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

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!

We Can Help!

• FREE WEBSITE – for ministries with less than 25 members
• Custom Ministry Site – regardless of size, custom features, and free advice and quotes
• Visit Us On Facebook – whether you need a new site, a redesign, or monthly maintenance, we can help!

If you were not aware.. tonight is the only time you get a chance to delete your web history from Google.com.

So, if you value your privacy, or you have visited sites you don't want to be made public, go to Google.com/history, sign in with your Gmail account or whatever email you have used to use Google docs, Gmail, blogger, YouTube, etc. and click the button to delete web history.

This is not the same as deleting your browser history. Web history is kept on Google's servers.. so they know what images you have looked at, which recipes, or anything else.. it will be public tomorrow.

It is the beginning of the year and we reflect on the past, take stock of where we are, and try and put into places changes that will make us more successful. The same goes for website design, including church websites.

I have noticed over the last few years that of the few apostolics that do have websites for their ministry, most of them never update, or finish once it is started.

We all make excuses about our daily lives, and it might even be justified, but there comes a point when it can run over into changing the reflection of who we are as well. Our online activities and efforts can be either an effective tool or a big waste of time that benefits no one. A church ministry website is one such place.

While other areas of ministry are given much attention and most pastors would not show up for church with one shoe on, his suit inside out, and his big toe sticking out of the sock that is showing. Or the sister who teaches your children in Sunday School wouldn’t show up with her hose a wrinkled mess, or her hair not being combed, when it comes to the technology and creative sides of ministry we sometimes just let that slip away.

That is one of the reasons when you decide it is time to get online with your message you need to hire someone who has done it before, preferably a professional designer. If you didn’t, or even if you did and your site has been in limbo for a while, here are a few signs that you are in desperate need for an Extreme Makeover.

1. Incomplete Site

It can happen to the best of us, and usually does but if your site is unfinished and six months or more has transpired and it is still not finished, you need to call your designer, or find a new one.

There is a possibility that the information he needs has been sitting on your desk in that pile of papers you needed to file since last September, (it happens a lot), but chances are he got busy doing something else and forgot about you.

The number one reason most ministry sites go unfinished is that the information they need, such as pastor’s welcome, department information, schedules, and current photos have not been given to your designer to fill in. He cannot make the stuff up, he needs your information.

If your site still has Lorem Ipsum on it or Coming Soon, or links that go no where an other information that makes no sense to your site, (link here, asdakdd, Ridiculus, integer tincidunt, pellentesque proin tincidunt, natoque mauris urna augue tincidunt aliquam, Under Construction) or other filler information your site is in need of a makeover.

2. Outdated Information

Second biggest problem with most ministry sites is information that is outdated, or simply incorrect.  I was amazed recently when I was looking over a ministry site and saw animated swirly things, and a calendar date for a special event and it was dated June 4, 2002.

If your website has information on it that is older than six months, (it should be a month or less, but I will cut you some slack) then it is time for a makeover.

It is also time for an overhaul if your website lists your department heads from two pastors ago, and Sis. Shelley is listed as the church secretary and she has passed on, in fact you sang at her funeral, then it is time for an Extreme Makeover.

And yes, I am doing some of this tongue in cheek, because I don’t want to offend anyone, but I also want you to realize how silly it can be.

3. Missing Important Information

Recently someone asked me to take a look at their new website and tell them what I think. I might add that they were very proud of what had been done because it was supposed to be cutting edge design.  I was honored.

I spend a lot of time not only creating graphics and websites, but I also get paid to critique websites both for ministries and business to tell them what needs updated, how come their website doesn’t get them more business, and many times take a hard look at the site before it goes completely live.

Surprisingly enough, this pastor who was so proud, had forgotten to include information as to where his church was located, and the service schedule.

If you already went to the church, chances are you would already know all this information, but if you were a visitor you were out of luck.  They did have a contact page which included the name of the church, the city they were in but no street address, a clickable email address, and a phone number. 

I dialed the number, and got a ‘*beep* the number you are trying to call has been disconnected.’ The email address took me to my own email account, put the email address in the to box, and no other information.

Now that isn’t totally bad because you can fill in the details of the email yourself. However, do you ever get spam mail? Of course you do. 99% of the time, most spam mail starts by clicking such a link, and some unscrupulous marketing companies have what are called ‘spiders’ which browse websites all the time looking for contact information, and if they find an email address that is clickable, they take down that email and begin sending spam.

