Church Executive Presents: Mobilizing Software for Ministry

HELPING LEADERS BECOME BETTER STEWARDS

JUNE/JULY 2014 JANUARY 2014

Mobilizing Software for Ministry

A selection — and maximization! — guide for busy church leaders

Features

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CHURCH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE MATTERS (A LOT)

Take the time to be strategic with your decision. You’ll be glad you did.

By Steve Caton

Few church leaders get excited about researching different church management software (ChMS) options. That’s understandable; the choices can seem overwhelming, and the pressure to make the right decision is high.

Even so, church leaders who put in the time and energy upfront are much more likely to make the best technology decision for their churches — and to realize the full potential of the software after its implementation.

GET (AND KEEP) THEIR ATTENTION — WITH SOFTWARE How to mobilize ChMS as a congregational engagement tool

By Sam Batterman

When thinking about church management software, what images come to mind? Back office personnel madly typing endless notes into complicated profiles only they understand? Trying to get the right incantation to extract the right data into the report that the pastor is breathing down your neck for? Recording tithe batches — and going blind on endless rosters for Sunday school — to record attendance from the previous weekend?

Maybe. But, what should church management be?

To answer this question, we should consider how much the congregation has changed in the last 20 years — or even in the past three years.

THE EVOLUTION OF CHURCH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

From data to disciple-making, this critical ministry tool has come a long way.

By John Connell

ChMS was created to help office personnel by simplifying mailing lists, mail merge, and some other basic functions that those late 1980’s systems could handle.

As software followed hardware, newer and more advanced operating systems allowed for improved functionality in the software. Through the 90’s and into the new millennium, we saw the progression from DOS and Windows 3.1 to networked solutions, ending up with the web-based solutions of today.

The new ChMS progressed, as well, from basic back-office functions to attendance tracking and contribution management.

But, the real revolution began in the new millennium.

BACK TO BASICS

How to build a church website that really works

By Tim Wall

Why do so many church websites fall short of their potential?

The issues vary, but it’s common to see a lack of fresh and regularly updated content. Some churches try to be overly fancy. Others have websites that are poorly designed.

But most often, church websites fall short because they fail to focus on the basics. Improving church websites isn’t about adopting the latest cutting-edge web technology; it’s about getting back to basics and mastering oft-neglected fundamentals of great content, great design and timely updates.

STUDYING THE OPTIONS

You need Bible study software. But, how do you pick the right one?

By Rich Tatum

You’re a professional. And, like any pro, you want the right tools for the job.

Your personal library reflects that: It’s full of books chosen for your personal education and regular sermon preparation, including commentaries, biblical-language helps, homiletic aids and helpful insights from others who (like you) are engaged in the work of studying and teaching from the Bible.

But, libraries are bulky and cumbersome. While you’ll gladly spend hours preparing every message, too much valuable time disappears while you search for a dimly remembered passage, track down footnotes, and relocate books from the shelves to your desk and back again.

This is where Bible study software comes in.

Software Spotlights CHURCH COMMUNITY BUILDER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SERAPHIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ELEXIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 EVENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (EMS). . . . . . . . 16 LIGHTCMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 LOGOS BIBLE SOFTWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Church management software matters (A LOT) Take the time to be strategic with your decision. You’ll be glad you did.

BY STEVE CATON

Few church leaders get excited about researching different church management software (ChMS) options. That’s understandable; the choices can seem overwhelming, and the pressure to make the right decision is high.

Not only is your church investing financially in the software it chooses, it’s also going to spend a lot of time and energy on the implementation process. And no one wants to make the wrong decision.

If you’re facing this choice, I want to share some helpful information that will provide the frameworks for your evaluation process. Church leaders who put in the time and energy upfront are much more likely to make the best technology decision for their churches — and to realize the full potential of the software after its implementation.

2 DANGEROUS ASSUMPTIONS

When attempting to select the right ChMS, two assumptions have the potential to sway church leaders toward a decision that will only cause more problems.

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Cheaper is better. We wouldn’t put the cheapest roofs on our homes, because they protect our families and possessions from nature’s elements. Something that important needs to be built to last.

The same principle applies to ChMS. The right technology will give your church the ability to operate more efficiently and effectively for the long term. If you could increase the number of recurring givers, multiply the number of small groups, improve your assimilation process, and overcome your member retention setbacks, what would that be worth to your church?

If something works for my buddies, it will work for me, too. A software solution might work well for a church across town. But, never confuse your church’s unique needs and preferences with the preferences or needs of another congregation.

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What’s at stake?

Taking the faster, more efficient, less strategic approach to ChMS selection has several less-thanideal outcomes.

