December 20, 2011 in
ChMS, community, leadership, metrics, ministry, nonprofits, social media, technology with
In this 21st century, technology affects everything from business to home life to the church. Ray Wright discussed the importance of aligning marketing and sales efforts in the midst of a rapidly changing business climate. The principles he outlined can easily translate to the church. Here’s how I see it:
- Business is changing rapidly and so is the church. Our churches should be equally committed to outreach, assimilation, cultivation, and evaluation. Our Welcome Team and our Small Group leaders must know each other. While these different teams are each important because of what they do independently, interdependence is the heart of the church.
- Business is moving online and so is the church. The trend is more business is moving online, not less. According to Wright, 80% of consumers now consult online search engines before making a purchase. Though the heartbeat of the church exists live and in person, our world is going online. To have a lame web presence simply will not work. Continue Reading…
October 14, 2011 in
community, leadership, ministry, nonprofits with
Ron Edmondson has to be one of the most unassuming guys I’ve ever met. He is an influential blogger, pastor, and leader in the church space, and I was delighted when he accepted our request to provide a keynote at our recent
Connected Church Conference.
I knew he’d bring a perspective that would be practical and much needed. His focus on team-building reminded me of the many things I’ve experienced over the years — good and bad — working on various teams.
Continue Reading…
October 7, 2011 in
community, leadership, ministry, nonprofits with
We were very excited to have
Wayne Elsey deliver a keynote on the opening day of the
Connected Church Conference. Wayne is someone I have admired since I read his book,
Almost Isn’t Good Enough. It really challenged me as a business professional but also personally. I couldn’t help but feel motivated to stop doubting what is possible when God is behind an idea, a movement or an opportunity to help others.
Here are some of my notes from Wayne’s presentation:
Continue Reading…
August 20, 2011 in
ChMS, community, leadership, ministry, mobile, nonprofits, social media, technology, volunteers with
Once a church has made the decision to use Church Community Builder (CCB), there are two phases that begin. One is an implementation phase to move database information from their existing system to CCB. The second is preparing the church staff to promote the adoption of CCB within 90 days of “go live.”
Having worked with many different churches helping them implement a new ChMS, we’ve learned that one of the main keys to success (assuming you want your ChMS to be more than a collection of attendance and giving records) is to get as many people on the system as possible. There is a short window of opportunity that must be anticipated and maximized from Day One.
Here are some suggestions we regularly share about how to get more people to become registered users of your ChMS:
- Make registration accessible from the home page of your church’s Web site. Give it a cool name. Don’t call it “CCB Registration.” Your church shouldn’t make the sign up process feel like the Department of Motor Vehicles application process.
- Stop printing unnecessary communication pieces to be distributed via mail or in person. Instead, send that information via the built in social network within CCB.
- Eliminate paper event registration. Make CCB the exclusive place to register for events and pay for any associated costs.
- Invite new members to register as part of your assimilation program. Talk about it from the pulpit and whenever appropriate to remind members about it. Give them a reason to keep coming back.
- Empower your volunteer leaders to get more done effectively and efficiently within CCB. Bust up the controlling forces that might resist too much access to CCB. The value in CCB increases with the level of participation.
Implementing a new ChMS is hard work. Having a plan in place to maximize the software tool to build community can and will accelerate the ministry of your church.
What have you found to be successful in encouraging members to register and regularly use your ChMS?
July 9, 2011 in
ChMS, community, leadership, ministry, nonprofits, social media, technology with
Let’s get one thing straight: I’m pro church. I don’t have to be convinced that the local church is relevant and the primary vehicle through which God accomplishes his work on earth. My passion for His church is what led me to join the team at CCB in 2008. I LOVE working with churches and helping them be more effective at stewarding the people God has entrusted to them. But interacting with churches in a transactional or consultative process has — at times — left me dazed and confused. Continue Reading…
March 22, 2011 in
ChMS, community, leadership, metrics, ministry, nonprofits, technology with
I’ve lived and worked in both the traditional nonprofit world and in the church world. I get so frustrated by how casual so many churches are about building community. There are four observations that I share with leaders regularly that highlight the differences:
- Nonprofits don’t assume they have the attention of donors. Churches expect members to take the initiative to “figure it out.”
- Nonprofits don’t waste opportunities to engage others. Churches rarely invest in multi-dimensional communication strategies to ensure they have the attention of every segment of the community.
- Nonprofits don’t forget to tell great stories. Churches love to talk about programs.
- Nonprofits don’t overlook that impact is what will drive future support. Churches too often fail to connect the dollar to life change.
Nonprofits do amazing work but churches have the “home field advantage” and the best “value proposition” in the world! We should leverage those advantages to engage people for spiritual formation of individuals and spiritual transformation of entire communities.
Eternity is a tough ROI to compete with.
How are you leveraging your advantages as a church community to engage others for Kingdom impact?
In this 21st century, technology affects everything from business to home life to the church. Ray Wright discussed the importance of aligning marketing and sales efforts in the midst of a rapidly changing business climate. The principles he outlined can easily translate to the church. Here’s how I see it:
