I know what you are thinking. A designer talking about paying tithes. Don’t we get enough of this at church?

What exactly does stewardship mean? To many it means paying the bills, keeping up with your tithes and offerings, and basically not throwing money away. However, the true meaning in a nutshell is: Stewardship is using God’s Human Resources with Wisdom.

Okay that sounds a bit confusing to some people. It means taking care of what God has provided and using it to the best of our ability that it might promote His Kingdom.

James 1:22 says, ‘Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.’ That pretty much sums it up for being a steward as well.

So, why am I talking about stewardship on a design blog?

You Asked For It

Wait! We didn’t ask! Sure you did. But how? By not using wisdom in the resources God has given you to build the kingdom. But what are you talking about?

The last few years there has been a lot of changes in our world. Environmentalists talk a lot about saving the environment, global warming, climate change. Let’s get real. They do not care about the world or climate change. They are using it as a gimmick to raise money and have their own agenda become the laws that we live by. They could care less about what really happens to our world.

Even if every American did exactly what they are told: conserve water, reduce emissions, build green, it would do nothing to change the outcome on the global scale. There will still be countries that could care less about what the pollution does to the environment, and they will not cut back on manufacturing, etc.. but I digress…

How does this apply to me? To my stewardship that you claim I am lacking in? I pay my tithes. I provide for my family. And why on a design blog?

Because…

Earlier this morning I tried to go to a website that had been touted on Facebook about having one of my favorite preachers speaking today.  It was difficult to find, even their Facebook page has disappeared. So I searched and google couldn’t find it. What?

Then I went to a district website and found the link to their site. Went to the site, and it said…

We are taking a maintenance break. Please visit back soon!

That is all. No date as to when they expected to be back; No further information as to the reasons behind the break; not even basic information to give an address or phone number to their church. No contact information providing anyone, even sinners, or backsliders, directions to finding the church.

I am shocked and appalled. Not just because I am a web developer, but because I am a Christian who believes that we should always be reaching for souls. Jesus never started up the hill to die on the cross and decided to take a ‘maintenance break.’

Yeah, I know. Sometimes churches really do have to update their sites. And sometimes the person in charge really has no idea what they are doing and it can take time. For me the problem is that I tried to go to this same site almost 9 months ago and at that same time it was taking the same break. So what seems to be the problem?

Failing Stewardship Tests

Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, I went back to the Facebook page of the church that had posted the information about the preacher being at this church. I went to their About tab, and clicked on the link to their website. They had a link.. cool.

Guess what? They had allowed their hosting to expire and now you go to the hosting site.

The sad part about this, is this was a church I had built a website for previously. It was a smaller church and so I worked them out a very affordable deal. I even did monthly updates to the calendar, added new graphics monthly to the site if they had something special going on, and kept their site looking fresh…for $35 a month. But when the new pastor came in, he told me he felt he was paying too much for a website; that they had people who could do that in the church and keep it updated and more modern, and I had to eat the cost of the site design, and lost a client that I was trying to help spread the message.

And now their domain points to a hosting page and they have no site. Again, another church that is not using the resources they have been given by God to reach their community, and the world. And the thing is, I am very affordable. I make decisions on cost based on what you need, and the size of your congregation. I donate (or you could call it tithing, or good stewardship) to a lot of smaller churches simply because I feel the message is that important.  I am reminded of the parable of the talents, but you should already know that story.. so I will stay on point.

What Are You Doing?

To freshen up my own design skills, many times I browse the web and find other churches and business websites to see what looks good, fresh, current, and would be good and useful for the websites I create for my clients. I want you to be the best and present the message quickly and in the best possible light. We are the light of the world, after all.

I want your site in its ‘Sunday Best!’

It is sad though how many Apostolic or Pentecostal churches do not keep up with their sites. Or they made one in 1999 and have not updated it since, even some with new pastors, and buildings.  I mean come on, you cannot take a few minutes a month to update? Or hire me, or anyone you want, to keep your site updated?