You’ll miss opportunities to connect with people. Church leaders who don’t think strategically about their technology miss out on the opportunity to effectively communicate with members based on their gifts, interests, personality traits and favorite causes.

You’ll make decisions that aren’t completely informed. If you don’t have technology that records important metrics, your church won’t be able to make the most informed decisions possible for ministry.

You’ll miss out on opportunities to cultivate generosity. Technology has become an essential element for churches who want to cultivate generosity within the congregation. It also helps justify how church resources are stewarded.

You’ll rely on your gut when it comes to your church’s growth patterns and potential.

Without thinking strategically about your technology, you miss the opportunity to record and analyze the important data that illustrates growth patterns.

People will leave your church — and you won’t know why. Not thinking strategically about your technology can have a significant impact on how well your church is connecting with first-time guests, and what it learns from those who don’t return.

Personalized growth is limited. Without thinking strategically about how technology can help your church be more personal, an opportunity is wasted to help each member grow in his or her own way.

Community within your church won’t thrive. How can we expect authentic community and care to happen in the absence of accurate information?

Once you’ve identified what’s at stake — and know to avoid dangerous assumptions — you’ll be on your way to finding a ChMS solution that provides everything your church needs to do better ministry.

Get the right people involved Having worked with hundreds of churches, there’s one core principle among our most successful clients: collaboration.

In these churches, decisions aren’t made by a closeted set of leaders, and then tossed over the transom for others to implement. Instead, they’re made by involving — from the start — the people who will be materially impacted by the choice.

This principle ensures buy-in and momentum from the get-go. When decision-making is shared, there’s a core team of people who play a role in the successful implementation.

In a lot of churches (our own clients among them), a closeted set of leaders or a single leader makes the ChMS decision. While we’re glad to work with them, we often have to deal with the

repercussions as the rest of the staff struggles to understand the “why” and “how” of the decision.

If you want to achieve predictable success in your church’s software implementation, you must: • Ensure staff and volunteers understand the “why.”

• Understand the systems and processes of how your church works today, and be able to translate that into the new system.

• Prepare your data to move from one system to the next.

• Allow time to verify data and make sure things are functioning properly.

• Allow time for training.

• Make someone accountable for owning it (both in transition and in the future).

Many churches hand the responsibility for researching a new church management system to an administrative assistant.

While it’s totally OK to get this individual involved in the selection process, it’s essential that a higher-level (director or above) staff person is also enlisted.

KNOW THE QUESTIONS, NOT JUST THE ANSWERS Making the best ChMS decision means knowing what questions can help you find the right solution. Before getting caught up in the latest shiny object, or choosing to forego an upgrade to a more robust solution, ask four questions: Does this decision align with our church’s core values? In other words, will this piece of technology help your church accomplish what it has said is important?

Can your church increase its ministry potential through this investment?

How much money can we spend? Though it’s not glamorous, your church needs to know what’s in the budget. A word of caution: While price is always a consideration, the churches which benefit the most from technology rarely make their decisions exclusively on this factor.

Which functionalities are fun, and which are necessary? Take the time to evaluate your church’s unique systems and processes.

Look for technology that will support those processes instead of forcing it to adapt the way you “do church” — unless it’s time to do things differently.

What’s the potential impact on staff and lay leaders?

Technology solutions for churches should help distribute workload and empower people to fulfill their roles in the church. It should make doing ministry easier, not complicate lives. If software is complex and unintuitive, few people will use it, and your investment will be a total waste. >>

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Deciding what ChMS works best for your church is a big call; the last thing you want is to waste your church’s efforts and money. So, it’s worth the time, energy and commitment necessary to identify what’s at stake, to make sure the right people are involved in the decision, and to ask the questions that will guide your church to a solid decision.

More than likely, it will be a lot more work than you anticipate — and that’s a good thing. You’re not just making a decision about software; you’re also deciding what kind of church you want to be: one which is completely dependent on staff to do the work of ministry, or one which equips and activates a broad base of people for ministry. CE

• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

Steve Caton is part of the Leadership Team at Church Community Builder in Colorado Springs, CO. He leverages a unique background in technology, fundraising and church leadership to help local churches decentralize their processes and equip their people to be disciple-makers. Caton is a contributing author for a number of websites, including the Vision Room, ChurchTech Today, Innovate for Jesus, and the popular Church Community Builder Blog. He also co-wrote the e-book, Getting Disciple-Making Right.

You are called to equip people as they fulfill the mission of the local church. Church Community Builder is called to offer you a better how — through practical coaching, software and “tribe”-based learning that supports good process and empowers everyone in your church.

