Seriously: 97% of people are within 3 feet of their mobile devices 24 hours a day. We’re on the phone at work and home, when we’re commuting and socializing—we’re even on the phone in the bathroom and the bedroom. 

That might speak to a problematic addiction, but it’s the reality we live in. If you want to connect with people, it’s a good bet you can find them on their cell phones. (And you can speak to that addiction problem by modeling a more responsible way to use mobile devices.)

So what’s the best way to connect with someone on their phone? 

• Apps? They’re a ton of work to create and face a huge barrier to entry to install.
• Social media? You can pay to reach your own audience or roll the dice with the algorithms.
• Email? Inboxes are overflowing and not getting results like they used to.
• Text messaging. With 98% open rates, 48% response rate, and reading texts within 90 seconds, texting connects.

OK, so text messaging seems to work. How can churches actually use it?

5 Ways Churches Can Use Text Messaging

Here are five simple ways your church can reach people where they are—on their phones—using text messaging.

1. Welcome guests: Go digital with your first-time visitor welcome packet. Forget paper, you can use text messaging to extend a welcome and share more info. Just ask guests to text a keyword to a shortcode—such as “text GUEST to 24365,” something you can put in the bulletin and on screens. You can include a welcome video from your pastor, answer basic questions, and point to your website for more details.
2. Follow up: Text messaging is an opt-in medium, which means people agree to receive more messages. That makes it easy to follow up. You can invite a guest back, answer questions, send encouragement, and more. Texts can also be personalized, so your follow up can be warm and inviting instead of bland and impersonal.
3. Share the Bible: Use text messaging to share an inspiring verse of the day or week. This is a simple way for churches to make contact and stay in touch, whether it’s members, guests, or others. 
4. Alerts: Churches can send alerts, reminders, and updates to keep their community informed. You could have a weather-related closure, emergency, or important prayer request and text messaging is more likely to reach people quickly.
5. Text-to-give: Texting is another way to make your offering digital while still engaging people in person. Churches can use a keyword and shortcode that are easily shared from the platform or on a screen, as well as QR code in the bulletin. A reply text will include a link to your existing donation page, making it easy to donate right from their pew.

Reach Your Community

Churches have always explored the leading edge of technology as a way to reach people, from the printing press to radio. Text messaging is just another opportunity. And it works.

Explore how text messaging can help you reach people where they are.

James Martin

James Martin is a three-time tech founder and servant leader with over two decades of experience. As the founder of Rally Corp, he helps charities and churches rally people with a human-centered text messaging platform built exclusively for nonprofits and communities.

www.rallycorp.com/

The post 5 Ways Churches Can Reach People Where They Are With Text Messaging appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Laughter creates shared experiences and builds relationships. So, feel free to share this article with your people on your social channels or share the individual videos if you prefer.

Last year Saturday Night Live did a funny skit about Zoom Church.  (Be forewarned that unfortunately it has some language in it.)

Anyone have a similar experience with their church?

Can I get an, “Amen!?”

I give SNL credit for being dialed in to one of the current struggles churches are having during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Did you know the challenges with church online go back more than a decade?

Making fun of these challenges also goes back more than a decade.

All the way back in 2009, the folks at LifeChurch.tv posted this hilarious video depicting what online church might look like if it happened “in person.”  Check it out!

Pretty funny, huh?  And, IMO, not far from the truth.

It does make me wonder, though… If anything like these videos happened in my offline church, it would be very distracting and awfully difficult to worship, pray, or learn anything…

Post a comment and discuss:

• Is your church continuing to offer worship online? If so, how is it going?
• If you’ve participated in worship online from home, what was your experience like? Did you find distractions made it difficult to worship, pray, or learn?
• Has it made you long to gather and worship together again in person?

Just as our physical gatherings should help us long for the eternal gathering, I pray our online gatherings will cause us to long for physical gatherings. -Eric Geiger

OurChurch.Com continues to work with churches, schools, ministries and businesses providing  website design, SEO, and other services as we all try to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Complete the consultation request form below to schedule a free phone consultation.

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication. 

steinbrueck.org

The post Funny Video: If Church Online Were “In Person” appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

“Danny,” a recovering alcoholic, attends an AA meeting every week. The group gathers in the basement of a Methodist church on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes Danny considers visiting the church worship service, but he always ends up dismissing the idea. “I wouldn’t feel welcome there,” he thinks.