So, the chances are if you have such an address, even if it is correct, after a short while your email provider will notice the spam mail, and automatically start filtering the email to go into a spam folder, if it even reaches your desk.  That visitor who wanted to find out how to get to your church will end up in the spam folder or possibly even the recycle bin.

Shockingly, the other biggest missing information is that your beliefs are not included on your website. I have talked to some ministries that do not want that information there because they have been told by someone that it will drive away potential members. The theory behind this is that if your beliefs are somehow different from theirs, they will not make an attempt to come to your church. THIS IS WRONG.

Recently, I came across a blog of a young couple in Austin, Texas. They were new to the area and had decided they wanted to go to church. Partially out of just wanting to make friends, and partially to get back to their roots of where they had grown up.

They got on Google on their iPhone, (no one looks at a phone book anymore, really!), looked up the churches, and checked out a couple of websites. They came across one that seemed to be similar to what they grew up with, so they went the following Sunday.  It was not at all what they expected but they sat through the service and after arriving home, checked that church off the list of where to go.

The same thing happened the next Sunday. Another church website, another church visit, another check mark. This went on for five weeks, and the young lady decided to blog about their experiences. They were determined to find a church and so they turned it into an adventure.

What she found out was that your website reflects the way your church is. If your website is dull and boring, and hasn’t been updated in a while, the church is pretty much the same way.  One church they went to actually had burned out light bulbs in one of the hallways, and there was only a handful of people there, mostly elderly, and they were quiet and reserved. They didn’t feel that they fit in at all.

So, they tried a couple of more exciting websites. Flashy sites pumping graphics across the screen while music from a well known Christian Rock group emanated out of the speakers.  It seemed exciting, didn’t list what they believed but it was worth a shot.

When they got to the church, they were met by a guy with a bright red mohawk, tattoos up and down his arms, a dirty muscle shirt, and a nose ring. He invited them to stop over and try out the coffee bar where they were serving pastries and coffee drinks.  They tried it out and it was good, so they went in to the service when it started.

Heavy beats of a drum, loud guitar to where she wrote “I felt my ears might start bleeding at any time.” Then it slowed down for a moment as the red mohawk guy took the stage and started talking to them about ways to improve their physical appearance in order to be a better part of society. No joke.  He was the pastor.

She later wrote in her blog that there was nothing about what this church, if you can call it that, believed, and it was a total shock when they experienced it for themselves. They marked it off the list as soon as they got home.

They also found by simply driving around that most churches do not even have a simple website with service times and contact information.

After nearly a year they still never found a church where they felt they fit in. Their adventure continues.

You need to include what you believe and how you worship on your website, they are out there looking for somewhere to call home.

There are many more topics I could list to help you decide if your website needs a makeover, but in this posting I am only going to list one more for now.

4. Your Website is More Than Five Years Old

I know what you are thinking. Our website doesn’t look bad. It has the basic information. We even have a guest book and a spinning envelope graphic to tell them to email us.

While to some degree it may be getting the message partially out there, chances are no one who goes to your church ever visits your website, and its not likely any visitors do either. Chances are your website has many of the issues I have described.

I know of a church that every time I come across their website I cringe. It is not that it is ugly so much as it just looks old. There are a few pages with missing information and that “under construction” sign, but I have been aware of this church for more than four years now and the only thing that gets updated is their once-a-year church conference.

They pay someone several thousand dollars to make flyers, special business cards, and even a PowerPoint display. A copy of one of the flyers ends up on their website, but nothing else ever changes.

The website lists the name of a company that is supposedly the builder, but when you click it, it goes no where.  I was told that they have someone from the church who is supposed to be working on it when he can.

Knowing people in this church well, though, I know more about this church. They have a good spirit. They spend a lot of money on upgrading their church with large television monitors so that everyone can see the words to songs, the scripture text the preacher uses, and the announcements.  They are in the process of building a coffee house and a bowling alley at the church.

They have invested a lot of time and money in their church, and they have many special events for the community throughout the year. But behind the scenes, it is a different story, especially in the department that handles technology and creative ideas.

The computer that is used to display the PowerPoint presentation when they have their conference is more than ten years old, and a good percentage of the time freezes up when they try and advance too fast.  The mouse  connected to the computer (who uses those anymore) has a wire that runs down the wall and is intermingled with all the other cords and wires that run the computer, monitor, sound board, and recording equipment.

