There has been a dramatic push lately for businesses and churches as well to create their own website. Just yesterday I saw two different hosting companies commercials saying it was more affordable, and easier to just do it yourself.

And while to those who really haven’t thought about a budget, it may seem like a good idea. However, the templates they offer to ‘build’ your website with are very dated, and limited in ability to make a site that is usable for your ministry.

And if you are expecting to have some fancy site like the church down the block, who is offering an alternative to your church, well then unfortunately you might be sadly mistaken.

Lets face it. Your ministry website is one of the first things prospective members will see, and if it doesn’t grab them, chances are you won’t even get them in the door.

So What Do You Do?

I know most people think hiring someone to work on the ‘church’ site seems crazy. Surely there is someone in your church that could do it, and many times the person who gets delegated, especially in a small church, is the pastor. He doesn’t have much else to do with his time, and it is ‘his job’ to reach the lost, right?

And there are free options out there. Really! I am telling you free options can work. However if you are going to have a website, even a free one, you have to realize that your website is an extension of your ministry. And it needs to be accessible to everyone.

More people access the web, Facebook, even their personal bank account via their smart phone, or possibly a tablet computer than any other option. Your site must be friendly to those users. And even more importantly, it needs to keep updated. Even the biggest churches with full time media departments fail on this and that is one of the main reasons you need to hire a designer. Not just for the original creation of your site, but for maintenance.

But I Already Have A Site

Just today I took a look at a website that I was hired to do several years ago. When a new pastor came in, he decided that they no longer needed someone to do the site and would go with another option.

The first option they tried was one of the free hosting deals, and it was an okay site, but it really didn’t have much personality.  I never bothered checking their site again until today, and they have changed to a Word Press site.

Word Press is a good option for churches that want to control their own content, and is fairly easy to use. There are plenty of templates to use and if you know what you are doing, you can make a decent site with it.

However, you must keep it updated. You must change out the premade content in templates for your own, or remove the widgets that contain the WP content.

On this particular website, they had filled in a contact page, and a page for accepting money, but the rest of their site had lots of generic information waiting to be filled in.  So, it kind of sounds like what most who do not go to church think. ‘They only want me for my money.’

If your website is not current with relevant information about your ministry, then people will take a glance one time and move on. You will have lost a potential saint in your church.

Content Is King!

When people think about a website most of them immediately think about the flash, big photo galleries, a place for media downloads, and all of those ‘fancy moving parts.’

But what most forget, is if the information is not current, and relevant to your ministry, then it really doesn’t matter if you paid $10,000 for your website or made it yourself on a free host.

And the only way to make sure of that is to keep it updated. Whether you make time during the week to update it, or possibly add a blog widget so at least it appears you are active, even if all you do is tweet out scriptures or upload your sermon notes from the last message you preached, something must be done to keep it current.

Or if there is someone in your church who at least knows how to keep their Facebook page up to date, then perhaps they would be good. If not, hire a designer. They will keep on you for new content, if you happen to get behind, and usually the monthly update fee is very minimal and you don’t have to know all the technology behind it all.

Most Important Content

All of the website is important, but what really matters the most? This is debatable and really depends on who you ask, but there are a few things that I personally would make sure was accurate at least once a month. You might be surprised that some of these are not up to date.

• Contact Info – Crazy as it sounds, often there are changes in email or phone numbers that gets updated on business cards, other internal church documents, and even newspaper advertisements, and the website gets over looked.
• Pastor Name and/or Photo – Can you believe it? Yes, there are church websites out there that have not updated who the current pastor is on their site, or have a photo of the pastor that is more than ten years old.
• Current Church Location – I know! The church moved across town into their beautiful new building and didn’t mention it on their website. A visiting evangelist had come in a night early and had set his gps to go direct to the church based on the address online and was surprised when there was no church building there.

Everything is important to keep current, but those items are vital to your ministry.

It would be as if somehow the animals were headed to the ark and it got moved and Noah was no longer in charge. Chaos!

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I came across a new resource today to teach values, share thoughts about the Bible,and have a little fun with your children. 

