month. • 44 percent of millennials prefer to use their mobile phones to make small purchases. • Mobile charitable giving continues to increase every year. • 74 percent of Americans write no more than one check per month. • 80 percent of Americans carry less than $50 in cash. Church leaders ought to pay attention and leverage the tools available to us to engage people on kingdom mission. Here are six reasons your church should have a mobilegiving option:

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IBM created the first smartphone in the early 1990s, but it was Apple’s release of the first iPhone in 2007 that effectively changed the world at large. Fast-forward to today and approximately 81 percent of people in America own a smartphone. The world has literally moved into the palms of people’s hands.

Simplifies Giving

Enables People to Give Regularlyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Even When Absent

Provides Increased Financial Security

It is important to remove obstacles and complexities to giving. People need to have options for how they can give, and there must be no guesswork. The more people have to think about how to give, the less likely they are to give at all.

People attend church less frequently than they did 10 or 15 years ago. The average churchgoer now attends church less than two times per month. When people do not attend, they tend not to give unless there is a simple and convenient option.

Cash can get lost, forgotten, stolen, and miscounted. And unless someone paid with a check, people may not have their own official records of how much they gave, making generosity statements difficult to produce.

By offering mobile-giving options, churches meet people where they are: on their devices. This removes barriers and obstacles and makes giving simple and convenient. Offering mobile-giving options also allows you to tap into significant giving potential that your church might otherwise miss by making giving available 24/7. An average Sunday yields 27 percent of weekly giving, which means 73 percent of giving occurs at other times, including the middle of the night on any given Tuesday. (On average, more than 30 percent of giving happens between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.!)

Providing a mobile-giving option allows people to continue to give to the mission of your church even when they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be physically present when the buckets are passed during your weekend generosity moment.

Offering online and mobile-giving options provides additional security for givers as well as your church. Record keeping is made simpler, collecting accurate contact information is a cinch, and the right online-giving solution will provide bank-level security and encryption to ensure every gift goes straight from your givers to your church.

Streamlines Church Operations Systems

Creates Stronger Relationships with Givers

Helps People Take the Next Step in Generosity

Mobile-giving solutions offer many integration and automation options designed to save your church time and money. Manual processes often include steps like receiving a check, manually entering the check into a database, sending out a thank-you letter and tax receipt, etc. And while mobile giving doesn’t completely replace that process—people will still give checks and cash—many hours of cumbersome data entry and follow-up are eliminated because of automation in place for contributions made online.

When someone gives for the first time, they are trusting you not only with their dollars, but with their contact information. Leverage this as a pastoral opportunity to cultivate a relationship.

Jesus knows our hearts follow our money, which is why he talked about it so often. Jesus told 38 parables, and 16 of them involved how to handle money and possessions.

Many mobile-giving solutions allow churches to create a suite of customized messages to givers. These communication tools allow churches to immediately thank the giver, tell impact stories of how people’s generosity is making a difference, and more. Your mother was right: manners matter. Gratitude matters. And a generous culture goes hand-in-hand with a grateful one. When people know that you notice their efforts to support and drive the mission forward, relational bonds grow tighter.

It is critical that we help people take next steps with God in the area of generosity. Mobile giving allows churches to leverage modern technology to engage people in the mission of the church wherever they are. Millennials especially are unlikely to give anything at all unless they are given a mobile option. By removing as many obstacles as possible to giving, by simplifying the process and offering a range of options, your church casts a wider net to engage and disciple people in financial stewardship.

If your church does not already have a mobile-giving solution, several robust options are available, including Pushpay, Tithe.ly, and my personal recommendation, Gyve, which has a revolutionary roundup feature and donor analytics portal. 

David Dummitt is the founding and lead pastor of 2|42 Community Church in Michigan. He has served on the board of The Solomon Foundation, and previously served as North American director of NewThing, a global church-planting organization. Additionally, he partnered with two gifted technology developers to create Gyve, an innovative generosity development tool for churches and nonprofits.

Can Online Ch u rch es C r e at e (Offlin e) Conn ections?

By J usti n H o rey

From smartphones to social media, Facebook to FaceTime, the Internet and the tools we use to access it are often advertised as ways to help people relate to one another. Dating apps and websites aim to bring people together in person, while social media platforms and videoconferencing were created to help people stay in touch when they can’t be together in the same room. Technology experts and ordinary people alike love to debate the effectiveness of relating with online tools, but these tools are pervasive and proliferating. Naturally, churches around the world are seeking to use the Internet to spread the gospel and create Christian community. But what is the purpose of “online church?” Is it to bring people together face-to-face or to provide virtual relationships for people who can’t be together in person? It depends on whom you ask.

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Fi rst Capital Ch ri stian Ch u rch : D i g ital Li fe I s Real Li fe First Capital Christian Church of Corydon, Indiana, is a congregation of almost 2,000 in a city of just 3,000 residents. That kind of impact would be remarkable for any congregation, but engagement pastor Tyler Sansom says it’s particularly noteworthy because First Capital has what he calls “the worst church location imaginable.” The church’s physical campus is located at the end of a dead-end road, without so much as a sign pointing the way to the building. Rather than working to improve the visibility of the facility or drive more people to attend services on site, First Capital decided to expand its reach by launching an online worship service in 2015. The first live broadcasts were humble, streamed from the worship leader’s cell phone. After a year, the church started what Sansom describes as a legitimate online service. While it’s difficult to determine exact attendance figures, Sansom estimates the number of people participating in the church’s online services could soon exceed the Sunday attendance at the physical church building. But at First Capital, online worship services are just a part of its Internet ministry; the church also offers online videos, question-and-answer sessions, Facebook Live broadcasts, and more—all overseen by a care team dedicated to reaching people with the gospel on the web. That broad online ministry is not a bridge or a funnel designed to convince people to attend Sunday services or midweek small groups in person. In Sansom’s view, digital life is real life, online relationships are real relationships, and online ministry is complete ministry. As evidence, Sansom shared the story of Betty, a 78-year-old shut-in who recently passed away. The online care team from First Capital had been in touch with her nearly every day during the final months of her life, and Sansom spoke at her funeral, though he had never met her face-to-face before she went to be with Jesus. Like Betty, anyone who is a part of online church at First Capital is a part of the church. Full stop.