Our inspiration is “the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11b–12). We believe church leadership and structure is necessary and a good thing, so we encourage leadership-driven systems and processes.

We also believe that community between church leaders and congregants is vital, so we provide highly distributive church management software to facilitate connectedness, communication and insight.

For details, call (866) 242-1199.

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Get (AND KEEP) their attention — with software How to mobilize ChMS as a congregational engagement tool

BY SAM BATTERMAN

When thinking about church management software, what images come to mind?

• Back office personnel madly typing endless notes into complicated profiles only they understand?

• Trying to get the right incantation to extract the right data into the report which the pastor is breathing down your neck for?

• Recording tithe batches — and going blind on endless rosters for Sunday school — to record attendance from the previous weekend?

Maybe. But, what should church management be?

To answer this question, we should consider how much the congregation has changed in the last 20 years — or even in the past three. The shift among people and their expectations about how to interact with any organization (and how they receive communication and reach out to one another) has changed profoundly.

The back story Our own product, Seraphim, was designed to leverage the very pervasive technologies we use every day, and to apply them to church management and congregational engagement.

More than three years ago, this tool began its life as a safe and closed social network for a teen youth group.

We wanted a place that was different than Twitter and Facebook — one with a focus on Biblical resources, digital devotions and everyday life, but without ads and the dangers of sexting. It needed to be a place where teens, teen workers, volunteers and parents could discuss the things that make growing up in today’s culture more challenging, spiritually, than it was 20 (or even 10) years ago.

Over time, Seraphim morphed — intentionally — into a full-blown church management system, integrating the profiles of the social network into the items that are valued and useful in the back office of the church. Events became a vehicle for doing attendance either after the event or during the event on a mobile phone or tablet.

We did the jobs of recording attendance and doing safe check-in for children in our own churches.

In doing so, we personally understood the little things that make a huge difference in the time and ease of making these tasks more valuable to ministry, and made them easy for ministry leaders to use. Seraphim isn’t a product that was beneficial to a

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related industry — such as donor management or non-profit membership — and repurposed for churches as a secondary thought. This tool was built for the church, with its unique mission as the foundation.

Let’s face it: Ministry is complicated There are dozens of ways to contact people, various events to register for — all vying for the same scarce resources, whether they’re rooms or A/V equipment. Volunteers and staff rotate roles in complicated fashion, and an increasingly growing demographic of worshippers demands technological and self-service capabilities from their home church. Building these features yourself or integrating different packages can be prohibitively expensive and make your church less nimble.

We designed our system to connect the back office to the front door and give users control over the church’s information from any location.

It’s a cloud-based system, so there’s no need for

servers or special skills to install it and maintain it.

There’s no limit to how many people can use the data and the tools inherent to the system.

Users can work from home, the office, while traveling — anywhere there’s an Internet connec-

tion. It’s also a mobile system which enables users to access information about the people in the congregation and gives them the ability to reach out to those individuals in multiple ways.

Simplified, minimalistic look and feel. With a look that pervades software apps on current Windows and Apple products, our team has taken every function and focused on making our system fast, flexible and easy to use. Its design, colors and layout are intended to ensure users enjoy working with it.

Administration and the back office.

Individuals, families and organizations can be grouped in any way the user wants. Those groups can then be used for attendance, safe check-in and reporting. Unlimited custom fields and tags enable users adapt to new situations. Outreach tools can be used to schedule visits and manage the lifecycle of getting to know visitors in a more rapid manner, so that no one falls through the cracks. Attendance features record attendance rapidly; or, ministry leaders can use their smart phones and tablets to record attendance at the time of the event. So, attendance numbers can be in hand faster — something church

leadership teams can definitely appreciate.

One of the biggest complaints about ChMS is how difficult it can be to get data and intelligence out of them. To that end, our team has incorporated dashboards which show everything from the composition of your membership and visitors, to the church’s financial health.

A generosity dashboard shows last week’s giving, where the church stands YTD (year-to-date), tithing to funds and by method, trends of giving, and the affluence of your church family in the form of a spatial map.

Reports are designed to be simple to use, yet flexible.

Users can choose a group, a detail of individuals or families and a report they want to run, and then specify how they want it to look — as a list or as a directory.

Users can even create mailing labels or name tags bearing attendance bar codes which work with safe checkin functionalities. They can sort by any field, and toggle the fields they want to include in the report.

Geographic and spatial information about the congregation enables church leaders to decide where to establish a satellite church, where to add a community group, or even how to modify its bus routes to accommodate more visitors.

Our system’s mapping directory — built into the application — lets users overlay bus routes and employ tactics for getting people that need the message the church is called to deliver.

