Winter 2013
The theme for Winter 2013 is “New Media Trends.”
Why both are critical to your ministry's future
At one time, the lines between marketing and technology were clear. The technology team lived in the basement and was only seen for free lunches or the blue screen of death. Marketing folks lived upstairs in the excitement of brainstorming big ideas and reaching new audiences. Today those lines are no longer clear. Audiences are online, and technology is critical to reach them.
At The A Group, we live at the intersec...
Multiply ministry impact through social networks
Traditionally we start our churches or other Christian organizations to impact our communities — or even have a national presence. But very rarely do we realize that once we create a website or social media account, we become an international organization.
Social Media is one of the best ways to reach people with your message because it allows you to reach people right where they are, on their soc...
Francis Chan on the call to discipleship
CLA President Tami Heim recently interviewed Francis Chan, who will be a keynote speaker at CLA Dallas 2014 (April 14-16, 2014).
Chan is the best-selling author of books including: Crazy Love, Forgotten God, and Erasing Hell, as well as the host of the BASIC.series (Who is God & We Are Church). He has also written children’s books: Halfway Herbert, The Big...
Being a conduit for life change online
in 2004, I left a corporate marketing job because my infant son was facing a life-threatening illness. Even though spending time with my now-recovered son was very rewarding, I did make a rather fast exit from the workforce. And at that time, I was left feeling as if I was contributing less to the world around me than I had hoped.
Then something incredible happened.
My pastor, Craig Groeschel, to...
Using technology to win the battle against abortion
Where do you turn? You’re 21 and you’ve just learned you are pregnant. Getting pregnant wasn’t in your plan. Abortion feels like your only option.
Where do you turn?
This haunting question was the beginning of a journey for us in 2007. We were both working for Coral Ridge Ministries, the international media ministry of evangelist, teacher, and culture warrior Dr. D. James K...
It's worse than you think...
According to a May 2013, PewInternet survey on American adults use of the Internet, most individuals prefer to go online to take care of various tasks in their lives such as banking (61 percent), getting news (78 percent), and communicating with friends (88 percent). Yet online giving, despite recent growth, remains behind as only 50 percent of adults go online to make a donation to a charity. Worse still is that online giving typically makes up ...
Digital technology is changing how we all do ministry
In February, research and advisory firm, Forrester Research (forrester.com) released its “Mobile Trends for Marketers” and “Interactive Marketing Predictions” for 2013. These studies show more clearly than ever just how much Christian ministries must rapidly embrace technological change in order to reach their perpetually connected audiences.
Connec...
Spreading the fragrance of Christ
I went into internet Evangelism in the early 1990s. Interestingly, at about that time, I heard a quote by one European pastor who said the gospel should only be preached in church buildings by ordained ministers of the gospel.
That perspective is unbiblical since Scripture calls us to spread the fragrance of Christ by all possible means. We’re to preach on hillsides, in boats, in marketplaces, in synagogues and by the h...
Being strategic about online giving
We live in a day and age when relationships have changed from “How are you?” to a “like” on Facebook. Our retail stores are being put out of business by stay-at-home moms selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in Guess jeans and Fossil watches.
The other day I walked into Boscov’s at our local mall and could sense the impact of their competitive struggle with eBay, Amazon, Craigslist,...
As Director of Marketing for the National Christian Foundation (NCF), Pearlina Simmons knows a thing or two about the role technology plays in the nonprofit sector. Since it was co-founded in 1982 by Larry Burkett and Terry Parker, NCF has been helping donors give — and give wisely — to multiply their impact and glorify God. As technology has grown and changed, so too has NCF as they help givers and organizations best use technology to further the kingdom of God. Here, Simmons ...