Website design: it’s not about you, it’s about your audience – Huron Church News March 2018

When designing a web page, or curating content on your social media platforms there is one important rule to remember: it is not about you.

That may seem counter-intuitive since it is the story of your community that you are telling the world. Yet far too often we allow our preferences for design and content to influence our choices.

Here are four tips to help as you prepare to update or launch a new website for your church or to improve your social experience.

1) Remember to make your site mobile friendly. Mobile devices traffic overtook desktop device traffic in 2014. According to a study by comscore.com, 80 percent of millennials own a smartphone compared to just 40 percent of people 55 and up. Chances are if you are going to reach the next generation, it will be on a handheld device.

It is best to design your site to optimize for the mobile experience over the desktop experience. Swipe or tap friendly navigation will go a long way in creating a good user experience.

2) As you design your site, think about your target audience and what they would want to know about your church and its ministries. The impulse is to share the things we want to highlight that we enjoy the most. That would be an effective strategy if you were marketing to yourself and your demographic.

If you are targeting millennials, then you need to highlight the ministries in your church that are of interest to millennials. Spend some time online researching areas of interest to millennials, take a few surveys and don’t be afraid to ask for input.

3) Promote Sharing. Events pages are a great way to promote sharing across social media channels. Keep each event separate, clean, efficient and easy to get the relevant details. Every share across social
boosts the chances of people finding their way back to your site, and then your front door.

4) Lastly, when writing for the web, whether social or your website, less is more. Edit 50% of the words from any post or page. Users tend to scan and not read. The last thing you want is someone bouncing off your site or leaving a TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read) comment on your social media channels.

While many see millennials as fickle, they are no more fickle than any generation. We just need to learn to present ourselves in a manner that resonates. This is, after all, what Paul meant when he said: “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews, I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak, I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings” (1 Cor. 9: 19-23).

Tips on how to garden your website, Huron Church News April 2017

Throughout this series, I’ve written in detail about how your website is often the first and sometimes the only impression a church gets to make.

But websites are like gardens, they must be regularly tended and updated or else they get overgrown and unappealing. So it’s important to take stock every now and then.

Here are a quick five things you can do to ‘audit’ your website to keep it fresh and well weeded.

Keep the pages well structured. Common elements such as headers, footers, sidebars and menu items should be consistent on every page. Your home page can be an exception to this rule, but a visitor must be able to find their way around.

Keep the text short and well structured. I try to remove 50% of the words from my first draft. Readers disengage if they have to read too much to find your point or have to wade through too much jargon. Your website is your first point of contact with those un-churched. Words like Eucharist, Compline and BCP and BAS have deep meaning to those inside the church, but to many, it is confusing jargon.

People tend to scan when they read online. Break up your text into short sentences and paragraphs. Make liberal use of bullet points and headers and include an image every 250 words to keep people engaged and illustrate your point.

The menu should be short and concise. If you need more than 7 items, consider sub-menus so visitors can quickly find what they are looking for.

Have a clear and distinct call-to-action that drives visitors to fulfil the goal of your site. If you don’t know the goal of your website, now is a good time to think about it. For a church community, you likely want to increase attendance at your weekly services, solicit donations for your ministry, recruit volunteers, or collect contact information for potential members. Once you have identified your goal, your website needs to make it simple and easy for visitors to do it. A large “register for our newsletter” button or “newcomer information” page may suit your needs. Just make sure to keep it clear and concise.

Make your website accessible. You want your website to reach as many people as possible, so make sure it can be read with different devices and browsers. There is now more mobile traffic than desktop traffic so your website should be mobile-friendly at the very least. Ideally, you should also consider users using accessibility software such as screen readers for those who are colour blind.

These simple five tips can be used when designing your new website or auditing your existing site. If you discover your site needs a little work, don’t worry; even the healthiest garden is never maintenance-free. But by knowing what needs to be done and keeping on top of your content, layout, and goals, your site will help your community fulfil the Great Commission and make that first point of contact memorable, in a good way.

Email – central to your parish’s communications strategy, Huron Church News March 2017

Email is King. All hail the king!

I know that sounds flippant, but in P2P communication no platform has yet managed to supplant email. As popular as Facebook and Twitter have become, the largest P2P communication channel remains email.

In 2015, 205 billion emails, on average, were sent each day. Meanwhile, only 23 billion text messages are sent each day, 500 million Tweets and 55 million status updates are created on Facebook. The numbers are staggering, I know. Yet, the volume of emails dwarfs all others players in the field.

The power of email cannot be understated. While some people may resist signing up to Facebook or Twitter, or undertake a Lenten fast from social media, the one channel that even the latest adopters usually have is email. This means email is central to any parish’s communication strategy.

My current favourite application to help with email and parish ministry is MailChimp. The Forever Free plan at Mailchimp allows for up to 2000 subscribers and 12,000 emails to be sent each month free of charge. The multiple list feature allows for different communications to reach different audiences. Customizable templates can be updated with a parish logo, pictures and text, or, with a little HTML knowledge, you can create your own.

Regular communications like announcements and newsletters can be created easily and unexpected messages such as obituaries and emergency announcements can be quickly shared with the entire community or just a small group. MailChimp can also be integrated with tools such as Facebook, WordPress, Raiser’s Edge and more.

This free platform allows churches to use email to build community and fellowship and keep in touch with those that may otherwise only connect a few times a year. By having the entire parish list only a click away, communities are able to come together in times of crisis and share the Good News of God’s Spirit working in the world.

You can read more about how MailChimp can help manage your church communications by reading their guide for nonprofits here: https://mailchimp.com/resources/guides/mailchimp-for-nonprofits.

Don’t push content upon your followers but interact with them, Huron Church News January 2017

The road to Emmaus is one of the best biblical accounts of how social media works.