There are such simple ways to do it. Why are we stuck? Or is it that we really do not think its important to reach the lost? Because face it 1 in 10 of your church members might view your website one time a month, but 9 out of 10 who are invited to your church, or feel a hunger for God.. will go to your church website first before they ever darken your door. And if you do not have a website? Or your website is out of date, or on ‘maintenance?’  Let the lost and hungry be lost, I guess?

Do You Need A Makeover?

No, God hasn’t changed. The message hasn’t changed. But we would not go to church wearing dirty underwear, and clothes that have not been washed in six months, would we? Same goes for your church website.

About a 1 1/2 years ago, maybe a bit more I posted about your website needing a makeover, and it still does.. perhaps you can take some time to read it.

Signs It is TIME For A Makeover

If you are ready for a makeover, or need a website for your church, contact us. We are very affordable and we update all the time to give you the best possible tools to reach your community and your world. It is good stewardship.

apostolicvision design services

It is easy to take for granted that everyone knows the rules to follow when dealing with technology in the digital age. We get so used to the internet, email, texting, that we can forget that not everyone keeps up to date, or even understands the very basic rules of online communication.

Due to a recent spyware situation, I have decided to post a few tips to refresh our minds or explain to those who do not understand the way the online world now works. Some of these you will probably already know, but take time to read them anyhow. When we think we have it all figured out, we will find out we too can be led astray.

1. Refresher Course On Email

With the innovation of Twitter and Facebook, email is nearly a lost form of communication. It used to be everyone’s method of keeping in touch just a few years ago, but with the changes in networking, and cheaper ‘smart phones’ nearly everyone has adopted the quicker, easier forms of keeping in touch.

In fact, recent studies indicate that even cell phones are used more for texting than for phone calls. Even our most recent ancestors would be very confused if we told them we text our friends on a cell phone. A telephone was used for talking.

Texting was something you did by teletype or telegraph. And the idea that you could walk around with a telephone in your pocket? Unbelievable! But if they heard about the internet where we can see each other live around the world, talk as if we are in the same room, and send messages in mere fractions of a second, they would think it was some sort of alien form of talking. And they would be right.

However, it is a new day and as technology advances our forms of communication will  evolve as well. Who knows some day we may come back around to talking face to face, and a handshake will be a contract again.

But back to the refresher, and some basic tips in dealing with emails.

• Email was intended to replace letters. It should be used for keeping in touch with friends and family, requesting a transfer of either money or information in transactions, and yes, you can still send other files through email when there isn’t another source. It is meant for communication and exchanging data between two or more people.
• Email is not meant to share ‘cute photos of cats’ or other fun, cute, interesting topics,  all though that happens quite a lot. This is called spamming, and for the most part annoys others, or gets ignored. However, some spam is used for spreading viruses, so be very careful. You can lose friends this way.
• Email should always include a subject, to and from email addresses,  and whatever is meant to be shared. However, it can also share files that are harmful to your computer or harsh words to hurt us emotionally.
• Only use Email when what you have to say cannot be sent by text, is too large to be said on twitter, or when it involves a group of people. I realize there are people who are not comfortable with the other forms of communication, but if you have to question it, then call the person.
• DO NOT Click on Links in Emails unless you know where they are coming from or it includes an explanation from someone you know well. If the link looks unusual or goes to a website you are not familiar with do not click it.
• It is also not a good idea to open Emails that do not include a subject, even if you know who it is coming from. These could include viruses or spyware that can harm your computer.
• And as it is in any area of life, if it sounds too good to be true.. do not open, click on links, or respond to the sender.

There are many more rules of etiquette and safety in dealing with Email but if you follow just what I listed above it will improve your experience and help keep you safe.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will continue this series on Basic Communication In A Digital Age. Stay Tuned.

How To Make The Best Of It

Once again Facebook has changed their website. It seems they do it quite a bit lately, and unfortunately this will not be the last time. It seems from the postings today, that more people are upset about it all this time. There are more changes coming in a week or two as well in part to compensate for the threat that Facebook perceives from google+.