Yet, the pastor has often been quoted as saying he wants the screens with the songs and his ‘scriptures more flashy,  and faster somehow, and why is this computer so much slower than my Mac or my Ipad.’ His MacBook was new last summer.

This church has done a lot of good in their community. They have some great services, but their website displays how important they think it is to have the correct tools to get your message across. Our world is turning more and more to smaller, more efficient ways to get the messages.

We have Ipads, laptops, internet enhanced televisions and cards, and almost everyone over the age of eight has a cell phone that can text, get music, surf the internet, and do a lot of tasks that keep them connected to their lives.

Yet, when it comes to making sure that those who need to know this message can find it, in all the truth that we believe, we go lacking desperately.

Is it Time for an Extreme Makeover in your church? On your website?

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?

Have you ever really stopped and consider the ant?

Oh, I know we all do to some degree. We see them on our kitchen counter and immediately grab something to swat at them. Or perhaps we see some on the floor and look for spray to get rid of them.

We think of them as pests and dirty and do our best to get rid of them as quickly as we can, but have you ever really considered them or took time to watch what they are doing?

Randomness

I was watching some ants the other day. Well, I will be truthful. I saw a couple ants in my house, and I tried to get rid of it. It didn’t work immediately, and I found myself wondering why. I tried some bug spray, a few organic household remedies, and even asked a few people their suggestion. Nothing seemed to work. They were in a spot close to a chair in my house, never really deviated from the area too much, but I found myself watching what they were doing.

They seemed scattered. At first there was just the one heading off in some random direction. And before long there was two, then three, then a few more. They really seemed to be very individual. I didn’t notice much except they seemed to have no pattern to their direction. One would go this way, turn a couple wavy motions and seem to end up back where he started. Another took off in a different direction, and seemed to be going in a circle somewhat.

Remember, I was trying to kill them. So I would try some spray and when that didn’t work, some vinegar was suggested from a friend. Tried that, it did get a couple of them, but before long they were back and seemed to be more of them than before. But they all seemed to be going every which way with no direction. Just random patterns on the floor made by these tiny creatures. They didn’t really seem to have a purpose.

Purpose Driven

Surely there must be some specific thing they do. It does seem like they are going in no specific direction, but they can’t really all be headed no where can they? Maybe they just didn’t find what they were looking for, so they went somewhere else.

It made me think about our walk with God. Many times we see people enter our sanctuaries, come a few times, and then  they don’t seem to come back. In our daily lives we probably appear like we have no purpose. Sure, we go to work, buy groceries at the supermarket, look for clothes in the mall, but we can seem to all be individuals with no specific purpose just going through life.

We too, regardless of our faith and foundation, if we do not find what we are looking for, will go off in some other direction. Looking for something we haven’t found yet. Just like the ant, we do have a purpose, and we will keep looking until we find it.

The Purpose

Today, I saw an ant again. I thought I had gotten rid of them the other day, but apparently not. But this ant instead of roving along in some random direction was attempting to carry a piece of something. I looked closer and it must have been a small piece of a chip or a cracker he found somewhere. I really don’t know where. The place where the ants have been is tiled floor. I do my best to keep my house clean, so where that came from I don’t know. But this ant was trying to get the crumb of food from wherever he found it to somewhere else.

It was bigger than him by at least 5 or 6 times, and so it would move slightly, and then I would see him come around to the other side and it would move a bit of a different direction.

In a space of about ten minutes, that crumb went about six inches. Now, in relation to our size, that is remarkable. I don’t think any of us could move a car by ourselves a mile. Especially, if it didn’t have wheels.

But then I saw a big change. All of a sudden the ant had company. Not just one ant anymore but about ten.

They grasped onto the crumb that the one ant was trying to move. And it began to move again. Only this time they were moving much faster and working together to make it happen.

Unity

We all know that there is strength in numbers. Yet many times, we leave the work to one or two, and the rest of us just reap the benefits. This ant was moving a morsel of food from where he found it to his home. Where all the other ants are. It wasn’t just for his use but for all of them. And no, I do not know where they are all going. It is somewhere unseen, I have looked diligently. But the point is, when the one needed help instead of the randomness of their actions usually, they came together for one common purpose.

They were unified to get that food source back to their home so that they can all partake of it. How do they communicate? I have no idea. It seems in this age of technology, if our battery goes dead on our cell phone we are completely lost. I have seen people sit side by side and text each other back and forth, instead of talking. I guess it is still communication, but ants do not have cell phones do they? Yet they find a way to communicate.

