TECHNOLOGY EMPOWERING MINISTRY www.ministrytech.com December 2016 *<[:{) Gift Guide for Geeks MERRY TECH-CHRISTMAS!

>> REMOVING OBSTACLES TO JESUS >> SERVANTS BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY >> THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF A “SMART HOME” CONTENTS 12

servants behind 12.16 the technology Our Savior also takes notice of the sacrifices you make during this time of year.

4 PROTECTED WITH PURPOSE The Hidden Dangers of a COVER STORY “Smart Home” gift guide for The “Internet of Things” presents new advances— geeks and new risks. Suggestions from Santa’s high-tech helper. 15 the season of sharing with your community Community engagement doesn’t happen overnight, but effective use of communication software can help. 29

START-UP | Widows, Orphans and Waiting 18 9

COMMUNICATIONS | Sometimes, More Is Better! 21 Removing 5 Ways to Engage Guests During the Holidays ...... 24 Obstacles To Jesus Can Technology Be the Answer to Better Church Communications? ...... 26 Tech work really can help connect people to the Master.

2 | MinistryTech.com A Word from the editor Ray Hollenbach

Editor Ray Hollenbach [email protected] Soli deo Gloria: Glory to God! Art Director Beth VanDyke f you ask enough people, you’re This month’s issue of Ministry bethvandyke.com sure to find someone who began Tech is wide-ranging, because the their relationship with Jesus at needs of Christmas ministry are Contributing Editors I a big church event: something like (literally) all over the map, whether Yvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou a Christmas pageant. Christmas we are talking about an outdoor Russ McGuire time means lots of extra projects Nativity scene in the city square or Jonathan Smith Steven Sundermeier for ministry tech workers, but the a candlelight Christmas Eve service Kevin Purcell rewards can produce eternal results. in the sanctuary. For example, Kevin December is showtime for churches Purcell’s cover story (“Gift-Guide for Copy Editor big and small. Special effects abound, Geeks”) helps stimulate our thinking Rachael Mitchell whether we’re talking about bathrobe- about how to find the perfect thank- Publisher costumes as children portray the you for the members of your tech three wise men or a lazer light show team, while Jonathan Smith’s article, that portrays the song of the heaven- “Servants Behind the Technology,” Outreach Inc. ly host announcing “Peace on Earth reminds us of the goal of all minis- 5550 Tech Center Dr. toward men of goodwill.” try: putting Jesus front and center. Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (800) 991-6011 For me, there’s one word that Mike O’Brien reminds us how tech helps underscore the importance ministry can help remove barriers Ministry Tech® is a registered of ministry and technology; that to Jesus, while Yvon Prehn provides trademark of Outreach, Inc. Written materials submitted word is “Glory.” The angels who sang practical advice about how to com- to Ministry Tech® Magazine “Glory to God in the highest” reflect municate effectively with all the become the property of Outreach, Inc. upon receipt the calling and mission of ministry members of our congregation. and may not necessarily tech—we want God to be glorified in Our service is our gift to Jesus, but ® be returned. Ministry Tech all we do! Our “ministry signature” He is the Father’s gift to all the world! Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to should be soli deo Gloria: Glory to Our preaching should point to Jesus, materials submitted for God alone! Our work is not a success our music should point to Jesus— publication that are deemed necessary for editorial if people come away from a service every aspect of ministry should point purposes. The content of thinking, “Wow! Those special ef- to Jesus. He is the good news who this publication may not be copied in any way, shape fects were amazing.” Rather, our goal came into the world on that very first or form without the express is to have people walk away think- Christmas, and he is still coming into permission of Outreach, Inc. ing, “Wow! What a glorious Savior our world today. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed has come into the world.” within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Ministry Tech® Magazine, or Outreach, Inc. Ray Hollenbach is the Editor of Ministry Tech magazine. He has previously served as the © Copyright 2016 Outreach, Inc. editor of Outreach’s Better Preaching Update, and as the editor of the Pastor channel at All Rights Reserved Churchleaders.com. You can reach him at [email protected].

December 2016 | 3 < COVER STORY > *<[:{) Gift Guide for Geeks MERRY TECH-CHRISTMAS!

by Kevin Purcell Gadget and software lovers enjoy gifts, too! These ideas are budget-friendly and tech-savvy: pick one or more to give away to your favorite nerd—or to get for yourself!

4 | MinistryTech.com Services If you have a movie or music lover on your list, consider giving them some free months to their favorite streaming service like Netflix (www.netflix.com), Spotify (www.spotify.com), Pandora (www.pandora.com), Apple Music (www.apple.com) or Play (music.google.com).If they don’t already use a music service, I recommend that you go with Spotify. It’s the best music streaming service available.

Amazon Echo Devices The Echo bills itself as a personal baked into a cylindrical speaker. Amazon makes three of them, ranging in price from $50 for the Echo Dot, $99 for the Echo Tap and $179 for the flagship Echo. In addition to listening to music or getting news, weather, sports and traffic info, you can do other skills. It even plays audiobooks from Amazon’s Audible service. Other skills include playing games or getting trivia. You can ask the device about information like sports scores or movie show times. It has new briefings Gift Cards Are Not from popular news services. The Echo will also connect Lazy, They’re Great! to your mobile device with People often give gift cards to their loved ones because Bluetooth and play music they’re easy to get, but they sometimes feel bad about on your device using it, thinking, “I didn’t put enough thought or care into the the Echo. gift.” However, I LOVE getting gift cards! It means I get I own both an Echo and to pick what I want, and you’re giving me two gifts: a Tap. The Tap runs on the thing I end up selecting plus the fun of finding it. battery life making it mobile Geeks love gift cards too. Get one of the following: (if there’s Wi-Fi available). • iTunes for Apple users All of them can work as a • for Android and users Bluetooth speaker, but they • Amazon for just about anyone do more. I’d pick the Dot, • Visa or Master Card gift cards often charge extra which connects to external fees, so consider these last. speakers like your stereo or a separate Bluetooth I recommend checking out Tech Bargains (www. speaker. techbargains.com). They often post links to discounted gift cards, like a $100 iTunes card for $85. Sam’s Club

Amazon Echo often sells discounted gift cards too.

