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Are you Making a Good First Impression?
I started my career post college as a golf pro. I was the one standing behind the counter at the course taking money, scheduling tee times, etc., etc. Some guys would think that is a great job… I’d beg to differ, but that’s another story.
There were quite a few things, however, that I picked up working at various golf courses that have had a transcendent impact into how I view ministry and ministry operations.
I remember vividly working at a golf course for a pro who evidently showed how stressed he was on a daily basis. While he was far from the best boss I’ve ever had, he did share with me something that has stuck with me. A small statement that I have remembered and used to this day.
“Josh, there are hundreds of golf courses that guys can choose to play. There are many within 40 miles that are very similar to ours, they are well maintained, provide challenge, and are in the same price point.
What is it that brings people to our course and keeps them coming back with all the alternatives? The SERVICE they receive when they walk in the door.”
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Riding The Wave
Some good things are happening here with our company. In the past few months we have experienced some rapid growth, added some new products and formed some solid new connections that we know will provide mutually beneficial relationships.
Just a quick note to update on what is happening:
- We are discussing with the North American Mission Board about how our services can help support their church planting efforts. It’s been great getting to know the leadership there and hearing their heart and direction for church planting.
- We have built our new portal that helps churches transmit information to us. The portal is live and has proven to be a great tool. We are currently working to expand its capability to be more robust and provide more.
- We partnered with Stewardship Payroll to handle payroll processing for our clients. We realized that while payroll is not difficult, it can be time consuming and is best left to professionals. The cost for clients of our Simple Church Accounting system is covered.
- We have partnered with EGS to offer online giving for our churches. This partnership allows us to provide the ability for churches to accept payments online for donations as well as registrations, etc. We are able to provide this at a cost lower than most other options on the market.
- We have partnered with a Church Management Software company, FreshVine CMS. We knew this was a necessary need in most of our churches as we were getting several questions about it. We contemplated building our own system, but realized after seeing what FreshVine has to offer, their system was everything we would have built and more. Church Business Guys clients get a percentage discount!
- We are forming partnerships and relationships with Church Planting Organizations across the country. Meeting up with groups that are planting churches effectively has been great. It is amazing to see a common effort happening among people that may never meet, yet their goals and vision are very similar.
To sum up, God is really moving in our company. We are rapidly expanding and the best way to explain it is that we are just along for the ride. God is opening doors and it is excited to be a part of what He is doing.
Our People Won’t Use That
That is a statement that I’ve heard over and over again.
Too many churches are neglecting to have a functional, attractive website because they have fallen victim to the allusion that their church doesn’t need one. This statement can also be a window into a deeper issue about their stance towards reaching new people.
For most churches, a website serves two purposes:
1. To provide information to prospective visitors about your website. 85% of visitors will look for your church’s website BEFORE they step foot in your door. Your website is your welcome committee that works 24/7/365.
2. To keep your members and regular attenders informed. Notice I put this as secondary. Your website can be a very valuable tool for ministry if utilized effectively.
Now I realize that outreach is so much more than just a website, but technology has paved a way to simplify your efforts.
For our complimentary Church Website Analysis, Shoot us an email and we’ll take a look.
How does your church use your website?
Who Runs Your Church?
Pastor, Who runs your church?
Now I know the ‘churchy’ answer is God, and ultimately that is entirely correct. Without God at the head of our churches we are nothing more than a social club.
What I am asking here is who controls your church church.
I’ve met with far too many pastors who, while they may not admit it, are victims of a over-controlling secretary. Its not intentional, they just have personalities involved that dominate. They are the ones that tend to make the biggest contributions to the church. In many cases, rightfully so, they are putting in the leg work. However, how many times does their opinion, tastes or likes become the predominant culture of your church?
Instead of beating around the bush I’ll just come out and say it. How many times does your secretary plan an event, cater that event to what she wants, invite the input of circle of friends, and then everyone expects that event to be received from the overwhelming majority of the church…
** Disclaimer: I have met many God-fearing, loving secretaries that are humble servants to the church. I have, however, been around at least as many that are acting detrimental to their church. **
Pastor, here are some things to consider:
1. You are the pastor. You are the one called to lead the people of your church and grow. You are the spiritual guide of the church. Take Charge and Lead!