" I n S a n s o m ' s v i e w, d i g i ta l l i f e is real life, o n l i n e r e l at i o n s h i p s a r e r e a l r e l at i o n s h i p s , a n d o n l i n e m i n i s t ry i s c o m p l e t e m i n i s t ry.

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Cross roads: Ch u rch Anywh e re Crossroads Church in Cincinnati has been offering online services since 2015. The church calls it “Crossroads Anywhere,” and the name is appropriate because roughly 20,000 to 40,000 people participate in those online services each week—watching and interacting via the web from locations all across the United States. Lena Schuler, the Crossroads Anywhere community pastor, says Crossroads wants to be “the easiest church for people to be part of in the whole country.” Unlike First Capital Christian Church, Crossroads places a high priority on bringing online attendees together for face-to-face interactions. The church even promotes those opportunities during online worship services, regularly showing videos of online attendees watching the service together or participating in other offline experiences like informal get-togethers. “People are never going to want what they can’t see,” Schuler says, “so we show them what community looks like.”

" C r o s s r o a d s wa n t s t o be ' th e easi est ch u rch

Crossroads offers many groups for online attendees: Sunday morning watch parties, monthly dinner parties, and one-off events. Most ongoing groups and gatherings meet in people’s homes, though some meet in public places or larger venues, as needed. Crossroads also encourages online attendees to develop friendships and deeper ongoing relationships by taking steps to become more involved in each other’s lives, by meeting for coffee, going out to lunch, or attending one another’s birthday parties. Despite the emphasis Crossroads places on face-toface interactions, it can be a challenge to bring people together when the congregation is reaching individuals in nearly every state. Schuler estimates that only about half of the church’s online attendees live near an existing group, which leaves many people without a local community to join. Crossroads currently offers more than 100 groups for online attendees, but it isn’t enough. The church is constantly adding more groups in more locations. Schuler and the Crossroads team see endless opportunities to reach the lost using online tools, and they are willing to do almost anything to achieve the goal of making Crossroads easy to join. “We’re going to do anything—short of sin—to reach people.”

f o r p e o p l e t o b e pa r t o f i n t h e w h o l e c o u n t ry. '

" B e c a u s e N o r t h e a s t i s 'a L o u i s v i l l e c h u r c h , ' o n l i n e at t e n d e e s a r e e n c o u r a g e d t o pa r t i c i pat e i n l o c a l s m a l l g ro u p s a n d lo ca l s e rv i c e p ro j ec t s as w e l l .

MARCH 2020

Th e Wi ld West o f Wo rs h i p on th e We b

The online campus at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, is brand new, and Northeast approaches its online ministry differently than most other congregations. Adrienne Feldmann, online campus pastor, says Northeast Christian Church exists to reach and serve the people of Louisville—and the online campus is no exception.

Feldmann compares online church to the Wild West because digital ministry feels like an adventure. Unlike the American frontier, however, online church in the United States is not marked by territorial disputes. In fact, Feldmann says most congregations are “very openhanded” about their online ministries, freely sharing ideas and information with one another. Oklahoma-based Life.Church, currently the largest online church in the country, has been particularly helpful to the team at Northeast.

Northeast’s singular focus on the city of Louisville makes the church’s online ministry attractive to locals. Every week, Feldmann says the church staff meets first-time visitors who tried out the church’s online services before visiting the main campus. (Feldmann calls it a “test drive.”) It happens so often that in the pre-service video shown before the online service, she invites people to come and introduce themselves to her if they do choose to attend worship in person. The online service is not necessarily designed to attract people to Northeast’s physical service on Sunday. But Feldmann is clear that she and her team want people who participate in Northeast Online to spend time together offline one way or another. “My end goal is for people to be face-to-face—even if they are never physically in our building,” she says. For that reason, the church offers microcampuses, where people can watch the online service together, as well as small groups for online attendees. Because Northeast is “a Louisville church,” online attendees are encouraged to participate not only in local small groups, but in local service projects as well. Last August, when the church canceled its normal worship services for one Sunday to serve local schools in preparation for the start of the new academic year, Northeast also canceled its online services and invited online attendees to participate in the service project. Church members from the online and physical campuses joined together that day and served 34 area schools by painting railings, planting flowers, and completing other tasks to maintain and repair the facilities—all in the name of Christ.

By collaborating with other congregations, Feldmann has discovered that “what works for one church’s culture isn’t going to work for another church’s culture,” and she is learning to adapt her own ministry to fulfill Northeast Christian Church’s specific mission. She encourages other churches that are considering online ministry to begin now rather than waiting for “the perfect time.” “There are people—very real people—you meet in your online campuses who need Jesus,” she says. Whether or not those people ultimately meet in person, the churches using the Internet to reach the lost agree that online ministry is worth the time and technology it takes. Besides, Feldmann adds, “It’s really fun!” 

Justin Horey is a writer, musician, and the founder of Livingstone Marketing. He lives in Southern California.

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N o rth east Ch ri stian Ch u rch : An Online Church Built for a City

MINISTRY INTELLIGENCE

using the power of information to reach your community for Christ

BY CHRIS JEFFERSON

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Nehemiah’s transition from king’s cupbearer to rebuilder of Jerusalem provides valuable lessons for how modern churches can set goals, define objectives, strategize methods, and incorporate tactics to help them move beyond self-preservation and begin to lead movements in their congregations and communities. At the start of the Old Testament book, Nehemiah asked his brothers from Judah about his homeland. He specifically asked for information about two things: the people and the city. He gathered intelligence from trusted, knowledgeable sources. Upon learning that the remnant was in “great trouble and disgrace” and that the wall of Jerusalem was “broken down, and its gates burned with fire”—Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. Then he strategized a plan and asked for God’s favor in granting his plan success through the willing and helpful assistance of King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah developed a goal: support the returning remnant and help restore their identity as a people after God’s heart. He met with the people, surveyed the city’s walls, and came up with this objective: rebuild and restore Jerusalem’s walls and gates. His strategy was to use God’s guidance, King Artaxerxes’ good favor and influence, and his own resolve to rally the people in accomplishing a supernatural feat of engineering. This strategy utilized well-orchestrated and diligent tactics that lay in the skilled hands of the willing people, and their trust in God and his chosen leader. In doing these things, Nehemiah grew from cupbearer to leading a movement for change. Church leaders today are often quick to employ a variety of tools in seeking to minister to our congregations and communities. Sometimes we employ the wrong tools, choose the wrong tactics, misidentify our best objectives, or measure success by the wrong indicators. If we do not know our community and its people well, we may mistake our purpose to be cupbearers rather than leaders of people called to inspire supernatural movements. If we concern ourselves with self-preservation and the indices of congregational success, we may find ourselves betting on moments and missing the opportunity to lead movements in our communities and congregations.

