A blatant plug for a friend…Interview with Rachel Held Evans

What I’ve loved about my experiences with UMC churches so far is that each one has been different than the last. Once I spoke to a UMC church plant that met in a theater and was comprised primarily of young adults under 40. Another time, I preached at a UMC church in which most of … Continue reading A blatant plug for a friend…Interview with Rachel Held Evans →

Why I Think the Demise of Cable/Broadcast is Overblown

I know that it seems strange for a preacher to weigh in on the predicted demise of cable and broadcast television. Yet given the prognostication on the web today in the wake of Apple's announcement regarding their TV product (the hockey puck) I have heard all sorts suggesting that cable's days are numbered. And I … Continue reading Why I Think the Demise of Cable/Broadcast is Overblown →

Redefining Connectional – Part 1

Last night I had a chance to sit down with Chuck Russell and Clif Guy, the tech gurus of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, Jack Ewing, director of the Foundation On Evangelism, and Gavin Richardson, my partner in crime, to talk about technology and the church. As is typical in … Continue reading Redefining Connectional – Part 1 →

Redefining Connectional – Part 1

A New Kind of Evangelist

Yesterday Gavin and I wandered through the exhibit hall at the National Youth Workers Convention, trying to collect as much free junk as possible. While on our junk safari, we came upon a booth promoting iStockphoto.com and got to meet their evangelist, Tiffani Barnes. I came upon IStockphoto several years ago and I have spent … Continue reading A New Kind of Evangelist →

TechnoPastor – Cleaning out the In Box #2

Okay, we have made decision whether to take the blue pill and become tag based or whether to hold onto the old time file folder system and now it’s time to do some organizing. In either case, the first task is to figure out some sort of system for organizing the data. After all, part … Continue reading TechnoPastor – Cleaning out the In Box #2 →

TechnoPastor – Cleaning out the In Box #2

TechnoPastor—Cleaning Out the In Box #1

One of the ongoing struggles that almost everyone in ministry that I know has is in keeping their email in-box cleaned out, organized, and in some sort of order. Most of us receive a plethora of e-mail throughout the day, some of which we are hesitant to delete right away because it has information that … Continue reading TechnoPastor—Cleaning Out the In Box #1 →

TechnoPastor—Cleaning Out the In Box #1

Out of Order

It is very likely that this site will be out of order for the next few days as I work at migrating to a new structure. I am planning on merging the various blogs that I work on into a single integrated site as a means of better organizing what I do. Since I haven’t … Continue reading Out of Order →

First Thoughts on Chrome

If you haven’t heard by now, Google has come out with their own web browser named Chrome. It launched today in beta and I have been using it through the afternoon, with good results. Here are a few random thoughts on the product: One of the great tests of any new browser is whether it … Continue reading First Thoughts on Chrome →

Computing in the Cloud

I have seen a couple of comments on my last post on the changes at Jott suggesting that folks are pretty unhappy with Jott for moving to a pay service. Certainly I have loved the free service they have offered to date. Jott has been a great productivity tool, and the fact that it was … Continue reading Computing in the Cloud →

Jott grows up

I have talked about Jott in the past and have shared how I use it in my ministry. This morning I received an e-mail informing me that they are out of Beta, which means that they are transitioning from a free service to an advertiser/subscription service. It was bound to happen, and given the usefulness … Continue reading Jott grows up →

Church Management Software 4 Free

Some parts of starting a church are hard and other parts are easy. Trying to make it work on a limited budget or with a commitment to be a good steward is not easy. Along the way we've found some things helpful that I will try to share. One of those is Church Radius. Jedi … Continue reading Church Management Software 4 Free →

Worship Planning Tools

One of the never ending searches that I am engaged in is the search for a comprehensive worship planning tool, ultimately something online that is accessible by a variety of people. I have wandered through the web again and again, trying out option after option, only to discover that none of them quite meets my … Continue reading Worship Planning Tools →

Thinking about Email Ministry

One of the most basic ways to begin connecting your church to others via the Internet is through an email list, sometimes known as a listserv. Email is the most basic form of communication on the net, and pretty much continues to be used by most folks on a regular basis. Yet, it is amazing … Continue reading Thinking about Email Ministry →

Understanding and Using RSS

The technical acronym for RSS is “Really Simple Syndication”, an XML format that was created to syndicate news, and be a means to share content on the web. Now, to geeks and techies that means something special, but to everyday folks like you and me, what comes to mind is, “Uh, I don’t get it?” … Continue reading Understanding and Using RSS →

Another Dang IPhone Article

If you are a follower of the technology press as I am, you have to know that it seems like the only news happening in the world today is the introduction of the new IPhone by Apple. Folks have been lining up to get the new faster, 3G based phone, seeing it as the holy … Continue reading Another Dang IPhone Article →

Using Jott As a Ministry Tool

I have written about Jott before, but I am finding it to be a great tool for those of us in ministry who are constantly on the move. Here are a few suggestions about this service that marries the ease of the cell phone with the convenience of e-mail. Use Jott as a mileage log … Continue reading Using Jott As a Ministry Tool →

To Twitter or Not to Twitter

I confess that I originally wasn’t on the Twitter bandwagon. However, like so many things that get us in trouble, EVERYONE else seemed to be doing it, so I decided to give it a shot. And in point of fact, some folks seemed to be following what I was doing, What seemed especially nice to … Continue reading To Twitter or Not to Twitter →