What would it take to help Danny and others like him feel welcomed in church? Answers to this question have historically been quite complex—and even harder to implement. That’s because of a perceived rift between the two worlds (recovery and church), created by factors like cultural, spiritual, and theological differences and limited, shared life experience. There can also be a certain level of mutual mistrust.

One way that churches can help bridge this divide is by using social media to connect with people in recovery. What follow are five simple, practical ways that churches can use social media and other communication tools to create a more recovery-friendly community….

1. Maximize different social networks’ strengths. While Snapchat might be a great network for younger adults, Facebook may do a better job of engaging your core congregation. With 8 billion monthly, active users, Facebook is the foundation for most organizations’ social media strategy. Here are some ways to creatively utilize Facebook’s capabilities to reach people in recovery:

• Host Facebook Live sessions. Promote these events and encourage fans to ask questions during the live broadcast. These sessions might be a good venue for starting faith-based conversations about addiction and for speaking directly to people in recovery.
• Create a private Facebook Group and share relevant content. Consider starting groups based on common interests (young adults, women’s ministry, parenting, Spanish-speaking, etc.) and invite your existing page followers to join. You can do the same for people in recovery, by creating a private group that offers a safe space to converse and find support. Share sermons, inspirational quotes, Bible verses and other content that you think the group will appreciate.
• Encourage audience input and participation. For example, you might post questions or polls in groups and build your content strategy around what your followers want to see. You can also ask for user-generated content and then aggregate and share images in one engaging post.

2. Invest in content creation. Investing in high-quality videos can significantly improve your content’s exposure and engagement. Videos are the most consumed content on social media and the most versatile type of content (easily shared across many platforms).

Consider recording sermons, conferences or other events and then advertising these videos to users on Facebook or YouTube. You might also utilize apps like Canva, Instagram Stories, Adobe or other creative tools to affordably design engaging graphics that promote weekly events and virtual meetings.

With a hashtag tracking service (like Social-searcher, Talkwalker or Hashtagify), it’s also possible to first research and create an on-brand hashtag and then monitor your hashtag for brand evangelists, conversation sentiment and content ideas.

3. Diversify content and dedicate a monthly advertising budget. Develop recovery-friendly, monthly themes or a seasonal calendar that aligns with liturgical seasons such as Advent or Lent. Plan ahead to promote these campaigns over specific dates.

Allocate a social media budget to promote top-performing posts. A good rule of thumb is to budget 50-60 percent of the amount of time spent creating a blog/graphic on promotion. Look through previous posts and invite everyone who engaged to become a fan of your page. With users who live within 25 miles of the church, you may also want to follow up with mailed announcements about worship or other safe, socially distanced events.

4. Poll your audience and tackle real-world issues. Help be part of the solution to a problem that matters to your audience. (Maybe it is world hunger, homelessness, the overdose epidemic, etc.) Invite users to join you and reward top contributors with gestures of appreciation or freebies, however small. Tag specific users. Pin posts to the top of the page to welcome new fans.

You can also use Instagram stories to ask poll questions or administer Bible study quizzes. Try to vary the content, since one topic all the time can become monotonous. Mental health, quality of life and areas of life beyond religion often pique interest.

5. Stay active on social media. This may be a tall order for some church budgets, but it is worth the investment. Hire a dedicated social expert or community manager to ensure your accounts are active and your community feels included and valued in an ongoing way.

Sign up for management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer or Sprout Social to proactively manage private messages, comments and scheduled posts. The more days of the week active, the better your reach. The more days of the week you actively post and interact with your followers, the better your content’s reach.

At their best, churches are Christ-centered communities that embody God’s love and care for one another and the world. With these simple tips and tools, churches can use social media to help people in recovery feel loved and cared for, too.

Meghan Blackford

Meghan Blackford manages social media for the national behavioral health provider FHE Health.

www.fherehab.com

The post How to Create Recovery-Friendly Community Using Social Media appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

More people come to church on Easter Sunday than on any other day – in normal times.  COVID-19 has upended church attendance and their budgets. With limited to no attendance allowed for Easter Sunday Services in 2021, it is more important than ever that churches engage with their congregations and give them options to easily make an offering.  Here we discuss how one tweak to your direct mail communications can result in greater online giving.

Is your church planning to send out a postcard reminder about Easter Sunday Services, a newsletter or other communication?  Carve out a corner of the mailing to focus on offerings. COVID has forced churches to embrace online giving and it has become the main way donors are giving during the pandemic. Many churches today are using text-to-give for their online giving option but using a QR Code can be even more effective.  Why?

