christian computing magazine

2November 2012Christian Computing® Magazine

Founder & Editor-in-ChiefSteve Hewitt - [email protected]

Managing EditorKevin Cross - [email protected]

Contributing EditorsLauren HunterYvon Prehn Nick Nicholaou Kevin A. Purcell Russ McGuireBradley MillerMichael L White

Copy EditorGina Hewitt

Corporate Home OfficeMailing address: PO Box 319 Belton MO 64012Delivery address: 306 Eagle Glen Ct Raymore MO 64083Phone: (816) 331-5252 FAX: 800-456-1868

© Copyright 2012 by Christian Computing®, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Christian Computing® is a registered trademark of Christian Computing, Inc. Written materials submitted to Christian Computing® Magazine become the property of Christian Computing®, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be re-turned. Christian Computing® Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials sub-mitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publi-cation may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Christian Computing®, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Christian Computing® Magazine, or Christian Computing, Inc.

Articles that are highlighed are provided by our partners

www.ccmag.com/2007_03/2007_03editorial.pdf

Applying Tomorrow’s Technology to Today’s MinistryVolume 24 November 2012 No. 11

5 cover story

Church360 An interview with Bob Lail, lead developer for the new Church360°® Software Suite

By Steve Hewitt

3 editorial Why aren’t The Banks Helping Us With Scams? Steve Hewitt – [email protected] 10 Minstry leadership Get ready for big holiday events from ACS Technologies 13 logos cMs Trust. But verify from LOGOS Management Software16 one call now Spreading the Word - Peace Lutheran Church from One Call Now17 church windows software Desktop v. Web Software: Which is right for your church? from Church Windows Software19 engaging your parishioners online Online Giving: A Tool for Growing an Engaged Church Membership from Liturgical Publications

23 higher power with Kevin Windows 8, Nexus Tablets, iPad Mini and Bible Study

Kevin A. Purcell – [email protected] digital evangelisM Thank God! Michael White - [email protected] the power and the danger The Cloud By Russ McGuire - [email protected] 32 nicK at church

OutlOOk Email mail mErgE Nick Nicholaou - [email protected] Ministry coMMunication Six Strategies for Successful Christmas Communication Outreach Yvon Prehn - [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.acstechnologies.com







November 2012Christian Computing® Magazine 3

Steve Hewitt - [email protected]

Why Aren’t The Banks Helping Us With Scams?

Someone tried to scam me this last week. I was selling an old fishing boat, mo-tor and trailer on Craig’s List in the Kan-sas City area. As soon as I posted the item (asking $999), within hours I had an inquiry via email. After their first post express-ing interest, I received another email stat-ing they wanted to buy the boat! The third email explained that they were called away to another city (Phoenix) and couldn’t come by to see the boat, BUT they still wanted to buy it and asked for my name and address so they could mail me a check. Things be-gan to look suspicious.

Would someone really drop $999 for a fishing boat without taking a look? Maybe, but the real key that this was a scam came when they stated they would be sending me a check for the amount I was asking for the boat AND some extra money to pay the person/company that they had contracted to ship the boat. Craig’s list has all sorts of

warnings about this kind of scam. When I received the check, it was for $2,050. I was to keep $1,000 for myself and mail the ex-tra $1,050 to the person they had contracted to come and pick up the boat and ship it.

The check they sent looked pretty good. It was from a Citibank in Delaware. How-ever, it was missing the watermark required on such checks and the back didn’t have any subtle pattern or design which now ap-pears on most legit checks. In my research, I discovered that people are falling for this scam every day. They take the check to their banks, which cash them or deposit them. The victims are under the assumption that if the bank cashed the check and hand-ed them the money, everything must be al-right. Unfortunately, the facts are that most banks will take these bogus checks and give you the money (which is what the scam-mers are counting on.) You, with money in hand, feel everything is on the up and up

editorial



and will send off your money to the shipper as requested by the fake buyer. However, in a week or two you will be notified by your bank that the money didn’t clear and YOU are the one presently in trouble. It does not make a difference to the bank that you were the victim in the scam, nor does it matter that they are in the BUSINESS of checks and banking, they will require you to refund the entire amount of the check OR you will find yourself in trouble with the law!

I didn’t try to cash my check, but instead took it to the local police station where I live, a suburb of Kansas City. The scam was nothing new to our police station. Even the opportunity to trace wherever it was that the scammer wanted me to send the check wasn’t working for the police since these guys have contingencies to keep the money trail from being followed. It seems to me that the weak link in the armor here is the bank. This is their business. I did a quick check for the Citibank that was listed in Delaware. The phone number was discon-nected and it appears as if that branch is no longer active. Shouldn’t my bank be able to tell that when they scan these checks through their system BEFORE they hand me good money, only to take as long as 2 weeks to properly inform me that every-thing was bogus. Shouldn’t the banking system be held accountable for the fact that because they are not doing their job correct-ly, millions of Americans are falling for this sort of scam? And WHY is it that so many victims are finding themselves facing legal charges when they are actually the victim?

Don’t worry, I was not a victim. I saw the scam coming and didn’t fall for it. However, in talking to the police and in talking to other people in my community, it seems that this scam is pretty prevalent.

And, more disturbing, I have heard that the banks, in conjunction with law enforce-ment, can come down hard on the victim who was scammed and no longer has the money that was handed to him by the bank and which he mailed to the criminals. Hey, the victim shouldn’t BE the expert in know-ing if a check it bogus or forged, the banks should! With all of this new technology, and with rules such as watermarks and such, how is it that the victim is the only one left holding the bag and the banks are not being held accountable?

I turned my check and emails over to the police, but I am not really confident that anything is going to be done. However, I am sure that if I had fallen for this scam, they would have been at my door, threaten-ing charges brought by the bank against me for passing a bad check that I neither cre-ated nor forged.

Someone, somewhere, needs to do some-thing.

Together We Serve Him,

Steve HewittFollow me on Twitter @stevehewittEmail me at [email protected]



Over the two decades that I have served as publisher of CCMag, I have seen many great products and services come from Concordia Technology Solu-tions. They are now releasing their latest software suite, created by a pastor

for pastors of all denominations, Church360°. Church360° is a suite of web-based solutions that can be purchased separately, or together, and is an ongoing suite with more services being added down the road. If you would like to know more (and I figured many of our readers would), please continue reading my interview with Bob Lail, lead developer for the new Church360° Software Suite.

Church360°

What is Church360°?Church360° is a new software suite from Con-

cordia Technology Solutions to help pastors, church staff, and volunteers anticipate and manage their congregational needs. The Church360° suite in-cludes Church360° Members, Church360° Unite, and Church360° Ledger—three products that can be purchased independently or together.

Can you explain the three parts a bit more? Church360° Members is church management

software that supports the spiritual care of the con-gregation. Church360° Unite, which is coming early in 2013, is a website builder that helps churches build a unified web presence. Church360° Ledger, which is

coming late in 2013, is church finance software that helps churches practice faithful stewardship.

Sounds complicated. Is it? Definitely not! The Church360° Suite is all about

simplicity. In fact, we are raising the bar on flexibility and intuitiveness. While other programs are per-haps flexible, but not intuitive—or intuitive, but not flexible—Church360° is built to mold itself around a user’s process and needs.

What made you decide to create this software? Not only were our customers asking for a solu-

tion to their needs, but we also know that this is a different generation. Computer software has changed

By Steve Hewitt

An interview with Bob Lail, lead developer for the new Church360°® Software Suite

cover story



a lot in the past years, and people need web applica-tions more and more.

So, you’re a web developer and a Lutheran pastor; did that play into the creation of Church360°?

Absolutely. Because of my pastoral training, I can understand the unique needs that pastors face on a day-to-day basis. While I was working on Church360°, I would often picture certain pastors that I know or certain problems that pastors encounter. Because I can put myself in their shoes, the program is well suited to be intuitive.

