Ministries Can Use Google Hangouts on Air

Google Hangouts On Air allows you to have an online meeting on camera with up to ten people with all ten talking and contributing if necessary. It also allows you to stream this meeting live to Youtube.com where anyone can watch on their computer, mobile phone or tablet. After you are done, Google will send you an MP4 file for your very own. You can then add this to your archived video and/or chop it up and repurpose it. If you prefer, you can make it private so that no one else can hear or see the meeting except the participants.

With Google Hangouts on Air, there’s at least five great ways to use it for the Internet Church Campus:

1. Stream your sermons or Bible studies live and record them on Youtube.com.
2. Interactive Bible Study or Ministry meetings that can also be recorded for record keeping purposes.
3. Interactive Counseling sessions.
4. Special Events such as conference previews, webinars and online trainings (note: Google Hangouts on Air does not work with paid services so your use of this will be free to users and viewers for now).
5. Podcasts done quickly and easily.

To setup a Google Hangout on Air for Ministry you just need to login to Google+ and click on the Hangouts option, invite the users you want to participate and launch the hangout. The only drawback is that each participant in the hangout needs to have a Google+ account.

For more information on this and other topics, get your copy of “The iChurch Method Volume 1: How to Advance Your Ministry Online.” or The iChurch Method Volume 2: Changing the World When You Login or even sign up for the iChurch Method Online School.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/google-hangouts-for-ministry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-hangouts-for-ministry

The iChurch Method TV – Ep 15 – Ministry Growth Online

Continuing The iChurch Method TV series about ministry growth online, here’s the transcript from the video above.

I would tell a minister that basically you could continue to do ministry as you do it for your local and regional reach. Continue to push out the content that you already are; preaching your sermons and ministering the people in the way that you do. But, understand that now it’s going to be packaged and distributed to an international audience.

I’m not trying to tell them to change the way that they do ministry, I’m just letting them know that I’m giving you a larger distribution of the content and of the ministry and taking the gospel to the four corners of the earth.

For more information on this and other topics, get your copy of “The iChurch Method Volume 1: How to Advance Your Ministry Online.” or The iChurch Method Volume 2: Changing the World When You Login or even sign up for the iChurch Method Online School.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/ministry-growth-online/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ministry-growth-online

Introducing The iChurch Academy

Truly understand and absorb The iChurch Method messages and concepts through our
Online School – The iChurch Academy!

Enroll Today at www.ichurchacademy.com

Participants in The iChurch Method online school will enjoy a unique and informative set of courses that delve deep into the concepts presented in both volumes of The iChurch Method books (available for purchase online here – Vol. 1 – Vol. 2).

Although the books will give you the insights and information you need to help take your ministry online and global, many people prefer a more in-depth discussion to answer questions that may come up throughout the course of reading the book.

Each chapter of both Volume 1 and Volume 2 is broken down into a week-long course incorporating videos and additional concepts that will be examined in detail. The courses include not only a chapter by chapter review from an interactive book module, a PDF version of the book for viewing as well and instructional videos that walk participants through a more in-depth, detailed discussion of each concept that will really drive the message home! Of course, a quality course wouldn’t be complete without some Q & A, interactive webinars, group discussions and brief quizzes to be certain that everyone understands the concepts to assure there is no stone unturned.

Courses are at YOUR OWN PACE, there is no set time that they begin or end, it’s entirely up to you. We suggest that each course take a week but if you want to move faster or slower, it’s entirely up to you.

Get more from The iChurch Method volumes 1 and 2 by signing up for our Online Training Courses today! Dive into the concepts and prepare yourself to head down the path of building your ministry online with a global mindset and get your message out there today!

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Where is Social Media going?

Here’s a question that many people are asking, where is social media going in the future?

More Mobile Device Integration – Right now we see social media integrated into many aspects of our lives and that will continue to grow. Facebook Home is a newly released platform that integrates Facebook very deeply into your Android Phone experience, basically putting your social media network front and center on the phone. This makes social media the main focus of the phone instead of the traditional focus of emails, text and phone calls. This advancements shows how deeply integrated social media will look to become since millions of people carry their mobile devices with them. Social media is looking to be the #1 use of your mobile device. Facebook has been the #1 app downloaded on mobile devices for quite some time.