Turn-by-turn directions are available to help ministry teams focus on their mission.

Safe check-in and check-out Staffed or self-check-in stations let users check children into classes in five seconds or less. The system supports barcodes, PINs, smart phones with QR Codes, passwords and facial recognition, and other biometric authentications >>

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Communities and social networks

• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

are slated for implementation this year. Check-in automatically takes attendance, too.

The system also supports lanyards, pagers and tracks allergy information. Labels can be customized to include a QR or security code, parents’ names and allergy information.

During the service, parents can see where their children are using their smart phones.

Beyond just Facebook, our system is designed to create unlimited communities to match a congregation’s complexity. For example, a teen group or addiction ministry can be created in about a minute.

Members can instant-message each other in a secure, closed environment and share photos, files, web links — even take informal polls. Each member gets a profile page. Also accommodated are unlimited discussion groups, prayer lists, and a care center.

Seraphim is like an operating system for your church: It enables groups of people, facilities, resources and events to work together in a profoundly new way. The Seraphim tool maximizes outreach and creates intimacy between members, regular attenders and visitors.

Sharing between your ministry leaders, church congregation and visitors becomes not just easy, but fun, rewarding and valuable.

Seraphim supports life/stage, community/small groups and family-integrated ministry models by connecting the back office to the front door, giving users superior control over their information, from any location.

Seraphim is cloud-based, so there’s no need for expensive servers or special skills to install it and take care of it. (That’s our job). It provides world-class membership management, attendance tracking, contribution and event management, and safe check-in solutions in a comprehensive, integrated offering.

CALL (855) 681-6160 TO FIND OUT MORE.

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A semantics bible, built-in A digital bible based on semantics is a the heart of our system. This means users can view the scripture by verse, structure, geography, chronology and topic, as well as share and encourage one another in bible reading. They can memorize verses in a new way and search for anything in the Bible — and understand it faster and more comprehensively.

Today’s digital generation is unlikely to read a Matthew Henry commentary; but, seeing the Bible as a “Periodic Table” helps them understand the collections of the bible using a modern approach. Our system uses visualizations such as tag clouds to help people find concentrations of verses based on a topic.

Security and delegation Built-in security functionalities let users control who’s an administrator or a moderator, as well as specify who can see tithes and contributions and who can delegate authority to others.

Think of our system like a utility, but for information rather than energy. Service can be added (immediately) as needed. CE Sam Batterman is the co-founder and president of Seraphim Software, based in Collegeville, PA. Prior to Seraphim, he spent 22 years in the software industry, including 13 years at Microsoft working on Business Intelligence and Visualization technologies.

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The of church management software From data to disciple-making, this critical ministry tool has come a long way.

BY JOHN CONNELL

Do you remember what church management software (ChMS) was like when it first came on the scene? That’s the mental image some churches still have of ChMS, despite the evolution it has undergone since.

ChMS has been around for decades, going back to the days of DOS and rudimentary dataprocessing systems. Just like any other software, it was developed to maximize the potential of the hardware it resided on. In the early days, that was the PC. ChMS was created to help office personnel by simplifying mailing lists, mail merge, and some other basic functions that those late 1980’s systems could handle.

As software followed hardware, newer and more advanced operating systems allowed for improved functionality in the software. Through the 90’s and into the new millennium, we saw the progression from DOS and Windows 3.1 to networked solutions, ending up with the web-based solutions of today.

The new ChMS progressed as well, from basic back-office functions to attendance tracking and contribution management.

But, the real revolution began in the new millennium.

It’s a new day While the world was watching the creation of Web 1.0, a major shift occurred in ChMS. The datacapturing systems of old gave way to more robust solutions. ChMS could now help ministries manage small groups, recruit and train volunteers, track an individual’s discipleship, and analyze trends.

The focus moved off of the church staff and onto the needs of the congregation. With this shift in focus, ChMS moved from mere data input to meaningful output.

Unfortunately, a significant number of

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churches still regard ChMS as a staff-centric solution, so they miss the greatest purpose of the solution: helping their people to build the Kingdom. This is just one of many reasons that their results fall short of churches’ expectations.

Several other mistakes cause some churches to get less than they were hoping for from their ChMS: Expecting technology to substitute for good processes.

Without established processes and defined goals for ministry, no solution will be a success.

Not allocating sufficient resources — personnel and finances — to get the right solution. Regardless of your congregation’s size, it’s imperative that you have a “data champion” — a staff person thoroughly invested in the success of the solution. You will also need the financial means to make it a priority. Its purpose, after all, is to help your people to grow as disciples.