I find it striking that in this 2000-year-old account of a resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ we have the very fundamentals of social media. But then again should I be surprised? The Gospel is, after all, always astonishing.

In this passage, Jesus appears to the disciples, although they do not yet know who he is. He walks with them along the long and dusty road. He comes into relationship with them. Jesus dialogues with them and lets them open up to him about themselves and what has just transpired in Jerusalem. Jesus does not force the conversation or push “content” upon them. Instead he builds a relationship.

After a time, once a relationship has been established, Jesus continues to dialogue with them, but he also begins to offer His own content. He opens their minds to scriptures. This is tricky of course, because this is the moment when we would want to push more content on people, but Jesus demonstrates that the time is not yet right. Instead, He focuses on building the relationship, understanding a subject (namely the scriptures), and walking with his disciples.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus demonstrates something fundamentally important about relationship building that we lose at times in social media. We push content on the web: posts, blogs, sermons, images, tweets, etc. We push content in the hopes of gaining new followers and new “likes”. We purchase ads to further our reach and further the reach of our communities. But by doing so we can forget what Jesus talked about so long ago, and that is to come into relationship with people.

Pushing content seems natural to us. Having something new on our Facebook pages and websites seems critically important in a world increasingly based on consumption. Yet, I think that on that long and dusty road, Jesus demonstrates that instead of consuming, we ought to be coming into relationship with one another.

So while content is important, so also is it important to stop, engage and interact with those that like, comment, or share our posts. Take time in your day to read what others share on their social networks and work on building relationships. Enter into dialogue, discuss, and get to know one another.

In today’s media savvy world, it is critical to not only use social media tools, but to use them effectively. Social media is just that: social. Effective use requires two-way dialogue and engagement. And remember we count success not in number of likes, dollars on the plate or even growth. Success is best measured in spreading of the Gospel message and coming into real relationship with those we encounter.

The insidious threats of “like farming”, Huron Church News October 2016

The smell of lavender evokes powerful feelings for me. Simply passing a fragrant candle is enough to spark memories and bring a smile to my face on my worst days. That sweet smell can cast away any shadow. You see, lavender is the scent of the baby shampoo we use for my daughter, Hannah.

Our senses can be a powerful means of evoking an emotional response. And this forms the backbone of creating a consistent brand. Create a smell, sound or sight that links to an experience and it becomes possible to evoke that memory again and again. Get that smell, sound or sight out in the world and it can bring people to your door.

This association is part of the core philosophy of branding, the process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumer’s’ mind. The same techniques apply to the church and how we present ourselves to the world. Creating that association is key. And part of any branding exercise is, of course, having a distinguished and recognizable logo.

Logos tell stories and can create powerful associations for people. In the blink of an eye the Golden Arches or the Nike swoosh are both recognizable and they evoke emotions, memories, and opinions. Just seeing the logo on a billboard can subtly influence your next shoe or dinner decision.

stam_logoFor congregations, branding can be used to create a recognizable presence in your community. At my previous parish of St. Andrew Memorial, we chose a bold and modern St. Andrew’s cross to communicate that the community was rooted in tradition but has modern relevance.

Once we had our logo, it was critical to put it everywhere. The goal was to make it instantly recognizable to our neighbours and anyone that came in contact with the community. From bulletins to vestry reports, from Web and social media platforms to outdoor signage, the logo permeated all of the parish’s communications.

Any communication, signage, sponsorships or outreach that bore our logo contributed to the emotions or memories evoked by it later on. Seeing the logo sparked a memory about something the church had done – i.e. “oh yah, you are the church with the garden” – or of an experience with it.

Seeing a logo everywhere can lose its appeal to the everyday parishioner or priest, but remember: the logo is not for you, it is about you. It tells your story and helps seekers associate the logo with the essence that is your church. In the end a logo is a symbol meant to convey the enormity of all you wish to communicate about who you are as a community. It speaks of your worship, your outreach and how you interact with the world around you.

Each individual church ought to have its own individual logo. This creates an emotional association with parishioners, neighbours and those that are served. And we are wise to remember that such a simple image can have a profound effect and stir powerful emotions that will help to fulfill the Great Commission.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Shares, Huron Church News May 2016

Parish life can be hectic. There are many events to attend: garage sales, bible studies special worship services, and dinners to name but a few. Each of these events is a chance to tell the story of your parish community and to celebrate the good work that is being done in the name of Jesus Christ.

These are the very real personal stories of communities in action that will attract newcomers and strengthen existing relationship between parishioners. These are the stories of faith, the minutia of day to day parish life. And these are the stories that can have the biggest impact on your outward communication strategies.

It is necessary then that these stories are captured to share and celebrate. To do this, a person in the community should be tasked with documenting each event. This seems obvious but is far too often overlooked. People will often take personal photos but these usually end up being communicated by that individual rather than as part of the broader communication strategy of the parish and shared on the parish’ social media channels.

Assigning this task needs to be considered when planning any event so the opportunity is not missed. Not only is the event captured for posterity, but the recordings and photos can be used to communicate the vitality and essence of your community on your social media and web channels.

In this way, visitors to your social media platforms will see the active and vibrant community that exists. Rather than a post from several months ago and pictures from a couple of years ago, they will be able to see recent engaging activities that communicate the life of the community.

We have much to share in the life of the church. Even after these events have passed and are over, their effect can live on. The images, pictures and stories can inspire new generations to come to church. They can tell the story of your community. And most importantly, they can tell the story of Jesus Christ.

So be ready at your next event, dinner or special worship service. Task an individual with snapping a few pictures and share those pictures on your parish’s social media channels. Celebrate your events and celebrate your community. And in doing so you will help make Christ known to the broader world.