Is the program only suitable for Lutheran pastors?

No way. The program actually has modules for eight different denominations, including the dif-ferent Lutheran synods, Catholics, Baptists, and so on. Within the modules, the program differs in slight ways to accommodate for differences among the denomina-tions. Oh, and we’ll be adding more denominations to the list as we go.

Adding to the list? What else will you be adding?

We’ll be extending Church360° for many years. Once the entire suite has been released (at the end of 2013), we’ll work on adding and constantly adapting features. And in all actuality, our goal is not to make Church360° “the thing that has all the features,” but instead “the thing that keeps getting better and better at what it does.”

Speaking of features, tell us more about Church360° Members?

Church360° Members is a web-based church management system that helps pastors and ministry leaders get to know their people better and understand the trends of the congregation. It basi-cally comes alongside pastors and helps them enhance their pastoral care.

How can a software help provide pastoral care? Well, the software itself doesn’t provide the care,

of course; but it can provide a pastor with insight into where and when a congregation member might be needing counsel. For example, a pastor can easily add reminders about when a member’s spouse died or when a couple had a miscarriage and with that infor-mation, a pastor can always recall important dates that may be significant for a member in their congrega-tion. And that is just one example—there are dozens more.

http://www.Church360.org


What about Church360° Unite? Can you tell us more about that?

Of course! Church360° Unite is an integrated church website builder. In other words, it helps churches develop fully functional and professional looking web sites that include blogs, calendars, and user groups. People in the church can even log in, update information, join groups, and interact with each other. As you may know, a church’s website is just as important as their property—it provides digital curbside appeal. So, having an easy way to create and update a website means having a way to easily attract and interact with the congregation.

Will churches need to hire a web developer to use Church360° Unite?

Absolutely not. I love that Church360° Unite will be very user friendly. Our goal is that within in a relatively short amount of time and with very little guidance, any member of the church could use Church360° Unite to get a really nice website up and running. Essentially the program helps churches build a website right, but not burden them with all the details. And they can take it as far as they want to—it can serve as an easy-to-use template (kind of like Wordpress) or they can dig into the code and change anything and everything.

Tell us more about Church360° Ledger. What will that entail?

Essentially Church360° Ledger is a church fi-nance software that helps churches practice faithful stewardship. Through the use of fund accounting principles, Church360° Ledger helps leaders man-age church finances without needing an accountant’s knowledge. It will be very easy to establish budgets for each account and to record transactions. Plus, ministry leaders can be assigned to specific accounts so they can review available resources without seeing sensitive data.

How secure is the Church360° Ledger software? Can a church trust their finances in a web-based resource?

They can and should. We use the same security measures and software as a bank would—so informa-tion is 100% secure. The software even uses a state of the art algorithm for encrypting passwords. That basi-cally means that we—as the makers of Church360°—can’t even get to a church’s passwords—only they can. Church360° also provides different levels of

permission so that users can be given access to certain parts of the software without having access to private information or financial data. Plus, we back up the servers on a daily basis.

Sounds like a great feature. Among ALL of the great features in Church360°, which is your favor-ite?

I think my favorite is the “Smart Groups” feature in Church360° Members. Smart Groups work kind of like filters. They let you describe a set of people in your congregation and name and save that group. For example, you could find every male member who has attended worship in the last month and is between 20 and 30 years old. Then you can use this smart group to e-mail everyone in the group and invite them to a young adult men’s group event—or you could graph their attendance—or see how they joined the congre-gation. The opportunities are endless.

As a developer, what was your chief goal in creat-ing Church360°?

My chief goal with any product, really, is to de-light users. You can’t do that without trying to get into their shoes. If I’ve created software that goes farther than their expectations and that surprises them occa-sionally with its intuitiveness, elegance, and simplici-ty—then I’m content.

As a whole, what is the vision for Church360°? As a whole, the vision of Church360° is to antici-

pate the needs of the software user. We want a deeper understanding of our customers’ needs. We want to “mold” our software around them so that ultimately our customers will see past their to-do lists and focus on their ministry goals. We want Church360° to be a growing experience, a seamless journey from begin-ner to advanced user.

Where can people go to learn more about Church360°?

Our customer service team is standing by to help churches view a free demo of the software so that they can truly see how excellent it is. For that (or for more information) simply call 1-800-325-2399 or visit Church360.org.

http://church360.org


http://www.fellowshipone.com


from ACS Technologies

As the days grow shorter and the end of the year looms, church calendars fill up. It’s just life when you work in ministry! Events can be small or large, but between thank-you parties

for volunteers to outreach events like Toys for Tots, there’s plenty to manage and oversee. And the planning that goes into these occasions can take up a lot of time for many, many church staffers. But there’s no neglecting these events, as they can be essential touch-points for your congregation, the types of traditions that help people feel con-nected to the church community. And if outreach is one of your pri-mary goals, approaching the event strategically will be absolutely essential to success.

Get ready for big holiday events

Getting started“The first step is to do your homework. It’s im-

portant to know who it is you’re reaching out to so that you can cater services, activities, and events to that demographic. A good place to start is by looking at your current attendees:

Who is currently attending your church?•What characteristics do they share?•What appeals to them to make them keep coming •back?If some aren’t coming back, what needs aren’t •being met?

By taking the time to understand your attendees, you’ll be able to attract similar types of people who would also connect with your church. Not being

realistic in your outreach target efforts could result in wasted time and resources,” write the authors of the ministry guide Organized & Effective Outreach.

Make sure your members are invitingAnother important step for your holiday events is

the idea of turning members into inviters. In Simply Strategic Growth, pastors Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan wrote about surveys they had conducted that found that over 74 percent of people who visited a church for the first time attended after being invited by a friend. What are you doing at your church to turn your members into inviters?

Here are some tools from Organized & Effective Outreach you can provide your congregation to help turn them into inviters – both when it comes to your big holiday events and year-round:

ministry leadership

http://cp.acstechnologies.com/MarketingForms?market=7&page=13&source=3rd_Party_Article_CCMag_Outreach




Invitations – cards or online. •Include the name of your church and key words to describe your church, as well as directions and times.Email templates. Create email •templates your congregants can use to follow up with people they’ve spoken to about attend-ing your church or your event. Encourage your members to increase the email’s effectiveness by adding links to your church website and online directions.

Keep track of who shows upAnother essential component

to successful events is attendance tracking. After all, once you get new people in the door for your big events, only half of your work is done. The important part is following up with the new people so you can get them to come back.

Assess your current software sys-tems and make sure you’re ready to collect information on new members. If at your church that means con-tact cards, then make sure you have people lined up to input that informa-tion and assign follow-up quickly. But consider more modern ways of gathering that data, as well. Many churches are using kiosks or laptops in their lobbies – often manned by volunteers – to gather contact in-formation and get it into the system right away, whether that means an online contact management/commu-nication system like Access ACS™ or a private church social network like The City.

Speaking of social Don’t neglect social media when

planning your big events. Signs, ads, and postcards can all be effective, but Facebook or The City Plaza events can reach more people with less cost.

“For every form of online com-munication you use, keep them inte-

Download theRaising Your

VolunteerNumbers

Ministry Guidefor ideas and

practicalsolutions!

acstechnologies.com/volunteer�

ACS Technologies is the largest provider of church ministry solutions with more than 50,000 churches relying on our software and services everyday to assist them in reaching their ministry goals. We not only have the products to help you, we have the expertise to help you implement your plans and ideas to take your ministry further!

http://www.acstechnologies.com/foundationalchurches/accessacs

http://www.onthecity.org/

http://www.onthecity.org/features/communication/

http://cp.acstechnologies.com/MarketingForms?market=7&page=10&source=3rd_MagAd_CCMag_Volunteer


grated and in sync! So for example, on your church website, make sure you have your Facebook, Twitter, and The City links plainly visible – and do the same on your Facebook account. Syncing information and providing people more than one avenue to connect with your church and your ministry efforts is crucial to reaching people and bringing them to the church,” write the authors of Organized & Effective Outreach.