More Website Integration – With Twitter cards now being more accessible via websites and the Facebook graph becoming more utilized, our social networks will play a role in our browsing and online usage. We will consult our social networks’ opinions in our shopping, online decisions and therefore make sure we are logged into our networks so that each website is catered to our likes. Facebook and Google look primed to lead this evolution.

Share as much video as we do photos – Right now it’s not as easy to share and consume videos like we do photos. Social networks and bandwidth restrictions make it much easier to share photos than video. Videos are increasing in consumption but they do not have the volume of creation and distribution that photos and graphics currently have. As technology progresses and networks continue to focus on visual content, video will become just as important as photos.

Social media will continue to integrate into new industries – Education and Health Care are two great examples of industries that are starting to use social features much more. This will continue to increase over time and more industries will see the benefits of having social sharing features more integrated into their online processes.

For more information on this and other Social Media topics, get your copy or How to Get One Million Social Media Fans today.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/social-media-going/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=social-media-going

Join me at the eConnect Conference

What if your ministry could reach 10, 20 or 100 times more people.
Would your ministry like to use Social Media better?
Could your church benefit from learning how to better use technology to reach the world for minimal cost?

I would love for you to join me at the eConnect Conference on January 29-31, 2014 in beautiful Loveland, CO. Group Publishing is hosting this amazing event where we will be discussing how to use social media, online video and other online tools for greater ministry impact. I’m also very excited to be joined by my good friend Nils Smith, author of the Social Media Guide for Ministry and soon to be good friend, Brian Abbott.

At this event we will discuss social media, websites, mobile apps, and how all of these things translate to becoming effective ministry tools. I can’t wait for the conversations that will be had and hope you will be a part. Click here for more information and to register for this exciting event!

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/join-econnect-conference/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=join-econnect-conference

Can Technology Help Us Fulfill the Great Commission Faster?

Continuing my iChurch Method TV series, I was interviewed at Abilene Christian University about the Theological aspects of Digital Ministry and my response is below:

Theologically I look at technology as a way to reach many more people than using methods that are not technology. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about technology is the great commission and taking the gospel to the four corners. If I had to think of a way to fulfill the great commission in the fastest manner, technology is the first thing I think of so that was the first thing that comes to mind.

I think the technology provides a way for the church to have a much larger reach and give people a way to connect and enhance their lives spiritually. The drawbacks I see about technology in terms of a theological perspective is when the technology becomes something that’s worshipped and takes precedence over the message.

What I believe is technology for all intensive purposes has evolved over time, but we’re still just trying to convey the same message of the gospel. Whether we had this conversation a hundred years ago or a hundred years from now, the delivery method will continue to change and evolve but the message will still be the same. So as long as the message is the focus and not the technology then theologically I believe we are sound and practical in our approach.

So, I just want to make sure that when I’m speaking with churches and we’re talking about a theological perspective, as long as their theological concerns are not based on not understanding technology, coming from a place a fear of technology, or just a fear of change, then I believe that theologically we can continue to have a conversation about how to continue to get the gospel out.

But, if theologically we’re just making sure that we’re trying to make sure the focus is on the message and not the technology, because I’ve seen people that worship technology no matter what’s coming through it; it’s about technology. I just want to make sure that the message stays the focus.

Again, the main thing I look at is that technology gives us a faster effective way to get the gospel out to the entire globe.

For more information on this and other topics, get your copy of “The iChurch Method Volume 1: How to Advance Your Ministry Online.” or The iChurch Method Volume 2: Changing the World When You Login or even sign up for the iChurch Method Online School.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/technology-great-commission/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=technology-great-commission

Objectives of an Effective Church Website

When designing a website for your church or ministry, you should start with your basic objectives. Ask yourself some hard questions, and take copious notes. What do you hope to accomplish with your website? Who is your target audience? With some exceptions, a church’s website has three basic objectives:

• To assist those who are looking for a church to attend, whether in person or online;
• To keep members up to date on current events, church activities and so forth;
• To provide spiritual content to help members grow in their faith.

Depending on your ministry, you may have slightly different objectives. Consider how the ones listed above apply to your own ministry, and write down different ones if need be. You will want to refer back to this in designing your website.