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Progress from Moments to Movements A key element to escaping this maddening cycle is the cogent and consistent use of ministry intelligence. Nehemiah sought out information before he strategized and managed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and embraced the opportunity to lead God’s people. What can ministry intelligence tell us about our people and our city? How can it be used to identify and shape how to best reach our communities? How can we inspire the desire to fulfill the church’s mission rather than being content with the typical measurements of ministry success? Part of the answer lies in recognizing we no longer serve a culture satisfied by moments. Our culture is poised to lead movements of life change, truth, and goodness that inspire groups to action. How can we inspire a movement of the church rather than cultivate moments of attraction in our buildings? If we are only running after the vital B-statistics—backsides in seats, bucks in the plate, baptisms reported, buildings being maintained, and budgets wellmanaged—we may win the battle of preservation and miss the opportunity to take part in our much greater missional purpose. Some churches and leaders will doubledown on chasing the vital Bs. Eventually, however, their failure to recognize a generation’s changing needs and the key indicators of current trends and issues within their community will have consequences. (Case in point, Blockbuster Video succumbed to Netflix over a single decade.)

How can we inspire a movement of the church rather than cultivate moments of attraction in our buildings?

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A single congregation can grow large and establish multiple satellite campuses, but the larger church—comprising millions of people—will begin to dominate only when it marshals its people and encourages them to reach out, engage, and genuinely impact the lives of the millions of lost people. That’s a movement. People long to be more than a member; they want to be a contributor to the mission of the church where they belong. As the church, our goal hasn’t changed, but we must correctly identify our objectives through ministry intelligence, which will lead to better defined strategies, which can be served by intentional tactics that will not miss the mark but may instead inspire a movement. The use of ministry intelligence—such as that provided by Barna and Pew Research—isn’t new. Knowing how many, how few, how fertile, how probable, how likely, how well off, how concentrated, and how people choose to identify themselves can be powerful intelligence.

Understand the What and Why Many types of data can be used for ministry intelligence. We categorize these as first-, second-, and third-party data. • First-party data is data you own and collect—your mailing list, church management records, attendance and giving records, etc. • Second-party data is someone else’s first-party data that you obtain through a direct relationship with them; this can be procured from data collectors like census.gov or datausa.io and other purveyors of data (Myers-Briggs, S.H.A.P.E. Assessment, and StrengthsFinder). • Third-party data comes from an entity that does not have a direct relationship with consumers; it can be collected from those who monitor actions such as Internetsearch behavior or consumer-transaction behavior. Such data can be used to understand motivations, habits, propensities, and profiles of your community or congregants; it can be anonymized and grouped into different segments that can then be applied to your first-party data.

Knowledge may change your church’s direction toward a strategic plan to address the growing issues that face your community.

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First- and second-party data identify what people do, while third-party data seek to tell you why people do what they do. When you understand both the what and the why, you can identify trends and tendencies and initiate ministry objectives that will resonate with targeted people groups. This is ministry intelligence, and it’s a powerful gift for today’s church. To be clear, ministry intelligence is not a substitute or separate ingredient to hearing the Word (Romans 10:14, 17). It is merely a scope through which we can direct the church’s efforts at the most probable targets who need to hear and are ready to believe. How are you applying the intelligence gleaned from the data you own and can access to guide objectives, strategies, and tactics? Today, nearly all businesses—from mom-and-pop grocery stores to huge catalogue retailers—use data to guide their objectives toward reaching their overarching goals. What households are most probably looking for a new automobile? What search criteria identifies someone as “in the market for” a new set of dishes or snow blower or vacation bargain? This information can lead to strategies and then tactics, such as targeted radio, television, and newspaper advertising. It may involve purchasing third-party data to deliver web banners to mobile devices of specific audiences. Goals lead to objectives that form strategies that define the best tactics. The church can use such information for a far more important purpose: to help move us from latency to activity. How many households in the community have troubled marriages or family members struggling with chemical dependencies? Is there a single-parent crisis in town? How many people are struggling with debt or face foreclosure? How many in the community are lost? What is the church’s best track for introducing these people to Jesus? This last question begins to move us from ministry intelligence toward strategy.

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P l a c e t h e R i g h t To o l s i n t o Yo u r P e o p l e ’ s H a n d s We want to lead churches that are Spirit-led and Christ-centered, but which are also data-informed. Like Nehemiah, we need help to identify the patterns taking place in our community, and toward objectives, so we can envision good strategies and place the right tools (tactics) into the hands of our people who want to be part of the solution. In this data-informed age, we can peer into communities and groups of people, identify objectives, and apply our congregational capacity for change through strategized contribution. By using data-driven ministry intelligence, we may discover that 23 percent of the households in our community contain a married couple in need. This intelligence may help shape a ministry objective to try to impact 10 percent of these households by strengthening marriages and helping decrease the divorce rate by year’s end. We may then strategize to offer marriage-specific programs in the spring and fall. Ministry intelligence will help direct us to develop sermon series, small groups programming, a special weekend retreat or event, web-based resources, and a couples video series to inform and fuel tactics like our internal and external email communications, social media, digital ads, and direct mail—all aimed at addressing this issue. All of these tactics are controlled and probably led by church staff. We can use this same ministry intelligence to shape the objective and state the strategy, but we should develop tactics that require contributions by the congregation. How might we encourage and build up marriages within our congregation and then release them to tactically impact the marriages of their neighbors, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances? One church recently created a date-night event featuring a well-known comedian. Married and dating couples in the church invited couples from the community to attend. Social media, website, and digital advertising tactics supported the event; free tickets were distributed to couples in the community. The event “sold out” with more than 1,200 attendees, two-thirds of whom had never attended the church before. A five-week series on relationships, dating, and marriage followed with more than 300 moving from the date-night event to the sermon series. Church folks inviting people to an event strategically designed to fortify marriages allowed attendees to become contributors in executing the strategy. People are less interested in church programs and activities today and more desirous of really contributing to a church’s ministry objectives. If we support the goal of the church Jesus gave us—as I’m sure we all do—then the data-informed objectives discovered through ministry intelligence, perhaps unique to every community, will be something the entire congregation wants to support. Christ’s call to love your neighbor can be objectively driven by ministry intelligence. This is the only way to create a movement . . . to turn thousands into millions. Multiplication takes place when believers strategically and genuinely impact the lives of neighbors, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. It is a feat of supernatural engineering.

