Christian Media 2.0

Increasingly, churches are using outsourcing for help with communications. For most industries, certain professional standards are expected by outsourcing organizations.

Called “industry promises,” I’ve listed seven that churches should be able to expect from providers of church communications.

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Advances in digital communication have made it possible for anyone to present the gospel and disciple others from the convenience of their home, office or just about anywhere. The opportunities are there, but it will still takes thousands of volunteers to meet the need.

In my last post, I mentioned that technology had opened the door for participating in local outreach to people from all walks of life and various professions. Today, even leaders in full-time ministry with packed schedules are volunteering. Meet Dave Sears.

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Churches often lag significantly behind other organizations in their use of technology. The time may have come for some to “catch up.” It could be one of the best investments made this year.

For the purposes of this discussion, “technology” refers to enterprise-level operational solutions and Internet-based outreach and communication technologies.

A lot of folks are talking these days about the role of technology in the church…

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In dramatized stories from real people about real fears, Max Lucado interacts with a live audience in FEARLESS: Facing 2010 with More Trust [and less fear!].

You can hear this riveting special, recorded at Saint Andrews Church, Newport, CA, right here on the SermonCast Channel beginning Monday, January 11.

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Each year on Christmas Eve, after everyone has gone to bed, I write a letter to my bride Cyndi. It is my favorite Christmas tradition. In the letter I recall our experiences from the last year and then focus on where God is taking us.

At the core, it’s a love letter. Cyndi’s faithfulness to God and to me, her goodness and her beauty amaze me. At the end of this year’s letter, I included a poem, inspired by Psalm 23. She suggested that I post it on my blog.

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No one who walks in the door for their appointment at the Toy Store has had an easy year. Single moms like Jennifer Hitt and Janae Jones work several jobs to meet the needs of their families. Sometimes making income stretch to cover food, clothing and bills is like balancing on a high wire.

The toy store was a life-saver for Southeast member Kristal Summers, 27. She had no idea how to provide Christmas for her five children, ages 18 months to 11 years old, before coming to the Toy Store.

It wasn’t at all what she expected.

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My journey into social media has been largely influenced by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. So, his tweet about taking a 48-hour fast from Twitter caught my attention. I immediately followed the link to his post here to see what was up.

It was an experiment to explore the effects of Twitter on different areas of his life. It was a relief to learn that I shouldn’t experience withdrawal pains if I decide to turn the network off for awhile.

While Michael’s discussion of “The Twitter Effect” was helpful, there was something more to be learned. I hadn’t visited his blog looking for this particular insight. I didn’t expect it. But there it was.

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During Auxano’s co::Lab, vision coach Will Mancini has been showing us how to develop a “Vision Pathway that leads to a lifestyle of visionary leadership.” By definition, a lifestyle affects relationships, actions and how things get done. That makes the source of vision, from which the lifestyle gets its meaning, very important.

Here are three truths about the source of vision that empowers leaders for visionary leadership:

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A good portion of the opening section of Proverbs 5 counsels young men to avoid adultery and remain faithful to their wives.

It’s not surprising that King Solomon begins his book of wisdom with this subject because some of the smartest, richest, most influential people in the world have been completely ruined by an illicit affair.

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In my last post we looked at the importance of determining how God uniquely wires a church for Digital Missions. Now it’s time to consider developing a vision for the initiative.

As you peer into a future that has the church expanding its use of technology and media, “What do you see?” Here’s some gut-check questions to get the ball rolling.

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