Love above money
Southland’s automated giving program is, admittedly, fairly limited. In addition to receiving cash and checks, we receive a modest amount of contributions in the form of ACH receipts that are set up to be withdrawn on a monthly basis from an attending family’s checking account.

We want to offer our attenders the convenience of additional automated giving options, but we’re well aware that our members aren’t immune to the financial damage done to families carrying high credit card debt. Southland doesn’t want to contribute to the amount of debt carried by our members, and most online giving solutions investigated in the past didn’t allow for debit transactions only. So, we’ve made a philosophical decision not to accept credit cards for contributions.

Interestingly, I just received an e-mail from one of our new attenders, who inquired if we accepted credit card donations as they did at his former church. I responded with information on our giving options, and the reason behind not accepting credit card donations. He was very understanding of our concern and actually forwarded my response to a number of his family and friends. He indicated that one of the things he loved about his new church home was Southland’s concern for its members being placed above a desire to collect as much money as possible.

Kurt Braun, Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Southland Christian Church

Intentional and convenient
At New Hope Oahu, taking part in giving is part of our culture and discipleship for our members. We share, teach and celebrate with encouragement rather than obligation. We’re also very intentional on providing a number of convenient ways to give, including the giving of tithes and offering during services and online as follows:

1. During our online Internet service by way of a simple click;
2. Through our website and link;
3. Through our mobile app;
4. Online via our newly developed and highly successful Donation Platform, a portable Wi-Fi giving pad on a pedestal that operates on our proprietary software. The key to its success is its portability; it can be strategically placed and moved during our services, events and throughout our Ministry Center. Our Donation Platform is available through our Life Resources Ministry and is typically priced better than comparable giving platforms and kiosks in the market.

We’re finding that teaching, discipleship, convenience, acknowledgement and celebration have contributed to the successful participation of our members in giving toward our vision of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

John Tilton, Executive Pastor of Administration, New Hope Oahu, New Hope International, Life Resources

No fear in asking
We found that simply having the ability to give through a website falls grossly short of the goal of using technology to allow people to honor God with their finances. So, two years ago, we embarked on a comprehensive look at how we could encourage a generation that doesn’t carry cash or checks to give. It was from this deep dive that we implemented several new strategies that we had previously steered clear of, mainly out of fear.

We set up a kiosk in every lobby of our campuses where people could give through debit or credit cards. We had to accept that people want convenience, and most people under 35 years old only carry a debit/credit card. We made our kiosks multipurpose. You can give, submit a prayer request or update your information in our database. More than 100 people use our kiosks each weekend, with an average weekly total of close to $20,000 given through that medium. Last year $800,000 was given through one of our kiosks.

We also launched a new CCV app that allowed people to give directly through a simple application on their phones. In the last five years, we have gone from less than 15 percent of our online giving to 45 percent in 2012, done outside of checks or cash. In 2012, we received approximately $29 million in total giving, so this is a significant shift!

Ashley Wooldridge, Executive pastor, Christ’s Church of the Valley  (ccvonline.com)

How to create a visual image that succinctly articulates your mission and message.

As a believer, I must admit that “branding” and “church” are two words that still seem uncomfortable when put together. True believers never want to compromise their faith by commercializing its message. But as a design professional for 20 years, I’ve discovered that a respectful, distinctive branding platform can enhance, focus and ignite enthusiasm for the mission and message of a church. Lawndale Baptist Church (LBC) in Greensboro, NC, is a good example of how this can work.

First, a brand is the image that others have about your business or organization. It is earned – for better or for worse. Your brand is the handshake that your business or organization makes with your audience when no one is around to say how great he or she thinks it is. For this reason, your visual communication must be distinct, consistent and relevant.

Designing a fresh logo
At Lawndale Baptist, senior pastor Dr. Joe Giaritelli recognized that it was time to replace the dated praying hands symbol (in traditional burgundy ink) with a more current logo and to begin refreshing how the church communicated with the community. We discussed that the decision makers in this process would be the senior staff instead of the church body at large.

I think this is a wise approach. More decision makers will cause the design firm to anticipate a longer process due to more rounds of revisions. This means the price estimate of your job will increase accordingly. Additionally, getting feedback from a large committee or congregation is unmanageable, possibly contentious, and results in a muddled and compromised design.

As for the final “fishermen” logo itself, many find its non-churchy feel and contemporary execution of the biblical metaphor friendly yet meaningful. For those who do not immediately discern its evangelistic reference, it’s a great conversation starter. Some nonmembers have made the comment that they are curious about visiting the church just from seeing the logo. The tagline, “The Journey: Vision, Teamwork, Harvest,” was supplied by the pastor and is a fitting mission statement for the church and articulates the symbolism nicely.