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Why did Jesus leave the 99 to search for the one? That question, I think, drives home the point about using ministry intelligence as a tool to help accomplish the work of the church in every community. If numbers were the point, this action would seem foolish. Certainly, the more enterprising, responsible, and cost-conscious shepherd would recognize that the needs of the many supersede the effort and cost of seeking the one. This is where ministry intelligence is a game changer. Jesus knew about the one, and this made it an easy decision to leave the 99, whom he knew were safe. This knowledge compelled the good shepherd to seek to save. Embracing ministry intelligence is all about forming the right objectives to identify the best strategies that allow community to flourish and empower contributors. Using this wisdom to bless and bring real change to our communities and congregations starts with knowing about the one. Nehemiah asked about only two things: the people and the city. A focus on such intelligence is useful in shaping the right objectives for ministries today. But be careful, as it can fuel passion that turns rubble into a supernatural feat of engineering. Knowledge may change your churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s direction toward a strategic plan to address the growing issues that face your community. It may redefine your congregationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passions and provide a new identity for your church in the community you serve. It may make you uncomfortable, force you to your knees, and cause mourning, fasting, and heartfelt prayer before the Lord. It may change you from being a cupbearer of an organization into a movement leader of the King. ď §

Chris Jefferson is the marketing director of managed services at Gloo, a Boulder, Colorado, technology company specializing in supporting and serving champions who help people grow in relationship, spirit, and wellness. Chris is also director of marketing and resource development at Spire Network. @cdjefferson @chris.jefferson.1612

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Empowering the saints vs. simply gathering the saints together requires creativity, ingenuity, teamwork, and ministry intelligence. Data is simply another tool to provide our people with an opportunity to build community and help them become contributors.

g on r w t i g n i o d e youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;r If

Yo u

Lead

Alone

A Cuttin g- Ed ge Way to Find New Minist ry Part ners Online . . . a nd in P e rson

By M a rk K itts

I’m

still smarting from the recent closing of my alma mater, once known as “the Flagship College” of the independent Christian churches (ICC). Our schools, publications, and national gatherings have historically been unifying bastions of the Restoration Movement. But these institutions have been losing influence as people have voted with their feet and their wallets. Is it because Restoration ideals have lost their relevance? I don’t think so. I see these ideals being adopted as never before. Denominationalism is declining at an amazing rate as tens of thousands of churches are dropping their affiliations and becoming truly independent churches. It’s estimated as many as 80,000 churches in America now identify as independent and/or nondenominational and are truly breaking bonds with national headquarters. Theologically, the church in America has suffered tremendously from liberal ideology for more than 100 years. The latest challenges center around postmodernism and the progressive evangelicals. But that has given rise to a desire to return to, or recommit to, simple, biblical Christianity. Liberal churches fail. Bible-believing churches grow (or at least persevere). Is this not at the heart of what ICCs have been about since the 1800s?

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embracing

New Way s t o Unite and Connect We must embrace new ways of uniting and connecting around our common ideals and encourage like-minded leaders of churches that want to grow by fulfilling the Great Commission. This is the vision behind the Spire Network. You may have heard the board of stewards of the North American Christian Convention decided to take on this enormous challenge and give birth to this new enterprise now called Spire. The idea was to create an online place where we can connect, collaborate, and contribute.

That’s why we intend to continue inperson gatherings. In fact, Spire is increasing the number of get-togethers; the Topgolf events taking place all across the country are just one example. I have already experienced the power of Spire as an online connection place. I do ministry and technology consulting. I recently posted an article on the Spire platform about best practices using church management software. Soon after, an IT administrator at a Dallas church messaged me to ask if we could talk. I called him and had a great conversation as we worked through some challenges his church is facing. Then, just a couple of weeks later, we met each other at the SpireConference in Orlando. A new friendship was formed. I look forward to building this relationship and seeing their church grow to the next level with ministry technology.

Spire is open 24/7, not just once a year at a single gathering. (By the way, the annual gathering still exists! See http://spire.network). It’s a place where any church leader can give and get help with the myriad challenges of ministry. It’s designed to give voice to great ideas, whether they originate in a small church or a megachurch. We’ve always been a pioneering movement that adopts results-oriented solutions and abandons those that do not produce fruit. One of the greatest things about my college—Cincinnati Christian University— and the NACC were the relationships I formed and maintained because of those institutions. Our dream is for Spire to become a place where new relationships are formed and old ones are strengthened. Though online relationships cannot replace in-person relationships, it’s now commonplace for people to meet online before meeting in person. Many marriages today started as online relationships!

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leveraging

New Te c h n o l o g i e s We’ve all experienced the power of social media to connect people and augment existing and new relationships. (Have you heard that Facebook now has more than 2 billion users? As a technology guy, that blows my mind.) We now live in a crazy world where teens and adults carry around a powerful, pocket-sized computing and communication device. Our smartphones are nearly indispensable to everyday life. Of course, these new realities have created certain problems, but we must bravely and prudently move ahead to harness their power for gospel purposes.

ment company in Joplin, Missouri. Unlike secular tech corporations that misuse and sell your data, Spire is not in the business of selling user data or misusing it for nonkingdom purposes. Our goal is to be self-funded by providing a tremendous ministry service for church leaders. And yes, we are accepting donations to help get Spire off the ground! The beta version officially launched in October 2019 at the SpireConference. Many new features are coming in the years ahead. So, what’s in it for you right now? I could launch into a long list of all the benefits, but I will suggest one reason: friends. We all need ministry friends. We all need fellow pastors and church leaders who are doing their best to lead others to Jesus and who don’t want to walk this leadership journey alone. So get onboard. Contribute what you’ve been learning, connect with other leaders, and collaborate on eternal kingdom work. See you online! 