December 2016 | 5 Chargers and Mobile External Batteries Mouse We all use a lot of mobile electronic devices from phones to tablets and even laptops. A backup battery and/or that the user can plug their device into helps. Also, chargers can help. Keyboard I wrote an article at GottaBeMobile.com listing Do you know someone who loves his or her laptop, but some great car chargers. See it here: http://bit. Logitech Anywhere 2 ly/2cZJJWu. hates the trackpad? Consider Bluetooth mouse Go to Amazon and search for Anker (www.anker. the Logitech Anywhere 2 com). That’s a great brand for inexpensive external Bluetooth mouse. I love this mouse. It connects via batteries. They offer some unique products including Bluetooth and has a battery that lasts a long time. wireless chargers for phones that support it and high Recharge it with a micro-USB cable. You can connect capacity batteries that let you charge even a laptop. it to up to three different devices making it great to One of the best mobile power solutions in my take on the road and use at home connected to your arsenal comes from Belkin. The Belkin desktop. Find it here for $80. 3-Outlet Surge Protector has three Logitech has a similar product on the keyboard AC outlets and two USB outlets. side. The Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated K810 It’s a great thing to put in Keyboard has backlit keys and connects via your computer bag Bluetooth. You can connect it to an iPad, a Phone and bring to a hotel and a computer all at the same time. Switch between on the road (http:// them using the shortcut keys on the top left. It amzn.to/2cZJUkh). connects via Bluetooth and recharges via micro-USB. It’s less than $20 It’s $100 direct but if you search Amazon for the right now on Amazon. K810 or K811 (it’s the same keyboard essentially) you’ll find it cheaper. 12000 mAh Anker Astro 3 external battery Bluetooth Speakers or Headphones For music fans or people who like to listen to any kind of audio, a good set of Bluetooth speakers or headphones/ear buds makes sense. This is a highly competitive market with thousands of options. Let me make a few recommendations. Steer clear of Beats and Skull Candy. They are popular name brands that sound terrible and cost more than they should. They add too much bass and don’t sound natural. Bose is a good brand if you pay for high-end audio equipment. Also consider Sennheiser and Phiaton—they make nice in-ear ear buds and over-the-ear headphones. For rugged Bluetooth speakers with a lot of sound look at Braven (www.braven. com). They’re not as well known as some, but make awesome battery-powered Bluetooth speakers with line-in ports for wired sound. Braven BRV1 wireless bluetooth speaker

6 | MinistryTech.com Tablets Gift buyers should focus on one of four kinds of tablets— Apple iPad, Google , Tab S or Surface. The Microsoft Surface ($799 and up) is a full- featured Windows computer meaning it runs any software you run on a laptop or desktop. It has a Surface Pen stylus making it a great option for artists or business users and students who take notes by hand. It’s the best and only Windows 10 tablet I’d buy right now.

If you don’t need to run full apps and live inside the Apple ecosystem consider Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 the iPad (www.apple.com). Now you only have to pick one of the many iPad models. Here’s the list of models Students and business users will enjoy them too. with starting prices and who they are best for: Remember that the Apple Pencil costs $99 and the Smart • iPad mini 2 or 4 ($269 or $399)—A small 8-inch tablet Keyboard Cover costs $169. The above prices are for 32GB that is better for reading, email, entertainment and simple models—that’s almost always too small for hardcore users. web surfing; it is also good for kids playing mobile games. • iPad Air 2 ($499)—At 9.7-inches it is the workhorse Here’s a list of the best Android tablets to buy: of the iPad world. It doesn’t work with the Apple Pencil • C ($499)—A high-end 10-inch tablet from stylus or Apple Smart Keyboard Cover, but is the best Google, which means it will always get the latest update option for budget-minded people who need a bigger tablet to the Android . The Pixel also has a than the iPad mini for work and writing using a Bluetooth nice keyboard which makes it work a lot like the iPad Pro keyboard. This could stand alone as your only computer. or Surface Pro. (http://bit.ly/2gzLC2U) • iPad Pro ($599 or $799)—9.7 or 12.9 inch options that • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 ($399 for 8-inch, $499 for 9.7- works with the great Apple Pencil or Apple Smart inch)—Samsung makes the best Android tablets not made Keyboard cover. They are great for artists or writers. by Google. They have beautiful screens and run any apps you can throw at it. (http://bit.ly/2g8qgVy)

If you don’t know which to get, start with the recipient. Do they own an iPhone? Then get an iPad. If they own an Android phone, then go with the Google Pixel C or Samsung Tab S2. Samsung sells cheaper tablets, but they’re mostly junk. If the person needs Windows app and could use a laptop replacement, then get the Surface Pro 4.

Google Pixel C 10-in. tablet with optional Pixel C keyboard

December 2016 | 7 Flash Drives and Cards Everyone needs a good flash drive or an SD card. They’re cheap and sometimes come with creative housings like super heroes or other fun things. You can steer clear of the cutesy and go conservative. I also love the small-form-factor USB flash drives. Make sure you get a brand name drive. Sandisk, Kingston and PNY are a few. Off-brand flash drives often lie about the capacity. They tell you it’s a 64GB drive, but you really only get 16GB that they’ve hacked to make the computer think it’s larger, but doesn’t really hold that much. Consider the various devices a person uses, but I think he or she most likely would want a USB 3.0 flash drive. For a phone or tablet, they want a micro-SD card. However, some people may want USB Type-C, and some cards have both

USB 3.0 and micro-USB for connecting to some phones or tablets. MT

8 | MinistryTech.com Removing Obstacles to Jesus

Discover the Power of Seamless Technical Execution

s we recruit, train and encourage our sound and media teams it’s vital to remind them of the A importance of invisibility and “seamlessness.” Certainly, the Lord can use imperfect productions for His glory, but when our tech work is smooth and seamless it clears the way for the God’s message to be heard. It can make an eternal difference! Invisible, [ by Mike O’Brien ] seamless, service certainly made a difference in my life: when I was 10 years old my mom and I visited a small church near our house as a last ditch effort to find a remedy to a domestic abuse situation we were involved in. That one little service changed our lives forever. The songs, the sermon and collective community made a huge deposit into my soul and led me on a pathway of salvation of discipleship that continues to this day. All the men and women of that church worked together to lead me to Jesus, and I am thankful!

December 2016 | 9 When we clear the way for the story of God to be clearly communicated, our work can make an eternal difference!

Our gatherings are vital not only him before Jesus, but finding be consistently mediocre than for the believers who gather, but no way to bring him in, because occasionally excellent. Excellence also for the souls who come church of the crowd, they went up on comes not from merely checking searching for a place to belong. One the roof and let him down with off a to-do list, but also opening our of our most important tech roles his bed through the tiles into eyes to what God might be doing in is to remove barriers between the the midst before Jesus. any situation. In this example from people who attend our services (Luke 5:18-19) Luke’s gospel the men could have and the one true God. Things like given up and gone home when they feedback, missed Jesus had the ability to simply the saw the crowds—but they didn’t! cues, sloppy transitions, and poor heal the man despite the crowds, They resorted to extraordinary grammar on presentation slides can but this story reveals how faithful measures. Each week at our services all become unnecessary obstacles. servants can remove barriers to the solutions might require the These seemingly small things Jesus. When we clear the way same from us. Are you prepared might indirectly become barriers to for the story of God to be clearly to crawl under the stage? Return meeting Jesus. communicated, our work can make home to get your laptop? Run from In Luke’s gospel, we see a picture an eternal difference! Here are a one side of the building to the other of several men doing everything couple ways we can help remove to address a need? For the men in they can to get a paralyzed man in barriers to Jesus in our weekly Luke’s story there was nothing easy front of Jesus so He could heal him. productions: about bringing an invalid up a flight There was an impossible barrier of stairs! around the house so they found a Go to the Roof Teach your teams the value way to get the man to Jesus: Be inventive in looking for of removing barriers in solving And behold, some men were solutions that are not obvious. problems. Allow those under your bringing on a bed a man who Sometimes our modern church care to identify problems and was paralyzed, and they were culture gives the idea that “easy implement solutions. Ask them, “Do seeking to bring him in and lay beats better.” We would rather you see anything going on here that

10 | MinistryTech.com could be distracting?” and, “What do his presence. It’s a question worth of God? Sometimes faithful service you think we can do about it?” asking: how can tech volunteers is opening a space where there help people better encounter Him? wasn’t one before by removing the Be “Invisible” What obstacles can we remove so barriers to Jesus. MT The servants in this story are people can see a greater revelation the nameless, faceless heroes.