Bring it all togetherThese are just a few of the big-picture consider-

ations to keep in mind as you work through the busy upcoming season. With careful planning, your events can be great ways to engage and energize your cur-rent attenders and bring new people into the fold of your church.

We’ve got more ideas for you! Just download the free ministry guide Organized & Effective Outreach and get more detail, plus ideas and tips on scheduling events, publicity, volunteers and more.

SPREAD THE WORD…with One Call Now Voice, Text and Email messaging for churches.

Visit us online at onecallnow.com or call 877-698-3262 to learn more.

How will you reach them...

the service?

onecallnow.com

201208LS259



http://www.onecallnow.com

http://www.siteorganic.com


from Logos Management Software

Trust. But verify.

With the insight and help from Denise McClure, CPA, CFE and President of Averti Fraud Solutions, we armed church leaders from around the country with practical controls that begin at the point of offering and end with technology that can be used to eliminate loopholes. Interest for this was much higher than we had anticipated with well over 400 registrants ready to learn. Attendees walked away with their expectations exceeded and sent comments like,

“I have a group of men who desperately need to view/hear this presentation.”

“Thank you for this helpful webinar! Very helpful safeguards to implement.”

“I really enjoyed this—quite thorough! Our church has many controls in place, but we need to get our poli-cies and procedures into writing. Thank you for making this available.”

“

Trust. But verify.” was a phrase made famous by Ronald Reagan. He used the phrase in negotiations with Mikhail Gorbechav. The phrase resonated among church leaders too, as LOGOS just fin-

ished a series of webinars titled, “Trust. But verify.” The aim of the we-binars? To teach leaders how to put smart controls in place to prevent fraud, and create an atmosphere of transparency – not suspicion.

“

LOG

OS

logos cms

“It is always a great idea on at least an annual basis to review internal controls and make sure you haven’t compromised your standards and exposed your institu-tion to potential threats.”

With 2013 right around the corner, this may be a good time to review those internal controls and make the appropriate changes part of a larger change process.

What happens?The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 in 3

people steal to some degree from the workplace.

Who are these people?It turns out, they look just like you and me. They

work hard and are great at their jobs. They are, accord-ing to FBI profiles, trusted, motivated, conscientious, and typically between the ages of 30-60. They tend to have tenure and rank within an organization.

Generally, an embezzler has a problem that requires


money to solve. They don’t feel they can share their problem with friends or family so they look for their own solution. Sometimes they struggle with an addic-tion of some sort (gambling, shopping, or drugs); other times, it’s an attempt to pay bills or compensate for feel-ings of inadequacy and unfairness: the church owes me this for all the extra hours I’ve put in… it’s not fair that my neighbors can vacation in Disneyworld, so I’m just evening the score.

Next is justification. It begins with “borrowing” a little. When they get away with it, the issue grows from there and, like any addiction, they can’t stop.

This situation is best explained by renowned crimi-nologist and sociologist, Donald Cressey, who devel-oped the fraud triangle in the 1950’s. Cressey proposes that, in the situation of fraud, the person has some type of need, rational-izes that need, and then seeks an opportunity to appease the need through stealing. As a church, you can remove one of the three key components in the fraud triangle: opportunity.

Removing the opportunity

1. Create a Culture of IntegrityMcClure recommends build-

ing integrity into your organiza-tion’s culture, starting with the interview and application process and extending through to day-to-day operations. The ultimate goal: establish a real perception of de-tection. A perception of detection atmosphere is met when leaders implement controls at every level of the organization.

“Leaders set the tone at the top,” said McClure. “If those pro-viding oversight say one thing but do another, their inconsistency can open opportunities for fraud.” In other words, church leaders need to walk the talk.

2. Implement Controls and Oversight

Conducting all the oversight you say you’re going to do helps

create the perception of detection mentioned above.

A few areas where oversight is needed:Segregate duties as much as possible to ensure no • one controls a transaction from beginning to end. For example, the person who opens the mail should not have access to the accounting system. The per-son who posts offertory gifts should not also recon-cile your bank statements and the offertory deposits in your general ledger.Pay the extra fee to have check images sent with the • bank statement for review. If this is not an option, view a sample of checks online.Change passwords every 3-6 months.•

http://www.logoscms.com


Bank and credit card statements and cancelled • checks need to be reviewed by someone who knows what they’re looking for. Casino charges on the church credit card (it’s happened!) should be an im-mediate red flag. Cancelled checks made payable to an unrecognized • vendor? Investigate by verifying the validity of the control copy of the bill. Employee living a lavish lifestyle? Check it out. Be • sure the people whose work you’ll be reviewing know that each transaction will be evaluated—this is the best deterrent to fraud.Your accounting software must have a permission • structure that lets you give users access to only what they need to do their job and no more. Permission needs change, so review and adjust access rights on a regular basis.

ConnectNow Church Accounting’s permission controls support all levels of transaction segregation, so it’s easy to give payroll staff the ability to enter and pay bills, but have someone else add new vendors. Likewise, the person who runs your payroll can be prevented from changing pay rates or adding employees.

Your system must also close periods and not permit users to print a check and then enter that same check in the system using a different payee name or period— something that is easy to do in accounting programs designed for small business owners who manage their own books.

ConnectNow does not allow this, so corrections done by journal entry leave the proper audit trail.

McClure reports that many a fraud scheme has been discovered during surprise audits or while an individual was away on unexpected emergency leave. Require va-cations and be sure to have someone else do the person’s work while staff are away.

Managers and those who serve on finance councils should receive detection training so they understand what fraudulent schemes are possible and what the warning signs are. There is, of course, a fine line here between educating on fraud detection and teaching how to steal . . . but remember your culture of integrity, over-sight, and detection (and constant improvement of all of these) will work full-time to help mitigate your organi-zation’s risk of fraud.

For other webinars like “Trust. But verify.” click here to subscribe and we’ll be sure to send future webi-nar sessions your way.

CSG.173.mEs Digital Ad CCMag_Layout 1 8/1/12 9:25 AM Page 2

http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001JtLq2k4dXaKeUpClNWHwSw==

http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001JtLq2k4dXaKeUpClNWHwSw==

http://www.ministrespace.com

http://www.americanchurch.com/OnlineServices/WebSites.aspx


Spreading the Word Peace Lutheran Church

The mission of Peace Lutheran Church is to share its faith through ongoing spiritual renewal, to serve its community through focused and compassionate outreach, and to grow lead-

ers through ongoing, purposeful actions.

THE SITUATIONPeace Lutheran Church had a problem. Its

monthly newsletter had become too costly and it needed a more flexible way to communicate with congregation members. The monthly newslet-ter was also failing as an event reminder because church members often would forget about the events by the day they were to take place. Ad-ditionally, creating the newsletter was time-con-suming and there was no assurance that all church members received the important messages.

THE SOLUTIONEnter One Call Now. Peace Lutheran Church

member, Amanda McQuade, was familiar with One Call Now through an area school system that was already using the service: “our school system uses it so I was able to tell the church more about it than they already knew after purchasing!” After a sim-ple cost comparison, the church made the decision to go with the most beneficial and cost-effective option: One Call Now. Amanda was put in charge of running the One Call Now notifications for the church and she appreciates how simple the process has been: “I think it’s a great system - very easy to get started and very easy to use.”

THE RESULTPeace Lutheran Church members and leader-

ship are thankful for the flexibility of One Call

Now notifications. Now they are able to notify members of upcoming events much closer to the event date and even send multiple reminders. Amanda likes how simple the process is: “It’s very easy, I didn’t even need the provided help info.” If asked about One Call Now, she says she would dis-cuss “how much I love it; how it’s so easy to use!” Peace Lutheran Church plans to continue using One Call Now for general member notifications as well as emergency alerts. Now the whole congre-gation can rest easy knowing that all members are protected, informed and engaged at all times.