Maybe you have heard of it, but it was new to me. It is sponsored by Focus On The Family, and is similar in format and style to Sesame Street & Veggie Tales.

It is called JellyTelly, and from what I have seen the videos teach concepts and values on a child's level but even adults could learn something.

If you click on the image above it will take you to a video about Humility, and who among us cannot use a little more humility?

What is JellyTelly?

JellyTelly is an online destination for families, developed in partnership between Focus on the Family and Phil Vischer’s Jellyfish Labs. As a Bible-based alternative to video and gaming sites, JellyTelly provides families with a safe place to learn and play online.

JellyTelly was developed by the creator of Veggie Tales, Phil Vischer because he felt kids were not grasping everything they were taught in Sunday School because it is only one hour a week in most places, versus all of the other forms of information they would get during the week.

Churches are doing wonderful work with kids – innovative work – but a church will get about an hour with a child on a Sunday morning and then before it sees that child again, that kid on average has watched more than 22 hours of Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. Is it any wonder that our kids are growing up knowing more about Hannah Montana than about the apostle Paul?

We need to do something about this – half of kids growing up in church in America are walking away from church when they graduate from high school.

We can do something about this by using the same technology that kids are adapting to as they consume media in new ways. JellyTelly is a way to bring the Bible to life for kids on a daily basis, to show them the work of the church around the world and the role they can play in it.

JellyTelly is more than just videos though. There are also craft ideas, games, and other resources available to put Christ and values in front of your kids, and teach Bible stories as well.

It is important that we spend more time with our children. But, lets face it, between our own work and activities, and everything our little ones are involved in, it can be hard to find time and know that they are getting sound ideas and teaching.

A lot of parents turn on the Disney channel, and then wonder where little Jonny learned this or that. But I have to ask you, have you actually watched the Disney channel with them? Sure, there are still some programs that have some educational, or positive messages, but not all are.

What do you think about having your child watch a show where the babysitter is a vampire?  If you turn on the so-called ‘family channel’, children are engaged in sexual activity, drugs, and other non-christian activity.

I realize the world we live in is no longer ‘Leave it to Beaver’ but honestly I would not want my child watching a show where one of the main themes, is about sex and babies.

Losing Our Children

Now I understand that as apostolics we may not agree with all the values of secular Christianity, but the truth of the matter is many times the children in our churches are overlooked.  Yes, most churches still have Sunday School, but even that is changing in a lot of our ministries.

As churches gravitate from a multitude of services to just one on Sunday, sometimes the children's ministries are the first to go. Sunday School is more than a babysitting service offered to our members, but it is a sad fact that many churches and even some pastors treat the ministry as an afterthought, or just a place to stick the children until we are done.

The bible says to ‘train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.’ The sad fact, however, is that in most homes there is no ‘family time’ that isn’t playing video games or watching TV, let alone Bible reading, teaching Bible stories, or even stories with good principles. And schools are so regulated, that even our Christian teachers are limited to what extent they can bring in that God created the world, let alone about Jesus dying on the cross for us. So, if our kids do not get some training at home, we just may lose the next generation.

Use What Is Available

No, letting your child watch JellyTelly will not teach your child everything they need to know about God, values, and our beliefs, but it is better than what they are getting on TV. Plus, it is interactive. Coloring pages, games, and craft activities are also available.

Yes, I know it means spending a little extra time with your children, but shouldn’t you be doing that anyway? And its free, online. Instead of spending all that time updating your Facebook, take a few minutes and let your child watch a message that will uplift, encourage, and teach.

The Macarena, Mello Yello, Silly Putty, and the Edsel. Most of us have heard those words before, but we may not remember what they are. Maybe they are faint memories in our minds, but perhaps we remember them fondly and wonder what happened to the day when it was common.

It wasn’t really that long ago for the Macarena, and yet I am sure if you ask some people today what the Macarena was, they probably think you add cheese or some tomato sauce to it.  It was a song and a dance, or actually hand and body movements.