This idea is no surprise to those Mike O’Brien holds a B.A. in Music from Kennesaw State University and Master of Worship who have served behind the scenes, Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He has worked as a producer, but it’s good to be reminded that engineer and mixer at Lucko Sound Studio, and with a collective of over 25 musicians called church works best when we don’t Poured Out Like Wine. Together, they produced 7 albums with over 15 published songs with get the attention (or the credit). We Vineyard Worship USA. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Susan, and son, Ezekiel. You fix problems that 99 percent of the can reach Mike at [email protected]. people in the room didn’t know were problems. However, never equate being invisible with being unseen. Later in the passage after Jesus heals the man he says, “And when He [Jesus] saw their faith, he said, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you’” (Luke 5:20). The Lord sees you in the sound booth or media station! Tech leaders should excite the idea of invisibility on their teams. They should celebrate the ordinary. We should all make an effort to praise our teams when nothing goes wrong! Make the Meeting “Seamless” We should identify each transition- point in a meeting, and rehearse those transitions with worship leaders, speakers, ushers, and prayer and ministry teams. Do it for the glory of God, knowing that these seamless transitions help people focus on the message—and not our missed cue! Every week our sound and media teams have the privilege and honor of helping people experience the Love of God the Father through Jesus. God gives us His Spirit as a guide, a comfort, and motivator to move us along. It’s not our job to make God show up, or bring in His presence; rather, we are to host

December 2016 | 11 Servants Behind the Technology

Tech Volunteers Don’t Serve for the Glory of Men’s Praise

by Jonathan Smith here is no doubt that to these holidays. We start Christmas and Easter are the planning (or at least we should) T high points in most church months in advance. Vacation calendars. Attendance is up, the time during the holidays is fields are ripe for the harvest, scheduled around ministry and our buildings are packed. opportunities, and we all move at The opportunities for ministry full speed towards the goal. and reaching our communities As your ministry approaches for the Kingdom abound, thanks this Christmas season, allow me

12 | MinistryTech.com to encourage you to not lose sight thieves do not break in or steal; for encouraged that even if no one else of the unseen people that make where your treasure is, there your knows or communicates that they these ministries possible, humanly heart will be also.” (NASB) notice or care, the only One that speaking. It is easy, and natural to Even if no one else notices the matters does. We are celebrating thank those who are on the stage long hours you are putting in, know that Jesus came to earth as a man or whose name is at the end of an that God does take notice. Matthew to perform the ultimate sacrifice—if email or invitation. For obvious 10:28-30 and Luke 12:5-7 tell us that He can do that, we can serve Him reasons, the attention falls on those God knows the details, He knows with excellence no matter the who are seen. However, as part when a sparrow falls to the ground circumstance. of the body of Christ, there is no one part that is more important than another. That means we have to work hard to make sure those unseen parts of the body are also No one serving in encouraged through their service this Christmas. a church during As a tech person, I can attest that Christmas should feel we aren’t in this for the glory or gratitude. We believe we do our job they aren’t valued. the best when no one knows we are around. In many cases, any kind of attention makes us uncomfortable. We want the technology to empower the message, and if the message is and He knows the number of hairs If you are a manager or worship hindered by the technology then the on our head—granted for some of pastor or someone who oversees focus is on the wrong thing. us, me included, that may not be those who work in technology (IT, If there was ever a time of year very hard. God clearly takes notice web, creative arts, sound/video/ to show the people behind the of the details in His creation, and lights, production, etc.), there technology that empowers the I believe those details include the are some simple things you can message that they are loved, that super geeky stuff we do, like having do to show your appreciation of their contributions are valued, and the perfect sound mix, the right those behind-the-scenes. Simply that their sacrifice is appreciated, it video transition, the impeccable acknowledging verbally that you would be Christmas time. No one font, and just the right amount of appreciate all that your team serving in a church during Christmas effects in the lighting. is doing can go a long way in should feel they aren’t valued. Our Savior also takes notice avoiding any appearance of taking For those who are in technology, of the sacrifices you make during advantage. I know you are busy too, whether you work in IT, web, this time of year. He knows that but as leaders you must take time Creative Arts, sound/video/lights, your family Christmas celebration to show your gratitude to those you production, etc., remember, our was scheduled around the church lead—especially during the holidays. rewards are not on this earth but in production schedule. He knows Be specific, thank them for the Heaven. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do that you may even miss a gathering long hours, or missing that family not store up for yourselves treasures or two in order to work late to get gathering. Thank their families on earth, where moth and rust all of those details just right. He for being flexible around the destroy, and where thieves break in knows you may sleep through New production schedule. It has always and steal. But store up for yourselves Year’s once the marathon that is meant the most to me when our treasures in heaven, where neither the Christmas production schedule leadership thanks my wife and kids. moth nor rust destroys, and where is over. Take comfort and be While it may not always be

December 2016 | 13 possible, you might consider giving and all the nativity scenes stored, gifts to those on the behind-the- that everyone will feel closer to their scenes team. All tech folks like Savior as a result of serving Him and Amazon gift cards. You also may not feel discouraged, unappreciated want to be discreet. It can be very or left out. If there was ever a time of discouraging to see one person year to get this right, this is it.

receive a gift and wonder why you Merry Christmas! MT didn’t get one. That’s human nature and it can easily be avoided through a bit of tact. My prayer for everyone involved May you in communicating the Good News this Christmas season is that they serve this will serve with excellence and that the King of Kings may be Jonathan Smith is the Director of Christmas glorified. I’m convinced that we are Technology at Faith Ministries in all working toward this goal, and Lafayette, Indiana. You can reach season with it is my sincere hope when all the Jonathan at [email protected] musicals have been sung, all the and also follow him on Twitter excellence lines recited, all the sets put away, @JonathanESmith. so that the King of Kings may be glorified.

