Ministry Best Practices

5 Objectives of Using Social Media

2009-10-29T23:05:00.005-04:00

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You may be working or volunteering at a church thinking about finally taking the plunge into social media. Now what?

The first thing you should do as you begin this new venture is to be very clear about your objectives, If you don't the "gee-whiz" factor will quickly wear off and your venture into social media will be short lived.

In my experience, I think that there are five general objectives that can be pursued in the use of any social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc...)

1. Listening. Social Media is a conversation. As people participate you will have the opportunity to learn and benefit from those takeaways.

2. Talking. Use Social Media as an opportunity to double down on your communication regarding your church's vision or communicate opportunities to serve. There is so much noise in our culture, so it doesn't hurt to have another conduit to communicate.

3. Energizing. This is similar to talking, but the objective here is to mobilize and empower the champions and connectors in the church to be the fuel of the ministry.

4. Supporting. Through Social Media, your church can provide others the tools and resources they need for spiritual growth.

5. Connecting. The objective of Social Media is to connect people together, to have them talk to one another. So your role is to act as a facilitator to help those in your church engage and come together toward a common mission and objectives.

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How to Care for Those Who Do the Caring

2009-10-29T10:39:00.003-04:00

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We are at the end of the month of October which has been designated as Clergy Appreciation Month. And although we set aside a month to focus on appreciating and caring for those called to shepherd the church, care for the pastor needs to go well beyond one month out of the year.

Pastors are at high risk - depression, addictions and divorce.

An estimated 18% to 25% of all ministers are depressed at any one time.

The pain and suffering that pastors silently suffer through can turn tragic.

From an article at USAToday,

What kind of personal pain would cause a 42-year-old pastor to abandon his family, his calling and even life itself? Members of a Baptist church here are asking that question after their pastor committed suicide in his parked car in September.

Those who counsel pastors say Christian culture, especially Southern evangelicalism, creates the perfect environment for depression. Pastors suffer in silence, unwilling or unable to seek help or even talk about it. Sometimes they leave the ministry. Occasionally the result is the unthinkable.

Experts say clergy suicide is a rare outcome to a common problem.

But Baptists in the Carolinas are soul searching after a spate of suicides and suicide attempts by pastors. In addition to the September suicide of David Treadway, two others in North Carolina attempted suicide, and three in South Carolina succeeded, all in the last four years.

Being a pastor — a high-profile, high-stress job with nearly impossible expectations for success — can send one down the road to depression, according to pastoral counselors.

Read the whole article HERE

If you are a pastor or a ministry leader, how do cope with the stresses, struggles and strains from ministry?

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5 Warning Signs that your Church is Sinking

2009-10-28T22:14:00.005-04:00

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Thom Rainer shares five warning signs that the health of your church may be deteriorating. Do any of the below signs apply to your church?

1. The church has few outwardly focused ministries. Most of the budget dollars in the church are spent on the desires and comforts of church members. The ministry staff spends most of its time taking care of members, with little time to reach out and minister to the community the church is supposed to serve.

2. The dropout rate is increasing. Members are leaving for other churches in the community, or they are leaving the local church completely. A common exit interview theme we heard was a lack of deep biblical teaching and preaching in the church.

3. The church is experiencing conflict over issues of budgets and building. When the focus of church members becomes how the facilities and money can meet their preferences, church health is clearly on the wane.

4. Corporate prayer is minimized. If the church makes prayer a low priority, it makes God a low priority.

5. The pastor has become a chaplain. The church members view the pastor as their personal chaplain, expecting him to be on call for their needs and preferences. When he doesn't make a visit at the expected time, or when he doesn't show up for the Bible class fellowship, he receives criticism. In not a few cases, the pastor has lost his job at that church because he was not omnipresent for the church members.

You can read the rest of Thom's thoughts HERE.

One of the best books that I've read that would serve as an antidote against a church "going under" is Jack Miller's book, "Outgrowing the Ingrown Church" - this book is a must read.

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Ministry Metrics

2009-10-21T10:27:00.001-04:00

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My friend and ministry collegue, Tony Stiff has given me permission to repost a big portion of his incredible post on ministry metrics.

If you click here you can download a PDF entitled “Ministry Metrics” it will explain how to measure ministry flow in metric terms.

From Tony- "This PDF is the outcome of a conversation that begin with another pastor friend of mine regarding how we could become better stewards of our ministries. Ministry metrics are becoming more popular among larger churches that are budget and staff heavy and are trying to be good stewards of their resources.

Smaller churches aren’t as quick to get on board with metrics because the need to use metrics is not as pressing but nevertheless is important. As long as pastors chasten how they use metrics to measure ministry growth by having a philosophy of ministry that is Spirit-dependent and always mindful of the grace of God in the gospel; using metrics can be of great value.

You should notice trends in each area of metrics: they’re all aimed at small, large, and directional growth; they’re done in community with one another; and they’re inclusive to every leader in the body no matter how great or small their responsibility loads are"

Read the rest HERE on Tony's website.

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Church Sign Fail

2009-10-20T13:36:00.001-04:00

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(ht: Failblog)

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New Facebook Button

2009-10-20T13:19:00.003-04:00

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Take a look up above, there is a new button.

Inspired by the popular Retweet buttons, this new sharing button for Facebook displays the number of times the current page has been shared on Facebook and allows you, visitors to Ministry Best Practices, to share it yourself. It's features include:

- Displays the number of shares and on hover the total number of clicks for those shares (displays Facebook logo when 0 shares)
- A choice between a large or small button

To get yours for your blog or website go HERE

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Twitter in the Funnies

2009-10-08T16:54:00.000-04:00

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Dilbert has just found out an ingenious way to use Twitter at work:

click to view a larger image

Even though Twitter can be misused and is often misunderstood, I believe that can hold value for ministries who understand how to leverage it properly.

I have said many times that Twitter can provide an excellent opportunity for pastors to connect with their congregation. This is particularly true for large churches, where the congregants don't have easy access to their pastor. A pastor can use twitter to share thoughts about a sermon, share details about ministry and highlight opportunities as well as be able to create conversations with people in the church.

If you are a pastor, do you use Twitter? Why or why not?

Related Posts:
Twitter Tracker
How Twitter Hits the Sweet Spot
Should We Twitter in Church?

(ht: Mashable)

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YouVersion Live has gone LIVE!

2009-10-07T14:09:00.001-04:00

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You can view this video to get a brief overview.

Introducing YouVersion Live from YouVersion on Vimeo.

There are creative ways in which your church, ministrty or organization might be able to use YouVersion Live to bring interactivity to weekend services, conferences, Bible studies, and more. Once a group is set up, a live event can take place any time.

Best of all, it's free and it’s easy to use.

Go to www.YouVersion.com/live for more info.

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Brevity Communicates Essence

2009-10-05T10:25:00.001-04:00

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It has been said that bevity is the soul of wit.

Since 1996, the Webby Awards have been given by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for achievement on the Internet. Winners are limited to five-word acceptance speeches. That's right - JUST FIVE WORDS.

(The video below is a compilation of some of those concise and occasionally funny speeches.)

Often times good and effective communication is the result of saying what needs to be said in it's simplest form. When you do so, not only will you have greater impact because your audience was able to remember what you've said, but it also guarantees you being the clearest you can be.

If you had only five words to say to the world, what would they be?

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My personal recommendation of Tony Stiff

2009-09-29T13:24:00.003-04:00

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In this post, I want to toot someone's horn and bring them to your attention.

In my years of working alongside many ministry leaders, Tony Stiff is one of the most gifted pastors I know. Tony is not only a pastor, he is a friend and a ministry colleague.

Tony is currently in a season of transition and seeking the Lord for the next ministry opportunity

If you are part of a church that is going through a pastoral transition, whether it be a lead pastor or a pastoral staff position, I would encourage you to take a look at Tony's material - his resume website and video!

I wouldn't hesitate to work with Tony on the same team if the opportunity provided itself.

To see Tony's resume website with this video in its intended context click here.

To download a copy of Tony's Pastoral Resume in PDF form with references, recommendations, and more click here.

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In 20 Years, One Quarter of Americans Could Claim "No Religion"

2009-09-26T10:18:00.002-04:00

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According to a post at U.S. News and World Report, if current trends continue, a quarter of Americans are likely to claim "no religion" in 20 years, according to a survey out today by Trinity College.

Americans who identify with no religious tradition currently comprise 15 percent of the country, representing the fastest growing segment of the national religious landscape.

While the numbers portend a dramatic change for the American religious scene—"religious nones" accounted for just 8 percent of the population in 1990—the United States is not poised to adopt the anti-religious posture of much of secularized Europe.

That's because American religious nones tend to be religious skeptics as opposed to outright atheists. Fewer than 10 percent of those identifying with no religious tradition call themselves atheists or hold atheistic beliefs, according to the new study.

Read the rest HERE

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Share Your Email

2009-09-26T10:07:00.004-04:00

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Have you ever had an email that you want to share on the web or on a social network? If so, you can forward it to “post@moomeo.com” and you’ll receive a return email with a web link.

The email from Moomeo will also include links to share the original email on Facebook and Twitter.

You don’t need to sign up and you don’t even need to visit the Moomeo web site.

The posted email does not include the addresses of sender or recipient, and Moomeo provides a link that allows you to delete the post. And people with whom you share emails can add comments.

But let me ask my readers, does a service like posting emails have any value for your ministry or church? Is it legitimate to publicly post email...or should email be regarded as a private communication, only for an intended and targeted audience?

Although, with that being said, could this service have some possible uses?

Could it be used to share noteworthy emails, such as a ministry story or something praiseworthy to a greater ministry audience?

Could it be used to merely post a funny or interesting email to your broader social network?

Let me know what you think.

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Now You Know...

2009-09-22T11:02:00.002-04:00

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You got to watch this latest "Did You Know?.." video below.

The video includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology.

Watching the video reminds me again and again of the importance for the church not to ignore the important trends such as social media, the ubiquitous use of cell phones and the future of marketing.

Of course it is important to always view trends and technology with discernment and through a theological grid..but that doesn't mean that our ministries and churches have permission to ignore the shifting landscape and ignore genuine opportunities to connect people to their faith and to proclaim the gospel.

I believe that we are in a paradigm shift today as big as the day when the world was opened up by the invention of the Gutenberg printing press.

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Rotten on the Inside

2009-09-18T11:08:00.001-04:00

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"I've come to see institutional decline like a disease: harder to detect but easier to cure in the early stages; easier to detect but harder to cure in the later stages. An institution can look strong on the outside but already be sick on the inside, dangerously on the cusp of a precipitous fall." – Jim Collins, How the Mighty Fall: A Primer on the Warning Signs,

(ht: www.businessweek.com)

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The One Secret to Become More Productive

2009-09-18T09:48:00.004-04:00

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Matt Cutts, Google software engineer shares one of his best productivity secrets. This secret can literally CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! Are you ready?

Step 1. Buy a productivity book.

Any productivity book will do. It doesn’t matter what book you order though, because you probably won’t read it. You can use any random “increase your productivity” book.

Step 2. Look at the productivity book and tell yourself, “If I don’t get X done, I’m going to have to read that productivity book.”

That’s it. Staring at the cover of a productivity book gives you almost as much of a motivational boost as actually reading the book. And if staring at the cover doesn’t work, then tell yourself the punishment for not getting your work done is that you’ll have to read that dang productivity book. Pretty soon you’ll be off and working. :-)

Thanx Matt!

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Rethinking Vision

2009-09-17T09:45:00.002-04:00

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In Gary Collins' recent newsletter, he submits that casting vision isn't what it used to be:

Recent years have seen a seismic shift in our perspectives on vision, especially as it relates to leadership. A new book by Jimmy Long calls this The Leadership Jump. Top-down, controlling leadership is fading. No longer can people with titles and power set the agenda and expect everyone else to follow. A new form of leadership has emerged where the leader stimulates ideas and plans but where teams combine their creative ideas to set vision and shape directions together.