• Scanning a QR Code is interactive and immediate
• No typing required
• No text code or number to remember
• No apps needed – most smartphones can read a QR with the camera

The good news is that it is not hard to integrate a QR Code into your direct mail.  If you are comfortable with technology, you can generate your own QR Code.  If not, there are turnkey services available that give you the QR Code, process transactions and deposit the funds directly to your bank account.  Let’s walk through the process of getting and using a QR Code.  And if you read to the end of this post, you’ll find bonus information about how you can get a discount on postage by including a QR Code on your mailing!

Where do I get the QR Code?

There are many QR Code generators to choose from.  A simple google search for “Free QR Code Generator” will give you plenty of options. But take care when simply generating a QR Code that links to your giving page.  There are a few factors you should take into consideration before using a QR Code for giving.

Donation Pages Must Be Mobile Friendly

Anyone scanning the QR Code will likely do so with a mobile device.  Therefore, you must be sure your donation page is designed for mobile.  If a donor scans your code and finds that the donation page is difficult to use, they will most likely abandon the transaction.

Avoid Long Donation Forms

If a donor scans your code and is directed to an extremely long form, the chances of abandonment are high.  In today’s digital world, consumers value quick and easy transactions, preferably in just a few clicks.  If they feel the process is going to take too long to complete, they may not even start.

Mobile Wallets Required

Along the same lines as above, if a donor must go to their actual wallet, pull out their credit card and input the information, they may be discouraged.  Again, think simple, quick, and easy.  Most users of mobile devices today are familiar with mobile wallets and have at least one configured on their device.  Take advantage of this to make the giving process seamless.

Offer Multiple Payment Options

For online giving, credit cards are the most popular option.  But for any organization interested in engaging with GenX and Millennials, offering a way to give directly from a bank account is key.  If possible, offer a way to give with either credit cards or bank account.  If you are interested in increasing the number of monthly donors, make sure there is an option to give monthly too!

Turnkey Options

If you are not sure about generating your own QR Code and ensuring it works efficiently, there are turnkey options on the market. Here are two of the most popular:

CheqrPay

CheqrPay is an online fundraising platform designed specifically for nonprofit organizations.  In addition to traditional online fundraising pages, they also offer a QR Code for every campaign.  When scanned, the QR Code leads to a branded, mobile optimized, mobile wallet equipped payment page.  Donors have the option of giving with credit card or logging directly into their bank to make an online transfer.  Monthly and one-time giving options are included. There is no need to download an app or create an account for donors to use this service.

PayPal

PayPal launched their QR Code service in 2020.  Log in to your PayPal account to download the QR Code associated with your account.  By scanning the code, the PayPal or Venmo app will launch and allow the donor to make a payment.  With this service, users must have a PayPal app already installed on their device to make the payment.  PayPal also charges a premium on transactions completed by scanning the code.

Bonus – Postage Discount

The United States Postal Service is encouraging marketers to take advantage of interactive direct mail by offering the “Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion”.  The promotion runs from March 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 and offers a 2% discount on postage for any mail that incorporates an interactive QR Code.  Keep in mind that the mail piece must be submitted for approval one week before it is mailed.  More information can be found at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2021-emerging-tech.

Because of the pandemic, churches have been forced to quickly adopt new technology to engage with their congregations.  Direct mail is still one of the best ways to reach out and connect.  By including a QR Code on your direct mail to the congregation, you can encourage generosity in a modern, quick and interactive way.

lvaillancourt

Leslie Vaiillancourt is the Founder and CEO of CheqrPay, a fundraising platform for charitable and faith-based organizations.

cheqrpay.com

The post How To Increase Easter Offerings With Direct Mail appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Changing for the Sake of the Kingdom

Steven G Swaim

I am the author of Walking Faith: Journey from Then to Now through James and and the creator of the website of Counsel for the Job Search Journey. My family and I are church planters in Fate, TX. Also, I am a motivational/inspirational speaker and have held a number of positions in local church such as: pastor, youth minister, singles director, evangelism coordinator, Bible study leader, and AWANA commander. I have a BAS degree from Dallas Baptist University in Leadership (cum laude). Please contact me for any speaking engagements you may have open.

www.counselforthejobsearchjourney.com

The post 3 Important Thoughts on the Theology of Technology appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

This is a guest post by Ricardo Hernandez.