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14 | MinistryTech.com PROTECTED WITH PURPOSE by Steven Sundermeier

The Hidden Dangers of a “Smart Home” How Christmas gifts with the latest technology challenge your security.

nd there were shepherds liv- to go with a manger scene, and I does all his shopping the last few ing out in the fields nearby, was pushing for a pre-lit Cornelius hours on Christmas Eve. “A keeping watch over their Yukon display (I love that guy!). Anyhow, you as a fellow gift flocks at night. An angel of the The truth is I’ve always enjoyed giver—what are you planning on Lord appeared to them, and the decorating the inside and outside having wrapped under your tree this glory of the Lord shone around of the house with Christmas flare year? Or what are you hoping will be them, and they were terrified. But (and yes, almost of all of which is waiting for you under those (imita- the angel said to them, “Do not Christ-centered). I also get excited tion or real) pine branches? be afraid. I bring you good news to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas According to a couple top retail that will cause great joy for all the and Elf over and over with my kids, online sites I researched, trending people. Today in the town of David and even sneak in a viewing (or six) Christmas wish lists for families in- a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby Progress is exciting, but security and wrapped in cloths and lying in a safety measures (including strong manger.” [Luke 2: 8-12] Christmas is quickly approach- passwords) must be in place or else ing, and I am getting excited (it’s my smart home technology in the wrong favorite time of the year!). In fact, even as a kid growing up and for as hands will turn sadly sobering. far back as I can remember, my mom nicknamed me, “Mr. Christmas.” As of National Lampoon’s Christmas cluded: the Amazon Echo or Google a Christian, I understand the true Vacation. Really, what is there not Home (both are voice activated meaning of Christmas, and my wife to like about the Christmas season? speakers), One (the Fitbit One and I do our very best to instill this However, for me one of the greatest tracks your steps, floors climbed, into our kids, although I do have to aspects of Christmas is gift giving. I calories burned, and sleep qual- admit that we got into a slight argu- honestly enjoy giving presents much ity), Apple Watch, XBox One S and ment over our choice of lawn deco- more than receiving them. I am defi- various large-screen, LED Smart 4K rations this year. My wife wanted nitely not the proverbial male who Ultra HD TVs. And one of the most

December 2016 | 15 unleashed a successful Distributed When your Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on phone unlocks the servers of Dyn, a major DNS host that quickly crippled popular your door or websites such as Amazon, Paypal, turns on your Spotify and Twitter. DDoS is a type of DOS attack where multiple heat, it’s not so compromised systems are used to hard to imagine target a single system. These style of attacks are not uncommon; how- a scenario of a ever, there was one glaring differ- hacker unlocking ence between the DDoS attack in October and others—this incredibly the front door historic scaled attack was carried out with a botnet not comprised of and robbing you. computers, but of Internet connect- ed devices (i.e., compromised DVRs and webcam devices) infected with popular applications this season “due Well, even if you come the malware, named ‘Mirai. to its affordability and availability” from a simpler time, with Mirai is a DDoS Trojan that tar- (what?) are products developed for simpler gifts, the age of IoT gets Linux systems and, in particu- the “smart home,” a home equipped is upon us, and if you are unfa- lar, IoT devices. Once the system is with lighting, heating, and electronic miliar with this term, by definition infected it can be used as a Bot for devices connected to the Internet IoT is the internetworking of physi- DDoS attacks. It has been recorded that can be controlled remotely by cal devices, vehicles, etc. embedded that at the height of the October a phone. While I can’t speak for with electronics, software, sensors, Dyn attack, the targeted websites you, I am sure glad that none of the actuators, and network connectivity were receiving more than 150,000 Christmas wish lists that my family that enable these objects to collect requests for information per second penned while sprawling out over the and exchange data. In other words, eventually over-powering them, re- Thanksgiving Day ads included these these devices allow for the ability to sulting in the sites crashing. Making expensive items. However, when I transfer data over a network with- matters worse, it is also known that was preparing for this column and out requiring your interaction. the source code that powered the read through these sites, I was truly Could there be risks involved destructive botnet attack has been amazed that almost everything on with such pricey, high-demand published and made readily avail- these lists could be classified under items on wish lists this year? Sure, able online. (On a side note, at the time the category, ‘The Internet of things’ there’s always a risk of disappoint- of this writing, over the last month (or, IoT). It is truly amazing to see ment of not being able to afford or or so I’ve observed approximately how far technology advancements get the top gift this year. Also, as twenty samples/variations of the have come even in the last five years. with all electronic devices, there’s Mirai malware. As the malware targets I sometimes wonder if these “lists” always a slight physical risk with Linux systems, the samples received were developed by the desires of ac- these items (outside of the threat of are ELF , only supported in Linux. tual people like you and me, or by the a Black Friday stampede); just think However, as a precautionary measure advertisers that hope we (literally) to the news coverage of the explod- our Thirtyseven4 products—including buy into the idea of IoT. Can anyone ing a while Windows Operating Systems—have remember the good ol’ days when back. But what if these IoT devices added the necessary signature based toys like ‘View-Master’ and ‘Speak & posed a broader risk to all of us? detections and a level of generic detec- Spell’ were considered cool? Back in late October, hackers tion against Mirai.)

16 | MinistryTech.com As the New Year approaches, I sleigh of desires and wants, because predict attacks like we those saw in we all know that acquiring devices Steven Sundermeier is the owner of October will increase in frequency as for a “smart home” won’t give us pur- Thirtyseven4, LLC, a leading provider of antivirus/security software. With 17 years of IoT devices often are commonly con- pose in our days or a feeling of value. experience in the cybersecurity field, he is figured with poor security and lazy It will fill a momentary void, but the one of the nation’s leading experts in virus, default passwords. It has taken years real meaning of Christmas is much malware and other threats. Before founding (I might even say decades) to educate more valuable and so much deeper. Thirtyseven4 in 2009, Steven worked in a computers users of the importance of The best gift of all is a free one. He number of roles in the antivirus industry strong, hard to guess passwords for was born in a lowly manger and yet dating back to 1999. His desire is to serve their computers, and even here we is King of Kings. The house with the public with the most aggressive antivirus are still losing this education battle at Christ at the center of Christmas is software on the market accompanied by times. The learning curve for prop- truly a “smart home”! MT unparelled support services. erly configuring IoT devices will take time, and hackers know it. They are capitalizing on our laziness. Of course I am a techie, and the latest gadgets fascinate and intrigue me. But I also have the security wisdom to identify the risks of inter- connecting the facets of our lives. When your phone unlocks your front door or turns on your heat, and an activated speaker can order you pizza or a pair of shoes, does anyone else see the not-so-hard-to- imagine scenario of a hacker unlock- ing our front door and robbing us, or of a cyber-criminal cracking our password and ordering a lot more than a large pizza? Progress is exciting, but security and safety measures (including strong passwords) must be in place or else that same technology in the wrong hands will turn sadly sobering.

