Some Thoughts on Hybrid Children’s Ministry
When I initially developed the curriculum for my “How to Be a Hybrid Church” course, I did not include anything specific to children’s ministry. Along the way, however, participants raised questions about it and requested its addition. I decided to do some digging and adapt the lesson. As I researched and assessed the landscape of […]
The Minutiae of Mevo
Last week during my “How to Be a Hybrid Church” class, a participant shared that his church had had great success livestreaming its worship service with a Mevo camera. Someone representing another church, however, let us know in the chat that the Mevo hadn’t worked for them. Fast-forward just a few days and I found […]
How to know when your church needs a new website
I am currently working on a number of church website projects. For each of them, I am taking a different approach. Some are in need of a quick facelift while others need a total do-over. What a church requests of me, however, is not always what I recommend. Occasionally, a church will ask for a […]
Does your church need digital ambassadors?
My classes are back in full swing. I taught five last week and will teach six this coming week. I’m regularly interacting with anywhere between 120 and 150 churches in an online class setting and during office hours. This interaction gives me an opportunity, yes, to teach but more importantly to better understand the challenges […]
Do you know your value?
Your church likely has a mission statement. But does it have a value proposition? I believe churches have much to learn from best business practices. (The reverse is also true, of course.) One of these best practices that I encourage churches to adopt is the development of a value proposition. A value proposition is not […]
Are you boring?
Are you boring? Probably not. But your church’s communications may be. Churches often default to making announcements and sharing information, but that bores people. Instead, why not inspire them to action and build community by telling great stories? Storytelling may be a recent marketing buzzword, but it’s also a beloved tradition. Stories are both ancient […]
We need to talk.
Alright, I’ve dragged my feet long enough. We need to talk. We need to talk about the algorithm. Facebook’s algorithm, that is. Not too long ago, you may have noticed changes to Facebook’s layout. Images are smaller in size and only three lines of text appear from a caption in your newsfeed now. Along with […]
Making the Case for Social Media: Part Two
In part one of this series, I mentioned that I was surprised to find myself defending the value of social media to church leaders. Despite its capacity for friction (and that’s putting it mildly), I believe the church should be present and active on social platforms. Why? Because, whether we like it or not, that’s […]
Making the Most of Christmas: Digital Engagement for the Holidays
This is not a webinar. I will not talk at you for three hours. Nope, this is a workshop. It is designed to leave churches with a plan for their digital Advent and Christmas programming and communications. Here’s how I’m setting it up: First, it’s limited to just 10 participants. I’m keeping it small so […]
I am grateful for you!
When I launched Digital Congregations early this summer, I didn’t know what to expect. Having spent the bulk of my career in the for-profit world, I wondered what the response would be. Would churches be hesitant? Would they keep me at arms length? Would they reject me? If these seem like personal questions, that’s because […]