Copyright goes beyond music, Huron Church News October 2015

When creating a poster or Facebook event for an upcoming parish event, such as Back to Church Sunday or a fall barbecue, the first instinct may be to look for an image on a search engine like Google to promote your event. They are, after all, readily available and easily downloaded.

They are also protected by copyright.

Beyond music, copyright is an issue rarely discussed in many churches. Works protected by copyright do not stop at music, books or journal articles, but also include images, photos, PowerPoint templates, text from blogs and websites, Photoshop files, published sermons, and works of art.

How can we use materials fairly while respecting those who used their time and talents to produce them? Are there portions of the work you would be allowed to use?

Small parts of copyrighted works may be copied for the purposes of research or private study. Educational institutions, archives, libraries, and museums also hold specific exemptions.

Ordinary congregational worship activities, however, do not provide a context for “fair use” of copyright material.

Therefore, when looking for images for a website, blog post, sermon series or poster, simply Googling an image and downloading it is a violation of copyright law and could put the congregation in a difficult position.

Many artists are willing to allow free use of their images, but they do also require acknowledgment of their work. This creates traffic back to their portfolio and can increase their sales and help provide for their livelihood.

Even when an image is free, it is best to check with the artist or read the parameters that govern the use of the image found on the web.

Using a photographer’s pictures or a designer’s Photoshop files in a sermon series or PowerPoint presentation may be allowed, but non-financial requirements may still exist, such as acknowledgment in the publication or at the end of the presentation.

So how do you find materials that are safe to use and are within your parish’s budget?

When it comes to images specifically, there is a wealth of free resources online. Excellent starting points for churches looking for inexpensive or royalty-free images include http://www.creationswap.com, http://search.creativecommons.org, and http://www.sxc.hu. Whatever site you use, take the time to read its FAQ or licencing page to be sure you are in compliance.

If you have an image that you want to use but don’t know where it came from, http://www.tineye.com is a website that can help find the original source of the image. Once you know that, you can ask permission of the owner.

A little work online can protect the congregation and also lead to new relationships with artists who deserve compensation for use of their quality work. Taking a little time to identify the rightful owner of images and copyrighted material goes a long way to protecting the church and advancing the Gospel.

Activating our Weak Ties, Huron Church News June 2015

Within our social circles, we have a mix of relationships from very close friends to distant acquaintances.

Our closest relationships likely make up a close-knit group of friends and family who know us best. Acquaintances, on the other hand, are made up of a diverse group of people who can come from different contexts, such as work, school, neighbourhood, conferences, and old school friends.

In social graph theory, these two groups are referred to as “strong ties” and “weak ties”.

The people we spend the most time with are our strong ties. These connections are very familiar with our likes, dislikes, hobbies, clubs we belong to, and the church we attend. In fact, our strong ties likely share some of these things with us.

Weak ties, on the other hand, are people we spend less time with. They may be friends from work, neighbours, distant relatives, or friends from high school. We don’t see them as close friends, but weak ties are very powerful when it comes to social networking, online and off. These ties act as bridges between social groups and have been shown to be extremely influential when job hunting because they have access to a different pool of connections and information than we and our strong ties do.

The same benefit can be extended to the church — our weak ties hold the potential power to reach outside of our immediate social groups and reach newcomers, welcome new ideas, and evangelize.

Social media is the perfect way to stay connected with weak ties — that friend from high school or colleague from a previous employer. It’s also a great way to spread your church’s message across these powerful social bridges.

Every interaction with our church’s Facebook page or Twitter account is an opportunity to engage weak ties. A simple “like” that shows up in your newsfeed or activity tracker means that your friends, even the distant ones, see what your church or diocese is up to. If they “like” it too, it can spread exponentially.

This is why Facebook events for church picnics, barbecues and other events are so important. While you may never think to invite someone from the office to your parish barbecue, simply RSVPing through Facebook allows your weak ties to see that activity on your Facebook wall and may prompt a question or conversation.

As we prepare for summer and begin to think about the fall and Back to Church Sunday events throughout our diocese, give some time and energy to interacting with your church’s social media accounts. By doing so, we all can participate in reaching beyond our immediate membership to spread news, promote events and invite newcomers.

The newest member of your church is just waiting to learn about the exciting things happening in your parish. And that is all one click away.

Take some time this summer to engage with your church’s social media accounts. By doing so, come Back to Church Sunday, you may find yourself sitting beside your weak ties.

Right Tool for the Right Communications, Huron Church News May 2015

When evaluating web and social media solutions, the best place to start is with the question, “What is your desired outcome”? It can be tempting to jump on the bandwagon of the next big thing or stick to what we already know, but it is important to first identify your goals and pick a platform or technology that will get you there. Otherwise, you may find yourself fitting a square peg into a round hole and your outreach attempts may be less effective than they could be.

For example, Facebook is one of the most popular platforms across generations today. Most churches recognize that Facebook is a useful tool for evangelism, content discovery, and communication. But even Facebook offers different ways for organizations to communicate.

The Facebook group is designed specifically for internal communication, while the fan page is designed with external communication — evangelism — in mind.

Both of the tools can be a great resource to any parish, but they have different features and applications.

A group is useful for internal communication and can be a great tool for a parish council or committee in a church to collaborate and share information outside of regular meetings. A group can provide a shared history of discussions and notes for new members, and can allow people to connect who may otherwise have difficulty meeting outside of Sunday mornings. But Facebook groups do not reach outward as only members can get updates and they can require active monitoring to keep up on a given discussion.

Fan pages, on the other hand, behave much like personal accounts. People need only “like” the page to join and they will see updates in their Facebook news feed. Friends of friends are also able to see these posts when someone comments or interacts with a post. Instead of reaching only the members of a small group, fan page posts can reach exponentially more people than a group.