So again I ask you, what is under your tree this year? Maybe, going back to the days of Tinker Toys, Etch A Sketch, Slinky and a Red Ryder BB Gun wouldn’t be so bad. And on a grander scale, entering the Christmas season with a sense of contentment for all that God has given us and sacrificed for us would be refreshing. Let’s think twice before jumping on the chaotic

December 2016 | 17 STARTUP

Widows, Orphans Russ McGuire russ.mcguire@.com

A trusted advisor with proven strategic and Waiting insights, Russ has been blessed by God in many ways including serving Why the Creator of the Basedeploy App as a corporate executive, co-founding technology startups and writing a Longs for a New Mission technology/business book. More importantly, he’s a husband and father who cares about people, and a by Russ McGuire committed Christian who seeks to honor God in all that he does. His newest efore launching Basedeploy, they went down to Troas. And a venture is as Entrepreneur in Residence at Stephen Key tried to start vision appeared to Paul in the night: Oklahoma Christian University. B an online matching site a man of Macedonia was standing called Giver. From his short-term there, urging him and saying, ‘Come missions work with orphanages over to Macedonia and help us.’ in Central America and his work And when Paul had seen the vision, with foster care organizations immediately we sought to go on into whatever business he started, so in the U.S., Stephen knew that Macedonia, concluding that God had he majored in Public Relations and these kids have needs for things called us to preach the gospel to them” Advertising. One summer Stephen throughout the year, and not just (Acts 16:6-10 ESV). participated in a Computer Science at Christmas time. His vision was Boot Camp at ORU and loved it. for an online marketplace where It All Started at Church From that moment, he knew that individual needs could be met Stephen didn’t have a master software would be at the center of by individual givers. But after plan for his life. He just took each his career. several months of trying to get step, making the best decision for Shortly after graduating from Giver off the ground, Stephen himself and his family at the time. Oral Roberts, Stephen landed an realized that, at every turn, God But God has a plan for Stephen. He exciting job. He was hired as web was closing the doors on Giver grew up in the church. He went to developer for Victory Christian, and opening the doors for a the high school associated with his the large ministry that included different opportunity. church, Victory Christian in Tulsa, his home church, his high school This reminds me of Paul’s Oklahoma. After graduating he alma mater and a wide variety of experience on his second literally moved across the street to global ministries. The pay wasn’t missionary journey: “And they went Oral Roberts University. Stephen as high as he could’ve gotten in through the region of Phrygia and knew he’d be an entrepreneur. secular work, but he loved being Galatia, having been forbidden by His dad was an entrepreneur part of an organization making an the Holy Spirit to speak the word in and all four of his older siblings impact for the Gospel, and with so Asia. And when they had come up had gone on to start their own many different ministries, there to Mysia, they attempted to go into businesses. He knew from were always interesting projects Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did watching his brothers that he to work on. One of the projects not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, would eventually need to promote that stuck with him was creating a

18 | MinistryTech.com templating tool to make it easy for first projects was very similar to the “software chasm.” small Victory Christian ministries what he’d done at Victory. The “For most organizations, tools around the world to easily create an platform needed to create micro- like WordPress and Weebly provide internal web page. sites for thousands of physicians. very high functionality at a very Stephen automated the process, low cost. You can go a long way The High Tech integrating the data that already without spending much money at Startup World Calls existed into an attractive and all,” he explains, “but at some point, After three years, Stephen had effective profile for patients to your need exceeds their capabilities, the opportunity to join a New review. His time at the startup also and to take that next step you go York-based high tech startup. The affirmed that his ideas and his work from spending hundreds of dollars company helps match patients were valuable, generating significant to spending tens of thousands to healthcare providers. It was revenue for the company. of dollars for custom software difficult to leave Victory Christian, development.” but Stephen wanted to learn about Crossing the Some of those needs include building software platforms at a Software Chasm user registration, the creation of scale much larger than even a global After two years, his wife finished an API and persistent user data, ministry required, and this startup her education and they moved to and integration with multiple

Stephen Key didn’t have a master plan for his life. He just took each step, making the best decision for himself and his family at the time. But he has learned God has a plan for him and he must wait on God’s timing.

provided that opportunity. Since Oklahoma City to begin her career. other services on the web. they had a Tulsa office, Stephen Stephen left the New York startup Stephen has created Basedeploy was able to be part of a fast-moving behind and started taking on work to bridge this chasm. Starting startup without leaving Tulsa, for clients. At first it was a fun and at $39 a month, users point and which was critical since his wife was exciting change, but he started to click and the code and API are finishing her education there. notice that his clients were asking dynamically generated behind Although in many ways, working for many of the same features, but the scenes. Basedeploy provides a for a startup was dramatically in slightly different combinations. growing library of building blocks, different from working for a He realized that these clients had and independent developers Christian ministry, one of Stephen’s fallen into what he now refers to as can also provide building blocks

December 2016 | 19 for specific functionality or With Basedeploy, they can do it He had a Minimally Viable Product external integrations. Stephen themselves, and Stephen can focus (MVP), which was a nice front end, says that he felt guilty in his on building new capabilities as but with him doing lots of work custom web business, like he those needs emerge. connecting the pieces manually was taking advantage of clients, behind the scenes. Then someone charging them lots of money to do God Opened the Door posted Basedeploy on Product relatively simple things that they Early in 2016 Stephen had started Hunt, and suddenly the doors should be able to do themselves. fleshing out the Basedeploy vision. were flung open and hundreds of new customers started flowing in. Stephen had to implement a private invitation-only beta to keep it manageable. Since then, he’s been able to automate the flow to better handle that initial rush of You want the customers and is considering when to open the floodgates to all comers. freedom to Stephen and his wife still feel a call on their lives to help … reach out orphans around the world. They … minister to people love working with kids in need, and because of their love for the … create fellowship orphans, their hearts ache over … contribute to their unmet needs. But they know your community they must wait on God’s timing and His plan, and for now, Stephen PowerChurch Plus was is excited to see how God will use created for just that! Basedeploy. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in Membership We provide you with the tools to their affliction, and to keep oneself increase administrative effi ciency unstained from the world.” (James and streamline accounting tasks, Accounting 1:27 ESV) MT freeing you up to perform the work that matters. Contributions In this article series, we’ve defined a Christian entrepreneur as a person, driven to glorify God in all he or she does, and ruled by the Install on your PC or network, or access online. Events Word of God, who starts a new venture and Calendar Choose which fi ts your needs. is willing to risk a loss in order to achieve the success of the venture. Each month I’ve been introducing you to specific Christian startups Check In and entrepreneurs, some of which may be helpful to your church, ministry, business or family, but my main intent is to encourage Completely and inspire you to be entrepreneurial in Integrated We provide software tools, your ministry and career. Are there Christian freeing you up to fulfi ll your mission. startups I should know about? Contact me at [email protected]. www.PowerChurch.com • 800.486.1800