It was very well known in the late 1990s and even the most sheltered person had heard mention of it, or had done it themselves. But here we are just a few years later, and its not in our minds anymore unless we are part of the few who may look back and smile and try and do it. It is merely a memory for most, and a word for others but they aren't sure what it means. For a few of those words, even the spell check on my computer thought I had misspelled some other word.

Is that how we see the church? Is that how your ministry is thought of?  Does it still have an impact like it used to? I remember when….

Sound familiar?

There was a day when everyone knew where the church was and what they taught. There was a day when many of us were  made fun of and called holy rollers, but when tragedy struck, it was the holy rollers they called for prayer.

We used to knock doors and pass out tracts. Many times we didn’t even advertise in the newspaper because we were active in the community and people knew who we were and where to find us. We were known for all night prayer meetings, joyful singing, sometimes having services where bobby pins were flying, and in almost every church there was that one sister who would wail and moan like a fire engine.

We were the church where everyone secretly wondered about, but  it was so different from every where else they wouldn’t be caught dead in our services. We were outcasts but everyone knew where we were.

Now if you go into just about any city, there isn't an apostolic church or no one knows where it is. Most of us were called Pentecostal then, but now when you mention Pentecostal everyone’s thoughts, including our own,  is about the charismatic churches where they jump, shout, maybe get the holy ghost, but bless God, they are not like we are. Hmmm, same message, same Jesus, maybe even same holy ghost baptism, yet, because we aren’t sure about them, they don’t have the truth. Yet, the people in the community know where that church is, just like they used to know where we were.

Who is there?

When we talk about marketing the ministry, our first instinct is to back away. It sounds like a foreign concept to us, or maybe something that isn’t quite right. We preach soul winning in our churches, but we don’t knock doors, most don’t teach bible studies, and whether or not we admit it, most of us do not testify at work. Oh sure, if someone asks us where we go to church we may tell them, and we may pray for them if we hear of their trials and tragedies, but to actually walk up to a person and talk to them about Jesus? ‘No way! I could lose my job. They might think I am weird.’

The bible likens soul winning to planting a garden, but generally we consider soul winning an individual thing. ‘Its Brother Bebop's job to win people to God, after all he seems to always bring someone.’

However, how many private gardens have you seen where there is only one plant growing? Usually there is several of one type, and its repeated with lots of other plants, flowers,  or vegetables. We produce after our own kind, so I am asking what is in your garden? It is the whole church’s responsibility to plant, water, take care of, and harvest the crops. God never intended one person to do it themselves. The scripture even says, ‘one plants, one waters, and God gives the increase.’ Our churches should be a mixture of all kinds of people in all stages of growth.

However, we have become complacent in our active ‘ministry.’ We are comfortable with just those who seem to know where our church already is. It is just too much effort to actually do something ourselves, and of course, they should all 'look like’ me.

Just today while returning from a trip to the store it was pointed out to me by someone with me that they had seen two groups of Jehovah Witnesses out knocking doors. I saw a couple of guys at someone's door, but honestly whether or not they were JW, Mormon, or someone else I cannot be sure, but I do know they were no one I recognized, so they weren't part of my sphere of Christianity.

We know what ‘our group’ looks like and sadly, we seem to ignore everyone else, even those that used to be a part of us. We make assumptions on their level of godliness based on rumors, our own ideas, and the way they look.

Chances are they don’t even know we are a Christian, let alone where our church is. So what do we do to change that?

Marketing Your Ministry

Marketing seems like such a foreign concept to us. We have all these ideas of what it might be, but when it comes to ministries and churches it is really very simple. A few of the ideas below you might actually recognize.

• Door Knocking – well no one does that anymore
• Bake Sale – not those in the lobby of the church but actually in the community
• Spaghetti Dinner– let them know you are there, even if you are taking up donations for some mission, charity, or celebration
• Car Wash – raise money for youth events instead of taking it from the parents
• Home Bible Study – we preach it but do we do it?
• Advertise in Newspaper, TV, or Radio – we are here to reach the lost right?
• Church website, postcards, prayer request cards, funeral services – you get the idea

This list could go on and on, but to me it is sad that most of us think marketing our ministry is going to cost a lot of money, but most of the above would actually raise money or at least tell people we exist. It is much easier than most of us are willing to admit.