“I think it’s a great system - very easy to get started and very easy to use.”

Amanda McQuade,Member of peace Lutheran Church

Contact us to learn more!

INDUSTRY - Religious

CLIENT - Peace Lutheran Church

LOCATION - Beavercreek, OH

PROBLEM - No effective communication system to alert congregation of emergencies, events, etc.

REPLACES - Costly, monthly newsletter

ON

E CALL N

OW

one call now

http://www.onecallnow.com/religious/overview


Desktop v. Web Software: Which is right for your church?

As you research software companies, one of the issues you need to address is which of these two broad options might be best for you: 1) Locally installed software, accessed both inter-

nally and remotely, or 2) Web-based software. A very basic difference between these types of church management software applications is where the software will actually be installed and stored. Software that is installed and run on the customer’s local computer has been the standard, but over the last eight years, however, a new platform has come available, which is Web-based software.

Locally installed software and Web-based soft-ware each have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. One type of application is not a blan-ket solution for every church customer. In making the decision between desktop-based and Web-based software, it would be helpful to be aware of a few of these advantages and concerns.

Desktop-Based Software A common misconception is that the ability to

work on the church database remotely is limited to Web-based systems. Most desktop-based programs allow installations on as many separate computers as you need for use by your church. Therefore, an option for working remotely would be to install the software on the additional computer and work offsite by systematically backing up and restoring the data to and from the main church computer.

Another option for working remotely with desktop-based software is to use a third-party ser-vice, such as PCAnywhere or GoToMyPC, both of which allow an off-site computer to log on and work

on another computer across the Internet. This option requires that both the main church computer and the remote computer have a constant and fast Internet connection, as the remote computer is actually using the resources on the church computer.

One advantage to desktop-based systems is that everything is stored where the program is installed. You purchased the product – the software – and you own the application and your data. All you need is a consistent and reliable procedure for backing up your data to protect against disaster, which is advis-able for all components of your computer, not just the church management data.

While desktop-based software typically has most of its costs paid up-front, this represents a stable investment, since your monthly costs typically are lower than Web-based software. Any other ongoing fees might include a support contract, which is usu-ally optional, and possible monthly fees for remote access using a third-party provider, which is again optional and often lower than that of Web-based systems.

church windows SoftwareCHU

RCH W

IND

OW

S SOFTW

ARE


Disadvantages to desktop-based programs are, again, typically higher up-front fees upon purchas-ing the software, and since you own the software, you are usually responsible for installing any up-grades or patches on your computer, as well. Since desktop-based software is installed and runs directly from your computer, it is also advisable to purchase larger, faster computers than might be necessary with Web-based systems.

Web-Based or “Online” Church Software Sys-tems

The ability to access the church database from anywhere at any time is a very popular feature, and it is a large reason for the growing popularity of Web-based systems. This characteristic is appreci-ated, if not required, by larger church organizations that have many staff members routinely working away from a main church office.

Another advantage to Web-based systems is that they can be used at any computer with an Internet connection and a browser regardless of operat-ing system. Whether Windows PC, MAC, iPad, or Android tablet, web-based church software can usually accommodate data access. Data backups and software updates are both typically automatically performed.

Security is always a concern when communicating across the Internet. While data encryption, firewalls, and other defensive pro-cedures are a prerequisite for offer-ing Web-based systems, nothing is 100% effective 100% of the time. Though web-software hosts know their business and know that secu-rity must be a top prority

While the cost for Web-based software is typically a monthly fee, the fee structure can vary widely from one company to another. Some charge based on church size (and be sure to know how your fees may grow as your church grows), some costs are based on the number of users who will be accessing the software, some charge based on the features the church would like to use, and so on.

With a Web-based system, since the church does not own a copy of

the software itself, it is important that the software company be stable, reliable and not in danger of go-ing out of business, since typically, once the com-pany is gone, your software is gone, as well.

Factors to Consider There are major considerations that pertain to

all types of church management software, as well. With both platforms, you, as the customer, are still required to own and maintain your own computers, ensuring that operating system updates are installed, security updates are installed, and firewalls are maintained and updated with latest virus definitions.

Also, regardless of the type of church manage-ment software you use, the church customer needs to ensure that all staff members are trained in the use of the software and know how to contact the software company for support.

Marla Becker is a vice president at Computer Helper Publishing, home of Church Windows church management software, www.churchwindows.com.

www.churchwindows.com

www.churchwindows.com/anniversary


from Liturgical Publications

Online Giving:

In 1904 Ivan Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his work on conditioning and involuntary reflex actions. The story goes that every time he fed his dog he would

ring a bell. The dog was conditioned that when the bell rang, he ate. Eventually, when the bell rang but no food was presented the dog would still salivate. Pavlov’s research on conditional reflexes has in-fluenced not only science, but also popular culture. The phrase “Pav-lov’s dog” is used to describe someone who merely reacts to a situa-tion rather than using critical thinking.

Why is the reaction of your average parish-ioners when they hear the term stewardship to suddenly grab their wallets? Like Pavlov’s dog, the average parishioner has been conditioned that when the church talks of stewardship it is really a euphemism for “we need your money.” Like the teacher in the old Charlie Brown car-toons, we speak in stewardship terms of “time, talent, and treasure.” Parishioners, however, hear only “we need your money.” As Catholics, we need to break this involuntary reflex action, but how?

Good Stewardship Is the Culture We Need to Create

How did we get here? Money and dona-tions should not be the focus of stewardship, rather money and donations should be one of the results of a good stewardship program. It is our job to build an engaged church, an active and vibrant church, a church that attracts and retains members, and a church that affects a person’s soul. Do members just show up for an hour on Sunday or are they engaged and dedicated to the various ministries the church provides? As

engaging your parishioners online

ENG

AGIN

G YO

UR PA

RISHIO

NERS O

NLIN

E

A Tool for Growing an Engaged Church Membership


your parishioners become more engaged, they become more emotionally committed to the success of church and its mission. As people are emotionally committed to the success of the church, they willingly choose to contribute and feel good about their donation. That personal decision to contribute to the church becomes a positive experience for them. They willingly donate to the church when they understand and then see what their donation will accomplish.

“Turn Off the TV and Get Ready for Church”For many years the church has used a system

of envelopes to collect donations. Parishioners are given a box of envelopes that include their name, their envelope number, and a small box in which they are to write the amount of their donation. Inside the envelope they are to insert their cash or check and at the time of the col-lection during Mass, they drop their envelope in the basket. Let’s examine the psyche of the average parishioner as they insert their contribu-tion in the envelope.

It’s Sunday morning and the family wakes. After the fourth time of yelling to the kids to “turn off the TV and get ready for church” Mom and Dad walk into the kitchen twenty minutes before Mass to see cereal bowls in the sink, milk spilled on the counter, and the kids still not ready to go. While Mom cleans up the mess in the kitchen, Dad turns off the TV and yells one last time to get dressed, brush your teeth, “we’re leaving in five minutes!” Making sure the kids have their coats on, they corral the kids in the car and speed away to get to church on time. As the car races to church to try to get there before the first reading begins, Mom is writing the check on the way to church; hopefully she remembered the envelope.

Sound familiar? The prob-lem is that for most people, the process of writing the check is something they don’t give much thought too. In fact, in this era

of online banking, it’s not something they do that often anymore―except for the one check they write to church. They have a general un-derstanding that they “should” contribute to the church, but how often do they think about why they should contribute. Is there a better way? Is online giving the answer?

Why EFT Isn’t WorkingMany churches already offer a distant cousin

to online giving by allowing members to auto-matically transfer money from their account to the church via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Many of those churches are disappointed that more people are not using this service. Despite being told that it will save the church money on the printing and distribution of the envelopes, still a very small percentage of parishioners take advantage of EFT.