Thinking the financial investment is the end. Actually, it’s just the beginning. And while we’re talking about investment, make sure you don’t overlook the work involved in transitioning into new ChMS. Most churches are coming from some type of platform already, and it’s likely that the new solution is different from the way they used to do ChMS. Transitioning promises to be a challenging process, but if you have chosen the right solution, it’s worth the effort.

Allowing a single area of focus to overshadow the needs of the church. It’s easy to allow one church department — say, the finance team — to have the dominant voice. But, this can lead to unintended consequences, such as resentment or even refusal to use the solution. Make sure that the final decision is one that everyone can (and will) support.

Picking a solution without evaluating the provider.

Don’t be so mesmerized by the software that you fail to consider factors such as the provider’s tenure in the industry, approval rating by your peers, continual focus on product evolution, and best-in-class support. These could mean as much to your ongoing satisfaction as the solution itself.

What’s the mission of the software provider?

Ask yourself: Is the company Kingdom-minded? If there’s any question about this, then its primary purpose could be something

other than — something less than — the spiritual development of its constituency. Unless the company’s vision is to build the Kingdom, you risk investing in a solution that fails to encompass the full scope of today’s ministry priorities.

So, what should you look for? Simply, you should look for a solution and a provider that most closely meets your needs. Notice we aren’t saying, “Look for an exact match,” as that’s not realistic.

There’s always the temptation to look at several top solutions, compare a plethora of amazing features, and then combine them into a single list of must-haves. Then, when decision time

comes, you demand that one company provides all. Such an approach will leave you dissatisfied, no matter which provider you choose. The fact is that there’s no perfect provider out there.

A better approach is to weigh the pros and cons and make the best-fitting choice, making sure you’ve decided what your non-negotiables will be.

Another question to ask: Is the provider committed to future development? Will you have opportunity to suggest needed enhancements? What’s its method of processing those suggestions? This could make your decision that much easier.

A successful solution from a responsive provider looks like this: >>

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• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

Kingdom-minded organization + current technology + completely integrated solutions + renowned support. End result? Equipping of the church to connect, engage, and grow disciples of Christ.

This is Elexio’s approach. Our software and our service are designed specifically for today’s progressive ministry. Here are some things that set us apart: Our heart and our passion. As a team of former

or currenly involved ministry leaders, Elexio is a company of people who have known the challenges of today’s ministry and who seek to support it through targeted software solutions.

Integrated — no, really integrated — solutions.

At Elexio, we know what having multiple complimentary platforms means to a church IT staff. Although integration through APIs (application program interface) and other

Elexio’s church software suite was designed and built to help people know Jesus. The company’s vision is to equip today’s outreach-oriented, discipleship-driven churches with website, database, check-in, mobile app and giving solutions.

Elexio’s church management, website, giving and connection solutions provide the accessibility churches need regardless of size, location and connectivity. Eliminating the challenges of managing multiple providers, Elexio provides the complete tools necessary to connect, engage and grow.

Whether it’s through the connection with the church website through a relevant display of current events, recent media or simple, responsive design, a church website speaks to the inviting community that congregants will come to expect in their physical visit. Once there, churches can provide efficient ways to connect through simple (actually enjoyable!) check-in processes and kiosk-style giving. They can ensure that follow-up is timely and personal with a best-in-class database that handles coordination of contributions, communication, small groups and ministries, as well as the robust event management resources.

For more information, call (888) 997-9947.

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We’ve got your back. How frustrating is it when the only way you can get a response is through email? We’ll take your emails and your calls. Your success means we’ve done our job. Our company wants to help you do far more than gather data — we want to help you to make disciples. CE

middleware might be the solution preferred by other providers, a single-source provider is already connected all of the software your church needs.

Keeping pace with today’s ministry requirements. Do you need responsive websites, efficient check-in options, a staff-friendly database, engagement tools, mobile apps, and web portals? Yep, we thought you might. And we make sure the data flows from one to the next without your needing to employ custom development.

John Connell can periodically be found contributing to his company blog and various articles throughout the church community. Professionally, he directs the path of Elizabethtown, PA-based Elexio’s sales and marketing departments, while personally staying involved with the local church as a governing board member of the Lancaster Alliance Church in Lancaster, PA. With a sincere passion to see people know Christ, he works to bring relevant experience to the continual design of Elexio’s software.

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• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

Religious organizations that rely on Event Management Systems (EMS) discover that it’s easy to use, both for staff and volunteers; provides “anywhere, anytime access” for the public and staff to see important event information; helps make their facilities a focal point for community events; and lets them get the most out of their valuable spaces and resources.