Maintaining consistency
With the LBC logo design established, we designed the print collateral such as stationery, office forms, church vehicles and others. These items should be designed, not merely excused by sticking the new logo on them. Adding a logo to an old graphic platform is sort of like wearing a new tie with an old suit – it makes both look out of place.

Your church should receive guidance from the design firm as to the proper usage and application of the logo so that support staff at your church can maintain consistency in how the logo is used, thereby establishing and reinforcing your identity.

Chief among the promotional pieces in a branding campaign is obviously a website. The website at LBC was done as a separate phase of the campaign due to its size, expense and importance. If your church has a membership of more than a couple thousand, with numerous ministries and programs, anticipate a few months for the design, content building, editing, programming and testing before your site goes live. Even after it is live, allow for a few weeks of fine-tuning plus the standard ongoing maintenance and updating.

There were two competing schools of thought for the branding emphasis of the LBC home page: (1) An advertising approach (“Look at our events and programs”), or (2) A philosophical approach (“What brings you to our church?”). Both approaches can be executed effectively, but the chosen design simplified by white space and a single rotating image, emphasizes the latter.

As each photographic image of people’s various journeys is shown, the question, “how’s your journey?” is asked and then punctuated by the invitation, “… join us on the journey.” Take time to decide what message you want to convey in that initial handshake the viewer makes with your church as it will most likely be on the web.

Does it work?
One LBC member asked, “Do we have any assurance that these new materials will bring more people into the church?” This is not a bad question, but it’s slightly misdirected regarding what a good graphics platform actually does, which is to create confidence, credibility and familiarity in consumers (potential church attendees) – not make sales (members) outright.

Judging from the growth and vigor at LBC, the brand seems to be doing its part. Your members and the Holy Spirit are there to do the rest.

Bill Foster is the owner of HigherWerks Inc., a branding and design firm in Oak Ridge, NC (www.higherwerks.com) and is the author of Meet The Skeptic, an apologetics curriculum and ministry.

Everywhere we communicate, we convey emotion and send a message about our identity.

A brand is not a logo, and a logo is not a brand. Phil Cooke, in his great book Branding Faith says, “A brand is the story people tell about a person, product, or organization.” Logos and other forms of visual imagery simply help us to create an emotional trigger that prompts people to associate our story with our name. Or as I like to put it, visual branding helps us to frame our story well.

One of the most common mistakes church leaders make is to jump into the visual design process in search of the nicest looking persona without considering whether the final look really represents our organizational culture or not.

Everywhere we communicate, online or in print, we convey emotion and send a message about our identity.

Warm colors and soft textures convey one feeling, while earth tones communicate a different feeling. Cool, clean imagery communicates order, while grungy, dirty textures give a sense of chaos. One style isn’t necessarily better or worse than another, but our approach to aesthetics needs to reflect who we are.

Intentional design
When we designed the logo for Grace Hills Church, we were rather intentional, even though the logo is simple. We used a diamond shape, subtly connecting us with our roots as a purpose driven church (a movement in which a baseball diamond is often used to illustrate progressive maturity).

And we use bright greens to connect us with the idea of freshness and growth. Our hope is that when people see our logo, their minds recall a story about a place where people can really discover a new, fresh start in life.

Before you hit the drawing board or hire your next graphic designer, do some organizational soul searching and answer some important questions about your identity, such as:

• What are three phrases with which we would like people to describe our church?
• What single iconic image comes to mind as our primary leader describes us? And remember, it doesn’t have to be a dove, a cross or a globe.
• What kind of emotion do we believe people need to feel as they encounter us for the first time, and what kind of color palette conveys that emotion?
• What imagery do we need to eliminate from our current branding to avoid distracting people from our core identity?
• How can we present a unique picture of ourselves that differentiates us from other churches in our vicinity?

Once you’ve gone through a thorough review process, dreaming together and articulating your organizational story, it’s time to design. Whether you handle this process in-house or with help from a firm or freelancer, you must keep your story as the priority over aesthetics consistently. The designer’s responsibility is not to write the story, but to tell it accurately and passionately.

Being consistent
It’s intriguing how many organizations present one style in print and another on the web, while presenting a third version of their story with the decor of their building. Consider the brands you know well.

The imagery of McDonald’s is consistent from their signage to their drink cups to their straw wrappers – golden arches. Target’s coupon mailers have the same clean feel and the same red dot and the same spotted dog as the front of their building and their website.

You can’t always control the story that is told about you. Public relations professionals know this all too well. But you can be intentional about framing the story well by keeping your branding strong, consistent and true to your real organizational identity.

Brandon Cox is lead pastor at Grace Hills Church in northwest Arkansas and also serves as editor and community facilitator for Pastors.com and Rick Warren’s Pastor’s Toolbox newsletter. He is writing his first book, Rewired, to help churches communicate the Gospel in a rapidly changing age.

A failure is in designing for the convenience of the organization and not for the person using it.

When my church first attempted to use Facebook to create a sense of community among our congregants, it failed! No one was using it except to post announcements. Our people were not interacting with one another, and the silence was awkward. As a church staff, we started to investigate how other churches were using Facebook to see what we could do differently.

“Your communication efforts should be designed around what is best for your audience. If they don’t read it, don’t find it easy, convenient and fits into how they want communication to them – you’ve failed,” advises Mark Simmons, business manager at Christ Community Church of Milpitas, CA.

“I see this as a common failure in communication. It is designed for the convenience and desires of the person or organization providing the information as opposed to being designed for the people you are trying to reach,” he adds.

Our staff realized that we were using Facebook like the church webpage with a one-way preaching form of communication of “we’ll tell you what we want you to know.” Whereas social media uses the Web and mobile-based technologies to facilitate dialog between organizations, communities and individuals.

Groups vs Pages
One difference we found was that some churches use Facebook’s Groups instead of Pages. “A Page is for organizations and businesses and is public and generally open to anyone on Facebook” whereas “a Group is a closed space for small groups of people to communicate about shared interests,” states Facebook’s Helps. A Group is personal with “friends” where a Page is a business one can “like.”

Muldoon Community Assembly in Anchorage, AK, uses both Facebook Pages and Groups effectively. On their Facebook Page, one can learn more about the church through announcements, events and general information. Lead pastor Kent Redfearn uses a personal Facebook Group to maintain relationships with his large congregation.

Redfearn honors members who serve, highlights guest speakers, celebrates events, shares prayer requests and includes members in his everyday life. He takes pictures with his cellphone during services, events or personal meetings to post on his Facebook Group. Whether one is a member, prospective member or friend, they will find his Facebook Group engaging.

Bethel Church, Redding, CA, demonstrates impressive ways of communicating with a congregation through Facebook Pages using invitational and celebratory methods with lots of inspirational pictures. Jana-Marie Kroeker, member of the Bethel Media Team explains, “We have a select few staff members of Bethel Media that help manage the page, monitor postings by others and respond to Facebook messages.”

Our church did not have a savvy media relations team. What were we to do? We realized that in order to use this tool to build community, we needed to change our approach.

Staff and members began regularly posting pictures, devotionals, Christian world news, missionary updates, church events, daily scriptures, prayer requests, personal needs or celebrations, and resources to get members interacting with each other. One staff member champions this resource, responds to requests and monitors the results with Hootsuite.

Reaching for the relational
Invitations and communications then became relational. We encouraged ministry teams to start conversations about upcoming events. In order to get congregants interested in an upcoming barn dance, we started discussions about what we were going to wear along with humorous pictures on appropriate outfits. After the event, pictures and stories showed how much fun attendees had.

On a recent medical mission trip to Haiti, the team posted daily videos, prayer requests and updates while members and family at home posted prayers, devotionals and words of encouragement. We invite speakers to post on Facebook and include links to books, websites or other information that may get members interested in attending and inviting others.

Communicating with congregations is always challenging but now with social media we can build community with a larger network of people. It can be more successful in communicating to your congregation and connecting them with other members than any other form of communication.

Deborah Hertle is director of Mobilization 4 Ministry at Grace Church of Fredericksburg, VA. [revdebjoy@aol.com, gcofonline.org]

Resources you can use:

• Hootsuite.com, a tool to manage multiple multimedia pages.
• Socialmedia.policytool.net, a tool for creating your social media policy.
• Churchm.ag/facebook-pages-vs-groups explains the benefits of Pages versus Groups.
• Facebook for Pastors by Chris Forbes, a PDF booklet.
• Internettoolboxforchurches.com. Insightful articles on managing your Facebook Page.
• HowChurchMediaWorks.com, tutorial on how to create your Facebook account.
• Newsle.com, follows Facebook friends or congregants in the news.
• UStream or LiveStream for streaming your services live. ustream.tv/new; livestream.com

Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, AL

Decetria Akole was only four years old and living in the projects in southwest Huntsville, AL, when she started coming to Whitesburg Baptist Church. No, her parents did not take her to church; she and many other kids in the neighborhood learned about the love of God riding in one of Whitesburg Church’s buses and attending Sunday school.