Spire is intently trying to leverage these new capabilities while reducing the annoyances of social media we all hate. We strongly encourage all ministry leaders to set up a new account by logging in to http://spireapp.network. You will notice right away that all the content is centered around ministry in the local church. There are no cat pictures, no multilevel marketing ploys, and no politics! It is a place for kingdom leaders by kingdom leaders. It’s a place for pastors, elders, Bible college staff, parachurch leaders, authors, speakers, missionaries, church planters, and all other ministry-minded people who want to see the kingdom of God grow. Spire is not owned by any corporation. It’s a nonprofit led by ICC leaders who want nothing more than to see churches grow and their leaders mature in their walk with Christ. The Spire app was designed by the Spire team and programmed by a great, ministry-minded software develop-

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Mark Kitts was a founding pastor at a North Carolina church that grew from 0 to 2,000 while he was on the lead team. He was the founder and CEO of a church management software company for 13 years. He now does ministry and tech consulting.

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How We Developed, Launched, and Continue to Improve Our Mobile Application BY SAM OSS

MARCH 2020

It wasn’t all that surprising. In 2017, media measurement and analytics company Comscore reported, “Mobile apps account for 57 percent of all digital media usage, and smartphone apps alone capture more than half of digital media time spent.” This indicated people will visit your website from the device that is, quite literally, closest at hand. And the high percentage of mobile app usage suggested websites are merely information sources, but not really tools for interaction. We determined that to remain relevant, it was imperative for us to develop an app that would make engagement an easy and enjoyable process.

The Design Process In June 2019, we took the information we had gathered and began designing a prototype for a new mobile app. Our original idea was to make our weekend sermons, upcoming events, and campus location information available all in one place. We quickly discovered a custom-built app would cost tens of thousands of dollars, which was more than we could pay. We

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In the fall of 2018, the Midwestern church I serve, The Crossing, started a new website design process and began to overhaul our web presence analytics. In doing so, we learned 54 percent of the traffic to our main website originated from mobile devices—that is, cell phones. (Tablets accounted for only about 6 percent of traffic, while desktop/laptop devices made up the remaining 40 percent.)

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continued our search until we came across Subsplash, an app development company that specializes in creating mobile apps for churches. Subsplash’s portfolio includes some of the largest and best-known churches in the country, as well as many churches that average fewer than 500 weekly. The company produces high-quality products for a fraction of what their competitors charge. By the end of our initial consult, we had decided to begin development of a mobile app and more. Using this platform, we now have a mobile app supported on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices, a TV app for Apple TV and Roku, and web embeds for our sermon archive on our website, thecrossing.net. With access to the builder, we have been able to customize the look and flow of the mobile app to match our branding and specific needs. We have a sermon archive, livestream, notes, a Bible, giving, campus list, connection forms, and much more.

The Launch Of course, designing the app was only the first challenge. We also needed to present it well and to stage a successful launch. We decided to incorporate three phases of testing and listen to feedback before launch weekend. This allowed us to make changes and fine-tune the app’s user experience. The app was launched via announcement from the stage the first weekend of September. We also used promo-

tional videos, text-to-download, signage, and social media posts. We planned every detail and communicated to each of our campuses to ensure a successful start. We were quite happy when the first metrics report showed there were 1,300 downloads the first weekend. As 2019 ended, there were almost 4,000 active downloads, with an average growth of 100 downloads per week. We remain quite pleased, but being a church with a keen focus on metrics and data, we sought to understand exactly how people are using the app, so we continued to ask for feedback. One person wrote,

^ ^ The app’s fresh, clean design makes it easy [to navigate], even for someone who is not tech-savvy. I can easily access all past sermons, watch the weekend service live without any failure, and connect with other members of the church. My favorite feature is listening to the weekend sermons as podcasts. This means I can easily listen to any messages The Crossing puts out on my way to work.

—J. Greenwood, via email, November 24, 2019

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^ ^ We rarely ever miss a whole weekend of church, but this weekend we did. I have to say, The Crossing app is great! I just watched our live service with no buffering, skipping, or delays!!! [I am] thankful for a church that will do whatever it takes to reach all [of] God’s children!

—L. Stinnett, via Facebook, October 27, 2019

Tweaks and Updates Our fall 2019 churchwide survey concluded that 70 percent of people first connect with our church through a personal invitation. And we believe word of mouth—or personal testimony, if you will—is also what is helping drive interest in the OneCrossing app.

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We used push notifications, a feature of the app, to perform our first round of surveys for app feedback. This tool enabled us to create a feedback form and deliver it to everyone who had downloaded the app. We received 12 responses within the first 10 minutes! A friend of a staff member also posted this feedback via a Facebook post:

Our church family is adopting the new app quite well, and as we receive feedback, we are tweaking and updating it to better connect our church with various ministries and opportunities. Some possibilities include life group guides, kid’s check-in, fill-in notes, music, podcasts, and much more. The integration with our livestream has exponentially enhanced the viewing experience. The added ability of “casting” a signal to a TV makes watching a live or archived sermon that much better. Your church may not need all the bells and whistles. A simple app with a sermon archive, contact information, and a connection form for guests can go a long way toward helping people connect with your church. With the right tools, a church can start building an engaging mobile app in an economical manner. And with the right marketing strategy, your church can make your app a very useful tool for communicating and connecting with people all week, instead of just on Sundays. Mobile technology is changing the world around us, and mobile apps are just a new tool for helping the church reach the world for Christ.  Sam Oss serves as digital developer at The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @samthemediaguy samoss@thecrossing.net

how to use social media well in your church

BY TINA WILSON

MARCH 2020

your church isn’t using social media— and using it well—you’re likely missing a great opportunity. Social media is the widest form of advertising available— and it costs little to nothing. Early on, social media may have been used mostly by younger people, but these platforms have expanded so much that most people across generations now get their information from them. The reach of social media is broad with regard to age and target audience. Social media speaks to church members and seekers alike, while most communication from the church—bulletins, email blasts, billboards—target one or the other. Beyond the wide generational range and mix of members and seekers you can reach with effective social media, a specific benefit to Restoration churches is the ability to connect congregations in our tribe. Among the easiest ways to improve your church’s social media presence is to follow other Christian churches who are using it effectively and learn from their examples.

how to improve improve your presence How can your church improve its social media presence? Highly visual posts gain the most attention. Words are important, but they become more impactful when paired with photos or graphics. Engaging posts that garner responses make social media more fun. Social media trends change quickly; it can be challenging to stay current. Again, follow churches who are nailing it, and stay true to your church or organization’s DNA. Trendiness doesn’t trump polite and clear communication by a church. As you learn what posts elicit reactions, speak best to your followers, and increase your reach, lean into that. Social media algorithms can be confusing, but in general, the more attention your posts receive, the more visible they are. Our church has a “share the love” team that rallies around social media posts, and that has helped increase our church’s reach. Love the post. Share the post. On Facebook, share it on your own timeline and in Messenger. Facebook encourages the use of Pages to “build community around groups,” which is a great strategy. Social media groups specific to individual church ministries—women, students, volunteers, etc.— provide social media administrators with places to share posts and encourage these private groups to engage in dialogue. Also, consider paying to boost certain social media posts, and consider paying to advertise through a page that has a massive following to direct people back to your accounts. As an example, our church paid a news outlet with a following of 140,000-plus people to visit our new worship facility and community center for a live video walk-through on Facebook. More than 13,000 people tuned in!