It is frustrating I agree but here is a work around that  may reduce some of your stress.

Take A Deep Breath

First off, let me say I agree with you. For the most part, many of the changes do not help anyone. Well, that is not entirely true. This is part of a grander marketing scheme to make more money by those behind Facebook. Whether it is about competition with google or not, simply put Facebook is not in this for your enjoyment, but like all websites online, it is about making money.  They want the market share of your attention which makes them more viable for investors.

That said, it really doesn’t do us any good to stress to much about it. So, fret a bit, take a deep breath and move on. This will not be the last change in how your profile looks or how you keep in touch with your friends. In fact, it is likely it will not be the last change this month.

So, it is best to take a deep breath and try to relax.

Unraveling The Mystery

Now, that being taken care of, there is a way to make your Wall and Friends more useful. It isn’t a perfect, but it is better than what you have starting you in the face.

Take a look at the left sidebar.

Right away you will notice it now shows Favorites, Lists, and Groups. If you have any Pages or Apps it will also list those.

Under Favorites it shows:

• Newsfeed
• Events
• Messages

It may show a few more titles. First, you want to go to Lists. Take another deep breath. :)

Lists

Down below that you see Lists. If you hover over Lists, it will show a link that says More. If you click on More, it will open a new page, where Facebook has broken down your friends in groups based on information from their profiles. Facebook assumes this is how you would like everyone grouped. However, it does give the option of creating your own groupings.

You can see some of mine below.

If you click on any one of the list names, Facebook has already added some of your friends to those groups based on your previous information, or your friends profile information. It does make this process a bit faster. But if you want, you can remove them from your lists or add more people to the list.

You can also create new lists and add any of your friends to them.

Notice the pencil to the side of each list. It gives you two options.

• Add To Favorites
• Always Hide

If you click on Always Hide, you will never see information from people in that list in your newsfeed. If you click Add to Favorites, those Lists will show up in your favorites at the top left of your page. It gets better. You can do the same thing with Pages, Apps, & Groups. All of your most important information in the top section.

Rearranging Your Favorites

You should have by now created your lists of friends you most follow. The ones you have marked as Favorites are now listed in your Favorites list. You can go one step further.

Maybe you would like your Favorites in a different order? I did. It is actually fairly simple to do.

If you hover over the different titles in your Favorites, you will again see the pencil. If you click on the pencil it gives too options.

Remove From Favorites

Rearrange

If you do not want an item in your favorites, click Remove and it will no longer be there.

Click Rearrange and you can modify the order the way you would like. Unfortunately, you cannot move the News Feed, but everything else can be moved or removed.

It will then start showing the comments, posts,etc on the different lists you have created and added to your Favorites. Makes it much easier for most people. Just click the link and the group you want to follow most is what you will see. It will stay that way unless you change to another group.

Still Want More?

The News Feed is always going to be on top of the Favorites. It will take some time, but there is another option to what you will see when you sign on to Facebook.

The most recent story by your friends should show up at the top of your News Feed.

On the top story you have several options as to what to do with that story.

• Mark as top story
• Hide Story
• Report story or spam
• Subscribe to All Updates
• Subscribe to Most Updates
• Subscribe to Only Important Updates
• Unsubscribe from status updates, or
• Unsubscribe from Friend

All of these will change what happens with that story and that friend.

On the next story down, you also have options for what you can do with the story.

• Mark it as the top story
• Hide the story
• Report story or spam
• Hide all by that friend

These two options will take time to do, because each story you see will each need to be considered unless you unsubscribe or hide those posts (stories). If you choose that option in time you will no longer see posts from that person or business.

Another Option?

Join google+ It still has a long way to go to be similar, and there are features here that are not yet available on google yet, but it works, and they don’t change every week.

Before you get too excited, guess what? Facebook is adding music features soon. Maybe next week?