Key features include EMS Enterprise, which lets users reserve rooms without the risk of double-booking, schedule resources such as equipment and catering, run reports, print hardcopy calendars and more. The EMS Master Calendar function creates and manages web-based calendars of meetings and events. And, the EMS Regics tool lets users manage online event registration and conduct member surveys.

To read case studies detailing EMS at work in worship facilities, visit the EMS website.

For more information, call (800) 440-3994.

Revenue on a downward spiral?

Better utilize space and resources while generating additional revenue with EMS.

Connect with us: 800.440.3994 -orwww.dea.com/worship

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Back to basics How to build a church website that really works

BY TIM WALL

Why do so many church websites fall short of their potential?

The issues vary, but it’s common to see a lack of fresh and regularly updated content. Some churches try to be overly fancy. Others have websites that are poorly designed.

But most often, church websites fall short because they fail to focus on the basics. Improving church websites isn’t about adopting the latest cutting-edge web technology; it’s about getting back to basics and mastering oft-neglected fundamentals of great content, great design and timely updates.

“A website is the church’s voice and face for all to see, both members and visitors,” says Brad Mardis, director of communications at Council Road Baptist Church in Bethany, OK. “The communication and presentation of your church website can make all the difference to someone who is seeking a church home or looking for resources in their community.”

Mardis’ church got back to basics with its website. For its site re-launch last year, the church employed the help of Nashville, TN-based creative agency Collision Media to develop a site with clear focus on sound content and design.

Since then, the church has seen an 88-percent increase in the number of unique visitors, with large gains in page views and average time on site.

Is it time to rethink your approach?

If it’s time to rethink your church’s approach to website communications, then it’s time to start thinking first about delivering the best content and design that you can. A few rules: Content is king. More than any other factor, the quality and freshness of your content determine the success of your website. Visitors return regularly if they can find new and interesting information and keep up to date with church news and activities. If you have a few static pages that are rarely updated, or if your homepage features an event from six months ago, people might visit once or twice before writing it off as not worth their time.

Unfortunately, the content aspect of website management is often overlooked. The reasons are understandable — it can take time and focus to create and upload quality content. Churches that rely on a single webmaster or a handful of individuals to update their sites can easily find themselves falling behind. Over time, content issues can multiply to such an extent that a major effort is required to freshen a site.

Why is good content so important to a church? It’s the communication between the pastor and congregation, staff and volunteers, and church and community. Good content also improves your ranking on Google and other search engines, driving >>

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A video tour of the easy-to-use LightCMS CMS platform is available online.

new traffic and expanding your influence and impact.

Blogs, delegating content responsibilities, video sermons and Facebook are several good ways to improve your content quality and freshness.

Add a blog to your site. A blog is a terrific way to highlight fresh content and give a timely, lively voice to your church. After all, your pastor and church leaders focus on delivering messages and insights to the congregation — why not use a blog to communicate those messages, as well as church achievements and news? A web platform with a built-in blogging feature makes this easy, without the need to maintain a separate blog site.

Engage new content owners. One way to improve content freshness is to delegate content updating across more staff and volunteers. Rather than saddling a few people with site responsibilities, look to engage leaders of your youth ministry or fundraising or community outreach to contribute their own content.

A key here is to use a web content management system (CMS) that’s exceptionally easy to use, so people can add content and images about as easily as writing an email.

The complexity in some web content platforms is a leading culprit behind erratic and outdated content. If your website volunteers need HTML training simply to upload a photo, you’re using the wrong web platform.

With the right approach and platform, you can achieve the ideal of daily site updates that drive repeat visitors.

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Record and upload sermons. Churches that record and upload sermons find that those videos are among the most-viewed content items on their sites, among congregants and those who couldn’t make it to church or moved from the area. Putting your pastor’s sermon online doesn’t need to be a Hollywood production.

With a commodity camera, it’s easy and affordable to film a sermon.

Once you’ve captured the sermon, it’s equally easy to upload it to YouTube or Vimeo. Tip: Don’t even think about using propriety video management software that you need to manage. YouTube and Vimeo are trusted video hosting services available for free or for a nominal fee that enable you to embed videos in your website pages and on Facebook, as well.

Make the most of Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, is your church making the most of the highly popular social networking site? Facebook posts that link back to your site to highlight a new event, an uploaded sermon or blog post are a great way to reach members of your congregation who might spend many hours a week on Facebook. With a bit of investment in Facebook, you can easily see a double-digit rise in website traffic.

Pay attention to content quality and consistency.

You’ll get the best results when your content is well written and mostly free of typos or grammatical mistakes. Of course, writing abilities vary, so you can’t expect that each of your contributors is going to deliver flawless prose. It’s a good idea if you can engage an overall site editor with good

writing skills to review and wordsmith the contributions from your content owners. At the least, take advantage of spelling and grammar checkers to minimize mistakes.