It is all about collaboration and coroperation. Is it no wonder that we get this kind of response from those we lead particularly since we now live in a world of "social media", such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Social Media empowers people to particapate not only in the medium, but also crafting the conversation and message. People want to be empowered to participate.

Gary goes on to say:

In an issue of Leadership Journal (Summer 2009) devoted to "iGens" (the contemporary "isolated generation"), one writer urges ministry leaders to "forget about implementing the church's vision." Instead, leaders need to release control and share influence with others, including those who are younger. This can be one of the most difficult changes for a traditional leader to make.

Visions and vision casting are still relevant and motivating. Leaders, coaches, mentors, and teachers will continue to instill and stimulate visions. What's changing is the shift of control, creativity and ownership from an influential individual to teams. This change in vision and visionary leadership is too far along to reverse. Maybe that's not so bad.

You can read the newsletter in it entirety HERE.

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Passion - Atlanta 2010

2009-09-13T20:46:00.002-04:00

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Where? - Atlanta. January 2-5.

Louie Giglio. Hillsong. Chris Tomlin. John Piper. Francis Chan. Beth Moore. Matt Redman. Andy Stanley. Steve Fee. David Crowder. Christy Nockels. Charlie Hall. Kristian Stanfill.

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Worst Meeting Ever!

2009-09-12T16:15:00.006-04:00

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Have you ever cried that out loud? I know I have.

Meetings can be bad enough as they are - but a bad book about meetings, such as the one pictured, All About Meetings, is Uberboring!

You won't find this book at your local Barnes and Noble. Rather you will most likely find this dusty old find someone in the dark recesses of your public library.

The table of contents of this book include:
1. Why Meetings? ...
2. What Is a Meeting?…..
12. Was It A Good Meeting?

Memorable quotes:
Page 81, “Probably you too have been present at affairs where the hostesses acted as though they hated everyone and wished that they were anywhere but there…” And, “The guest who arrives too early sometimes presents a problem which may be solved simply by not opening the doors until a certain set time…” - no kidding?!

Meetings are unavoidable in ministry and in the marketplace. Since you are going to have meetings - you might as well do them right. When you hold your meetings it is important that you include several things:

An agenda that people receive at least 24 hrs before the schedule meeting - that way people aren't going in cold with no thought or preparation.

Clear start and end times.

Everyone walks away with a clear action plan - answering the three questions. What is the task?.. Who specifically has responsibility for it?...And when is it's deadline?

Related Posts:
Death by Meetings
How to Become a Scheduling Wizard

(ht: Awful Library Books)

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Facebook Gets More Social

2009-09-11T17:02:00.003-04:00

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Facebook is rolling out “@ mentions” similar to those found in Twitter. According to the Facebook blog:

Now, when you are writing a status update and want to add a friend’s name to something you are posting, just include the “@” symbol beforehand. As you type the name of what you would like to reference, a drop-down menu will appear that allows you to choose from your list of friends and other connections, including groups, events, applications and Pages. Soon, you’ll be able to tag friends from applications as well. The “@” symbol will not be displayed in the published status update or post after you’ve added your tags.

This feature isn’t working universally yet, you may need to wait awhile until it get fully rolled out.

In addition, Facebook has added a feature allowing users to browse and filter friends by city. To access this feature, go to Friends, then click on Browse. You’ll be given an option to browse by City; a dropdown menu will appear showing the cities in which you have friends.

It is exciting to see Facebook adding new features. Facebook is one of my must-have ministry tools. It helps me to communicate and stay connected with those in my ministry unlike many other tools out there.

And don't forget...if you aren't a part of Ministry Best Practices' Facebook Fan Page - become a FAN!

Related Posts:

How to Stay Connected for LIFE

Facebook Comes of Age

Why Should Your Church Invest in Social Media?