Ok, brace yourself. I know some of you saw the title or image and stepped back in disbelief.

The idea that I would say your website needs to be ‘born again.’

Some I am sure are scratching their heads, some think I am being sarcastic, and yet I think there may be a few who have an idea of where I am going.

I do realize some who are reading this may not even have a website. You either have not had funds available or do not understand the importance of a website for your church or ministry. We have covered the purpose in a previous article which is available to you. (Read more…)

You need a Born Again Website to be effective in reaching the lost with the message, as well as keeping your own membership up to date with what is going on in your church or ministry.

Continued from Part I

Really, for most of us, the internet has only been around about ten years or a bit more. The actual internet was created in November 1969 but almost no one had access and the internet as we know it didn’t really come to life until 1983.

Even then, most of us did not get online unless we got AOL and for the most part that was more of a network than what we know of now as the internet. The majority of us probably started getting online in the mid to late 1990s and then it was chartrooms or learning how to use email more than anything.

Essentially, the internet is always evolving. As technology and knowledge increases, so does our abilities, and what we can do with it. Most of us only dreamed about having a cell phone in the early 1990s, but now nearly every individual over twelve years old has one at their disposal. Same goes for the internet and computers.

In the United States, nearly every home has two or more computers and more than 75% of them are connected to the internet at least part of the time. it is the most effective tool of reaching masses of people. Yet, the message is not getting to them.

A Born Again Website?

So what exactly do I mean by a ‘Born Again’ website?

There were relatively few church websites online ten years ago, and until the rise of Google, it was hard to find websites unless you knew the exact url or address.

For Apostolics and Pentecostals, the numbers were very low on who had a website. I do recall The Pentecostals of Alexandria had one, and they were a sustaining force for me in a time of need.

Most church sites were very simple, with a name on a free host, most of which I cannot even remember anymore, and they consisted of a welcome, maybe an image if you knew how to code html, and contact information. They worked, but weren’t pretty to look at.

A short time later, homestead, geocities, and other hosting services showed up with drag and drop layout where you could make a ‘pretty’ site, and most church sites used what was cool at the time.

Remember these?

Animated crosses, fish, sometimes colorful headings were a big part of what most church websites added to their websites to make them ‘stand out.’

Granted, many of the images and icons were much more grainer and pixelated than this cross, but businesses, churches, or individuals, we all had to have the cool images and logos.

But still most churches didn’t use a professional web developer and relied on the skills of a student who knew some html code or was learning some in school to learn ‘how to design.’ And frankly, even the technology and software that was available to professionals was expensive and still relied on some very basic designs and layout. Let’s face it. Websites were ugly and mostly useless.

The sad thing is, some still are. Some churches and ministries have not updated their website since they first made it. The site on the left is an active site that I took a snapshot of today. It has not been updated since 2001, and I hope they didn’t pay anyone to make it. Links are broken, there is no real information on the front page other than the name and an address I blocked out. The green part is links for advertising.

Old sites had lots of advertising links on the sides in order for the free hosting companies to make money. Many of them went under simply because the truth is, not very many people actually click those links, regardless of what advertisers and seo marketers tell you.

Image links are what people click on, simply because as we are all taught as children, ‘a picture is worth 1000 words.’ Websites are no different. If we think about it for a moment, it is all advertising.

The site on the right (new site) is much easier on the eye, information is easier to find, and the images grab your attention. The likelihood is that you are going to stay on the website if you are looking for information much longer than you would on the other site.

A Born Again Site

So, here we are. What is a Born Again site?

To be born again, you must grow, change your lifestyle, adapt to the environment, and live differently. How does that apply to your ministry or church website?

Some decide they will use what tools their organization offers and pay them, but most items on their website look exactly the same as the churches in other cities and states that belong to the same group.

In fact, there are some churches I know of that when someone changes the top of the page on a church site in Indiana, the churches who use this same company in California, Florida, even Idaho have the exact same image. There is no individuality and it doesn’t always apply to the people you are trying to impact in your own city.