There are two primary reasons why EFT ini-tiatives tend to fail:

After announcing this service is available, 1. parishioners rarely hear about it again.If they take advantage of this service, they 2.

www.4lpi.com/weshare


lose control of their donation process. How do they make a change to their donation if necessary? Generally they have to call the rectory and have a potentially embarrassing conversation with someone to explain they no longer can donate at the level they com-mitted. Most people will avoid that conver-sation if at all possible. Consequently, while it is less convenient to write a check each week, it is perceived as being the less pain-ful choice. Very few people are willing to abdicate control of their finances.

There are many online giv-ing solutions that allow a member to control their donations. Many are sold to churches with the ex-pectation of increasing donations. But if all they do is replicate the function of the envelope, is it realistic for a church to expect an increase in its donations? Unless the church changes its approach, the answer is, sadly, no. The prob-lem with most of the online giving tools available today is that they replicate the function of the enve-lope really well. They allow for the transaction of donating to the church similarly to the approach of the envelope. A potential do-nor arrives at a website and sees a collection called “Sunday Of-fertory” with a box (similar to the envelope) where they are expected to enter in the amount of their donation, along with their banking information. There is no emotional connection to the church, no un-derstanding of what their donation will accomplish and no connection to stewardship. Again, they act like Pavlov’s dog.

Creating the Emotional ConnectionThere is a better way to stress

the positive concepts of steward-ship that will drive an increase in donations. As humans we’re all

about outcomes. We thirst for an understanding of the good things that will occur as a result of our donation. Americans are a compassionate people. A study conducted by Center on Wealth and Philanthropy said in 2007, Americans gave over $217 billion to charity. Your online giving tool needs to support your effort and drive en-gagement. It should help you create an emotional connection with the person considering a contri-bution to the church. The more effective you are

http://www.iconcmo.com


in helping members understand the good things that will occur as a result of their donation, the more the potential donor will internalize these good things and want them to occur. This will make them more likely to do-nate, and when they donate they donate more money. Your online giving tool needs to provide this understanding. If you don’t com-municate well, then just like the family writing the check on the way to church, they don’t think about why they are donating or the things that will occur as a result of their donation. WeShare, the tool for online giving offered by Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi), helps you paint a vivid picture of what their contribu-tions to the church will accom-plish.

For More InformationTo hear more on how Online

Donations can increase giving, choosing an online giving pro-vider and creating an emotional connection with your parishio-ners online, download the com-plete whitepaper, here.

Mike Stone is the Internet Product Manager for Liturgi-cal Publications Inc (LPi), www.4LPi.com, an organization that provides print publica-tions, communication solutions, and online donation services to Catholic parishes. Mike can be reached at [email protected].

shelbyChurch Software

“I use Shelby to assign & manage work�ows to

di�erent church sta� members.”

Scan or click to see our

WebinarSchedule

800-877-0222

http://www.4lpi.com/weshare/weshare-benefits-for-churches

www.4LPi.com


www.shelbysystems.com/hosted


Windows 8, Nexus

Kevin A. Purcell - [email protected]

Tablets, iPad Mini and Bible Study

higher power with kevin

Windows 8 and Bible StudyShould people run out and get a Windows 8 com-

puter or tablet to do Digital Bible Study using their favorite applications? The answer is a simple yes and no.

Kidding aside, it’s a complicated question thanks to the confusing naming schemes Microsoft chose for their new operating systems. That’s right - sys-tems as in plural meaning more than one. Microsoft actually released three new operating systems last month - Windows RT for tablets, Windows 8 for computers and Windows Phone 8 for smartphones.

I say their naming scheme confuses buyers because the only version of Windows that really works like the Windows you run on your desktop or laptop is Windows 8. Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 look like the new Windows 8 but won’t run the Bible software you installed on your laptop or desktop.

Microsoft now makes operating systems for computers, mobile phones, tablets and their XBox 360 gaming system. The last one doesn’t really mat-ter. Believe it or not people can get a Bible for their XBox 360 (see Bible Navigator X at http://bit.ly/TQAy9B I bring up XBox, because I always thought

Microsoft should save the Windows name for their operating systems that run on a computer - laptops or desktops. They could then uses the XBox brand for these new tablets and their phones. Who wouldn’t want an XTablet or an XPhone. They really should hire me, because I’d do a much better job at market-ing their software and I run mostly Macs these days.

For our purposes, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT matter for doing Bible study. Let’s take them in order.

Windows 8 serves as the successor to the Win-dows operating system for desktops and laptops. The new operating system brings a brand new face

focused on tiles instead of icons. The tiles not only launch the applications, but they often show information. For example, a Twitter app tile might show a live twitter feed and tweets that mention the user or respond to the user’s tweets. A weather app tile might show the current con-ditions and temperature.

Right now, there’s only a few Bible apps that run in the Windows 8 tile interface. All of the advanced applications we’re used to discussing will launch in what Microsoft calls the Windows 8 Desktop, an in-terface that looks exactly like the old Windows user interface. It closes up the tile look and looks exactly

http://bit.ly/TQAy9B

http://bit.ly/TQAy9B


like the old Windows we know and either love or hate.

A few minor Bible apps work in the tile user in-

terface, but they’re not serious. One displays a Bible verse a day with nice images. I really like it for what it does. The rest offer simple Bible reading options and little more.

I know that at least a few major Bible software makers are actively working on a versions of their apps that work in this new style.

This leads us to Windows RT. This version of Windows looks exactly like the new Windows 8 user interface but runs on tablets instead of Intel or AMD based laptop or desktop computers. It’s simpler and users can’t load their old Windows software on the tablets. Only apps from the Microsoft app store will work on the devices, much like we get with the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

If you buy a tablet like the Microsoft Surface, don’t plan on running serious Bible software for at least a few months or longer. Search our archives for my post on online Bible sites because that’s the only way you’ll do serious study till the app makers get their Windows RT apps out the door.

As for Windows Phone 8, it suffers the same dirth of apps as Windows RT since developers use the same tools to make both kinds of apps.

I won’t buy a Windows RT tablet or a Windows Phone 8 device until my favorite mobile apps get ported. It’s in progress and may come sooner than I expect. But until then stay away from any Windows RT or Win-dows Phone 8 devices.

Nexus Tablets and Bible StudyA new kid on the block

moved in with lots of fanfare. The

Google Nexus 7 tablet hit this past summer running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. It uses a fast processor and runs on a beautiful seven inch screen.

The Nexus 7 is a great device with only one seri-ous flaw. Buyers can get one with a wireless mo-bile data service from Verizon, AT&T or any other device.

I’m running a number of awesome Android Bible apps on my Nexus 7. It’s the perfect size for reading in bed or on the road. I use it often, mostly at home due to the Wi-Fi only features.

Google announced that in the middle of Novem-ber they will release a version of the Nexus 7 tablet with more storage and HDSPA+ wireless data. If you’re not familiar with this wireless specification, it runs faster than traditional 3G but slower than the LTE you keep hearing about. If you own an iPhone 3G, 4 or 4S phone you’re running HSDPA+ wireless.

Google will also release a new Nexus 10, which has a ten inch screen but only Wi-Fi. It’s a higher resolution than the iPad’s retina display.

iPad Mini and Bible StudyThis was the most underwhelming iPad an-

nouncement ever. I really like the smaller size (see my comments about the Nexus 7 above) but this new iPad offers old technology and its too expensive. Google’s new Nexus comes at a lower cost and has a better screen with higher resolu-tion. That means your text will look more crisp and easier to read.

Surprisingly, Apple also announced a new fourth generation iPad with a ten inch screen and the beautiful high resolution screen. It gives users a faster processor and now runs on Sprint’s mo-bile data network to go along with Verizon and AT&T previously available.Which Tablet Should I Buy?

http://www.donarius.com


While a tablet gets used for many other purpos-es, for Bible study alone I’d recommend the follow-ing tablets in order from best to worst choice.