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how to engage engage and and grow grow your audience Here are six easy tips to engage and grow your audience, help prevent people from unfollowing your pages, and keep your posts visible. • Avoid personal pronouns when you’re posting as your church—use we, not I. • Don’t be contentious. Contending for the faith in a discipleship relationship is a great strategy, but social media posts about how you’re right and others are wrong will cause people to tune out. • Don’t be overly wordy, as quick scrolling shortens the time people are going to spend on your post. If you’ve got a lot to say, post an appealing graphic with a powerful quote and link it to a blog. • However, don’t post a ton of outside links or you risk dropping your rating in the algorithm. After all, Facebook and Instagram have the same goal: to maximize the time users spend on their platforms. • Keep your posts fresh. Repetitive posts may prove boring to your followers. Post Scripture, but post other things as well. • Be genuine in what you share. This is probably the most important social media tactic. Everyone is annoyed with sales pitches. We’re all marketing something, and the only way to make it not too “salesy” is to deeply and sincerely love what you’re sharing.

how to expand expand your influence Your church’s social media admin team should constantly be looking to capture something to share because they recognize the power of those moments to bring people closer to Jesus. Many people consider social media a time killer or rather silly, but these platforms have become great influencers in our culture. We need to recognize, appreciate, and leverage these tools. The second of our church’s five core values guides our social media practice: “We expand in influence . We make Christ and his church famous by growing his kingdom.” Every time something happens that we can use to make Jesus known—which is all the time—those things go on social media. Baptism posts get the most feedback and they certainly best depict our mission. Restoration churches have a consistent opportunity to share these moments via social media. The testimony of daily and weekly photos and videos celebrating individuals submitting to Jesus in baptism wins favor from Christ followers across denominations.

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MEANS OF REACHING NEW PEOPLE, ASIDE FROM PERSONAL EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP, IS SOCIAL MEDIA.

how to use your platforms platforms well Ekklesia Christian Church started as a small mobile group meeting on a college campus in 2014. We had no advertising budget, so Facebook and Instagram were our means of sharing with and inviting our community; social media also was our method for communicating with our members. More than five years have passed since then. Our church has grown considerably and we now have a home of our own, but we continue to rely on these platforms because they’ve proven so effective. We’ve added a database that enables us to communicate via blast texts and emails, but our greatest means of reaching new people, aside from personal evangelism and discipleship, is social media. No mailer, newspaper ad or TV commercial can reach the audience we have on these platforms. We are in a section of the country where storm evacuations cause a weekend cancellation virtually every year; when that happens, a recorded service can help maintain unity and engagement. People who travel often plug into our livestream. Committed viewers give to support the mission. Social media is available to our churches for free; it is highly influential and the potential audience available through it is incredible. It would be negligent of a church not to utilize this tool well. Any means of making Christ and his New Testament church famous is worthy kingdom work. The Spirit prompted Peter and John to go to the temple courts to preach to the widest possible audience, and so our Lord surely is pleased when we proclaim his message in one of the world’s most populated spaces . . . social media.  Tina Wilson is the wife of church planter and pastor Matthew Wilson, homeschool mom of seven awesome kids whose names all start with “R,” and social media manager for Ekklesia Christian Church in Conway and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Her life goals are to raise kingdom workers and to make Christ and his church famous. /tinawilsonlovesjesus @tina.ekklesia

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OUR GREATEST

@PaulAnApostle #GraceAndPeace How Paul Used the Social Media of His Time

BY JON WEATHERLY

Would the apostle Paul use today’s social media? After all, it is filled with triviality, gossip, cruelty, divisiveness, indecency, blasphemy, and “fake news.” When videos of cats wearing shark suits and riding Roombas may be the least evil thing on social media, how can we imagine Christ’s apostle engaging in such an environment? When a person uses social media for what they consider a noble purpose, still it can backfire. Consider the case of Adam Smith in 2012 in Tucson, Arizona. One particular day, Smith filmed his interaction with a fast-food employee. Smith wanted to make a point about the fast-food company’s donations to organizations that promote traditional marriage, which he regarded as hateful. He goaded the employee repeatedly, but she remained courteous. Smith— unaware his video put him in a bad light—shared it on social media. Soon it “went viral,” prompting a vicious backlash. Smith’s employer received violent threats within hours, as media-active people who identified as Christians dis-

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cove re d whe re he worke d. Though Smith offered to publicly apologize, the employer de cide d to re place him to avoid further controversy. But the controversy followed Smith, who was unable to find other employment; he eventually was forced to go on food stamps to feed his family. Today, sadder and wiser, he works outside the United States in a very different profession. Would Paul or any faithful follower of Jesus use social media when it has that destructive power? Of course, we can no more speak of Paul using social media than we can speak of him using airplanes or printed Bibles. The technology did not exist, so our opinions about the que stion are worthle ss guesses. But we can reflect on Paul’s use of the media available to him. The letter in Paul’s time was much like social media in ours, and he used that medium skillfully. We can compare Paul’s use of letters to our use of social media for help in directing our approach, for the glory of Christ and furtherance of the gospel.