We don’t always grow the same, look the same, act the same, or have the same needs when we are born and begin to grow, so why should our church website and ministry? Growth and change are vital to being Born Again.

Build a new website? Yes, that would be the biggest change, and very beneficial to your ministry. You can hire someone to design, or redesign your site. A good designer/developer can help increase your visibility and impact your ministry and effectiveness. It really helps if people are talking about your website and church or ministry to get the message spread.

But you don’t have to.. shhh, don’t tell anyone! A church designer telling you that you do not have to hire someone. What is the world coming to?

Give Your Website A Checkup!

There are a few simple things you can do that will help as well, without costing a dime. You may have to invest some time, or find a member in your church to do so, but it will help bring growth.

1. Check for broken links (menu, references, etc.) and fix them.
2. Fix any images that do not show up, or add in new ones.
3. Check to see if your contact information and emails are still correct.
4. Is your logo on the page the same as what you use on your business card?
5. If you are on a free host, is it the same hosting address as what you have told people?
6. Has your website been updated in the past week, month, six months?
7. Do you have the capabilities to either add messages or video to your website?
8. Does your website share the gospel of Jesus Christ in an understandable way? (Many do not share the gospel at all.)

There are many more things you can check, but right away these will make a difference in your site. However, there are also things you can add to your site to make it more effective.

Add some or all of these options to your ministry.

1. Get a YouTube account and add videos. (nearly every cell phone has some video recording capability, and its Free)
2. Start a photo gallery (Flickr has free options)
3. Create a Facebook Page for your ministry.
4. Add a Twitter account to help keep your site current, as well as notify your members nearly instantly of schedule changes, prayer requests, and information.
5. Start a blog (pastor’s thoughts, messages, etc. Blogger is Free)
6. Add links or widgets from these services to your site to keep information more current.
7. Make sure your  website is regularly updated so that there is always something new to offer.

And if all else fails, hire a designer. You would be surprised how affordable we are and how we can help make your ministry more effective.

Then you too can say that you have a ‘Born Again’ website!

I started working on this article a couple months ago and failed to do the most important thing everyone who works on a computer knows. When you are working keep saving, and do not try to go backwards. This also could apply to our Christian Walk…

Too many times we get caught up in being busy and trying to get the job done that we forget to save. It is easy to get sidetracked with the work of God to actually forget that one of the primary purposes for us to live a Christian life is to win souls. Yes, it is vital that we serve God because He first loved us, but how can we love something or someone and not want everyone else to experience it?

We know the scriptures. ‘He that winneth souls is wise; Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.’  Most of us want to see our family and friends saved, and many do have an actual burden for souls. It is a part of our makeup as Christians. It is a part of our apostolic doctrine.

Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter three, ‘Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.’ Being born again is crucial to our salvation. Without being born again, we are eternally lost.

Now I realize that none of us who are apostolic would ever tell anyone they don’t need to be born again. There are some who think that just living a good life, being nice to one another is good enough. There are many more that believe that regardless of our activities His grace will be enough to save them.

While I would never discount His grace and mercy, Jesus himself said, ‘Ye must be born again.’ He did not leave room any error in judgment. Multitudes of people believe that the bible is just about telling them what they cannot do. There are a lot of practices that we follow that are not in scripture that we many times consider part of the walk of holy living. Yet, this is one area where it can be said, this is a no no. This is a must do. Ye must be born again.

I realize this is not a problem for most of us.

The Great Commission

However, when the Bible also states that we should go into all the world and preach the gospel, we relegate that portion of scripture to our missionaries.

Most churches support some sort of plan raising money to send other people to people we will never see. We feel that by donating our money that we have accomplished this task. Many churches place a great deal of focus on reaching tribal areas in Africa, Asia, Europe, usually sending our missions minded members  to the major international cities members. While it is great to be passionate about trying to help out in those areas we believe we will never visit ourselves, we are sadly lacking many times in reaching those just across the street in our local communities.