Fan pages also offer two very distinct evangelistic properties for any church wanting to reach out with the Gospel message: analytics and advertisement.

Once a fan page reaches 30 likes, analytics are available to the fan page owner. Churches can see who is interacting with their posts and what content has the best and most favourable reach and can make decisions about how to tailor their message for maximum effect.

I can’t stress the importance of analytics enough. Knowing the demographics of your audience allows you to tailor your message to either have a greater impact on your current readership or shift focus to engage with a different target audience.

Advertisements are also available through fan pages. By creating an ad to promote a post or event, you can target a particular city or postal code with upcoming events or Christmas or Easter worship schedules. Or you can get even more specific with demographic targeting, such as letting young families know about your upcoming Messy Church event.

A small budget of $6 to $10 can have a profound effect on reaching seekers, especially in the holy seasons of Christmas and Easter, and help grow your congregation.

Facebook is only one example of all the platforms available, and fan pages vs. groups is but one decision to make. But starting with the answer to “What is your desired outcome?” will lead your community to finding the most effective tools to achieve their goals.

HCN May 2015

The church and contest

Attention all clergy!!

Your work hereMy partner and I are excited to announce an exciting opportunity for you. In a few months we will be getting married and would like a custom marriage service designed for us. We want it to be special and unique, so nothing out of the box. (Or book)

So we decided that we would hold a CONTEST!! That’s right. Simply submit your marriage service that you designed for us to the email address below and we will review them. We look forward to announcing the winner on our wedding website. (What great recognition for you and your work!!)

Wait!! There is more. Not only will you be acknowledged for your hard work on our website and at our wedding too when the officiant we hire to perform your service gives you a shoot out!! But you will also receive a new Ipad for all your efforts.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions soon.

Okay maybe the above contest is tongue in cheek. But that is how the church comes across to graphic designers, web developers and artist when we hold a “contest” so we can get a free poster for an event or a new logo for our church.

I know it is well intentioned. But it is also insulting to highly trained professionals.

It says:

We do not value your work

We want something for free

We don’t understand the industry and therefor look amateurish.

I hope in the future we, clergy and church leaders, who want to have our own work valued and respected would afford the same respect to other industries. And we would always look to fairly compensate people for their hard work in their trained field of expertise and be grateful when those we have contracted for work offer it at a reduced rate or free as a gift to God.

Content vs Relationships

Luke 24:13-25

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-disciples-encounter-jesus-road-to-emmaus-picture-holy-scriptures-old-new-testaments-books-collection-image30190343The road to Emmaus is one of the best biblical accounts of how social media works. And I find it striking that in this 2000-year-old account of a resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ we have the very fundamentals of social media. But then again should I be surprised? The Gospel is, after all, always astonishing.

In this passage Jesus appears to the disciples, although they do not yet know who he is. He walks with them along the long and dusty road. He comes into relationship with them. Jesus dialogues with them and lets them open up to him about themselves and what has just transpired in Jerusalem. Jesus does not force the conversation or push content upon them instead he builds a relationship.

After a time, once a relationship has been established, Jesus continues to dialogue with them, but he also begins to offer content. He opens their minds to scripture. This is tricky of course, because this is the moment when we would want to push content upon people, but instead Jesus demonstrates for us that the time is not yet right. Instead, He focuses on building the relationship, understanding a subject (namely the scriptures) and how we must first come to walk together before being bombarded with content, the finale is when he appears to the disciples in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus on the road to Emmaus knows something fundamentally important about relationship building that we lose at times in social media. We push content, new post, new blogs, new sermons posted to the web. We push content in the hopes of gaining new followers and new “likes”. We purchase ads to further our reach and further the reach of our content. And by doing so we forget what Jesus talked about so long ago, and that is to come into relationship with people.

Pushing content seems natural to us. Having something new up on our Facebook pages and websites seems critically important in an ever-increasing world based on consumption. Yet, I think, Jesus is demonstrating for us on that long and dusty road that instead of consuming, we ought to be coming into relationship with one another.

So always remember, that while content is important, so also is it important to stop, engage and interact with those that like, comment or share our posts. Take time in your day to read what others put forward on their social networks and work on building relationships. Enter into dialogue and discuss, get to know one another.

In today’s media savvy world, it does not take long to develop a reputation as a spammer, content pusher and a social media version of an ads pusher. And remember we count success not in number of likes, multiple points of entry into our churches or growth, but we count success always in the spreading of the Gospel message and coming into real relationship with our brothers and sisters.

Social Media Campaigns and the Church

Churches often wish to jump on bandwagons as a means to reach people and to tell the story of Jesus Christ, to share the good news and how peoples lives can be transformed. The church’s desire to jump onto the social media bandwagon is no different.

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with jumping on bandwagons, or being a little late to the game so to speak, unless that is cheering for the Leafs. That is always wrong. But I digress.

Yet before getting onto the social media bandwagon, there are a few things that you should consider before jumping into the social media world. First of all, this is not a once off campaign, but a new form communication. In reality a new relationship with people, and it does not stop once we “get” what we want.

As well, once the train has left station, it is very hard to turn it around and start over again. And there is a process of letting go of the message. Social media by its nature is public and once your message is out there, it is out there. You will not be able to control it. Therefore I offer a few things for your consideration when planning your social media endeavours and for the people tasked with being church community managers.

1) Do you have the resources for such a campaign?

Resources must be allocated to the endeavour, and these consist not only of financial resources, but also technical and human resources. Who will be responsible for updates and engage with your audience? Do you have the right technology and the right platforms? Who will maintain the technology? Does the person in charge know how to use the platform properly and understand the etiquette involved?

2) Who is your target audience? What platforms are you going to use to reach them?