Website Design Criteria

Next you should consider some basic design criteria. This applies to all websites, whether for a church, a business or any other venture. Unfortunately, too many people disregard these factors and create websites that are entirely too busy, cluttered and difficult to use. If your website is not visually pleasing, easy to navigate and above all, useful and informative, potential visitors will leave and not return.

Build your website following these five design criteria, and you will have an electronic showplace that invites visitors to come on in and stay awhile:

• Clean and uncluttered. You should have a good mix of content and imagery, easy to read navigation buttons and one or two eye-catching banners to achieve just the right balance between simplicity and variety of content and options;
• Informative and full of helpful content;
• Interactive, causing the user to engage with the website;
• Interesting and engaging;
• Provide solutions, through content, multimedia and/or products.

Keep in mind that even though you are a spiritual organization, your basic goals are not altogether different than that of a business; you want to sell your product, to bring in customers, and grow your business. Your website needs to be fresh, informative, and provide some sort of take away value in order to attract visitors. That takes us back to your three main objectives.

If your website provides information about worship services, it is providing a useful service and will attract visitors who are looking for this information. If your website provides information about church activities, it will attract visitors who are already members of your congregation, who are looking for schedules, times and dates.

Finally, if your website is rich in spiritual content, it will bring in visitors who may not yet be members of your congregation but are searching for guidance. Consider posting videos of services or particularly engaging portions of sermons, written transcripts of sermons, helpful advice columns and evangelical blogs, to give visitors a real taste of your ministry.

For more information on this and other topics, get your copy of “The iChurch Method Volume 1: How to Advance Your Ministry Online.” or The iChurch Method Volume 2: Changing the World When You Login or even sign up for the iChurch Method Online School.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/effective-church-website/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=effective-church-website

Should Pastors be on #Facebook, #Twitter and other #Social Media?

Should Pastors be on #Facebook, #Twitter and other #Social Media? What if they say something wrong? Digital Technology has had a profound affect on the identity of the Christian Minister. Here is the transcript from the video above.

Well I think technology with the ministries that I’ve worked with—again they’re very much personality driven—what people want access to in addition to the church is the pastor. What technology has done is kind of torn that veil from us. If you look at a typical weekend service you’re not able to get to the pastor. You’re in a church with thousands of other members and once the pastor is done preaching then he pretty much disappears. You might have an opportunity to shake hands with him on the way out, very rarely, but for the most part that’s it. You saw him preaching the sermon and then he’s off.

What technology does, especially in a case of a large minister like Bishop Jakes, that’s him actually using his Twitter. Most people don’t believe that, but that’s him actually on Twitter responding to people, good and bad. And when people ask him questions, him actually putting out the daily devotionals and him talking to people. That’s what he wanted; he wanted access to the people as well as them having access to him.

That’s what I think the digital technology does, it gives people access to the pastor and lets them, for good and bad, have a glimpse of what he is like outside of the pulpit because that’s all people are used to seeing. Or the especially high quality produced segments where the pastor’s talking about some type of campaign or some type of next message that’s coming up or something like that. No, you actually see this pastor on a arbitrary 12 p.m. Saturday talking about, “I’m out with my family running around at the park,” or something like that. You see how the pastor is a real person and may not always, usually is not 24-7 spiritual churchy mode all the time, and you get access to that.

That is a good thing but it also can be a bad thing because you actually see the pastor in a real light as far as the beliefs you 100% agree with and the beliefs that the pastor may have that you don’t agree with. You may see that via social media or any type of digital media. That’s the stuff that people sometimes can deal with or sometimes cannot deal with. And they look outside of the local area for the most part for the pastor to have a national reach or international reach; they associate that pastor with the church. They may not even know the name of the church but they know the name of the outreach ministry. For example, people know T.D. Jakes Ministries. They may not know The Potter’s House Church. People know Ever Increasing Faith Ministries but they don’t know it comes from Crenshaw Christian Center.

So they associate that pastor with the church and everything he says is an extension of that church. So, when he says something, they feel like the pastor offended them, the church offended them and they don’t want to be affiliated with that anymore. That’s the bad part about it; it amplifies the pastor’s reach.

http://www.ichurchmethod.com/digital-technology-the-christian-minister/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=digital-technology-the-christian-minister