20 | MinistryTech.comPCS-11301-ChurchExecutive_4.75x7.25.indd 1 7/14/11 10:23 AM COMMUNICATIONS by Yvon Prehn Sometimes, More Is Better! Why “Less Is More” Might Be Disastrous at Christmastime

he saying “less is more” has Churches misunderstood savvy and cool the person making become a guiding principle this entirely these statements appears to be, it T for some church commu- Unfortunately, the way many church- makes no logical sense. Leaving out nicators. The results have been es interpreted this phrase is to think connecting details means leaving disastrous for resulting church that, if we communicate less—mean- out the connections that actually get attendance at special events and ing less paper (so no bulletin inserts or people to an event. at ministries in the church. In postcards, flyers or announcements, Some churches take the “less is addition to the tragedy of peo- all of which are some of the most pow- more” mantra to mean that almost ple attending fewer events and erful pieces of communication and no communication should be put on therefore missing out on vital connection churches can create)—then paper, and it all goes to the web or church growth opportunities, people will attend the events. But that digital formats (ignoring the many what is really sad is that the doesn’t make sense! People don’t at- people in the church who still have practice of creating fewer and tend things more if you communicate little or no access to these forms of shorter communications is based about them less. communication, or even if they do, on a false understanding of Others took it to mean that prefer not to use them hourly). This the phrase. shorter announcements in paper raises two issues: “Less is more” came from Ludwig and on the web make more sense Mies van der Rohe, one of the to people (important details are What to do about the pioneers of modernist architecture, left out in the interests of “white people who don’t get and his words have been totally space”). White space is supposed to 1digital communications? misinterpreted to mean that if you make them want to attend more Didn’t Jesus say we should always do less of something, somehow than if you fill the page up with the be concerned for “the least of these”? it’s better. When you look at his details of where is the event, time, Many of the people in this category style of architecture, it’s clean and duration, availability of child-care. today would be people who don’t uncluttered in form, but it’s certainly Don’t even bother with additional have all the digital gear some of the not less, not smaller, and not information such as them why they more privileged of the church have. lacking in the essentials that make should be there or who is teaching The answer of some churches the building what it needs to be to or what difference it can make in to this situation (true story: I’m not accomplish its purposes. their life. Again: no matter how tech making this up) is that people who

December 2016 | 21 don’t access all digital communication channels aren’t part of the target audience the church wants to reach so it can grow, so that’s just how it is. To be obedient to our Lord, to care T R A N S F O R M for the least of these, to be a servant to all, we cannot simply ignore RELATIONSHIPS people because they don’t access the with the communication forms we prefer. DEEP LOVE ASSESSMENT Elitism in digital communications in the church is a kind of “reverse Reformation.” The Reformation was all about access of the scriptures and church doctrine to all. A digital elitist attitude reverses all that.

Churches then quit printing as much as 2 they need to This is a natural result of the decisions above. Many churches quit DEEP LOVE is a unique and powerful online assessment that takes printing essential information and the print pieces that connect people just 15 minutes to complete. It generates a personalized 10-page to the programs capable of changing report for couples (whether dating, engaged, or married for decades). their lives or demonstrating why The personalized Deep Love Report can be explored in small groups, they should come to church. classes, or simply as a couple. Each of the four sections of the report, Please don’t misunderstand me Personality, Communication, Conflict, and Adaptability, are essential there. I’m not saying at all that to deepening the relationship with lasting, positive results. churches should avoid using the tools of the web and technology, digital tools should be used, and used effectively, but they should be additions to church communication TRANSFORM RELATIONSHIPS WITH DEEP LOVE ASSESSMENT CREDITS programs and should not take away the print communication programs in churches. CREDITS PRICE PER CREDIT You simply cannot get people to 1 - 9 ...... $35.00 come to church and become involved 1 0 - 24 ...... $31.50 with the ministries at the church by Provide Assessment code not telling them about it or telling 25 - 49 ...... $28.00 credits to all couples them about it through channels 50 - 99 ...... $26.25 in your small groups or church! Save when you they don’t use, or through channels 100+ ...... $24.50 purchase in bulk. that aren’t intended for the kind of message you have to get across. Less in church communications Learn more at: Outreach.com/DeepLove has not resulted in more of anything in the church. It has resulted in less

22 | MinistryTech.com attendance at church on Sundays, Finally, let’s be honest, “less is more” possible, but we can’t cut back to the less involvement in church minis- is very appealing to us because we point where we aren’t communicat- tries, less spiritual growth. are overwhelmed with work. We ing enough for people’s lives to be

feel we can’t get the work done in changed at Christmas time. MT How this applies to the church we want to, and if there communications at Christmas were an area that we feel we can Yvon Prehn is the founder and director of During the upcoming Christmas cut back and achieve even greater Effective Church Communications, effective- season, you want to communicate results, we’d love for it to be true. churchcom.com, a ministry that helps churches more to visitors and to people outside But it isn’t. You can’t communicate create communications that help fulfill the Great Commission. She has been writing and teaching the church. less and achieve greater ministry about church communications for over 20 years. We live in a post-Christian results. Yes: we want to communicate Her latest book is The Five Steps of Effective world where people really don’t as precisely, cleanly and gracefully as Church Communication and Marketing. understand why “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” To help them understand and respond to him as Savior, here are six suggestions on how to communicate: Are your church communications n In all your communication remind yourself that you may be reaching accomplishing all you want them to? out to someone who knows nothing about the true, biblical Jesus and Yvon Prehn's new book can help you organize your pray for insight on how to explain communications into a 5-Step process that takes Him fully. unchurched people and moves them step-by-step to n Use every technology you have to become mature disciples of Jesus. communicate completely. Make sure your website has complete explanations of Christmas traditions and links to explanatory materials. Make certain all the INVITE information about ministries in your church are up-to-date. INFORM n Make sure your social media explains INCLUDE and reminds people of events. n Create printed materials such as INSTRUCT postcards and invitation cards for your congregation to use to invite INSPIRE their friends to Christmas events. n At each event be sure you explain all your traditions and what is happening. Many of the traditions that are most precious to us during the holidays make no sense at all to unchurched people. e-book format at www.effectivechurchcom.com n For many more tips on how to communicate effectively during print format at www.amazon.com Christmas, go to: http://bit. ly/2fHRJ0b

December 2016 | 23 5 Ways to Engage Guests During the Holidays

he holiday season is when have friends and family attending to Get their email your church needs to be act as chaperones and tour guides. 3 addresses T on the top of their game. You have to communicate the In many ways, this is priority Christmas and Easter are when need for people to invite their loved number one. It’s so important, but churches have the most visitors. ones and help them understand how there’s no way to do that if you So not only do you want to to guide them through the church don’t have a way to contact them. make sure that the services are service. They can explain what’s The great thing is getting an email powerful and meaningful for going on and introduce their guests address is a pretty small ask. People attendees, but you also need to new friends who might share generally don’t have a difficult time to make sure that visitors feel similar interests. giving out an email address. valued and appreciated. You can use contact cards, but I’ve put together five tactics to Deputize people to look I’d also encourage you to train make sure that you’re touching the 2 out for newcomers church members to ask for email lives of the people who show up The people who don’t have loved addresses. It doesn’t have to be weird during the holidays: ones with them should be watching and awkward. It can be as simple out for visitors who are not attached. as, “We’d really love to be able to Coach your members to It’s their job to create an atmosphere reach out to you. What’s your email 1 invite friends and family of warmth and hospitality. They address?” Of course you want everyone to should introduce themselves and invite the people closest to them at find out a little about their visitors. Provide a celebration dinner the time of year when they’re most If they discover and area of interest 4 for people new to the area apt to come. But that’s not the only that is shared by someone else at There are a lot of people in your area reason you want people at church the church, they should help make a who might have nowhere to go for inviting their friends and family. connection between the two. the holidays. Maybe they’ve moved You also want the members who here for a job, are going to college,

24 | MinistryTech.com or lost a spouse. Consider putting on a holiday meal that you can invite these people to. The meal doesn’t necessarily need to happen at your church facility—maybe one or two families can make room in their celebration for others. As people interact with visitors, inviting them to a holiday meal can be an option if they feel it’s appropriate.