Good design complements good content You might have the best church content out there, but your reward will be diminished if it’s not matched with good site design —one that’s clean and uncluttered, with color schemes, typefaces and images that appropriately reflect your church’s brand. Bottom line: The simplest path is usually the best path.

As an example, most churches have an “About Us” page that might highlight leadership, history or ministries. A common weakness in some church (and commercial) sites is the use of unnecessary individual “About” subpages, forcing readers to navigate multiple pages to read content that could easily be contained on a single page. The simpler, better approach in most cases is to feature all of your “About Us” information on a single page, using bold subtitles for each section.

Invest in a professional web designer. An attractive and inviting design from the outset lays the foundation for website success. Hiring a talented web designer is one of the best investments a church can make in its site. Be sure anyone you hire has real web experience, rather than merely print or ad agency experience. There are tons of qualified web designers out there who not only know how to make things pretty, but make pretty things work.

If you can’t afford a web designer, a content management system with a selection of prebuilt templates can be a suitable option that

streamlines your design with proven best practices.

Welcome mobile device users. Besides prebuilt templates, your content management system should feature capabilities known as “responsive design,” which enable your site to adjust automatically to smartphones and tablets. With the rapidly growing use of mobile devices, delivering a quality experience across any device is becoming a must. If your site looks messy on a tablet or smartphone, your visitors won’t stay long before moving on to other sites.

Of course, mastering the basics of your website shouldn’t cost a fortune. Depending on the size of your site, you should expect to pay between $20 and $100 a month for software licensing and hosting. Your platform should also allow you to accept online donations and sell goods, and offer access to an unlimited number of users.

By revisiting the basics, your church can strengthen its web impact and lay a foundation for success for years to come. CE Tim Wall is marketing manager for LightCMS. Prior to joining the LightCMS team, he served as full-time pastor of technology and communications for Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Houston.

easy-to-use cloud-based platform for creating beautiful websites and online stores.

Kingswood United Methodist Church in Amarillo, TX, is fueled by LightCMS.

Thousands of churches, ministries, synagogues and others rely on LightCMS to develop high-quality websites effectively and affordably.

LightCMS addresses the critical need to communicate with members, leaders and communities with an attractive, informative web presence that can deliver information on services and events; offer archived videos of services; accept donations; sell goods; and outline programs all around the world.

Ease of use in managing and updating content is essential, as most religious organizations have non-technical staff and volunteers maintaining their websites. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, LightCMS allows religious organizations to delegate site responsibilities across a broader user base to ensure that content is updated in a timely manner. Built-in capabilities for responsive design also enable websites to adjust automatically to mobile devices to drive engagement among those accessing a site over a smartphone or tablet.

Call (888) 821-1480 to learn more.

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• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

LightCMS provides a powerful, yet

You need Bible study software.

But, how do you pick the right one?

BY RICH TATUM

You’re a professional. And, like any pro, you want the right tools for the job.

Your personal library reflects that: It’s full of books chosen for your personal education and regular sermon preparation, including commentaries, biblicallanguage helps, homiletic aids and helpful insights from others who (like you) are engaged in the work of studying and teaching from the Bible.

But, libraries are bulky and cumbersome. While you’ll gladly spend hours preparing every message, too much valuable time disappears while you search for a dimly remembered passage, track down footnotes, and relocate books from the shelves to your desk and back again.

This is where Bible study software comes in. Of course, choosing the right program can be tricky.

Here’s how to navigate the decision.

Questions to ask yourself first If you view this choice as an investment in a professional tool — rather than a quick, one-time purchase — you’ll make a better decision in the long term. Here are some critical factors to weigh.

Evaluate your needs. Each major Bible study platform has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Before choosing between them, you need to determine your primary needs. After all, a small-church pastor’s needs might differ from those of a Bible translator.

• Do you only need a tool for personal study?

• Will you mainly access various English versions of the Bible?

• Do you need tools that will help you translate, parse and exegete a passage?

• Do you need to perform in-depth word studies across the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts?

• Do you need a tool that will allow you to access commentaries, sermon archives and the latest offerings from major publishers?

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• Do you need a tool that will allow you to import and search your own sermon manuscripts?

• Do you need software that runs on multiple platforms?

• What hardware does it need?

• If you’re also going to invest in new hardware, which Bible study software can it support?

• Can you use the software on multiple devices without additional cost? If so, do you need the software to be able to sync across multiple devices? (In other words, if you plan to use the software on a machine at the office and on your iPad at home, do you want to be able to synchronize your reading progress, your notes and your library materials?)

