July 1, 2021
Deconstructing the Digital Church
The most frequently asked question from church leaders in our annual survey was, “How should we count our online attendance?”
Articles for tag: Attendance Tracking
May 1, 2021
Why Are Numbers Important to Church Leaders?
Numbers can create tension or conflict between church leaders based on who is higher on a list. Our concentration needs to be on the positive impact of the numbers rather than if my numbers are better than others!
February 22, 2020
Technology and the Church
By Jerry Harris Modern technology is an incredible thing, and it’s especially impressive to someone my age. When I was a child, I used to wonder at the people I knew who were around before airplanes, mass-production of cars, and the discovery of antibiotics. With technology developing at light speed, I have become one of those people today that young people look at quizzically. I grew up when cars had painted steel dashboards, pointy control knobs, and a shelf beneath the back window for kids to sleep on during drives. The only “airbag” in our car was my mother’s arm
February 2, 2020
Church Management Systems: Who Is Using What . . . and How?
By Kent E. Fillinger For all but the smallest of churches, leaders need an efficient and effective way to collect, organize, and utilize church-member data. A Church Management System (ChMS) is a powerful tool that can help churches with communication, giving and other financial reporting, event registration, children’s check-in, and more. In the last four years, a seismic shift has occurred in the ChMS world, according to leading expert Mark Kitts. During this time, a technology company called Ministry Brands has bought up more than 20 ChMS companies and their programs and consolidated them into a few basic platforms. This
October 1, 2019
The Mainstreaming of Online Church
By Kent Fillinger If Paul were still preaching, would he have an online church live-streaming from Jerusalem? It’s entirely possible. After all, Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23). All that to say, Internet worship services are becoming more mainstream. In July, I provided an overview of how Christian churches and churches of Christ are using various social media platforms to communicate. I want to go
October 21, 2007
Why and How Your Church Should Use Name Tags
By Krista Petty My coworkers teased me all week long. (Yes, people in ministry razz one another.) Ten of us were attending a national outreach convention, and the one workshop I was most excited about was titled something like, “The Value of Name Tags.” Yes, it was all about using name tags at church. Why were they making fun of me? The youth minister told me name tags were dorky. He”d never wear one. Another staffer said, “Out of all the great options, you”re choosing that?” To make matters worse, they all pointed out that this workshop was at 4:00