Any job to be done right needs the proper tools. Therefore, knowing not only your target audience, but also where your target audience is, as in on what platform, is key.

For instance, being aware that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 55-65 year old women is crucial if that is the demographic that you are targeting. It is also then important to know NOT to waste time, energy and resources on other platforms like Twitter if few or none of your audience is active there.

3) Engage, engage, engage.

Seems self-explanatory, but far too often this is overlooked. If someone leaves a comment on a blog or Facebook page, make sure to answer it. Even if that is just to acknowledge that you have seen it. In the case of negative comments, one must exercise caution in not appearing to ignore the dissenter, but also not in engaging in an escalating turf war. Also there is a difference between disagreements and trolling. Learn it, and never feed the trolls.

It just looks bad if you are broadcasting without engaging. A good analogy for engagement is a priest or pastor who only ever talks, talks and talks and never listens to his/her parishioners. Nothing looks worse for social engagement then talking without listening and responding.

4) Be an expert. You are the evangelist. Know the ins and outs.

Having the answer on the tip of your tongue or the tips of your fingers is important. Knowing your church or program is key. You need to be able to answer any question or direct people to those that can in a timely manner. It is okay to say, “I don’t know but I will find out for you”.

Knowing also shows you care. And nothing is more authentic in relationship building than personally caring. So study hard.

5) Have goals and measurements in mind to judge success.

Define your goals. Set targets. If your goal is to grow the church, then know by how much you want to grow your church. Set benchmarks along the way. Meeting the benchmarks will give your community excitement along the way, but also make those who come because of your campaign feel part of the success. Which, of course, will cycle that energy back into your project or campaign.

Of course there are many other nuances to keep in mind, and this is not an exhaustive list. It has, however, some basics to keep in mind when constructing a social media campaign and preparing to launch a new program.

As with the success of all ventures, the success is in the planning. So take some time and analyze the ways in which you will answer the above list, and with some careful planning and a little luck, social media will indeed help you achieve the goals of your church, its campaign and the effectiveness of your new program.

Capturing Discipleship and Facebook Memes

Every now and then a saying develops. It may have the basis in the truth, but often gets misappropriated rather quickly. Which in an age of 15-second sound bites and 140 character tweets, one can easily understand why.

One of these sayings that I have been encountering more and more lately is, “A note to church leaders, the church has only one savior!”

While true in a very real sense, that Christ is the savior; this saying provides the means of abdicating one’s responsibilities. Churches grow when they respond to the needs of the people and of the community. And churches decline when they respond to only the needs of those in the “club”.

Simply claim that it is up to God whether the church lives or die. That Christ is the savior of the church and no amount of responsibility is to be shared by the baptized.

I believe part of what it means to be a Christian is to live in tension. It is to live in the tension between the now and the not yet, the realized and yet to come kingdom of God.

In Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection the victory has already been won. Death is no more. The second Adam has restored us. Yet as we know, we are not in the garden, but still here on the earth.

It is why each year in the church calendar we journey from the expectation of the coming of our Lord in advent, to the crucifixion and resurrection at Easter. From there we continue to Pentecost, when the Spirit is left with the church and Christ ascends to Heaven.

We recall the life and mission of Christ and attempt to live in imitation. And it all culminates with the celebration of Christ the King, the Sunday before we do it all over again.

And yes, we do look to Lordship of Christ, our savior and master. And we recognize in his sacrifice we are made whole. That through the faith of Christ and faith in his work we are justified, saved and restored.

Yet the church simply doesn’t stop there, nor does our responsibility. We are to continue the building up of the church, the bride of Christ. (Matt 25:1-13) And as Christ commanded, we are to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I (Christ) have commanded you.” Matt 28:19-20

And like the apostles and the early church fathers, we are to devote ourselves “to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

The tension lies within the building up of the kingdom of God and realizing that God gives the growth. Christ is indeed the savior, and yet the real need for hard work to be done can best be summed up in yet another kitschy little saying…

When asked “Why hasn’t God done something about dwindling attendance in church, the poor and the needy.”

I always reply, “He has, he sent you.”

When you become the advertiser

I love this commercial. Not because I love Midas, or I have fond memories of my years turning wrenches. Although I do have many fond memories of working as a mechanic and that bay at J&S Service Station back in Ottawa, but I digress.

I love this commercial because it sums up so clearly and succinctly why social media is important in today’s world. It shows clearly the power of social media and peer-to-peer communication, and it also shows what is commonly referred to as brand evangelism, as the customers become the means of advertising your business, services or dare I say your church.

In today’s age most people will Google you first but then also ask for recommendations from their peers. Simply put, it is now a rarity that people will just walk into your building to give you a try, whether you are a mechanic or a church.

Developing a web presence is no longer a luxury, but also what is becoming increasingly clear, as seen by this Midas commercial, is that failing to have a social media presence will leave you and your church years behind.

Eric Qualman describe the ROI on social media simply as this, “your business will still exist in 5 years.” While I think perhaps he is being a wee bit of a sensationalist, he does allude to a very good point. Social media and peer-to-peer communication is the new frontier of advertising. Through social media one is able to build trusting relationships were your own people would be willing to recommend you to their friends.

The growth of your church through social media, therefore, is not about one person, a young priest who Tweets or uses Facebook or Google+ well. It actually becomes about a community, and about all people of the church taking on the role of evangelist and living into the Great Commission.

And that more than anything, is why I love what this commercial and what social media represents.

10 warning signs that your church is in trouble

  1. Attendance drops

    Temporary fluctuation in attendance can be normal over the life of a community. However, steady attrition over time is likely cause for concern. Decreases in attendance normally occur for one (or more) of three reasons.