“Many of these ‘bus kids’ now have meaningful church relationships and are leading their own children to be people of faith,” says executive pastor Terry Herald. In fact, Akole, now 26, and a recent college graduate, works as an administrative assistant at The Place, Whitesburg’s satellite campus and base for – you guess it – the church’s bus ministry. Prior to this role, Akole taught Sunday school for first-graders for two years.

For more than 30 years, Whitesburg has had a history of evangelism and ministry impact on the community through its bus ministry.

The church owns more than 15 vehicles that transport up to 250 children and adults from their homes to the church every week. Each year, says Herald, Whitesburg baptizes 40 to 50 people at The Place. “Of those, 20 to 40 ride our buses,” he adds.

Whitesburg’s used buses are maintained by a full-time bus mechanic who makes sure all the vehicles are in proper working order for the church’s various ministries. He also helps anyone in the church who wants to obtain a commercial driver’s license.

Sadly, the bus ministry is a dying program, at least based on Herald’s observations as a veteran of this special outreach for more than 35 years. He says many churches that used to be very active in bus ministry no longer do so.

[Source: Terry Herald, executive pastor]

Church on wheels

Fairhaven Church, Centerville, OH

Fairhaven Church owns a 2007 Ford/Glaval Titan 44-passenger bus and two 12-passenger vans. The vans are used to transport small groups and to shuttle staff and volunteers during worship services. The bus is used for numeorus trips each year, such as water rafting and ski trips for the youth ministries, trips to a local farm for apple cider and hayrides for the senior citizens, out-of-state trips for conferences and seminars, ministry retreats, and transporting low-income families to the zoo and area museums.

The bus ministry played a huge role during the Christmas season a few years ago when more than 400 homeless men and women from the Dayton inner city area were brought to the church. They took part in the worship services and were served an awesome meal while being loved and ministered to by the church family. They were transported back to the shelters with a backpack stuffed with essentials and gifts for each one of them. Fairhaven continues to work with the homeless through various ministries and partnerships.

In addition to meeting in-house ministry needs, Fairhaven’s bus is also used within the community through collaboration and partnerships with other churches and organizations. For example, the bus transports neighboring church leaders and volunteers who partner with Fairhaven in the National Circle Campaign. “Circles” is an organization with a vision to end poverty through leadership training and relationship building. The bus is also used for inner city tours to help community church leaders understand the challenges of inner city ministry and develop the most effective approach to reaching the impoverished. A local African American Community Center also uses Fairhaven’s bus for special events.

[Source: Doug Piatt, building operations director]

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More Good Stewards

TRANSPORTATION

• The Rock Church and World Outreach Center, San Bernardino, CA
• New Venture Christian Fellowship, Oceanside, CA
• First Baptist Church, Hammond, IN

Parents and kids are hearing the same teaching at the same time.

The approach to children’s ministry at Palm Valley Church in Goodyear, AZ, in the west valley of Phoenix, is like many other churches in one respect. They use their weekend services to structure an environment for kids who are geared to their age and development level.

But what is different, and likely a growing movement in children’s ministries, is using the worship services to reach out to families by providing their kids a safe and loving environment, says Darius Sanders, family life pastor.

“Our approach is to not just grow children into spiritual champions, but to grow families. Our lessons are prepared beforehand and use age-appropriate levels of repetition to help reinforce the lesson being taught,” Sanders says. “Different styles of learning – verbal and auditory – are incorporated so that children with different learning styles get the opportunity to receive what is being taught in the way that reaches them best.”

Special for kids
“Just like the main service their parents attend, we want them to experience worship, a message and a creative element that’s been prepared for them,” says Sanders.

Ministry leaders write their own curriculum and focus the lessons and the adult services on the same theme so that the entire church is learning the same thing at the same time.

“Whenever possible,” says Sanders, “we try to match the series or theme that is being taught in the main service so that parents can easily connect what their kids are learning to what they also are learning. The teaching is tailored to the learning level of each age group.”

“Our goal is to help the kids we are entrusted with to learn what we are teaching regardless of what style of learning suits them best. We do teaching, singing, hands-on activities, and body movement we call dance parties, to provide multiple avenues for learning,” he adds.

Comprehension levels
Each age or grade has a different comprehension level. Younger kids enjoy lots of activities and presentations while those in kindergarten through third grade like some discussion. Fourth- and fifth-graders are engaged primarily through discussion and some activity. “As the kids age they are better able to express how they feel, ask questions and engage in conversation,” Sanders says.