The tablet you own now1. - none of these new tablets warrants replacing a perfectly good tablet that’s working for you. If your not happy with your current tablet then get the …Apple iPad 2. - if you can afford it, get a 4th gen-eration iPad with 4G LTE. To save a few bucks look for a refurbished 3rd generation at Apple’s online store. Apple still sells the iPad 2 as a bud-get option. All three run the best Bible apps and even when one app is available on both an iPad and Android they iPad version almost invariably offers more features.Google Nexus 7 Tablet3. - Wait till November 13 or soon after to get the one with wireless HS-DPA+ if you can afford to pay for a wireless data package. Otherwise get the Wi-Fi only version. For those who prefer a larger ten-inch screen grab the Wi-Fi only Nexus 10.Windows 8 Pro Tablets or Convertible Note-4. books - Don’t buy a Windows 8 machine right now unless you want a laptop or desktop sys-tem. Then be sure to get one with a touchscreen

or a really great touchpad. I saw a really nice machine from Lenovo called the Lenovo Twist. The screen twists around and folds back down to cover the keyboard so it looks like a big tablet. The design isn’t new. I bought one years ago and my wife uses it now primarily as a laptop. It has a stylus and runs all of the Bible software I’ve written about here that is designed for Windows PCs.

To read more about this, please see a great mo-bile tech blog called GottaBeMobile.com. I write software, app and gadget reviews as well as cover news and share my opinions along with a team of re-ally knowledgable and connected people. If it has to do with mobile technology, you can read about there. For news and information about Notebook technol-ogy, see Notebooks.com, where I review computers, software and gadgets for notebook computers. As always you can see my personal blog, KevinPurcell.org for news and information about Digital Bible Study among other things of interest to me. Follow me on Twitter @kapurcell.

www.cdmplus.com


We use the statement, “Thank God!” all too loosely in our daily conversations and other communications, but do we really mean it? I mean, is it truly a statement of gratitude to God or

is it simply an expression of relief? What do we mean by it if we don’t mean to thank God for whatever we’re exclaiming? Good question!

Michael L White - [email protected]

Thank God!

digital evangelism

Since the month of November brings with it the annual observance of Thanksgiving Day in the United States on the fourth Thursday of the month, this is a time when we should genuinely thank God, if we don’t do so any other time. We decorate our homes, schools, offices, churches, and towns with cut-outs of pilgrims, American Indians, turkeys, cornucopia and such to com-memorate the historic first Day of Thanksgiving which the first American colonists celebrated in 1621. We prepare enormous feasts with which to gorge ourselves and invite as many family and friends as are willing and able to dine with us. Finally, we pause for one to two minutes to say a perfunctory prayer of thanks to assuage our conscience that we have given due diligence to offering thanks before we dig into all the deli-

cious delicacies, which is our primary reason for gathering, and then we promptly forget about how all these things came to pass. We choose to focus instead on “Black Friday” and whatever the latest trends are in toys, fashion, etc. so we can be first in line at the department stores to fight over quasi bargains. Just contemplating that shopping sce-nario is enough to make me lose my appetite!

No, it isn’t the first American pilgrims and the welcoming American Indians who provided saving assistance to those pilgrims that we should thank for originating this historic feast. Nor should we turn our eyes upon the govern-ment with gratitude for supposedly giving us the wherewithal to prosper and setting aside the holi-day and putting it on the calendar. Even though we think we have already thanked God when we


offered that two minute prayer before feasting, it is the ongoing attitude of gratitude in our hearts that proves whether we have truly given thanks to God on this special Thanksgiving Day and every day thereafter.

What will it take for us to be truly thankful to God for all He has done for us and given to us throughout our lives? Do we have to lose what is precious to us before we can genuinely ap-preciate God’s goodness to us? Even then, do we become angry with God for allowing the loss of that which is precious to us, even though we took it for granted until we lost it, or do we humble ourselves and pray the prayer of praise and thanksgiving anyway? Can we say with Job, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD…. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 1:21 & 13:15 NKJV)? Can we still thank God, as Job did, after losing our home and possessions and loved ones in a storm or a flood or a fire or an earthquake or even an economic downturn? Do we have to experi-ence the demise of our nation and its amazing Constitution guaran-teeing basic freedoms before we realize not only the sacred duty but the holy obligation we have to elect godly men and women (those who believe in and adhere to bibli-cal principles and commandments) to lead our government?

Perhaps the truest test of de-votion to God comes in terrible times of disappointment, suffering and loss in our lives. Can we still say, “Thank God!” when disaster strikes us? If you haven’t experi-enced one of these aforementioned occasions in your life yet, brace yourself, because you will eventu-ally, if you live long enough.

http://www.elexio.com/landing-pages/church-management-software-christian-computing-magazine


deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords? I think we can, and I intend to do so in the various forums where I write, which happen to include some of these same venues I’ve just mentioned.

Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful time to show our thanks to God, but let’s not wait for this one day a year to thank God for His goodness to us. Let’s demonstrate our gratitude by giving back to God with everything we have, includ-ing our praise and worship, worldly goods, time, and even our family. After all, everything that we

have, including our very souls (if we’ve accepted Him as our Lord and Savior), belong to Him anyway (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). That means God can allocate and reallocate these resources any way and any-where He chooses, including removing them altogether and giving them to another who will be a better steward (Mat-thew 25:28-39).

Let’s not wait for calam-ity to take away that which is precious to us before we show God our deep gratitude and ap-preciation for it. Next time you say, “Thank God!”, mean it. I pray this Thanksgiving Day observance will be the best ever, no matter what we’ve lost leading up to it.

Michael L. White is the found-er and Managing Editor of Parson Place Press, an inde-pendent Christian publishing house in Mobile, Alabama. His book Digital Evangelism: You Can Do It, Too! (Parson Place Press, April 2011) is available wherever books are sold. For a list of his other books and articles, visit his Web site at books.parsonplace.com.

Membership

Accounting

Contributions

Events Calendar

Check In

Completely Integrated

www.PowerChurch.com • 800.486.1800

We provide software tools, freeing you up to fulfi ll your mission.

Install on your PC or network, or access online.

Choose which fi ts your needs.

We provide you with the tools to increase administrative effi ciency and streamline accounting tasks, freeing you up to perform the work that matters.

You want the freedom to… reach out

… minister to people

… create fellowship

… contribute to your community

PowerChurch Plus was created for just that!

What does any of this have to do with digital evangelism? Well, if the use of blogging, email, Web sites, e-newsletters, etc. (and even the writ-ing of articles for magazines such as this one) for the cause of Christ constitutes digital evangelism, then wouldn’t it stand to reason that using either or all of these means to emphasize the need for genuine thankfulness to God qualifies as digital evangelism as well? If we can blog about our take on politics, sports, or whatever other topics may arouse our passions, can we not also blog about the importance of developing and maintaining a

books.parsonplace.com

http://www.powerchurch.com/?utm_source=CCMAG&utm_medium=emag&utm_content=half_page&utm_campaign=PCPlus


By the time you read this, for many of you, Superstorm Sandy will be a distant memory. But, I know some of you will still be dealing with the impact of this devastating hurricane. Nearly 8 million people lost power.

Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 124 people were killed across the region. Telecom services, both wireless and wireline, were knocked out across broad geographic areas.

The Cloud

By Russ McGuire - [email protected]

the power and the danger

Although we, as Christians, have some solace in knowing that our God is sovereign and that he works all things to our good and His glory, disas-ters of this scope and scale are simply overwhelm-ing tragedies for those at the center of them, even for those with the strongest faith. It is my hope and prayer that this column honors our brothers and sisters in the region and does not minimize what they have been through and continue to en-dure.

That being said, I believe one way that God uses events like Sandy to our good is to serve as a wakeup call to our frailty and our dependence on Him. As technologists, we must have a healthy fear of the Lord. “The fear of the LORD is the be-ginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10).