    • A new leader of the community arrives.
      With a change in leadership comes a time of change when members decide if their commitment to their community will continue with the new leader. While the hope is that a church community is committed to itself, it needs to be acknowledged that at times personality does influence growth and attrition patterns in churches. The arrival of a new leader can lead to a decrease in attendance, at least in the short term.
    • Conflict in a congregation.
      Significant or unresolved conflicts over community direction, issues of worship or a myriad of other possible issues can cause division leading to congregants leaving for greener grass in other parishes.
    • Community Erosion
      Slow and steady decrease in attendance is a subtle but critical warning sign of a troubled parish. Attrition occurs slowly as congregants move, die or leave due to lack of interest or general unfulfillment. This is further compounded by a lack of new growth through new membership or children entering the parish.

    Of the three forms of attrition, the third is the most insidious as it is difficult to recognize and accept. Often problems in programming, community dynamics and leadership remain in place for years until the community reaches the tipping-point and enters into crisis mode. Parish leadership may blind themselves to the problems by refusing to accept responsibility or deflecting blame for the parish’s failures. This is a classic indicator of problems at the leadership level.

  2. Operational fundraising

    All fund raising is for the operational budget. The work of the parish has become the goal of keeping the doors open only, not doing the work of the gospel and the mission to which the baptized are called. When all fund raising is internal and the parish is focused on survival, the reason for being a Christian community is quickly lost.

  3. Disappearing programs

    Lack of interest or lack of volunteers, particularly for fundamental programs – such as Sunday school or fellowship time – indicates attrition and looming problems. Once programs cease, the community has admitted that they are in danger. This is a common early-warning sign that proactive leadership should be aware of when considering ending fundamental programming

  4. Reduction in staff numbers or hours

    When paid positions are eliminated or staff move from full time to ¾ time or ½ time to save money, this can be a sign the community is unable to meet its basic obligations. This warning sign is often seen together with operational fundraising as a last-ditch attempt to keep the doors open. While sometimes shrinking to grow can be a legitimate approach to a struggling parish, this is still a clear warning sign all is not well.

  5. Rapid progression through programs

    Communities that are in panic mode often fall into this pattern. They move quickly from one program to the next looking for a quick fix to their financial and attendance problems. The rapid introduction and progression through programs – often modeled after more successful churches or consultant advice – is often a sign of an impatient and desperate attempt to find a quick fix for the problems of the parish.

  6. Few givers give a lot

    The 80/20 rule applies in most circumstances in communities: 20% of the people do 80% of the work. However, a community dependent on only 20% of its givers is always in danger — even when it can make its budget. An 80/20 community is always one death away from financial crisis. Healthy communities divide the burden while struggling communities rely upon a few individuals. In some cases, this arrangement can lead to further problems as money and politics are closely related. A small concentration of either can spell danger.

  7. Constant or frequent turnover of staff and volunteers

    With constant turnover, effort is often duplicated and resources are wasted. Community identity is always in a state of flux. New directions and new visions are constantly implemented, upsetting the core of the community. Integrating new volunteers into the community is a sign of health, but regular turnover can be a sign of trouble in the parish, whether from politics, past conflicts, or leadership.

  8. Merging or partnering for survival

    Requiring partners to share resources, especially leadership, is an indication of a community that is suffering attrition and is in danger of closing. If a merger or partnership with another community is required to meet basic budget needs, then the community is in serious danger. This is often a Band-Aid solution to immediate problems.

    With no long-term plan to address the circumstances that led to the need to merge or partner, the problems will likely resurface over time. If there is a poisonous element in the community, it must be eliminated before joining with another community or risk poisoning it as well.

  9. Poor communication

    Gossip, infighting, lack of transparency and closed-door leadership meetings, especially surrounding important decisions, are indications of unhealthy internal communication within the parish.

    Poor external communication is also a sign that the parish is likely to struggle with growth and evangelism. Websites that carry outdated information, for example, are an obvious indication to the outside world that the parish is in crisis and unable to maintain the most basic communication requirements

  10. Emptying endowments

    When endowment capital is used for the operational budget with no repayment plan, it is often a Band-Aid solution to cover deeper problems. Using endowment funds for immediate problems with no long-term replacement plan is a sign that the parish has stopped considering its own future. If a parish stops funding its future, it may not have one.

Copyright and Fair Dealing

I couldn't resist the temptation (or the irony)....

Copyright is an issue discussed in many churches far less than it ought to be. I have seen countless examples of churches breaking or ignoring copyright law, mainly for one of two reasons:

  1. Ignorance of the copyright laws
  2. The belief that because of its non-profit status or overall ‘good intentions’ the church is somehow exempt from certain laws

Of course, it should go without saying that neither of these are valid reasons for breaking copyright law or any laws for that matter. But somehow this one seems to slip through the cracks.

So what can we, as a church, do to protect ourselves and protect and honour the producers of materials that we wish to use? How can we use materials fairly while respecting those who used their time and talents to produce them? How can we understand what copyright law covers and what is available for Fair Dealing?

At the root, education is the key. Ignorance of the laws simply cannot be an excuse. I for one have unfortunately broken copyright laws because of my personal lack of understanding. As such, I have recently taken it upon myself to begin to educate myself about copyright law. Realizing how little I know, I was inspired to write about the experience and share the knowledge that I discovered.

Why Copyright Law?

Copyright laws exist to protect content creators and ensure that they receive fair compensation for their work, which may also be their livelihood. The term Fair Use is an American term and is often used in explaining copyright law, but Canada has a slightly different approach called Fair Dealing.