Let visitors know what to 5expect in the coming months Make sure you take some time to fill visitors in on what you’re planning for the future. The key is to not only let them know what they can expect, but to share in a way that clearly communicates what’s particular about your values and enables them to imagine themselves being a part of the exciting things you’re doing! So let them know all about your upcoming: • Sermon series • Sunday school classes • Ministries • Outreaches

Preparing for visitors is important You can’t expect to capture the attention of visitors and get them to return without some strategy behind how you engage them. Once you start making intentional decisions about how you deal with visitors, you can improve your ability to convert them into attendees. MT

Download a FREE copy of the New Visitor Success Kit. It has everything you need to help get more people to make their first-time visits to your church, and get them to return. Get yours now!

December 2016 | 25 Can Technology Be the Answer to . . . Better Church Communications? How New Tech Can Be the Solution | by Lorin Bristow

espite heroic efforts and Communication fails because signs. Even within churches there substantial talent, churches church leaders have not tailored infor- can be a multitude of activities, D across the country struggle mation, language cues and motiva- requests and announcements that with communicating effectively to tional points according to differences compete for mind share. As a protec- members and visitors. The many in generational groups. tion mechanism, our brains were initiatives planned by church staff n Communicating Through created to filter and discard the vast and volunteers are exciting and Many Devices—With this wide majority of these stimuli. vital to the health of a church. range of age groups also comes a Communication can miss the mark However, if they lack one key in- spectrum of communication device when church leaders fail to adequately gredient—great communication— preferences. Do you want to alert capture people’s attention and rise they will ultimately fail to achieve the teens in your youth group to a above the noise and filters of daily their full potential. schedule change? Forget about using routines. email—you’ll need to send a text n Dealing With Urgent Needs— The Unique Commu- message or post your announcement Another challenge in church commu- nication Challenges to a social media account instead. nication is the fact that urgent needs Faced by Churches How about reaching older adults? arise on a routine basis. Volunteers Why is great communication so dif- A voice call through the standard for Sunday morning become unavail- ficult? Consider these factors relating landline telephone might be the able and need to be replaced. Mem- to challenges unique to the church preferred method. bers face difficult times and need environment. Communication falls short prayer and support. The church’s re- n A Multigenerational Audi- when churches fail to recognize and sponse to these things either contrib- ence—Your members’ ages likely appropriately leverage the multitude utes to or detracts from the creation span from cradle to grave, so all of available communication channels of a feeling of community. Yet, efforts members do not share the same per- and devices. here are often slow, manual or reliant spectives or worldviews. They don’t n Dealing With Information on poor processes such as “call trees.” necessarily speak the same language, Overload—We are bombarded daily Communication efforts can be and some have vastly different time with thousands of print advertise- perceived as inadequate when people commitments and priorities. ments, billboards, commercials and are not informed quickly and precisely

26 | MinistryTech.com when urgent needs arise. How Churches Use gaps in an automated way. n A Call to Sacrifice—In a church Group Messaging n Visitor Welcome—Immediate environment, much, if not most, Software feedback from the church helps rein- of our communications contain an What are practical applications for force a visitor’s experience and makes element of personal sacrifice for the this technology? Here are a few them feel truly welcome. Computers listener. Whether asking for com- ways churches commonly use group at the visitor help desk can feature mitments of time, money or talent, messaging. a self-registration portal in which our messaging often involves at n Urgent Prayer Requests— visitors can enter their information. least some degree of “pain” for the When unexpected needs arise, group- can be sent via SMS or a audience. messaging software can be used to recorded voice call sent from the When there’s a gap in communica- quickly inform people and request pastor. While not a substitute for true tion it may have been that an emo- prayers. In addition, some churches hospitality, technology can help “sys- tional connection was missing. utilize the service for weekly prayer temize” the visitor welcome process. Can Group Messaging reminders. Technology Close the n Emotional Connections—Add- How Group Messaging Communication Gap? ing emotions to cold facts is critical Technology Works to motivating people. Many churches Like all software, each solution on These and other challenges make utilize the voice recording capabili- the market approaches their user communicating in the church envi- ties to deliver sensitive information interface differently. However, they ronment difficult. Trying to address or offer more passionate pleas. For do typically share some common each of these challenges in a manual example, they believe hearing the capabilities. way is time consuming, costly and voice of the pastor provides a much inefficient. Is there anything that can n Contact Management—Group stronger emotional connection and a be done to make communications messaging solutions allow users to greater likelihood of action compared more streamlined and effective? manage their database of contacts to receiving an email or text message. For many, the answer is yes. and personal information. Contact Churches across the country are n Service or Event Cancella- information can be manually entered, turning to group messaging services tions—Churches are not immune to imported from a spreadsheet or, in to boost their communications. severe weather or other unforeseen more robust systems, integrated with Group messaging applications (also circumstances. Group messaging other software packages (such as a known as mass notification systems) technology can be used to alert the church information system). Some are online software packages de- whole congregation of a service can- also provide the ability to set up a signed to help people easily manage cellation or change within minutes, self-registration portal, through which contacts and send all types of mes- keeping people from being exposed to members and guests can create and sages through virtually any device. dangerous situations. update their own contact information. These systems can deliver thousands n Volunteer Coordination—Most n Dynamic Subgroup Selec- of voice, text and email messages churches rely heavily on volunteers, tion—While it’s easy enough to send in minutes. They also offer ways and these volunteers must be coor- messages to everyone in the congre- for message recipients to provide dinated to ensure people are aware gation, most churches also utilize the feedback, which is accessible to the of their duties or find replacements. software’s dynamic grouping capabili- sender via real-time, online reports. Group messaging software can be ties for selecting targeted subgroups. Older systems required churches used to notify people of their service Information such as service prefer- to purchase a server and dedicate or responsibilities and confirm partici- ences, volunteer teams, youth or other utilize their own phone lines; today’s pation. Notices can be sent to groups group memberships, or special needs group messaging services require of volunteers when someone who can all be queried to create subgroups nothing but a computer or mobile was previously scheduled cancels. for messaging on the fly, or saved for device and an Internet connection. Two-way feedback can be used to fill future messages.