Palm Valley teachers have created what they call the “Pin Packet” for kindergartners through fifth-graders. It is a reward system that encourages kids to read their Bibles daily with their parents, furthering the family approach. Over the course of a series, which could run several weeks, children need to read, memorize and share what they are learning. For their active participation, they receive a pin at the end of the series. As an incentive, those who earn multiple pins get to attend a party. The reading matches the reading plan the parents are doing.

Sanders says that as a church, families are encouraged to reach together and journal on what they are learning using the acrostic SOAP, which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

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Serving children with special needs

Melinda Campbell-Weber says that with about one out of every 88 children being diagnosed with autism or a special needs disorder in America, families are being affected by special needs now more than ever. “The need for programs for these families in churches has now hit epidemic levels. Churches can no longer ignore the need,” she says.

Campbell-Weber is the “Buddy” coordinator at Palm Valley Church and has two special needs children of her own.

“In my conversations with churches around the country, I have found that these families are becoming a priority to churches. They are finding that they not only need to service the needs that they did years ago (the sick, the homeless and those struggling financially) but are now needing to expand programs to help with families of special needs children.”

She responded to questions about their program:
What is the need in your church’s area? Every church, regardless of size, will likely have a least one family with a special needs child in it. Many times, families can’t go to church together because someone has to stay at home with the child; they feel they have no other alternative. When I started volunteering last April, the Buddy program had already been in place for some time and there were about five children in the program. Today we have about 15 children in the program and are continuing to grow.

How do you serve special needs kids at church? We pair each child with an adult volunteer. The child and volunteer attend the child’s service that best fits the child’s cognitive level rather than age level. At Palm Valley Church, we want all of our children to be exposed to God’s word at the level that they can understand it most effectively. Therefore, each special needs child is placed in an environment where they can understand the lesson and also develop relationships with their peers. So in most cases, we place our special needs children in classrooms with other children to get the most out of their church experience.

How do Buddies serve the kids and the parents, and what is a “Forever Buddy”? Buddies serve as a support system for our special needs families. They often keep in touch throughout the week with each other, check in on their Buddy child (especially if there’s been an illness or surgery) and make plans for the coming weekend to make sure each of them will be there. A Forever Buddy means that the volunteer will be permanently paired up with the child as long as they attend Palm Valley Church and are in need of a Buddy volunteer.

Are there a variety of needs among the kids? We have children with a vast array of special needs, from autistic, non-verbal and ADHD to more severe issues, such as brain damage, cerebral palsy, and children born suffering the effects of drugs from their birth mothers.

Are you advocating for the kids beyond what you do in the church? There have been times when our volunteers have attended meetings at schools with our families and provided more of an “advocate” role when the children were not receiving appropriate services. We have also had volunteers spend time with families on a more social level, having lunch together or offering to babysit on special occasions.

What is done to give a breather to the parents/siblings at church or during the week? By having a volunteer available for our special needs children, our parents are able to get a breather by attending worship services knowing their children are being cared for by a caring, specially equipped volunteer who knows their children and their special abilities. We also offer a “parents night out” event every quarter, where our special needs children and their siblings come to the church for a night of pizza, a movie, craft and story time. This also provides parents time for a date night, errands, etc., for a few hours.

What are the benefits of a special needs program provided by a church? With the divorce rate of special needs parents at around 90 percent, the financial and emotional strain can be overwhelming without the support of their local church. The benefits of a special needs program in churches provides that support system that these families are so desperate to find on a more intimate, spiritual level.

Knowledge gained boosts confidence, creativity and ability to think strategically.

Over the last three years, Brad Wicks, pastor of Marysville Christian Fellowship, Marysville, KS, and a graduate of Evangel University in Springfield, MO, has been a man on the move.  His first position as an adult ministries leader at a large church in Missouri led to his next position as executive pastor at a newly developed church in a diverse Pennsylvania community. Currently, he serves as lead pastor in a rural Kansas church.

Wicks says a critical component for a successful transition was the confidence he developed as a result of earning a Master of Organizational Leadership (MOL) degree from Evangel.

“Graduate education goes beyond acquiring knowledge in a classroom or textbook,” says Wicks. He believes that pursuing an advanced degree can help pastors become empowered, both personally and professionally, by providing a framework for envisioning greater opportunities.

Tom Van Kempen, lead pastor of the Champion Center Church in Las Vegas, NV, also credits his online MOL degree from Evangel with helping him become more intentional in accomplishing organizational goals.

