Step up your streaming game
church technology Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Church Executive
How to plan church events using mobile messaging
Planning and organizing an event for a large number of congregants introduces many variables. Dates, times and locations are all subject to change, often on short notice.
For churches reliant on volunteers (and with limited financial resources), the need to quickly communicate schedule changes is even greater.
Enter: mobile messaging.
Read More >Why the generation gap is larger now more than ever
Many cultural changes affect generation gaps. For instance, my father’s choice of 1960’s rock is quite different than my preference of 1990’s rock. And we all know music style can be a contentious issue in the Church.
Technology, however, is often cited as the main wedge between generations in the U.S. culture.
Read More >Kick off fall with more members? There’s a (free!) app for that
As families return from summer vacation, there’s no better time than autumn to grow the church. Fortunately, mobilizing and streamlining those growth efforts — even on the go — just got easier with a one-year, free app giveaway from Redmond, WA-based eChurchGiving and Pushpay.
Read More >Not streaming yet? 3 excellent reasons to get started
“Streaming” — the constant flow of digital media across the Web — has become a key form of communication to audiences and viewers around the world. It’s a rapidly growing field which Teradek aims to democratize — not only for professionals, but also for everyday people … especially church leaders. Here’s why streaming makes so much sense in houses of worship.
Read More >How scheduling tools can streamline your ministry efforts
Scheduling can be a nightmare. Overbooking rooms. Double-booking church equipment. Accidentally scheduling two big functions on the same day. No matter the church size, the story is the same.
Read More >ChMS-enabled volunteer management strategies
Two decades ago, we were using spreadsheets that needed to be emailed around to the various teams to keep track of who was serving each Sunday. A few years after the church launched, I was able to hire an administrative assistant to help me with the immense workload. But, after 18 months of frustration due to the overwhelming logistics of scheduling all those volunteers, she burned out … and she quit.
Back then, wCalendar_1e didn’t have the tools in place to effectively support our ministry processes. Sending spreadsheets back and forth all week wasn’t an efficient way of managing the schedules for hundreds of volunteers; it just led to confusion and frustration.
Now, the technology is available to streamline these processes. When implemented correctly, church management software simplifies scheduling every aspect of an event — including the crucial volunteers.
Read More >Using technology to tame the volunteer schedule headache
Perhaps no other part of church is as important or as complicated as managing volunteers.
Visitors coming to the church are greeted by volunteers — those first few impressionable moments are left to volunteers. The same is true for the nursery, our children’s ministries, guardian angels patrolling the parking lot, and especially the lay leaders that lead out bible studies, Sunday school classes and children’s programs.
These critical roles in the church are bounded by a number of important concerns: Who has volunteered? Are they gifted in that way as a volunteer? (Just because you want to be a teacher, doesn’t make you a great teacher.) Have we checked their background — especially in regards to children’s ministry? Are we using them? How often do they serve? Are they burning out? What are their preferences in serving? Do they like to serve with their families? What rotation works best for them?
As a leader of volunteers, your concerns are more aggregated: How are my volunteers performing, and do they enjoy their roles? (Because if they don’t, they won’t volunteer much longer.) Do they have feedback that can make the position better, more efficient and more fulfilling?
Read More >PASTOR-FRIENDLY VIDEO — Case study: Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, hosts more than 20,000 people in weekly attendance. Throughout the week, this globally recognized church offers five services and a number of different events, including concerts, workshops and other studies and seminars. The church was looking to upgrade its facility as part of its “Decade of Destiny” campaign — a 10-year vision to help members in the areas of physical, financial, relational, emotional, mental, vocational and spiritual health.
Read More >Using ChMS tools to engage visitors: 5 steps
Engaging first-time visitors is crucial to church growth. Most church growth studies find that:
• Out of 100 visitors, typically 10 to 25 will return for a second visit
• About 50 percent of those second-timers will return for a third service
• Of those, 75 percent will make a fourth visit
• After going four times, churches can generally begin to call those people regular attenders.
But, how can churches ensure they’re connecting with visitors so they’ll want to return for that next visit?
Read More >