• Do you need to be able to access your library via the web?

View your decision as an investment. Several free options exist to enhance your Bible study and sermon prep — but, free isn’t always better. While great for casual use, these tools rely mainly on public-domain material and won’t help you arrive at the depth of insight you can get by accessing a broader conversation and a more robust body of modern material.

Plus, while you might be able to add additional modules and books for a fee, you’re still left with far fewer options to deepen your research than with commercial software.

Today, major Christian publishers are producing digital

versions of their new books and actively converting their backlists, making both new and old titles available through major software suppliers. Sometimes these versions are cheaper than print, but not always. (With the additional features and utility gained within a Bible software library, the content conversion process might drive up the cost.)

As long as money’s on the line, the next step is to decide how to spend it.

• Can you spread your investment out over time? Are there monthly payment options you can explore so that your expenditure can fit within a monthly budget?

• Can you convert your monthly book/educational budget into library-building investments with the software of your choice? (For example, Logos Bible Software offers a “Book Cache” program.)

• Are there regular discount opportunities you can take advantage of?

• Can you preorder titles at a discount?

• If you’re a student, what academic discount options are available?

• If you plan to return to school, does your institution require a particular Bible study software package?

• Does it offer a particular Bible study software program upon enrollment?

• Are there books, DVDs or courses to help you learn the software package? Are there active user-communities that can help answer questions down the road?

• What does the supplier’s future look like? When you buy any software package, you want to know if the company that made it will be around to continue developing and supporting it. The software will grow either more stale and less useful over time, or more useful and dynamic — depending on whether the developer is growing the business or not.

Ask about ownership, end-user-license agreements and licensing options. You might not be buying what you think you are. When buying digital content, what you’re generally purchasing is a license to content — not the content itself. Some suppliers retain the right to remove or restrict access to content you’ve purchased because they’re at the mercy of the publishers, who are the owners of the actual content you own a license to.

• After you buy a title, what if the publisher decides to stop offering it?

• When the publisher or the supplier updates the original content, do you get free updates?

• Can you sell or give away your library or any of its contents? Can you transfer ownership?

• What happens to your investment if you die? Can you will it to your son or daughter? >>

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• SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT •

Take the long view. You’ll want to evaluate immediate, offthe-shelf options versus the ability to personalize your collection over time.

Each supplier sells products that come ready-to-use with preconfigured content, and each also offers additional features, books, modules, bundles or packages to customize your initial collection. So, if you have no long-term plans to augment or replace your physical library, you might prefer a solution that has more built in for a cheaper price. But be careful, because that decision could box you in and limit your ability to expand your library as you grow with the software.

• Does the software come with the English Bible versions you need? What will the necessary translations cost to add?

• Will you need access to modern commentary offerings? Most of the suppliers provide at least some commentary support out of the box — but, many such commentaries will be low cost or public-domain, so your options will be reduced if you plan to add the valuable modern commentaries offered by the major publishers.

• What original-language materials come preinstalled? Some suppliers provide a great deal of initial biblical-language support. Some have limited lexical options until you invest in higher-level offerings of the product or purchase multiple add on modules.

• What level of lexical sophistication do you want out of your Bible software application?

• Which dictionaries, reports, encyclopedias and word-study aids will you be able to take advantage of? Which ones do you need and can’t live without?

• What kind of digital library do you intend to build over time? Each supplier enjoys different strengths in catalog offerings — but, if you plan to reduce your personal library tonnage, your options are suddenly much clearer.

Bottom line While the Bible study software decision is personal, it will profit your professional, personal and spiritual development. Ultimately, the best package is the one you come to use and rely on — not only for study, but also for devotional and spiritual growth. CE Rich Tatum helps tell the story of Logos Bible Software online.

He is a graduate of Southwestern Assemblies of God University and has worked at integrating technology and faith for more than 25 years. Find him on Twitter.

Logos Bible Software offers the largest, most flexible collection of Bible study materials available anywhere.

Logos works seamlessly across iOS or Android devices, Kindle Fire, Mac or PC (not to mention the web), so you can pick up right where you left off from one web-enabled device to another. Your license lasts a lifetime, and you’ll never pay for the same book twice.

Logos v. 5 includes a complete Timeline of Christian History, connecting more than 8,000 events to your Bible text. You’ll also find a smart Clause Search linking biblical pronouns and phrases to the people, places and things they actually refer to. (“City of David,” for example, links to “Bethlehem.”)

Learn about these and other innovative features — such as the Sermon Starter Guide, Topic Guide, Exegetical Guide, Passage Guide and more — online. To save 15 percent on your order, use coupon code CHURCHEXEC.

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