Technology is always evolving, and it’s vital for church leaders to understand how to respond to these updates. If you look back 20 years or more, you’ll notice how drastically the landscape has altered. Shifting tech trends are increasingly playing a more prominent role in influencing how the church reaches people with the gospel.

Today, many churches across the world are starting to leverage technology to great effect. But as everything continues to change around us, what trends should churches focus on in 2019?

Mobile First

Mobile use has been on an upward trajectory ever since the launch of the first smartphone. It’s the channel of choice for many churchgoers, especially millennials. We’ve seen churches begin to actively use mobile technology to target individuals and grow their relationship with members.

To better engage this younger generation, you have to reach them where they are. And, that’s on mobile.

Almost 92% of all millennials own a smartphone, and the vast majority are active on social media. Being present on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook opens an opportunity for faith leaders to serve an even bigger audience.

In keeping with a mobile-first strategy, churches are also optimizing their websites for mobile devices. And with Google now changing its search engine algorithms to favor mobile-friendly friendly sites, expect this trend to continue into 2019.

Church Apps

Another prevailing church tech trend is the use of apps, both on mobile and TV. Churches are utilizing apps for a myriad of reasons such as a source of up-to-date information on church events and compile an archive of all past sermons. Many religious leaders are also using church apps to offer mid-week sermons and interact with members in real-time. These apps feature tools such as a prayer request wall and social media integration where members can submit prayer requests and comment on social media posts respectively. This trend is only going to grow as churchgoers become more tech-savvy and digitally-native.

Video Streaming

Live streaming is no longer the sole domain of megachurches with big budgets. 2019 will be remembered as the year small and medium-size faith organizations joined the digital frontier with live streaming services and video-on-demand. Thanks to the rise of OTT services like Roku, churches can now stream their events and sermons at a fraction of the cost.

Roku’s streaming potential has given churches enormous potential to increase viewership and reach more people across the world. With the service, church members can view live church services or see past sermons on their TV.

With a Roku channel, churches can broadcast their Sunday services live and enable those who cannot be physically present due to sickness, old age or personal commitments to participate. It helps keep members connected to the church and allows them to share the joy with their friends and family.

If you are yet to join the trend, you might want to consider it. Roku lists all channels publicly making it easier to attract new viewers. Content solutions such as MAZ can help get your church on television apps such as Roku easily and with features that will fit your church’s needs.

In Conclusion

The church has embraced technology and given that the year is still young, expect to see several church tech trends becoming more standard. Video streaming, church apps, and the shift to a mobile-first approach are just three of the major trends. There are many more ways in which faith-based organizations can leverage technology and attain new heights.

rhernandez

Ricardo Hernandez is an Editor with MAZ Systems (www.mazsystems.com), the #1 digital engagement platform for churches & religious networks. He is a faithful servant of the lord and tech enthusiast who is an avid believer in the ways that tech can make the church stronger.

The post Church Tech Trends To Consider in 2019 appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Bible study is both progressive and gradual. This is necessary because it is the way we think. Bible study is thinking about the Bible and addresses questions like what it says, why it speaks, so what?

It is exciting to think that you can do Bible Study online. The excitement comes because the online experience is so one on one, so available, focused, social, and disciplined.

Starting is all important. For this we must look to God for only He can grab a person’s heart and move him or her into Bible study. Since the task is unfamiliar, it will take some explanation to grasp each step.

1. Motivation. Even if you’re interested, you still need motivation. You have to become convinced that you need to do some Bible study. Most of us know we need to learn more about the Bible. We are even tempted to get more involved in reading the Bible than we already are. But there are fears and frustrations in our way. We are afraid of failure and need something more than good reasons. MacArthur may help you get motivated with his sermon Who can study the Bible? Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest and not to reason.” Exposure will generate interest.
2. Exposure. Online Bible study makes exposure easy. You can listen to the Bible on your cell phone. One of the resources for listening is Biblica. When the books of the Bible were first written, most recipients experienced them with their ears. The apostle Paul’s letters, for example, were read aloud to the local church communities who received them. This step in Bible Study should begin with a simple commitment. Choose a book of the Bible – any book. For starters, it is wise to choose a small book. I selected 1 John. To get exposure listen as you listen to your favorite music – over and over again.
3. Observation. To observe you must read. Your attention must focus on each word in the Bible. Your Online Bible study becomes exciting when you focus your eyes and your mind on the Scriptures. You will find a useful English translation in the English Standard Version. This step will call for you to copy and paste each verse or paragraph into a text editor. There you can highlight and makes notes to save for the next step.
4. Interpretation. An interesting article in CARM gives a helpful definition of interpretation. There is a handy resource at Verse Study. You will find some comments on the meaning of each verse of the Bible. This resource is free, but since it is incomplete, you might want to look at Logos. There is hardly anything to match it for completeness for Bible study. One caution – interpretation does not come easily or quickly. It requires a good amount of thinking.
5. Application. You cannot avoid application. Bible study is meant to change your life. It will change your life. The Word of God will do that to you. God’s Word is powerful. Your Pastor’s sermons are intended to apply God’s Word to your life. Take notes when he preaches. Think about what you study. Pray. The application will grab your attention.

Now you know how. The challenge is to do Bible study. Online Bible study gives you opportunity anytime, anywhere to engage the Scriptures. What stops you in your steps? I’m taking a survey…

Please tell me which is the greatest hindrance to Bible study you find – distractions, opposition, confusion, time, noise, neglect, language?

Jim Thorne

Jim Thorne is a writer after years serving the Lord as a missionary, pastor and college teacher. His Exploring the Bible is the website he uses to provide intriguing and relevant truth from the Bible. He is a Certified Online Instructor and holds Graduate Guest Blogger certification.

jarden1937.blogspot.com

The post 5 Steps to Bible Study Online appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

• 7 companies that develop church websites
• 9 companies that provide online giving systems
• 5 companies that provide church management systems
• 1 company that provides background checks

The big question everyone is wondering about is what will happen to all these companies and the churches they serve?

What Ministry Brands is Saying

Lauren Hunter of Church Tech Today recently got in touch with Ministry Brands and wrote about this.

In the article, Brad Hill, Chief Operating Officer for Ministry Brands is quoted as saying, “What does it really mean when there’s a change in ownership? First and foremost, our primary concern is customers and employees.” However, he did indicate there could be layoffs, “It’s a small minority of cases where we purchase a company and need to make adjustments with staff.”

John Dalzell, executive vice president of sales and marketing is quoted, “Our Overall guiding principle is that we want each of the brands to retain their integrity and independence. Each brand has their own unique make up.” However, he goes on to say, “Part of our DNA and fabric is to get churches to the right solution, even if it’s a different brand than what they came in for.”

3 Reasons Companies Buy Competitors

There are only three reasons companies buy another company that provides the same service they already provide.

1. Technology acquisition. If a company as an innovative technology they want to use in their brand, a company will buy the second company and then integrate that technology into their own product. Google, Apple and Microsoft do this all the time.
2. Reduce competition. Buying competitors increases the company’s market share and decreases competition. Having a greater market share and fewer competitors helps a company’s bottom line.
3. Increase efficiency & profit. When companies are combined, duplicate functions can be eliminated. The company only needs 1 data center, 1 sales team, 1 support team, etc. When these duplicate functions are eliminated, it saves the combined company money and increases profitability.

Ministry Brands for Sale

In August, the Wall Street Journal reported, “Ministry Brands LLC, a private equity-backed software provider for faith-based organizations, has retained Bank of America Corp. to explore a sale of the company and expects to garner $1.5 billion or more in the event of a deal.”

Clearly, Ministry Brands is interested in creating a company that is as valuable as possible to sell to other investors.

What Will Ministry Brands Do?

On the Ministry Brands website, it indicates their founders are Christians with a “shared vision to serve churches and faith-based organizations with a technology epicenter.” I have never spoken with anyone at Ministry Brands, but give them the benefit of the doubt on this.

However, it seems extremely unlikely that Ministry Brands will continue to operate 7 website development systems, 9 online giving systems or 5 church management systems. John Dalzell said, “Part of our DNA and fabric is to get churches to the right solution, even if it’s a different brand than what they came in for.” That tells me change and consolidation are inevitable.

Even if you believe Dalzell’s other statement, “Our Overall guiding principle is that we want each of the brands to retain their integrity and independence.” It’s highly unlikely that the people who invest $1.5 billion to buy Ministry Brands will consider that principle more important than increasing efficiency and profitability by consolidating down to 1 or 2 companies in each field.

What Does This Mean for Churches?

If your church is served by one of the companies now owned by Ministry Brands, you’re probably going to see some changes. You may be moved from one platform to another Ministry Brands platform it considers better. That could be a positive or a negative depending on your perspective.