Facebook Primer

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Biblical Worldview Training

2009-09-11T11:35:00.004-04:00

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Starting today, the Colson Center for Christian Worldview will begin to equip a true movement of believers — men and women who want to defend and live out a thoroughly biblical worldview in this postmodern age, an age that is growing increasingly hostile to the beliefs and values that have made Western civilization possible.

The Colson Center is a unique interactive Website — a vast virtual library that pulls together not only my work and teachings, but those of many of the great Christian thinkers, ancient and modern. When you come to the Website, you'll have full, free access to articles, videos, online courses — all designed to help believers see the world through the eyes of Christ. You'll also find links to a wide variety of Christian ministries and organizations that share my passion for seeing a renewed, vibrant Church impacting the society in which we live.

To learn more about the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and explore all it has to offer, visit the Colson Center at....

www.ColsonCenter.org.

They have created a brief video that captures the heart of what they're trying to accomplish through the Colson Center.

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Top 10 Biggest Megachurches - in Pictures

2009-09-10T08:05:00.004-04:00

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Here are some interesting facts about the list:

Four of the ten are in Texas.

Seven of the ten are in the south.

One is just down the street from where I live.

There’s a father and son whose churches are on the list- can you guess who that is?

Click Here to view all 10 Churches

(ht: BagofNothing)

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Make Your Communication Come Alive

2009-09-08T05:18:00.002-04:00

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Do you find it challenging to find that right graphic or photo for the next church newsletter, website, or blog post?

Are you looking for free, quality stock photography for your church or ministry?

That’s where the free meta-search engine Everystockphoto can help you make your communication pieces come alive.

Everystockphoto searches millions of free stock photos from many different sources, including Flickr, stock.xchng, morgueFile and FreeRange.

All you do is enter a search term - like I did for "stained glass", and Everystockphoto returns the results in a series of easy-to-navigate thumbnails.

Clicking on a thumbnail reveals a larger image, together with more information about the photo, including license, image size, the name of the photographer and more. Also, the highest-resolution version of the image is available through the “Full Size” link.

For this blog post, I pulled one of the images of "stained glass" from the search and found this beautiful spiraled "Glory Window". You will definitely want to bookmark Everystockphoto, because chances are you are going to get a lot of use out of it.

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Bible Bestsellers

2009-09-07T21:05:00.002-04:00

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1. Outreach New Testament – ESV
2. Text Bible – NKJV
3 . NIV Adventure Bible
4 . Operation Worship Bible – NLT
5 . True Images – NIV
6 . Thinline Bible – NIV
7 . Abundant Life Bible NT – NLT
8 . Adventure Bible – NIV
9 . Thinline Bible – NIV
10. NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers

Compiled and distributed by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA)

Link - to see the whole list

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Be a Better Leader?...Be a Humble Follower!

2009-09-07T09:54:00.003-04:00

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This quote is from Jack Miller and his book The Heart of a Servant Leader:

How blessed it is just to be a follower of Jesus! Really, isn’t being a good follower the very heart of being a leader? And isn’t our leadership often lacking just because we have weakened in followership? I know that is my experience repeatedly. I get overly concerned over how to be a better leader, but Jesus is concerned about making me a better, more humble follower. (p.218)

(ht: DashHouse)

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The Nines

2009-09-03T13:00:00.002-04:00

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Catalyst is partnering with Leadership Network on a brand new event they have created called The Nines. I'm participating, and you should too. Here are the details:

Wednesday, September 9, begins at 9:00 am CST.

The event is free, but you have to pre-register.

Over 60 presenters, including Mark Driscoll, Perry Noble, Mark Batterson, Ed Stetzer, Reggie McNeal, John Ortberg, Steven Furtick, Greg Surratt, Reggie Joiner and many, many more.

Each presenter has nine minutes or less to present based on this thought: “If you could sit down one-on-one with a handful of church leaders, what is the one thing you would want to tell them?”

Over 6,000 leaders have already pre-registered for this one day online event, so make sure you register today.

(ht: Brad)

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