When considering Fair Dealing, there are a number of things to keep in mind:

  1. The Purpose of the Dealing Is it for research, private study, criticism, review or news reporting? It expresses that “these allowable purposes should not be given a restrictive interpretation or this could result in the undue restriction of users’ rights.” In particular, the Court gave a “a large and liberal interpretation” to the notion of research, stating that “lawyers carrying on the business of law for profit are conducting research”.
  2. The Character of the Dealing How were the works dealt with? Was there a single copy or were multiple copies made? Were these copies distributed widely or to a limited group of people? Was the copy destroyed after being used? What is the general practice in the industry?
  3. The Amount of the Dealing How much of the work was used? What was the importance of the infringed work? Quoting trivial amounts may alone sufficiently establish fair dealing as there would not be copyright infringement at all. In some cases even quoting the entire work may be fair dealing. The amount of the work taken must be fair in light of the purpose of the dealing.
  4. Alternatives to the Dealing Was a “non-copyrighted equivalent of the work” available to the user? Was the dealing “reasonably necessary to achieve the ultimate purpose”?
  5. The Nature of the Work Copying from a work that has never been published could be more fair than from a published work “in that its reproduction with acknowledgement could lead to a wider public dissemination of the work – one of the goals of copyright law. If, however, the work in question was confidential, this may tip the scales towards finding that the dealing was unfair.”
  6. Effect of the Dealing on the Work Is it likely to affect the market of the original work? “Although the effect of the dealing on the market of the copyright owner is an important factor, it is neither the only factor nor the most important factor that a court must consider in deciding if the dealing is fair.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_dealing#Canada

Individuals, churches and other organizations may use these categories determine whether they may use copyright materials. Although during my time in the church, I must admit, I have witnessed many obvious violations to these rules due to either ignorance or arrogance.

To help individual churches and priest conform to copyright law in Canada, what follows is some general infractions that occurs and some general information of how to comply with copyright law.

Images

General

When looking for images for a website, blog post, sermon series or poster, the first instinct of many churches is to do a google search and take the first image found. This is easy, but it’s also a violation of Fair Dealing.

Many artists are willing to allow free use of their images but require acknowledgement of their work. This creates traffic back to their portfolio and can increase sales and provide for their livelihood.

Something also to consider, is some artist will allow certain organizations to use their materials for free but not others. Artists are allowed to determine the “moral” use of their images. For instances, an atheistic artist may allow free use of his/her image except for religious organizations.

Even when an image is free, it is best to check with the artist or read the parameters that govern the use of the image.

Images in Sermons

Using a photographer’s pictures or a designer’s Photoshop files in a sermon PowerPoint presentation, may be allowed, but only if acknowledgement of the artist is sited at the end of the presentation or the artist has given permission for its use.

Images in promotional materials

Using unauthorized images in church flyers for a parish event would constitute copyright infringement even if acknowledgment were given to the artist. In this case permission from the artist is needed or the image needs to be purchased.

Solution

When it comes to images, there is a wealth of free resources online. http://www.christianphotos.net/, http://www.creativemyk.com/ and sxc.hu are excellent starting points for churches looking for royalty-free images.

If you have an image that you want to use but don’t know where it came from, http://www.tineye.com is a website that can help find the original source of the image. Once you know that, you can ask permission or determine if using it would be considered Fair Dealing.

Films

Pizza and Movie night or Film and Discussion groups are a common educational tool in many churches. But often, these are in direct violation of copyright law and Fair Dealing.

These free nights affect the market value of the copyright work.

Solution

Fortunately, there is once again a simple solution. A licence to show many movies at church events will cost only between $60-205, depending on your church’s size. http://canada.cvli.com/main.cfm

Music

Most churches though do purchase a One License or CCLI. (http://www.onelicense.net/ or http://www.ccli.com/). Somehow, music copyright has been impressed in us more than other forms of media. However, infringements still occurs when a priest or pastor wants to add in a new piece of music or make changes to a piece without due diligence.

For instance, changing content (substituting words) to appeal to a particular theology violates copyright law. The new piece of music would be considered derivative work.

Solution

In this case, awareness is key. Understanding the terms of use of the licence that the church owns and following it will solve most if not all of the music broadcast issues.

For recorded music, a SOCAN licence can be purchased from http://www.socan.ca/. This license will allow previously recorded music to be played at your event, such as WOW Praise music played during a dinner or such.

Why it is important

Why is it so important for churches and church leaders to adhere to the Canadian Copyright Law? Aside from protecting the rights of the artist, it becomes an issue of hypocrisy. If we wish to speak ethically about the world then we simply must comply with the laws and not circumvent them when it becomes burdensome.

The Christian life requires constant diligence and this is especially true for the leaders of a Christian community. After all, if we can’t bother to adhere to the law, then why would the parishioners listen to our message? As Christ lived as an example, so to must the church.

The longer that the church compromises copyright law the more damage is done to our reputation. We begin to lose our credibility to speak ethically to a society, about how we ought to be as a people, a culture and civilization. In many cases we quickly begin to resemble the Pharisees that Jesus denounced. And once our reputation begins to suffer, the more irrelevant we become.

Why should social media be important to the church?

Social media’s importance, frankly, can be found in scripture. Matthew 28:18-19, the Great Commission to the disciples was and still is to go forth into the world baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching all that Jesus had taught. Christians cannot be divorced of the call to go out and evangelize. It is who we are.

Social media allows the church and individual Christians to fulfill the Great Commission. Social media allows us to go where the next generation is and to engage with them openly and honestly. Yet many in the church are guarded and they doubt the importance of social media. But what if they knew…

Having a social media strategy is no longer an option for the church in North America. It simply is something we must do. With over 50% of the population of the planet under the age of 30 and 96% of millennials in North America having joined a social network, we can no longer afford to be silent.

After all, if we are not talking to them about Christ, then who is?

Does this mean we rush out and spend big money on social media, trusting the first person to promise a large ROI? Obviously not. We have to come to understand the social media environment and how it is changing and evolving. For example here is a social media map from 2005 courtesy of www.xkcd.com:

And here is one from 2010.