Sure we may ‘witness’ when an opportunity presents itself. Perhaps when we know our friend has gone into the hospital for a surgery or when we hear about a member of their family passing we may offer our prayers, but lets admit it, we are not near as proactive as we used to be in reaching out to others.

All of us mean well I am sure, but do we use all the potential available to us in trying to win souls? Do we use the tools that are in our grasp to reach into areas we may not have opportunity to go ourselves?

Easy Ways That Reach The Lost

While there is no specific way that is more impacting that others, there are many methods that most of us know about but probably do not use.

• Tracts/Revival Brochures
• Newspaper/TV Advertising
• Home Bible Studies
• Community Bake Sales
• Church Carnival/Charity Events

With the exception being mentioned in a sermon in our churches, or the occasional testimony of how this person was giving a friend a home bible study, it has been ages since I have heard of these methods being used by most Apostolic or Pentecostal churches. I am not sure why because honestly most of them cost very little.

But there is an even easier way to reach in the lost in your community, and even around the world. You may have the potential to reach some relative in a far off land simply by having a website for your church or ministry.

Embrace Technology!

If you are reading this article it is either by a computer, e-reader, smart phone, or someone printed it out for you to read. Almost everyone from the time they are very young has the opportunity to use a cell phone, play video games, or check email. And while some of us might deny it, lets face it, everyone really is on Facebook, or for sure has family members who are.

Yet for some reason many Apostolic/Pentecostal churches have not taken advantage of this opportunity. I am not sure if they are afraid of technology, or they think it costs too much. With the exception of a few remote areas in the jungles overseas, for sure nearly everyone is aware of the internet and computers.

Can we honestly say Jesus would not want us to be online? Sure there are areas online that none of us should venture into. But Jesus said to go into the highways and byways and compel them that my house might be full.

Jesus was always reaching out to the sinners. Whether it was crooks, murderers, prostitutes, or even into those in government positions. No one was above Him reaching out to. If you knew your brother was being beaten up in  a  bar downtown somewhere, would you sit there waiting to see if he came home, or would you go down there and try to get him out?

Jesus was all about reaching out, shouldn’t we be?

Does Your Ministry or Church Have A Website?

I am sure many of you can answer yes. Do you know the website address so you can point someone there? Do you ever go and look at it yourself?

However, there are many churches and ministries who rely on word of mouth. They have no website to point friends, family, or visitors to. And lets be real here.

There is not a day that goes by that you do not hear about a website. Nearly every food package in your pantry has a website address on it. Our bills, our banks, our child’s school, they are all online. If we want to find anything from a doctor to a plumber, chances are most of us go to the internet.

Sure, we have phone books, but most of us don’t even know which drawer we stuffed it in when it was dropped at our door. Better than 90% of homes in the USA have at least one internet ready computer, television, or other device. And if you don’t have that, you have a cell phone. And nearly all cell phones have internet capabilities. So I ask again does your ministry have a website?

Yes We Have A Website

Some churches embraced the technology quite a few years ago. They had their church location, maybe a few photos, service times and was hosted on some free internet site. Some still have their websites, but there were many who seemed to think the internet was a fad or just didn’t see the importance at the time.

A lot of companies offered free hosting for churches because they realized the importance of sharing the message, but I was amazed how hard it was to find Apostolic or Pentecostal churches online.

And it still is.

We don’t even think about going to Facebook to share photos or play games anymore. For many it is a daily habit. It has almost become as common for many as breathing. And even more people, whether for business reasons, or keeping in touch with friends use email every day.

It is common now if you meet someone in a supermarket and talk about your business, life, or church for them to ask if we have a website, or a Facebook page.

Many of us can say yes we do have a website. We paid XYZ Marketing Company $1200 to list us in the Yellow Pages and to create a page where people can find some information about our church seven years ago. But, let me ask you, has your church website been Born Again?