“My education provided fresh perspectives and insights regarding my current church that allowed me to channel my energy and develop a vision for what can be accomplished,” says Van Kempen. In fact, he used the skills learned in the program to develop a new marketing plan for the church school that resulted in a 25 percent increase in enrollment. Van Kempen also believes that his graduate education increased his credibility in the professional community.

Wicks, who chose the online-hybrid MOL format, says the knowledge  he gained contributed greatly to his ability to see what worked and what didn’t work within the overall church system.  As executive pastor, he says the program allowed him to develop strategic goals that addressed critical needs of both members and the larger community.

Both pastors agree that graduate education often allows students to view themselves in a different light.
Van Kempen says that now that he has finished his degree, he has much more time available to “work on fulfilling dreams that I never would have envisioned in the past.”

Wicks says that going through the program “allowed me to have greater confidence in my giftings and ability to lead others, challenged me to think more deeply about leadership, and helped me understand the options that were available in choosing how to respond to ministry issues.”

Looking back, Wicks believes God used his education to help him more clearly identify and enhance his talents and abilities. Says Wicks, “The MOL program taught me how to integrate faith and leadership and how to build relationships both within and outside the church. The knowledge I gained empowered me to become more intentional in creating an effective ministry.”

Dr. Jeffery Fulks is director of Graduate & Professional Studies, Evangel University, Springfield, MO. www.evangel.edu/mol

University ensures its programs align with high-demand, high-growth industries.

The church administrator wanting to expand his or her business credentials and secure an advanced degree will want to look carefully at online education. Online programs offer adults the opportunity to increase their skill sets and advance their career options all while thriving in their current full-time position.

One such school is Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs both to working professionals online as well as for traditional students “on the ground” in the heart of Phoenix, AZ.

GCU has been regarded as principally an online institution, but that perception is changing as the university expects 7,000 students on campus this fall and plans to grow to 15,000 students over the next few years.

“Many online students want to attend a university with a strong traditional campus,” says Meghan Walbert, public relations manager, “that encourages school pride and fosters relationships among alumni.” She notes too that many online students like the connection they feel to the university’s Christian heritage and appreciate the values and spirituality woven into the curriculum.

Still, GCU serves nearly 40,000 students online and employs 2,200 adjunct online instructors and more than 100 full-time online instructors, making the online component of the school’s offerings an important part of the student body. The full-time online faculty are seen as having a dramatic impact on the success and retention of the school’s online students.

“Most of GCU’s online students have full-time jobs and many have families and other social responsibilities,” Walbert says. “We know that a large percentage of our students study at night after the kids go to bed and the house is quiet.

“They take their laptops with them everywhere so they can read and work on assignments whenever they get a few moments.

“We had a military student who did the entire class from his laptop on board an aircraft carrier, as well as students who work on their classes while they are on the train for their commutes to and from work,” she says.

The university attempts to make the one-on-one learning and engagement with their professors and classmates as traditional, on-campus students. Walbert says online professors make themselves available throughout the day to answer student questions or discuss the material.

“Students are also able to connect with each other online through classroom discussion boards, which replicate traditional classroom interaction in a virtual way,” she says.

There is an attempt to make the faculty-student interaction as personal as possible. “Full-time online faculty members call each student at the beginning of class to introduce themselves and continue to make proactive phone calls to students throughout the course,” she explains.

“Professors also hold optional, instructional teleconferences when appropriate or necessary,” Walbert says. Other means of personalizing the relationship comes through posting bios, participating in discussion topics, and responding to students’ personal experiences.

The university likes to pride itself on its ability to change direction quickly in its offerings in response to the marketplace and job needs. “We regularly evaluate our programs and how they align with high-demand, high-growth industries. Where there are gaps, leaders look to refocus and develop curricula that would prepare students to successfully enter these growing career fields,” she says. “Current emphases in criminal justice, sports business and youth ministry are examples of this foresight and alignment.”

What should a church administrator be thinking about when deciding to get a degree online? Walbert says a student should consider whether the flexibility of an online class schedule is the more beneficial for their particular circumstance. A student needs to utilize strong time management skills and to regularly communicate with professors and classmates to ensure they make the most of their online educational experience, says Walbert.

And while online students are not required to travel to the campus for commencement ceremonies, many do so.

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Christian studies among offerings

GCU offers master’s degree programs in Christian Studies (with emphases in Christian Leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Urban Ministry and Youth Ministry) and a variety of master’s programs within the Ken Blanchard College of Business that focuses on business administration, public administration and leadership.

GCU also offers a range of doctoral degree programs, including business administration, organizational leadership and philosophy.

