Voice Actor, Comedian
After spending 15 years in digital ministry and an additional 10 years in Christian not-for-profit work with communications, IT, church-planting and even preaching the Ministry web space has a special place in my heart. How do you actually do ministry online?
The most common question I hear has got to be, “How can we have a church website on a shoestring budget?” For the purposes of discussion, let’s assume you’ve got some kind of budget. An annual budget of $500 is a fine place to start. The answer to the shoestring church website question starts with the basic who-what-when-where-why questions we learned that time in 8th grade English during the journalism unit.
Continue reading “Church Website on a Shoestring”
Twenty years ago, churches were starting to put pieces of what they did online, and a few basics emerged that are as critical to a church website today, as they were then.
Continue reading “Critical Elements Of Any Church Website”
It was the anniversary of 911 this week. September 11, 2001 is a tragic date, especially for people who lost loved ones in the planes, World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and near Stoystown, PA. It is good that we honor their memories, and work for peace, to ensure similar events do not happen again. Continue reading “911 Recovery”
As of March, 2015, Facebook became the equivalent of the world’s largest country with over 1.4 Billion monthly active users. Do they need missionaries there? Continue reading “Missionaries Wanted”
I’m not embarrassed to admit that Ron Popeil, the Ronco guy, is one of my heroes. Inventor, entrepreneur, marketer, and the godfather of the TV pitchman has four easy lessons for churches. Continue reading “4 Easy Church Lessons from Ron Popeil”
In the Great Commission, Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. Do you really need to go somewhere to make disciples? Is it even possible to live out the Great Commission in the digital world?
Continue reading “As You Go”
As an American Christian, I might want to outlaw things that are not good for you. I’m not alone. On May 30, 2012, The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, announced the Portion Cap Rule. It stated that sugary beverages could not exceed 16oz portions. Later that year, the Board of Health unanimously approved the limit, and it would go into effect 6 months later. The underlying reason was that larger portions made people fat. It’s not good for you, so we’ll make it illegal. Continue reading “Good For You”
Clairvoyance isn’t one of my spiritual gifts. I’ll go out on a limb and say that Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” didn’t have it either. He did have the ability to look at the players on the ice, and see where the puck was going, and go there. Continue reading “Skate Where the Puck is Going”
I’ve been a featured speaker at a variety of different conferences. Some are technology conferences, some faith-based, some not, and whenever I do, people look at some of my past job experience (Director of Digital Communications, Director of Digital Media) and think I’m going to give a tech-talk. I can, but I hardly ever do. Continue reading “Flying Cars Conference”
Reaching people across generations, across different communication tools, and becoming a missionary into a different communication culture sounds scary. It is. It’s not easy. The thing is, it’s supposed to be tough. Continue reading “It’s Supposed To Be Tough”
Yesterday was December 14, 2012 and I spent a large portion of the day producing content for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. as commentary and encouragement regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, CT. Continue reading “Content Strategy and the News”
Sometimes, just a few days can produce pretty spectacular results.
Social Network Voice took over posting for one of our clients for one week to cover a staffer’s vacation time. After just a few days, we can already see a dramatic increase in the Total Reach numbers. Continue reading “Quick Wins”
The Bible gives very specific instruction as it pertains to respect for our leaders. Continue reading “Respect for Authority and our Leaders”
Most anyone who works in Christian Ministry thinks about one of a couple of things: ministry in the church, or some kind of boots-on-the-ground international missionary work. Those are of course a bit limiting, especially as it doesn’t take into consideration how God’s word is spread and people are ministered to through digital means. Continue reading “Doing Ministry Online”
Whenever I talk to people about God, I usually get questions about this sin or that. I get questions about sickness, disease, and in general, the junk that happens to us that seems unexplainable. We are often hurt and confused by natural disasters, children being hit by cars, bombs in public places, war, poverty, famine and injustice. Continue reading “A Broken World”
The Bible is the account of God’s action in the world and His purpose with all creation.
Forty authors, inspired by God, wrote the text of the Bible over the course of sixteen-hundred years, compiling a collection of books documenting God’s words about everything, from the creation of everything to the end of times. Continue reading “About The Bible”
From time to time I get questions about the name of God and why I don’t use it on my pages. I actually do refer to God in the most reverent and respectful way I can – by never writing or pronouncing His holy name. Continue reading “The Name of God”
Christian leaders: are you willing to boldly go where no one has gone before? Turns out, whether you’re a Star Trek enthusiast or not, we have much to learn from Captain Kirk’s style of leadership. Continue reading “What Christian Leaders Can Learn from Star Trek”
There’s a trial in progress alleging NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory demoted and then fired computer specialist David Coppedge for promoting his views on intelligent design. Continue reading “NASA – David Coppedge and evangelism at the office”
Normally this blog is relegated to the strange and wonderful things that I observe or that people send to me. Today I wish to depart momentarily from that format to brag about the place where I work just a bit and maybe for the first time help you understand a little of what I do for a living – which is only a little wacky.
I work at Gospel Communications International. My title is Manager of Alliance Development. The Alliance is a community of Christian organizations, banded together to make an impact for Christ online. I encourage our members to fully engage in doing their individual ministries online, rather than just run an online brochure about their ministry.
My company along with the alliance community launched a new site today.
It’s the content from the alliance sites bookmarked by them – and tagged with keywords which turn into topics. For example: apologetics.
It also dynamically creates micro-sites about each ministry. For example: mirthmobile.
Since it’s gone live just a few minutes ago – the search engines won’t index it quite yet, but in the near future when you do search for a topic contained in Gospel.com or one of our alliance members, gospel.com will have an enormous impact on those search results. That’s good news for our community, but it’s also good news for people who need help with the topics we cover – for example divorce – something I’ve recently experienced.
I’m so proud of everyone on our whole internet ministry team and everything they’ve done to make this new site a reality. Thanks everyone!