So what really is the problem?

Well if we are honest, it only comes down to one of two reasons. Or perhaps both.

1. We are lazy.
2. We don’t care about souls.

That’s it!

Yes, I work as a graphic designer. I can give you a good deal on a website, printable marketing items for your ministry, helping you create a Facebook presence,  but to me its more than about the few dollars I would receive. It is about the souls and my desire for them to know Jesus like I do.

If you are really interested in seeing more souls saved and what you can do to change the image of your ministry, then contact me and lets have a conversation. Consultations  and quotes are always free. You might be surprised how affordable my services are, but you might also learn that reaching into your community isn't as hard as you thought.

Isn't it time you made an effort in Marketing Your Ministry?

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. Rev. 3:20

This past week the words to “The Master of the Wind” have kept running over and over in my head. Even when I slept it was as if I could still hear someone singing it and as soon as I was awake, it was on my mind again.

To some that might seem odd when everywhere we go right now there is nothing but Christmas music. In the malls,  and even in the grocery stores, the speaker systems blare out their versions of Christmas trying to get us to spend more time and money before we leave their store. Most places we hear the familiar “Jingle Bells”, “Here Comes Santa Clause”, or some jazzed up version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” A few places my opt for more christian themed music, but those songs are not so loud or impulsive and may not get us to buy so they don’t play them so much.

Today, I ran across a link on one of my usual social media and design blogs that I read nearly every day and it was entitled “9 Ways to Connect With Santa on the Web.”  While that seems harmless enough, and even on Facebook the last few days a few apostolic friends have posted photos of their children, grandchildren, sometimes even themselves, sitting on Santa’s lap.

Yes, most of us know that Santa isn’t real, and its about the spirit of giving, and we only do this because the children are small, and any number of other excuses we tell ourselves. Yet, in this day of iPads, iPhones, Android Tablets, and other technological marvels, about the only mentions of Christianity is from YouTube, and even most of those have to do with Baby Jesus and Mary. Sure, we can see around town,online. and maybe on television somewhere, nativity scenes, camels, and wise men. But most of it is about hurry up and spend your hard earned dollars here, or Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, or some Christmas fantasy romance thing.

Where is Jesus?

Sure, he is present as a baby in a manger in some forms, but they are even trying to stop that. This year there was a lot of news articles about even changing the traditional Merry Christmas greeting to Happy Holidays instead, so as to not offend those who aren't Christian. They want to take Christ out of Christmas. And the sad thing is, we help them do it.

No, I am not saying we should stop buying gifts for each other, or shopping at this time of year, putting up a Christmas tree, or even going to see Santa. I don’t think we should shun the traditions of Christmas and act holier than thou. However, a big part of the problem is that we don’t proclaim Him as much as we should. I don’t think we intentionally hide him from those we work, play, or hang out with, but many times the message is hidden and only is open for discussion and worship in our churches.

We used to knock doors, hand out tracts, and even have the occasional service in the park or on a street corner. Yet, now, most of us don’t even share what we believe online. Facebook has opened all kinds of doors for many of us to reconnect with those from our youth and with new people all around the globe and yet many play games online instead of telling who they are and what they believe. Sharing  online really isn't that hard, and many tell us things that we wish we never knew about. We certainly didn’t need to know how many times a day someone changes their baby's diaper, but some people post that. Not really sure why they do but they do. Some people post where they are going to be at even given moment from the places they eat, to where they shop, play, and sometimes even photos of what they are eating or doing. Yet, where is Jesus?

Is He Still Just A Baby In Our Minds?

For many of us, God has done miraculous things and we should be eager to share it. Yet, here it is Christmas again and we are sending out cards, wrapping presents, getting ready to travel, and somehow he gets lost in the mix.