Communication

Unity is good. The ants were swiftly moving the crumb from the place I first noticed it, to where it needed to be for the best use. Ants have six legs if I remember science. Yet, sometimes it can be hard for us to get where we are supposed to be with two.

Yet, here were several ants, each with six legs, which you would think would slow them down, (three legged races are not fast, try it) but they somehow were working in complete harmony together to move a foot or two very rapidly.

There had to be some form of communication that had a purpose. They didn’t question it. They worked together to achieve a common goal.

I wonder how different our own personal lives, our churches, our cities would be if we could come together for one common purpose and work together without division?

Would we be able to get our focus together and act as one unit? Or would we still be scattered and traveling in some seemingly random direction, when we are all still seeking the same goal?

Focus

Yes, I still plan to get rid of the ants. I need to. I realize that I do not want my home filled with ants, but for the moment I left them alone. Crazy? Perhaps, considering I will find a way for them to not find them again where they are. But, they were united in a common goal, and they were using the resources they had available to them to achieve it.

I don’t know what communication looks like to an ant. Do they talk? Print pamphlets? Have mental telepathy? Not really sure, but they roam around looking for something, and when they find it, they come together with a common purpose. They have a focus.

Unlike them, many of us seem not to be focused. Just going through life. Our ministries also reflect this.  Sure, we do ‘our thing.’ But we keep going in some random direction trying to achieve the same goal without using what is available to us.

Do we get so focused on what we are doing that we don’t look for help to make the job easier? Or is it just that we don’t communicate well enough?

Tools

Yes, we have our Bibles. Some of us actually read them, and we attempt to share the word with those we meet. We come together once, or maybe a couple more times a week to focus on our purpose but the rest of the time, we seem just to be heading in random directions.

There are methods of communication available but most of us are so used to doing in the same way we always did, and even though it hasn’t worked as well as it could have, we keep going in the same random path.

We need focus. We need communication. We need tools.

We need to reach people where they are. So, where are they?

Nearly every home in the United States has at least one or two cell phones. Most of the phones have options to look  up information on the internet, or are connected through Twitter or Facebook.

Did you know that almost every home has at least one computer, and most homes have two or more? Even some of the most economically depressed areas of our communities has access to a computer at a library or school, if they don’t have a computer in their home.

Yet, only one, out of about fifty apostolic churches has a presence online. Yes, I will repeat that again. 1 in 50 apostolic churches are online.

Considering?

I am not saying you do not reach people, but you are missing a big segment of the population in your area. We head here and there, and do make some change, but we are moving slow, when we could be reaching the people where they are. And we could do it twenty-four hours a day.

Studies indicate that businesses are losing 75% of their business by not having a website online. Can you imagine that? They are only reaching 25% of their potential if they do not use a resource that really is available to all of us.

It works for ministries too. Imagine if you were reaching 75% more people than you are now?

Those who decide to take advantage of the tools available; website, Twitter, Facebook, have repeat business of 43% of those who come visit them.

Think about that in relation to your ministry.  If you reached 75% more people, and 43% became full time members of your church, how big of an impact would that have on your community? How many more people could be reached if your church was 43% bigger right now? Working together in unity, just how effective could your ministry be?

The ants achieved their purpose by working together. Individuals? Yes, but they knew how to use the resources and capabilities together to achieve a common goal. No longer just random hits here and there but accomplished task.

Consider the Ant.

If you are interested in talking to us about how having a website, social media account, or other services that will help impact your ministry we invite you to contact us. We can help you bring your resources together in one place to achieve the goals you have.

You can reach us by contact here.

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God Bless You!

Browsing around the internet today for inspiration, I was pleasantly surprised to see that some ministries and churches are beginning to update their websites.

It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote about those ministries that still had leftovers on their website from the last millennium and they didn’t look as if they even remembered they had a website, the information was so out of date.

I did run across a few sites that still had a calendar and event banners from 2008 but for the most part, a lot have improved by updating their content and graphics. This is always a good thing.

Information should be updated on your website at least monthly. If you haven’t already, it is a good idea to see if  there is someone in your church that has knowledge to update your website content. It is important for your church members to have a place they can go to if they forget what is happening next Wednesday, but it is also a way for visitors to find out what is currently going on in your church.

Your Site Should Reflect Your Ministry

Many churches have a fairly simple website listing only their schedule, location, and contact information, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if the contact information is out of date, or perhaps the name of your ministry has changed, or you have new leadership, it should be updated on your site as well as your other promotional materials.