December 2016 | 27 n Messaging through Virtually any Device—Group messaging solu- tions also solve the problem associ- ated with communicating through today’s plethora of devices and preferred channels. Voice messages can be recorded, or typed and read by the computer (text-to-speech technol- ogy), then delivered to land or mobile phones. SMS text messages or emails can be sent to large groups of people at once. Some solutions will even post a message to your church’s social me- dia account automatically. The selec- tion of the devices used is completely up to the message sender. n Two-way Communications and Online Reporting—In situa- tions ranging from routine volunteer staffing to urgent needs, often there is a need for feedback from message recipients. Simple questions such as “Are you available to serve?” can be complex and time consuming to evaluate when not utilizing a group Good communication messaging application. With group messaging, questions is at the heart of every and responses can be incorporated growing congregation into the message, so when recipients receive the message they can indi- MAKE IT SIMPLE WITH ONE CALL NOW. QUICKLY cate their preferred response (e.g., SEND MESSAGES TO EVERYONE (OR ANY GROUP) press 1 for “yes” 2 for “no”). Some systems will allow for responses • Recorded voice calls • Text-to-speech calls through any device. • SMS text messages • Email

Great for sending cancellations, schedule changes, prayer While technology can’t replace a requests, bereavement messages and more. smiling face and a friendly hand-

account set up shake, thousands of churches across

ADD YOUR 1 CONTACTS/MEMBERS

Import your names, phone numbers and email addresses from an Excel the nation have turned to group or .csv file. You can also add or update contacts individually. LEARN HOW IT WORKS!

2 GROUP YOUR CONTACTS messaging services to improve the Create subgroups within your contact list for group-specific communications (Board of Directors, Staff, Clients, Volunteers, etc.) Click here to download this overall effectiveness and efficiency Making an automated phone SETUP OTHER USERS FREE article from One Call Now. 3 call with One Call Now is easy. Allow other leaders (Communications Director, Department Heads, Volunteer Coordinator)Just record to also or use type the Oneyour Call message, Now select service torecipients, reach their and groups. push Give a button. them We’ll take full accesscare or just of allowthe rest. them to send Simplify messages to specific groups. One Call Now delivers your message it to of their communications. Whether everybody on your designated contact list. Your Life With Send it as your choice of a phone call, SMS For more informationtext message, contact email, usor push at notification— Automated all through one handy platform and simple user interface. www.onecallnow.com Messaging for urgent situations or routine

onecallnow.com +1 877 698-3262 | tasks, these applications can help church members feel connected and 800-462-0512 | onecallnow.com motivated instead of feeling disen-

gaged and uninformed. MT

28 | MinistryTech.com The Season of Sharing With Your Community

Christmas is a great tree-lighting ceremony. You could Christians care only about their time to forge deeper add some holiday cheer to a year- souls, their politics or their moral connections between round partnership: Highlands code. Your church becomes the your church and your Church of Scottsdale, Arizona, proof of a deeper Love when you local community. A regularly supports the local school invest in personal connection and season of giving and district, but at Christmas, their Angel thoughtful support. get-togethers makes Tree gets decked with gift cards to So how can you go from being it even more natural be distributed to children in need. just another building on the block for churches to share Or you can invite the community to becoming an integral part of your resources with neigh- in for a unique event, like Reality community’s health and optimism? bors in celebration or Church of Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s the pursuit of a com- international holiday banquet, Connect mon goal. where neighbors dig into new foods First, you link up with the right That sharing can take many and festivities from a whole range organizations. Tyler McGraff, forms. Maybe your church takes of cultures. pastor of outreach at Highlands a role in an existing community Whatever the format, the Church, says that many of their event—like Plattsmouth Baptist goal is the same: to introduce the partnerships start internally, when Church in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, community to your friendly and “someone in the church already has whose choir always sings and plays caring members. So many voices a relationship with an organization instruments for the town’s annual are telling your neighbors that doing good in the community.” If

December 2016 | 29 it fits the church’s vision for local who have a gift for hospitality, on a single, customized point of engagement and reflects something building projects or teaching. connection.” Leaders can start to get members already feel called to It’s equally important to ensure to know people as soon as they attend support, it could signal a mutually that your event coordinators are a service, submit a prayer request beneficial partnership. Many coordinating with each other. Luke or volunteer at a community-based nonprofits, even if their work isn’t Taylor, technology director at High- event. “When you have more access explicitly Christian, welcome the lands Church, recognizes “it’s really to information about your attendees,” many hands and the added visibility common to have multiple ministries Batterman believes, “you can be more that a church can bring. using the same volunteers. When thoughtful in how you engage and ministry leaders are tracking their encourage them.” Recruiting new Coordinate volunteers separately—one in an volunteers for events then becomes Coordination is key, especially for Excel spreadsheet, one on her cell a great way of plugging people in and events that can draw Christmas- phone, another off the top of his letting them experience your church’s sized crowds. The right church head—then you could have three authentic heart for your city.

According to a recent survey, 57 percent of Americans who don’t normally go to church at Christmastime would be willing to attend if they were invited by someone they know. That’s why getting members involved in spreading the word is critical.

management software can be people thinking, ‘John always helps. Communicate instrumental here in identifying I’ll call him.’ The problem is that peo- According to a recent survey, volunteers, scheduling facilities, ple become overcommitted and you 57 percent of Americans who setting up tasks and roles, and burn out volunteers pretty quickly, don’t normally go to church at facilitating sign-ups. just due to a lack of visibility into Christmastime would be willing Susan Gossic of Plattsmouth who’s doing what.” to attend if they were invited Baptist loves their software, Sam Batterman, co-founder and by someone they know. That’s Seraphim, for the fact that “we CTO of Seraphim, confirms, “We’ve why getting members involved can edit and create special fields to all seen it in churches. It can take in spreading the word is critical. help us group ministry volunteers” months or years for new members Highlands Church provides tools in ways that are useful to their to get fully settled and discover in print and social media to help congregation. For example, you the ministries that fire them up. their congregation share Christmas might want to know whether a Meanwhile, a handful of active events with friends. Through their person is likely to be available on churchgoers are stretching to fill community partnerships, they can weekday mornings vs. evenings, or all the volunteer roles. That’s why also customize an external invitation filter your directory to find people we designed tools that can build and ensure they reach a broad local

30 | MinistryTech.com base. “The biggest thing is to cast the net pretty wide,” McGraff advises. “You can reach people with different types of communication, from calls ALL IS to email to texts, but no one thing’s going to work for everybody.” The local paper or Facebook may even be part of your strategy, like it is for CALM Plattsmouth Baptist church.

Community engagement doesn’t happen overnight. In the words of Christian community developer Wendy McCaig, “There is some- thing very powerful that happens when we enter into the natural rhythms of a community—eating, drinking and being present with the same group of people consistently over a long period of time. There is a ‘we-ness’ that forms and it is that Make hosting holiday community events ‘power of we’ that ultimately trans- stress-free with Seraphim Software’s forms neighborhoods.” This holiday, let’s easy-to-use check-in platform. be a part of bring- ing “peace on earth, • Touch-screen interface goodwill to men.” Let’s • Self check-in with bar coding and RFID make sure that our • Secure check-in for children and nursery neighbors start see- • Customizable security labels ing the church not as • Picture verification a faceless entity that’s • And more! pointing at them, but as friends who come alongside them and care about the things With Seraphim, turn stress, hassle and they care about. MT clutter into joyous hustle and bustle and share the reason for the season. Looking for more great ideas to connect with the community over the holiday season? Visit Seraphim Software’s Facebook page for ideas and to see how Seraphim enables our customers to SeraphimSoftware.com resource, staff and program their most important outreach activities.

December 2016 | 31 THE LAST WORD

. . . Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)