“I know the master of the wind. I know the maker of the rain. He can calm a storm, make the sun to shine again. I know the master of the wind.” Very powerful words. Those words were a reference to the disciples on the sea when a storm hit and fear entered in and they were afraid they were going to die. Jesus was there, he was just resting, and even though he was with them, he wasn’t WITH them.  At least not in their eyes. They didn’t see him as the healer, deliverer, or anointed one. Even though they had seen the miracles, in the time of the storm they forgot who he was and what he could do. He wasn’t a baby anymore. He was their strength, and yet, he was hidden away and wasn’t in their thoughts. They would have been lousy at that moment at being a witness. Had their been non-believers on the boat, they wouldn’t have believed in Jesus. There was no assurance that it was going to be okay since he was in the boat. They forgot for a moment who he was.

We all do that. At Christmas and Easter, he is on a lot of people’s minds, even those who do not believe in him. The rest of the time he is either a baby in a manger, an image on a crucifix, a swear word, or a reason for controversy. They don’t really know him.

Where is Jesus?

I mentioned earlier about the article, “9 Ways to Connect With Santa Online.” My question is where do we connect with Jesus?

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people spend at least two hours a day online, and most of us spend closer to five hours online. That could be through use of smart phones, computers, or other devices but five hours a day.

There are more than half a billion people on Facebook, and most of them know Jesus as simply a Christmas Baby or the man hanging on the cross at Easter. They don’t know him as the master of the wind. When they face trials and tests, they run to their friends, their alcohol, their drugs. They do not know how to connect with him. Why is that?

Where is the message?

On average, only one third of churches have an online presence. That is all churches and ministries, every faith, every belief. If we take that down to Apostolic or Pentecostal churches and ministries, the number drops significantly.

Recent studies show that only one out of fifty Apostolic or Pentecostal churches in America has any kind of presence online. When you compare that to how many people are online, even in our own churches, the number is staggering about how easily the message is getting lost.

And of those ministries who are online, most of them have used some sort of free website that cannot be found in search engines, and almost none of them have a page on Facebook.

Try this. Go to Google or Yahoo, the two most popular used search engines and type in “church” and the “name of your city.”

Is your church on the first page? Is it even listed?

Most churches and ministries that believe the message of salvation and baptism in Jesus name are not online. We preach we have the message. We preach about the revivals that God has promised. And yet, we somehow expect our pews to be full of people wanting the truth but we don’t reach them where they are.

Reach Them

If we do not go to them who will? How will they connect with Jesus, if we keep the message in our sanctuary and do not go tell them. Yes, many of us still tell our family, maybe our friends, and those who are hurting that we will pray for them. But do we tell them how to find him? Most of us are not even listed in the local newspaper and generally that is a free listing. How will they find him if they don’t know where to go? Jesus said go to into the highways and byways and compel them that my house might be full. The internet IS the information super highway. It reaches into homes, businesses, and even  phones, around the world. Nearly everyone has access to the internet, or knows someone who does. My mother just a little bit ago called me up to ask me what the weather is like in a certain town. She knows I can find out, online. She is even planning to take classes at the senior center in town because she knows if you are not online you are lost in the crowd.

Yet, somehow our message isn't there? Oh sure, it is there in the bigger churches, the well known ministries, but most churches either think it is too expensive or they just simply haven’t tried.

It really isn’t that hard to spread the message online. You don’t need a big budget. You do not have to be like the big boys and spend lots of money for online video streaming. Did you know that you can record your messages to audio and share it online free? It isn’t just about a way for those who decide to sleep in to have church. There are millions, even billions of people who haven’t heard that Jesus is not a baby in a manger.

Need Help?

In just a few days it will be a new year. Isn't it time your ministry was online?

Apostolicvision Design Services was created to help churches and ministries have an online presence, affordably. There are options for every budget. Contact us, and we can even tell you about many things available that are free of charge to spread the message of salvation online.

We are also on Facebook. “Like’ apostolicvision design services on Facebook and receive a discount on all graphic design services.

Connect them with Jesus

Isn't it time they know Why its Christmas? Isn’t it time the focus was back on Christ? Without a vision the people perish. Have a Merry Christmas!