Sound research into the changing landscape will show that Myspace is not the place to break into the social media anymore. Also good research will also help you identify the demographics that you wish to reach. For instance, the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 55-65. Yet you are unlikely going to get that demographic on Twitter. Knowing what networks people frequent will undoubtedly shape the social media strategy that your parish and community employs.

Who you wish to reach becomes just as important as how. If you want to reach the next generation, then pull up a keyboard and jump in before it is too late.

Fresh Expressions Ministers vs. Social Media Douchebags – a match made in hell

The Social Media Douchebag

Fads, trends, buzz words and industry jargon are the tools of the trade used by Social Media Douchebags to obfuscate their lack of skills and knowledge of the emerging social media industry.

They prey on unsuspecting people desperate to be part of the Web 2.0 revolution (see that, I inserted 5 year old jargon there to confuse you). According to the sales pitch, companies and individuals can and will fall increasingly behind the times and become irrelevant in today’s fast paced market.

Slick salespeople are ready to sell you on SEO (search engine optimization), LinkedIn profiles, blogs, cross-communication and community development through online resources like Twitter and Facebook. Through a synergistic application of new emerging techniques they will be able to monetize your blog into a book deal in no time flat. You will be able to produce your own commercials and broadcast them via Youtube, causing you and your brand to go viral!

Sound confusing? Don’t worry, there’s an emerging industry full of Social Media Douchebags who are more than happy to help you with everything from building your LinkedIn profile, to operating your Twitter account to managing your “brand” online. How else is a newbie supposed to navigate the Twitterverse?

The Fresh Expressions Minister

The church has its own emerging “professionals”: the Fresh Expression Ministers. This group of dedicated renewal experts are all too happy to come to your church and tell you that your tradition is wrong, that it doesn’t speak to the times and is irrelevant to today’s confusing post modern secular world.

The first thing to do is throw the font out with the bath water.

Your church needs to be gutted for liturgical renewal. The space needs to be flexible for the new rock/praise service you simply must do to attract young families.

The next thing is to empty out the endowments to pay for these projects to bring youth into the church. Build a skate park in the parking lot, and hand out bibles. Maybe take your church to a bar and talk about Jesus with the patrons.

The Fresh Expression Minister will show you flashy videos of churches that are casting off their tradition and heritage to attract new people into the building to consume a cathartic Sunday morning experience. Brief testimonials will be delivered by the new congregants about how relevant this new style of church is in their lives. You will swoon and before you and the rest of your leadership team knows it, you have been sold the new Fresh Expressions model of ministry.

Problem is, that is not Fresh Expressions; at least not according to the Fresh Expressions people.

Buyer Beware

Social Media is about community and the internet is a meritocracy. The best rise to the top and the betterment of the community as a whole is the goal of those who are truly invested in Social Media.

Whether the Internet lives up to this ideal or not, you can’t sell merit. Some Social Media Douchebags will try, but eventually the internet sees through the smoke and mirrors and calls out those that are less than honest.

This is also starting with the Fresh Expressions movement. The desire to make the Christian story relevant to a new generation is commendable, but not at the expense of the entire tradition. The theological grounding of the Anglican tradition simply can’t be represented by the Fresh Expressions movement in its Canadian incarnation. Fresh Expressions Canada has even partnered with the United Church of Canada to create a broader – and more diluted – base for it to sell it wares.

The theological principles and grounding of the original movement has been lost as the current leaders of the Canadian movement seek to find new “clients” to sell their liturgical innovations. The watering down of the “product” continues as entire centuries of tradition and prayer books are scuttled in favour feel-good liturgies and innovation. Eucharistic prayers are completely re-written without any thought to their sotoriological significance. The epiclesis is trashed, gutted or altered beyond recognition that we can no longer be sure if the Holy Spirit is descending or someone is passing gas.

Don’t get me wrong, as an ordained person who practices Fresh Expressions and whose partner works in the social media industry it is difficult to criticize movements that I see such possibility in, but I’m left wondering at times at the horrible hybrid that could be released upon the world if the Social Media Douchebag and the Fresh Expressions Minister were ever to join forces.

Simply put, it would be a match made in hell.

What is your because?

When was the last time you spontaneously tried a restaurant? No recommendation from a friend or even a review – you just saw a sign and said what the heck, let’s give that a try?

If you are like me, cold calls to restaurants are not high on the priority list. We often base our decision to go to a new restaurant because “we heard it was good” from a friend or colleague, or it received great reviews.

That being the case then why do we expect people to simply walk into our churches because we have a pithy quote on our sign and have painted our doors red? True, we will, on the odd occasion, have a cold call from a seeker, but these occurrences are far from the norm.

What’s far more common is a friend or colleague recommending their church to you, just like a restaurant. They do so because they know why they love their church, and they can articulate exactly what their church does well and what they particularly enjoy. It could be a good youth group, a strong music program or maybe their preacher is fantastic at liturgy and always provides inspiring and relevant sermons.

Whatever the reason is, if parishioners know exactly why their church is the best they will be willing to share their feelings with friends or colleagues.

So my question then is this: why would someone come to your church? What is your because?

Can you or your parishioners finish this statement quickly and concisely…

“You should come to my church, St Switham’s by the Swamp, because…”

If you or your parishioners can’t finish this statement to briefly and effectively describe your church, is it any wonder that few new people darkening it’s the doors? If people aren’t walking out on Sundays excited to share their experience with a friend, then why would we expect hundreds of people to flock to our churches on “bring a friend” Sunday or “back to church” Sundays?

The best and oldest form of evangelism is still our parishioner’s social networks. But to leverage these networks we must first inspire them, educate them and then give them permission to go out into the world and tell people that their church is the best because