The wisdom that we have from God, and our fear of the power of God displayed in natural di-sasters should lead us to consider how prepared we are for disasters that might impact our homes, our churches, our ministries, or our businesses. If you

lost power, could you keep operating? If you lost your computers, could you recover?

Although it was massive clouds that rained down destruction on the northeastern U.S., I propose that “the cloud” may be a valuable ally in preparing for the next calamity.

What is the Cloud?Exactly a year and a half ago I wrote about the

cloud in the very first “power and danger” column. In that column, I described the cloud in this way: “Cloud computing gets its name from the concept of moving computing activities (processing, stor-age, database management, content streaming, etc.) off of dedicated resources in an environment controlled by the owner of those activities and into ‘the cloud’ – the amorphous and ever-changing collection of resources connected to the Internet.”

At the time, there had been a number of high-profile failures by cloud service providers, but even so I described the benefits: “new types of services are providing flexibility, agility, and

http://www.ccmag.com/2011_05/ccmag2011_05rmcguire.pdf

http://www.ccmag.com/2011_05/ccmag2011_05rmcguire.pdf


theoretically reliability that has previously been hard for organizations and individuals to achieve.” I concluded the column on a favorable note: “Do these three failures mean that we should give up on cloud servic-es? For most of us, the answer is a resounding no. These provid-ers invest $billions to implement reliability well beyond what our small budgets could match. Yes, there will be outages, but in all of these cases, customers didn’t lose data, and the systems were back up relatively quickly. If you’ve ever suffered a major system outage, I’m guessing there’s a good chance you can’t make the same claim.”

How could the Cloud help pre-pare for disasters?

There are many cloud servic-es, but I’d like to focus on three types for your consideration to provide you and your organiza-tion flexibility in adapting to difficult circumstances.

The first is simple e-mail services. Very few organiza-tions actually manage their own mail servers these days, but cloud-based e-mail services, like Google Apps, provide great flexibility in configuring and managing your e-mail accounts. A cloud-based e-mail solution also eliminates the risk that a single lost server can take down your ability to communicate and wipe out years worth of back messages. Google offers free ac-counts for non-profits with fewer than 3,000 users. Google Apps includes more than just e-mail, with personal and shared cal-endars, shared file storage, and Google Docs.

Which leads to the second type of cloud service worth considering – cloud based docu-ments. There are a number of

http://www.ccmag.com/view/pdf_ad.php?recordID=100

http://www.google.com/nonprofits/products/#tab0

http://www.google.com/nonprofits/products/#tab0

http://www.ccmag.com/view/pdf_ad.php?recordID=103


services out there that replace your PC-based word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software with web-based equivalents. In addition to Google Docs, alternatives include Zoho, Peepel, OpenGoo, Microsoft Office Live, and Buzzword. Web-based document editors makes it easy to share documents with others in your organization and to collaborate. More importantly, from a disaster recovery perspec-tive, cloud-based documents are independent of any single PC or location, making it easy to pick up where you left off, even if you’re starting from scratch with a new computer.

Of course, there will always be files that we need to store on our local machine. That doesn’t mean we can’t protect against loss of that system. There are a number of cloud backup solutions that automatically keep updated copies of your criti-cal files stored in the cloud, ready to be restored to your original or new system. Some of the leading options include SugarSync, CrashPlan, Carbonite, Mozy, and ElephantDrive.

Does the Cloud represent danger to our churches?There are two concerns we should have with

Cloud-based solutions. The first is with the security and privacy of our information. The second is with the reliability of the service.

For security and privacy, a couple of the articles I read in researching this column recom-mended using encryption software (such as TrueCrypt) in conjunction with cloud-based backup solutions. Since Cloud-based solutions are designed to make it easy to share information with other users or to restore data to different comput-ers, there will always be a risk that the wrong people will gain access to the data. You must weigh this against the benefits of a cloud-based solution.

When it comes to reliability, we must consider two scenarios – what if the service is down when I need it, or worse yet, what if the provider goes out of business or otherwise shuts down the service? Can you extract your data from the service and migrate to a compet-ing service? These concerns are particularly valid for cloud-based document solutions, which may

drive you to the solutions from more well-estab-lished providers, such as Microsoft, Google, or Adobe. Similarly, the reliability of the service itself is probably relatively well correlated to the size and maturity of the provider. Outages will happen with any solution – the whole point of this column is to make sure you can recover as quickly and smoothly as possible.

It is my hope and prayer that these articles on the power and danger of technology will encour-age you in your daily walk with Christ. Whether it is the printing press, radio, television, personal computers, the Internet, the Cloud, mobility, Wi-Fi, or map apps, new technologies continue to advance our ability to know God and to serve Him, wherever we go.

Russ McGuire is an executive for a Fortune 100 company and the founder/co-founder of three tech-nology start-ups. His latest entrepreneurial venture is Hschooler.net (http://hschooler.net), a social net-work for Christian families (especially homeschool-ers) which is being built and run by seven young men under Russ’ direction.

http://www.faithhighway.com/thisisjim3/?source=ccmag&utm_source=ccmag&utm_medium=magad&utm_campaign=thisisjim3

http://hschooler.net


Combining the power of Outlook and Mail Merge can help you communicate better! Windows and Mac Out-look versions are different, so let’s look at how to do

mail merges in both!

Nick Nicholaou - [email protected]

Outlook Email Mail Merge

nick at church

What is Mail-Merge?Okay, the basics first. Mail merge is the tool that

allows you to create one document, like a letter or an email, and send it to many people with their per-sonalized information inserted throughout so that it feels as though it was written just to them. We nor-mally think of doing that in a letter in Word. But it can be done in Outlook, sending personalized emails to many people all at once!

Mail Merge Data SourceYou can have more than one kind of data

source— where the recipients’ name, email address, etc are located. The two easiest to work with are:

Outlook Contacts. If all the information you •want to use in your mail merged email is in your contacts, that’s the quickest and easiest data source.Excel Spreadsheet. You can also build a spread-•sheet if you need to include more information

than what is available in your Outlook Contacts. This is a great option if you want to export the recipients’ data from a database, too, since many databases will export in a spreadsheet format.

If you will be using an Excel spreadsheet, I recommend using a header row (the first row in the spreadsheet) to label the data that will be in each column. Here’s an example:

Those column labels will come in handy when creating your mail merge file. Making the first col-umn the email address can make the process easier, but isn’t actually necessary.

Whether you use Windows or a Mac, the process of mail merging emails actually happens in Word, so that’s where we’ll start.


In Word 2013 for WindowsIn Windows, click on the Mailings tab (this

process is the same in Office 2007, 2010, and 2013), then click on Start Mail Merge and choose Email Messages. Then click on Select Recipients, where you’ll have the opportunity to type a new list, use an existing list (this option opens a dialogue box in which you can navigate to an existing file), or select from Outlook contacts (the first time you choose this option it may ask you to select a profile; most likely only one exists).

The next step is to click Greeting Line on the Mailings tab. Here you’ll format how you’d like the greeting to appear in the email. Here’s a tip: you can overwrite the options, changing Dear to Howdy and following it with an exclamation mark rather than a comma even though those options don’t appear in the pull-down list by simply clicking on that field and typing what you’d like. Use words and format-ting that reflect how you normally communicate.

Now you can type your email and insert data from your file or Outlook contacts. For instance, you might type, “Thank you, ” and then want to insert the recipients’ first names. When you get to the point where you’d like the first names to be inserted, click Insert Merge Field on the Mailings tab and select that field. Using the Excel spreadsheet above, and continuing the sentence after inserting the merge field, my sentence looks like this:

Thank you, «First_Name», for joining us Sunday morning here at First Church.

“«First_Name»” is the wild card field name that will pull each recipient’s name and insert it there when the process is com-pleted.

You can continue writing the email, be-ing as personal as you’d like by inserting the merge fields you need to accomplish your communication goal— even re-using fields to help make it a warm letter! For instance, towards the end of the email you may want to say something like:

«First_Name», please feel free to email or call me with any question you may have.