As companies are consolidated, you’ll probably see more consistent 24/7 support. However, with a larger company you’ll be more likely to speak to a different support person each time you contact them, and you’ll have less access to the director of support or CEO of the company. And you never know, the next owners might decide to outsource their support to India as other billion dollar tech companies have.

Overall, there will probably be fewer options for church management systems, online giving systems and church websites. With less competition, prices may also go up.

How Will This Affect OurChurch.Com?

As co-founder of OurChurch.Com, which has been helping churches with their websites for almost 20 years, we’ve never been terribly concerned with what other church website companies do. Many have come and gone over the last 2 decades. Sure, we keep an eye on trends, but we’ve never been ones to chase fads or copy others.

Our goal has never been to be the biggest church website design company, but to listen to God’s direction, follow where He leads, and for those Christian organizations which he leads to us, to help them live out their mission online.

So, no matter what Ministry Brands does, we don’t expect it will affect us or our clients much.

What do you think?

• Do you think Ministry Brands’ purchase of 20+ tech companies that serve churches is good or bad for churches? Why?
• We would especially love to hear your perspective – positive or negative – if your church uses one of the services now owned by Ministry Brands or you work for one of the companies bought by Ministry Brands.

Edit 10/18/16 10:30 AM ET: While we love to see discussion in the comments below, there is also a very active discussion on this post/topic in the Church Communications Facebook group.

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication. 

steinbrueck.org

The post How Will Ministry Brands Buyout of 7 Church Website Companies Affect Churches? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Take advantage of new, lower pricing for PhoneTree automated phone, text and email kits — the best long term messaging solution on the market. 

• No monthly fees
• Easy set-up
• First-rate support

LEARN ABOUT HARDWARE KITS

Since 1989 when a church emergency prompted PhoneTree founder A.J. DiBianca to create the first automated messaging system, PhoneTree has been the leader in automated calling and messaging. Drawing from more than 25 years of experience, we implement messaging best practices in our products, and provide the best customer support in the automated messaging industry.

This is a sponsored post. Learn how your organization can sponsor a post/giveaway and get your product or service in front of our 20,000 email subscribers, 10,000 Twitter followers, and 2,000 Facebook fans.

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication. 

steinbrueck.org

The post The Best Value in Automated Church Communication Just Got Better appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Christian organizations have two main functions. One is to evangelize and teach the lost. The other one is to edify its current members to keep them from going astray. Of course you expect for people to come to your events and worship services. However, sometimes the people you want to reach can’t come to you when your doors are open. Maybe they have to work. Maybe they are taking care of a sick loved one.

How would you like to be able to reach those people where they are without having to know a lot about video streaming technology?

You can do that by using Uscreen. The rest of this article is going to give you some information about how your organization can benefit from using Uscreen.

1) You Control The Content That Is Shown Alongside Your Video

If you use free platforms, you never know what could be shown next to your video. You may wind up exposing your members to content they may not want to see. If you use Uscreen, you will be able to control this. You won’t be exposing your members to worldly content.

2) Your Content Will Stay Up Until You Decide To Take It Down

If you use a free service to host your videos, they can take your videos down at any time. If the service you use gets a new owner that doesn’t agree with your views, they can shut down your entire channel. Using a service like Uscreen means that you won’t have to worry about your content being taken down.

3) Your Members Will Be Able To Download Videos To View Later

Many free services don’t allow you to download videos easily. With Uscreen, your members will be able to download videos for offline viewing. This will allow them to focus on listening to your message instead of furiously scribbling down notes. Also, people that visit your organization will be able to download the video when they get home if they enjoyed what they heard during their visit. If your members are studying with a potential new member, they can just pull out their phone and show the person they are studying with one of your best sermons.

Reaching new audiences does not have to be difficult. In fact in can be quite easy if you use technology to your advantage. Using Uscreen can make it very easy for your organization to seek and save the lost.

deannatroupe

Pejman founded Uscreen in 2013 after numerous requests from clients at his previous web hosting company looking for ways to distribute videos securely. Uscreen is Pejman’s 2nd company. Pejman regularly contributes to the Uscreen blog and enjoys getting his hands dirty in almost every single aspect of the company. He is a firm believer in taking care of every single customer and making sure that both customers and employees are happy. Pejman enjoys reading, learning new things, and has a need for speed.

The post 3 Reasons Christian Organizations Should Use Uscreen In Their Ministries appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.