#conventional / #unconventional It is easy to overlook the clever way Paul adapted an established medium of communication to his purposes. People in Paul’s world wrote letters to overcome the abse nce that physical distance cre ate d. The y wrote to stay in touch with business partners or update family me mbe rs, to communicate a personal and private message or to inform and direct fellow public officials. From ancient le tte rs that survive , we can infer that many were part of a longer chain of back-and-forth communication. Paul used letters to overcome his distance from the churches he started and from their leaders, much as we stay in touch with distant people using digital communication tools. Paul maintained a lively communication with the churches, and they apparently supplied a lively agenda of problems to address (for example, 1 Corinthians 1:11; 7:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:6). So we can set aside the nostalgic, false idea that predigital life was simpler. Sinners, including redeemed ones, lead complicated lives, and the complications are reflected in the artifacts of their communication. Paul clearly shed tears over the matters he discussed in his predigital letters (2 Corinthians 2:4; Philippians 3:18). In Paul’s time, letters followed certain conventions. They began with a salutation that identified the writer and the

recipient with a simple word of greeting. Next came a brief statement of thanksgiving, typically for prosperity and health, offered to whatever deity the correspondents worshipped. The n came the body of the letter, typically information followed by action points, and a conclusion, offering greetings to others in the correspondents’ circle. Paul followed those conventions, but he altered most of them. His salutations identify not just Paul as the writer but his status as an apostle. Paul self-consciously wrote as an authorized spokesman for Jesus. He identified the readers likewise by status: they are the church, the assembly of God’s true people made such by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul took the standard Greek greeting, chairein, and substituted a similar-sounding word, charis, that expressed a fundamental truth of the gospel: grace. And to that he added a translation of the He bre w greeting shalom, meaning “peace,” also a fundamental gospel truth and yielding a blend of Greek and Jewish cultural elements expressing the unity of the church across e thnic boundaries. That’s an impressive transformation of such an unremarkable convention. Paul worked a similar transformation with the thanksgiving section. Normally a perfunctory

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“nod to the gods,” Paul turned it into a prayer of thanks that affirmed the lively faith even of the most troubled churches and announced the themes of his letter from the very beginning (for example, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9). In one letter, Galatians, Paul omitted this convention, alerting readers that this letter had a message too urgent to be delayed for even a moment (Galatians 1:1-6). The body of the typical letter of Paul was longer than average, some much longer. Even public figures who wrote letters expecting them to be read by the literate public at large mostly did not generate such long letters. Paul’s arguments were thorough, intricately connected in theme, packed with allusions to Israel’s Scriptures, embodying deep memories of the story of Jesus, all reminding readers of what they already believed and helping them to understand the implications. They reflected a heart and mind soaked in God’s good news, working to soak other hearts and minds in that good news. Paul’s use of the letter medium, in other words, was both conventional and unconventional. He managed to take something common, often even trivial, and bring it into extraordinary service for the gospel. The letter form did not limit Paul. His pursuit of his mission transformed it.

SOCIAL MEDIA ITSELF IS NOT WHAT SPOILS OUR INTERACTIONS. OUR SINFUL HABITS ARE THE PROBLEM.

#trollsneedgracetoo In his letters Paul sometimes answered opponents (or “trolls” as they are called on social media). People who falsely represented Paul and his gospel plagued many of his churches, and Paul addressed them unequivocally. Those who treated Gentiles as second class by demanding they become Jews (Philippians 3:2), who divided the church over personal loyalties (1 Corinthians 1:11-13), who openly practiced immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1, 2), who questioned the resurrection or return of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13), or who encouraged people to add “improvements” to their faith in Jesus (Colossians 2:8)—these Paul called out vigorously. How vigorously? We see Paul’s full vigor when he wished sarcastically that advocates of Gentile circumcision would “go all the way and castrate themselves” (Galatians 5:12).

But we see his restraint more broadly in something he did not do. In his letters to churches, Paul did not mention his opponents’ names. When he wrote to a trusted individual, Paul named a few opponents (1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:17). But we see no public naming and shaming, no “doxing” that amplifies the social pressure on the opponent. Paul would have spared Adam Smith his ordeal, even if he found Mr. Smith’s actions deplorable. Why was Paul discrete about naming the bad actors? We can infer that Paul protected identities to give room for repentance. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul called out a man for sexual immorality. But in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, he urged the church to welcome back one who had repented, perhaps referring to that same man. We might say, therefore, that Paul deliberately “subtweeted”—criticized without naming the offender— with a redemptive aim.

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That redemptive aim is surely what is most obvious about every part of Paul’s letters. His words could be gentle or harsh, but his goal was always to encourage faith in Jesus, growth in that faith, consistent behavioral expression of that faith, restoration to that faith, and unity in that faith. Paul did not seek personal notoriety. He did not write to “own” his opponents. In fact, when they “owned” him (Philippians 1:16-18), he rejoiced that in the process, the gospel was proclaimed. Likewise, Paul did not write to pit people against each other. Always maintaining the truth of the gospel, he sought to invite those who had abandoned it back to the gospel, not to antagonize or stigmatize them. Furthermore, in matters unrelated to the core of God’s good news, Paul encouraged Christians not to quibble and divide but to promote unity by putting others before oneself, as Christ did (Philippians 2:1-11).

Paul managed to take something common, often even trivial, and bring it into extraordinary service for the gospel.

@PaulAnApostle #trending How successful were Paul’s letter-writing endeavors? We know his letters did not fully solve every problem they addressed. Two of his letters were followed by additional correspondence (1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Corinthians). His letters to fellow church leaders warned of perpetual struggle for the hearts and minds of sinners, even converted ones (2 Timothy 3:1-9). We can surrender the fantasy that if we simply did what Paul did as well as he did, we could solve all the church’s problems. Church leadership is “whack-a-mole,” not “oneand-done.”

But we also know that Paul’s letters “went viral.” Those who read them immediately perceived their supreme value, their faithful articulation of the truth of the gospel. That is, they recognized them as the authoritative Word of God. So they made copies (by hand) and shared them with other churches and individuals (Colossians 4:16). Within Paul’s lifetime, churches likely had assembled small collections of his letters and read them regularly for edification (2 Peter 3:15, 16). Those collections were the beginning of our New Testament.

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Furthe r, we know that for many readers Paul’s letters had the transformative effect that he intended. Would the Corinthian church have made copies of their letters to share with other churches if they ignored their message? Would Philemon have allowed others to see, let alone copy, his letter from Paul had he not followed through by forgiving and e mancipating his slave and now Christian brother Onesimus and financing his journey back to Paul to assist in Paul’s ministry? The fact that these letters were circulated, not destroyed, is our surest evidence of their impact.