Once you’ve written your email form letter, I recommend testing it to make certain it says what you want, and says it well, before sending. This is an important step that can make the difference between a warm and personal email vs an obvious form letter. To do so, simply click the Preview Results option on the Mailing tab. There are arrows next to that option that will scroll you through the recipient data so you can see/ read how the final email will be constructed. You can unclick that option and continue editing your email form letter and then preview it again as often as necessary to get it just right.

When you’re pleased with what the results will be, click the Finish & Merge option on the Mailings tab, and then select the Send E-mail Messages option. That will send the emails— each individually ad-dressed and constructed to just one person.

In Word 2011 for Mac


On a Mac click the Outlook Tools menu option, and then click on Mail Merge Manager, and click on Create New. The option to begin creating your email mail merge is Form Letters.

Then click on Get List and choose Open Data Source to open an Excel spreadsheet, for example, or Office Address Book to use your Outlook contacts.

If you’re using your Outlook contacts you’ll use the Filter Recipients Options to choose which contacts to include. In that window you can choose among Categories or Complete Records— Complete Records lets you select specific individuals.

The rest of the process is exactly like what I described in the Windows section, beginning with the third paragraph of that section.

Using this powerful tool will help you commu-nicate better when emailing to groups of people. It eliminates the need for putting a lot of email addresses in the To, CC, or BCC fields and has the potential of making each email warm and personal.

Nick Nicholaou is president of MBS, a consulting firm specializing in church and ministry IT and CPA services. You can reach Nick via email ([email protected]) and may want to check out his firm’s website (www.mbsinc.com) and his blog at http://ministry-it.blogspot.com.

Why put your servers in our private cloud?• Eliminate the distraction & hassle

of hosting your own servers• Reduce IT staff costs• Gain 100% up-time• We’re in the most advanced datacenter

on the planet – located in the USA• Low monthly fees based

on charity licensing• Excellent domestic support

We can save you money because we only host Christian churches & ministries!

With Cloud technology, your servers can be located off-site. MBS has extensive church and ministry IT expertise – let us host your servers in our datacenter!

Serving you and your team would be an honor! Call or

email us today to learn more!

714.840.5900 [email protected] Nick Nicholaou,

President

“. . . freeing those in ministry from business distractions.”Phone: 714.840.5900 • www.mbsinc.com • [email protected] “. . . freeing those in ministry from business distractions.”Phone: 714.840.5900 • www.mbsinc.com • [email protected]

http://streamingchurch.tv/cgi-bin/affiliate.pl?id=christian_computing



www.mbsinc.com

http://ministry-it.blogspot.com

http://ministry-it.blogspot.com

http://www.mbsinc.com


Six Strategies for

Yvon Prehn - [email protected]

Christmas outreach is not only a time for your to bring in new people to your church, but it can also be a time to remind your congregation about the importance of sharing their faith and an opportunity to give them the

tools to do it. Following are six communication strategies that will help:

1. Spend time in prayer asking God to impress on your heart the seriousness and the privilege of your commu-nication opportunities at Christmas.

People who don’t come to church any other time of the year will come to Christmas events to be with family. This might be your one opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with them. Far beyond giving people a pleasant Christmas experience in music, drama, traditional services, or watch-ing the cute things children do, their eternal destiny can be altered.

In addition to your personal convictions, pray for fire in your soul as you motivate your people to be part of your church Christmas communication outreach. Remind them that Jesus is the reason for the season, not because we need-ed a reason to buy stuff, but because we needed salvation from our sins. What prophets and people anticipated for millennia, as they looked forward to the Messiah, we must be careful not to trivialize.

2. Based on your time with the Lord, as a ministry team, decide what you want your Christmas communi-cation message to be.

Come up with one overall theme and a slogan that summarizes it. This is key because you want all of your

advertising, publications, and preaching to reflect that one theme. You will change the medium that you use, but your core message must stay the same for maximum retention and response.

Where to get a theme? One of the best places for inspiration is from the lyrics of Christmas Carols. Here is an article that lists the carols in the Public Domain along with some ideas on how to use them: http://www.ef-fectivechurchcom.com/2012/11/christmas-carols-as-inspiration-for-christmas-outreach-sermons-website-content/

3. Select graphics, colors, images to portray that theme and use them consistently throughout all your adver-tisements.

Along with the theme, select a primary graphic image and colors that you will use in all your holiday outreach. I emphasize the word “all” because churches often want to change colors or images they use to promote events.

They do this because a common misconception is: “If I keep saying things the same way, my audience will get bored.” Wrong. Audiences don’t get bored, audiences get confused. Great advertising campaigns always keep a core message the same for a lengthy period of time for it to have

Successful Christmas Communication Outreach

ministry communication

http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2012/11/christmas-carols-as-inspiration-for-christmas-outreach-sermons-website-content/





impact. Think about the “Got Milk?” or “Just do it!” or any other marketing campaign that is successful for illustrations of this.

The most successful companies in the world have an image that never changes--think Target or Apple--you immediately know what their logo looks like. On a much smaller scale, if you continuously change the image that goes with your Christmas theme, people will see the image first and assume it’s for a different event.

You may get bored using the same image again and again, but it’s much better that you get bored than your audience becomes confused.

4. Decide on a variety of ways to communicate your message; use and repeat as many as you can.

We live in a time of multi-channel communication where we need to use different communication channels to reach different age and interest groups. Communicate your message through postcards, bulletin announcements and inserts, invitations, web page entries, email blasts, verbal reminders, phone calls, social media, Facebook, Twitter, whatever you can as many times as you can.5. Once you have the overall approach and the commu-nication pieces, equip your congregation

For any church holiday outreach to be successful,

every person in the congregation has to be convinced that THEY need to be the ones inviting their friends, praying for them and working hard to get them to Christmas events at church. Remember the primary responsibility of church leaders and communication creators is not to bring in new people to the church; your job is to equip the saints so they can do the work of the ministry. You decide the theme; you create the communications; then you equip your congrega-tion to do the inviting.

Not only is this the best way to get a large group of people to your events this way, but even more important, your people will grow in their outreach skills if they partici-pate in it. If the church buys the entire process of outreach advertising and inviting, outreach becomes something the church purchases, not a personal responsibility.

Instead, if you have preached about the eternal impor-tance of Christmas, reminded your people of Christ’s com-mands to share their faith, created tools such as, postcards, door-hangers, invitation cards, and digital invitations for church members, and then challenged them to pray for and invite their friends, Christmas outreach becomes the responsibility of the entire church.

6. Share your personal convictions and outreach plans.Share from the pulpit, blogs, Facebook and tweets,

messages like this: “As I look ahead to Christmas, I remember what it was •like before I knew the Lord— my brother’s invitation for me to come on Christmas Eve changed my life.” “I’m praying for Peter, the barista at my local Star-•bucks and an opportunity to invite him to church.”“My kids are sharing invitations to our Christmas Eve •service to their friends along with cookies they made.” “My relatives back home don’t know Jesus—so I’m •sending some links to our blogs about why Jesus really is the reason for the season.”Share with your congregation who you are praying for,

how you give out or send out invitations, how you follow up to be sure people attend. Never, ever expect your con-gregation to do more than what you are doing.

There will always be more you can do, but if you try these six strategies, you’ll be sure to increase the com-mitted involved members in your congregation who will not only bring friends to your Christmas outreach events, but who will learn how to do personal evangelism in the process.

For many more ideas on how to effectively com-municate at Christmas, for ready-to-print templates, and PDFs, of Christmas outreach materials, go to: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/category/seasonal/christmas-seasonal-communications/

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Yvon+Prehn

http://www.effectivechurchcom.com/category/seasonal/christmas-seasonal-communications/



christian computing magazine

Documents

church windows software19

engaged church membership

kevin windows

chiefsteve hewitt

email stating

word peace lutheran

delivery address

belton mo