Strong mainstream acceptance of faith-based movies creating an entirely new industry, says a film insider.

The New York Times in early April headlined its review of the faith and family film, October Baby, as “Film Inspired by ‘Abortion Survivor’ is Quiet Hit.” Quiet indeed, a hit for sure, when it came out just two weeks earlier on only 390 screens and was No. 8 among movies – No. 1 of independent releases – in a weekend that included such big ones as The Hunger Games.

On the weekend of April 13, it added 150 more screens, a fact that had a lot to say about the ability of moviegoers to deal with touchy subjects as abortion, and to see it from the view of faith and redemption.

What is less evident in the success of such Christian-themed films is the role that churchgoers and congregations have been playing with this movie and others like Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous — all Christian-oriented movies produced by Sherwood Pictures, a ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

Using action squads
That role of churches is what is called “action squads,” which is a group that commits to purchasing 1,000 tickets in order to make sure the movie plays in their town. The promotion and distribution of films, especially those with Christian themes, have changed since the days of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, when the church community was involved in pushing that controversial film.

Kris Fuhr, vice president of theatrical marketing for Provident Films, which marketed October Baby to Christian audiences, explains how they go about reaching a broad audience. “We ask the group to work with their local theater to purchase 1,000 tickets for the opening weekend. Some groups are able to do this for $5.00 a ticket and sometimes they have to pay full price, depending on the theater. An action squad cannot use a ‘dollar theater,’ and the theater must have five or more screens.”

Fuhr says the squad leaders are usually lay leaders who get the support of the senior pastor, who might coordinate with a sermon series or a small group or Bible study on the same theme.

“We have a list of pastors we invite to the pre-screenings we sponsor,” says Fuhr. “Once a church commits to the 1,000 tickets, we allow them to pre-screen the movie to a maximum of 50 folks who need to be from other churches or groups within the community.” Churches are not permitted to pre-screen for their whole congregation.

Power of prayer
There is another “help” in the promotion of films – prayer. “Movies are a hard business, and we pray over everything: the idea, script, production and marketing. We ask God to open doors for us and to close doors that won’t be fruitful,” says Fuhr. “We pray for him to order our steps so that all might be to his glory not to ours.”

Fuhr finds that not all churchgoers want to go to a theater, and would rather view the film at the church. But she says such churches are missing a huge opportunity to reach people. “Many of the folks who most need to hear the message of Christ would hesitate to enter a church, but don’t think twice about going to the movies. You have to go where the people are, just as Christ did.”

For churches who are considering getting into the film business, Fuhr has this to say in the way of a caution: “It’s not for the faint of heart, and a season of prayer would be advised before undertaking such a project.”

Scott Mills of LifeWay Films says much the same thing, but is a bit more encouraging of congregations that want to enter story- telling through film. “I would tell them to go for it. It is a great ministry opportunity for your church. Be patient, find a great story, and involve as many people as you can from your church body.

“While production is important, don’t get too hung up on that. That will come as you do more and more of it. Who knows, you might have a kid in your youth group who is the next great film producer,” Mills says.

Marketing and licensing
LifeWay Films is a unit of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, the second largest denomination in the country, and began its division last October, working presently only in the areas of distribution and marketing, not production or financing of films. They began when they helped engage the church around the Sherwood Pictures film Courageous last year.

Mills describes LifeWay Films’ involvement as one of becoming a part of a film’s marketing team, and given the size of the denomination, that is a major marketing impact. “We also provide licenses to churches so they can legally show films at the church,” he says, and they have about 16 films they license or plan to do so.

“We are committed to providing quality films, not a quantity of films to the church,” he says. “We also create Bible studies with many films so that the impact of the film does not stop with the credits, but moves people from the film right into God’s word.”

He believes the turning point for churches and the production of films came with Sherwood’s Fireproof (2006), but that “there were not many films to follow it in theaters, so we lost momentum. In 2011 there were five faith-based films in theaters: The Grace Card, Soul Surfer, Seven Days in Utopia, Tyler Perry’s Big Happy Family, and Courageous.” October Baby is leading a new group this year.

A growing opportunity
“I see momentum for Christian films and a growing opportunity as films get better. Many churches are still not engaging films because they do not want to invite people to a film that is not a good film,” Mills says. “Time will make the films produced better.”

“More and more people and churches are creating God-honoring content and our culture needs it. God is using these resources to teach people, as a tool to heal marriages, to challenge men to be godly men, and many other aspects.

“The body of Christ needs to support this movement. It is easy to be cynical when the movie does not match the quality of the big multimillion Hollywood block-busters, but we will get there,” he says.