#GraceAndPeace > #instafamous What, if anything, does this say about our use of social media? First, I have something to confess. I am an avid social media user. I love the connections that social media maintain for me, and to be honest, I love the attention I get on social media. I even like trolls who respond to my posts. I’ve been slow to finish this article because I keep checking social media. I am not an objective arbiter about the value of social media. But I will offer this with some confidence: though social

media has accelerated and expanded our interpersonal communication, social media itself is not what spoils our interactions. Our sinful habits are the problem. In Paul’s vocabulary, the problem is the works of the flesh, and the solution is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). If we can have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), clothe ourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27), and be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14), we can use these new media as he used an old one: to express the

timeless truth of God so that lives can be transformed. Our social media can, like Paul’s letters, be the vessel of #GraceAndPeace. I will contemplate this. And maybe I will restrain my next post. 

Jon Weatherly serves as professor of New Testament and vice president for academic affairs/provost at Johnson University. /jon.weatherly @SWNID @SWNID

Johnson University, a Christian university training graduates to extend God’s kingdom to all nations.

Your Digital Screen Door

The Internet is the most disruptive force in church communication since the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press in 1439. Your church’s front door may be located on your property, but in many ways the church’s website serves as the new digital screen door through which your potential guests will decide beforehand if they will venture to and through the physical front door.

6 Common Church Website Mistakes and How to Fix Them

By Tim Cole

Recently I consulted with an older church overseas about why they weren’t attracting and keeping enough visitors to spur consistent growth. My onsite visit revealed several potential problems, but one stood out. The urban church with a surprising amount of walk-up traffic had a critical first-impressions issue. Their facility featured an oversized, windowless, wooden front door as their primary street-side entrance. The door needed maintenance and was extremely difficult to open, and it was impossible for a potential guest to see what they would find on the other side. We have discovered many churches in our East Coast region have a similar problem. Their dated digital screen doors suffer from a lack of regular maintenance and are hard to navigate, making it difficult for potential guests to envision what they will experience should they eventually visit. Here are six common website mistakes, along with best practices, we have seen in churches we serve

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A 2014 Lifeway Research study showed (surprisingly) about one in five churches in America did not have a website. Many vendors make it easy and affordable to create a simple website that is attractive to guests and instills a positive impression of what your church family looks like.

2. A Dated Website Design Isn’t it frustrating when the expensive new car you purchased last year suddenly looks outof-date when the manufacturer redesigns that model for this year? In the same way, a church’s modern, functional website can suddenly appear dated when a new design format comes into vogue. As a result, a healthy church may suddenly seem oldfashioned to a prospective guest. A website design trend called parallax scrolling has emerged over the past several years. “Parallax scrolling is when the . . . background of the web page mov[es] at a slower rate to the foreground, creating a 3D effect as you scroll,” a Creative Bloq (www.creativebloq.com) art and design website article stated. “Used sparingly it can provide a nice, subtle element of depth that results in a distinctive and memorable website.” As of this writing, Forefront Christian Church (https://forefront.org) in Virginia Beach, Virginia—a church plant of Waypoint Church Partners—was using this feature on the front page of their website. I also particularly like when sites use a video banner design feature on the home page instead of a static image. A series of a dozen or more very short video images of a church’s Sunday morning experience—each two seconds or less in length—woven together in a continuous loop gives prospective guests a virtual video tour highlighting the best impressions a church would like to make before prospects ever enter. Collective Christian Church in Frederick, Maryland (www.mycollective.church)—another Waypoint church plant—was using this design feature at the time this was written.

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1. No Website

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3. Not Optimizing for Mobile Use Many older church websites were created when most prospective guests were still using laptop and desktop computers. Times have changed. Today, it’s likely most people will view your website from either a smartphone or a tablet. When is the last time you viewed your church’s website from either a mobile device or a tablet? Try it—the experience may surprise you (and not in a good way). For many or most prospective guests, this will be their first impression of your church. Two Rivers Church of Christ in New Bern, North Carolina (tworiverschurch.com), uses a website format optimized for mobile devices.

4. Featuring Property Rather Than People My role with Waypoint Church Partners allows me to travel to a different church nearly every Sunday. I almost always check a church’s website before I arrive to get a sense of the first impressions—positive or negative—the church is making with prospective guests. It still surprises me the number of churches that choose to feature an image of their building—often from a static, roadside perspective—instead of showing off the friendly people in their church. I’m convinced guests are more likely to gain a positive first impression of a church by seeing warm, smiling faces than images of brick and mortar, parking lots and pews. Encounter Christian Church in Columbia Heights, in the District of Columbia (www.encounterdc.com), features a number of friendly faces on its website.

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5. Not Optimizing for Search Engine Queries I recently searched for the website of a church plant I would be visiting. When I typed the church’s name into Google and hit return, the church showed up as the 10th (and final) choice on the first page of results. I had to scroll down to find it. Studies have shown that, at best, only 1 in 4 people will click through to the second page of online search results. Even the best-designed, most-welcoming church website is useless if your prospective guests never see it. Investing in resources to ensure the search engine optimization (often shortened as “SEO”) of your church’s website will improve both the quantity and quality of website traffic.

6. Failing to Feature Sermon Videos Many churches fail to appreciate the increasing number of potential guests, possibly the majority of people considering a visit to your church, who screen the sermons on your website. Sermons in an audio format alone are no longer adequate. Not only should a church’s sermons be posted online for those in the church who are unable to attend, but also to make a positive first impression for potential guests. Better yet, some churches are now pinning a short video clip, often only two or three minutes in length, of a particularly good sermon point being made by their preacher, to the top of their sermon page. One of Waypoint’s partnering churches, East 10th Street Church of Christ in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, features what they call “Take Two” on the bottom of the sermon page of their website (www. easttenth.org/sermons). A two-minute video sermon summary is produced each week providing not only a tease for church members to view the full sermon, but also a video clip in a more appropriate format and length for members to repost on social media platforms for their friends to view.

Churches today often focus on critical systems—such as a well-trained guest services team or a simple children’s check-in interface—to create a positive first impression once their guests arrive onsite. Your church would be well-served to also focus on your digital screen doors where their first impressions of your church are more likely to be made. 

Tim Cole serves as executive director of Waypoint Church Partners. Waypoint plants new Christian churches in the MidAtlantic region and supports established churches with strategic services to help them “get on mission and stay on mission.” Tim and his wife, Lisa, have helped plant churches in Virginia, Ukraine, and France. Tim loves to train and coach church leaders toward their God-given vision to lead healthy, growing churches.

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