Sometimes the church or ministry website falls into disrepair simply because no one takes time to update it. I know of one site, that shall remain nameless, that has had someone ‘working’ on their site for the past two years. I was surprised somewhat a couple of weeks ago when I went to their site and what I recall from the first time I saw it two years ago, is still there.

Sure, they have the pretty ‘under construction’ images with ‘more information coming soon’ but if it hasn’t changed in two years, you need to hire someone new to take care of it. Or if it is a member in your church or ministry that works on your website, it is time to find someone else. I know if can be hard if you are a small church to find someone who knows how, but if you leave it up to Aunt Josephine’s second cousin’s high school nephew to update your site, there is a good possibility he will be graduating college before your information is updated.

Or perhaps your ministry is as far behind as your website indicates?

Update your website!

Too Much Of A Good Thing

When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, God sent manna each morning to feed them. They were required to rise each morning and collect enough manna to feed their families for the day. It was set up by God to be a daily task.

Some thought they would be wise and not have to get up each day so they collected more than they needed so they would have some left for the next day. I am not sure if they just figured it would be easier, if they were lazy and only wanted to work once a week or so, or maybe they just wanted to sleep in.

But everyone who collected manna new each day had plenty to sustain them for the day. Those who decided they were smarter than the plan of God, ended up with a little extra protein in their manna. Worms.

The manna would be available first thing in the morning with the dew. If you waited to get your supply until noon, you were out of luck. If you had decided to keep extra from the day before, you would open your pantry and find worms squirming in your food. Not very good.

There are plenty of scriptures in the bible that talk about praying in the morning.

Some mention the very early morning talking with God before the day begins. Even before the sun is on the horizon, finding a place of sanctuary with God.

I have found, for myself, praying when I first wake up always seems to leave me with more energy and time for other things, and I am not so easily distracted with life. Maybe that is why for the past couple weeks I am waking up so early? I groan and lay there hoping to fall back asleep, but finally get up realizing it isn’t going to happen. And no, you can never pray too much.

But, I digress, that is a topic for another day, and perhaps one of my other blogs.

It’s Good But It Is Also TOO MUCH

While looking at inspirational websites, I came across a few that had good intentions but from a design and usability feature had entirely too much content on the front page.

One one side of their front page they had the following:

• Social Media Follow Buttons
• A Search Our Store Option
• Free Newsletter Sign-Up
• Splashy Banner for a trip overseas (including cost)
• News articles related to their ministry mission
• Registration Area for a conference
• & a video

The rest of the page was very similar. On the main page they had fifteen (15) call to action options. This did not include all of the links to various articles they had written, topics for discussion, another video, more subscription and order links.

Displaying options for call to action on the main page is very popular and useful in trying to get your viewer to interact with your website. Whether you have something for sale, a video they should see, or perhaps a newsletter you want to entice them to subscribe to, call to action features are vital for keeping the viewer on your site.

But…

When you have so many on one page, the viewer can, and will get lost.

What To Choose?

Just today in the supermarket, I was in the frozen food section where a sale was going on, and I couldn’t get to the item I needed because a lady was there looking at the same thing. She remarked, ‘there are just too many choices to choose from.’ I know how that is.

Go down the cereal aisle sometime.  There are the name brands we all know, but usually in more than one size. There are generic or store brands that are similar but have different names, and usually the packaging is less intrusive but we ‘get more for the money.’ And then there are the new cereals that look so enticing in the commercials and you may even have a coupon. And, lets not forget the weekly circular ad for the store. Even still other cereals are ON SALE.

The same is true of the content on your ministry website.

It has been said that ugly websites do not reach people. The same should be said for websites that are pretty but have entirely too much content in one spot. That isn’t design, that is clutter!

Oh Good! You found the site you were looking for, but where do you go to find out what you want to know? There are lots of links, lots of banners, lots of…

Too much of a good thing?

I am sure somewhere on that website, there was links to what they believe, who they are, and where to locate them. I didn’t see it though.  I am sure they believe in Jesus, after all everything on their site has to do with their ministry, but it was lost somewhere in all the clutter.

What value do you place on the message if they can’t find it? Is that how it is at your church? Too much going on? You have lots of programs, special music, dramas, lights, and more that the message is getting lost? It’s what your website is telling me. No don’t worry. I know the truth already. But what about the person who doesn’t? If they are lost on your website…?

How will they find the message?