LifeWay’s next film is called Unconditional, which is a story about forgiveness, healing from a loss, and getting out of one’s comfort zone to reach people. It is based on a real life story of Joe Bradford, a man in Nashville who has devoted his life to working with kids in the inner city.

Getting films with a Christian message, however well done and without religious polemics, can be a difficult task. Andy Erwin, who with his brother, Jon, made October Baby, said in an interview that major movie studies turned them down on the film. One Hollywood executive who is a believer and liked the story, turned him down because of the abortion topic.

Investors backed film
That’s why they produced the film independently. “We have several passionate pro-life Christian investors who put up the money for this film,” Erwin says, “and we’re determined to get it out to a nationwide audience.”

One of the film companies partnering with LifeWay films for public screenings and church exhibitions is Destiny Image Films in Shippensburg, PA. Looking at the current trend in faith and family films, most of them are done independent of major studios. Joel Nori, general counsel, says, “The new era of marketing today is really based on personal relationships and a reputation for providing top quality content that has a message, a purpose and support.”

Destiny has worked with three films in 18 months. If churches get into film production, there are some facts of life they need to keep in mind, says Nori. “A feature film has many different revenue streams that contribute to recouping the production and distribution expenditures that allow a film to break even and become profitable much faster than before. Screenings at churches are one of the revenue streams that must be planned for because it impacts several other revenue streams, such as DVD sales, digital sales and domestic licensing sales.

“Churches must consider production budget, distribution partner, filmmaking crew, a myriad of legal obstacles, funding sources, tax incentive programs, geographic locations for filming and how the location is impacted by the various tax incentives,” Nori says.

He sees not a market segment in faith and family, but “an entirely new industry,” similar to the birth of the Christian music industry in the 1980s. And the marketing of these films is changing too: “The days of spending a promotion and advertising budget for airing TV commercials, print ads and web advertising are ending. People follow people, people do not follow corporations,” Nori says.

Calvary Church, a congregation of 500, tells a story of forgiveness.

Can people look past their differences and help one another? A film titled The Grace Card offers an answer. The movie, which opened nationally in February last year, tells the story of two officers from the Memphis Police Department and their journey from conflict to forgiveness.

The Grace Card was produced by Calvary Church in Cordova, TN, in association with Graceworks Pictures, a Memphis production company. It was a practical extension of the vision of our lead pastor, Lynn Holmes, for Calvary Church to be an authentic community.

The inspiration to venture into filmmaking could be credited to Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. After attending a showing of Sherwood’s movie, Fireproof, in fall of 2008, Dr. David Evans, a Memphis optometrist, began to dream about the potential for Calvary Church to produce its own faith-based film. The Grace Card is our first film project, but having produced a live, full-scale multimedia Easter presentation in the Memphis community for 15 years, we had a base of creativity and experience to support the idea.

Locals in auditions
After God confirmed the project, we began planning in January 2009 and held acting auditions in April 2009. Filming was completed in November 2009. After the initial edits, professional screenwriter Howie Klausner (Space Cowboys) further developed the screenplay.

Calvary Church members and volunteers were involved at almost every level of the production, and several major areas. Actor/comedian Michael Joiner, local Memphian Michael Higgenbottom, and veteran actor Louis Gossett Jr. were joined by Calvary’s own Joy Parmer Moore, Cindy Holmes Hodge and Rob Erickson. More than 50 Memphis churches were represented at the acting auditions. Only two members of the entire cast received remuneration.

The Grace Card was shot entirely in Memphis, with the full cooperation of the Memphis Police Department. Saint Francis Hospital gave us unlimited access to an entire floor of their facility. Local restaurants provided free meals for our crew during shooting, and several churches assisted with snacks, drinks and manpower. Financing of the movie was made possible when Dr. David and Esther Evans borrowed against their business to provide some $500,000 so we could move forward. We were also able to share the premiere of the film with the Memphis community at The Orpheum, a historic theater in downtown Memphis.

International impact
The team at Affirm Films, a division of Sony, and Provident Films, led us through much of the post-production and helped us market the film. The Grace Card is now available on DVD and has a coordinating small group curriculum and devotional book.

The movie has been translated into several languages and released internationally. We continue to hear stories of healing and transformation from all around the globe. The Grace Card has given us the opportunity to demonstrate to our city that we are genuine and passionate as we answer the challenges of a diverse culture. We are considering more film opportunities and outreach to the Memphis community and beyond.

Mark Hodge is pastor of worship at Calvary Church in Cordova, TN. More information about The Grace Card is available at thegracecardmovie.com.