2. When secretaries become controlling it is often not their fault. Just like in a marriage relationship, when the woman doesn’t feel like her husband is a leader and protector, her natural instinct is to attempt to compensate. Take Charge and Lead!
3. The secretary is often over-looked as an ambassador for your church. The attitude and personality she (or he) presents is often the impression that people will get of your church. Take Charge and Lead!
4. Your staff is your team. Your staff is there to help you minister to the congregation. Share with them in victories and defeats. While you are their boss, you are also their pastor. Take Charge and Lead!
This could produce some heated discussions but I am interested to hear what others have to say on this topic.
Our Mission Summed Up in Acts 6:2
I stumbled upon this verse during my quiet time over the weekend. I am always amazed how God puts things in front of us where the words almost just smack us in the face.
I quickly cross-referenced the verse and found that the Holman Christian Standard Bible is the only one that I found to use the words “Financial Matters.” However, it also led me to look at the verse more broadly. What is God trying to tell pastors here? I believe that this is a caution against putting anything before the preaching of the Word.
Now that being said, I am particularly biased to the HCSB’s version that mentions to not put financial matters before preaching. That verse sums up the mission of our company. We built the company to Focus on Business, So You Can Focus on Ministry around the idea that pastor’s are responsible for an enormous task when leading the church. They are also often ill-equipped to handle the business end of the church.
We built our concept to partner with churches to take care of the business aspects of the church. You can check out our range of services and ways we can help throughout the site.
God often interacts with us through the scriptures and I was excited to read and wanted to share!
Jumpstart 2012
It’s hard to believe, but 2011 is almost over. As I say every year, it seems that 2011 just started a few months ago. Time is definitely flying by.
Having a few days off for the Christmas Holiday was great. Not only did it allow me to slow down for a bit, but I also had some time to think and put together a game plan for preparing for the new year. I am taking this week to “Jumpstart 2012″. My week is going to be heavily scheduled on preparing myself for the new year.
For most of us, this week between Christmas and New Years is often slower, has less going on, and can be a great time to prepare our selves.
I sat down earlier in the month and started looking for goals I had set for 2011 and quickly realized I couldn’t find the document. I’m sure I have it down somewhere on my computer but this year I am trying something new.
I have made a list of personal and business goals for the new year. I used our company’s Google Apps account to prepare and save the document so it can be shared with others in our company. From that, I am going to develop a game plan for reaching those goals this year. That game plan is what I am going to use to FOCUS my daily efforts. Two of my goals revolve around attaining new clients. I am going to keep a running tally on my wall so that I can have a constant, daily reminder of that goal…
What are you doing to prepare yourself, your church or organization or your business for 2012?
Personalize Your Church Website
I’ve been working through a series of posts on tips for your church’s website. I have been making appeals to everyone involved in church leadership to not only get a website, but make it a good one. Visitors are far more likely to check out your website BEFORE they step foot in the door of your church. Many of them will form their opinion and perception of your church from that interaction.
Open Your Doors to the Web World
Church Website Wednesday
I use that statistic a lot, but only because it is one of the most valuable stats I have found to reveal the importance of a quality, well-designed church website.
If 85% of first time visitors are coming to your website, you can also assume that they are developing a perception of your church. They want to know more. They are used to going to websites and finding every answer they are looking for, without having to leave the comfort of their home.
Does your website explain who you are?
Only 6 Sundays Left…
Only 6 Sundays Left…
Before the end of 2011. Pastor, now is the time to begin to remind member’s that their donations must be received by December 31st to be counted in this giving year. December 31st this year is a Saturday.
What are you doing to encourage year end giving?
Let me suggest five ideas:
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Your Church Website as a Ministry Tool.
Church Website Wednesdays
After looking at hundreds of church websites, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. I am going to attempt in a weekly series to provide tips, ideas and examples to help you better utilize your website as a ministry tool.
I’ve already written several posts about the necessity for a church to have a website. Some of those can be viewed at the links below.
Church Web Presence Checklist
Top 10 Reasons to Redesign your Church’s Website
What does your website say about your church?
Today, I am going to focus on what content should you put on the website. This is a huge topic and will take several posts, but I will start with an big picture overview.
Your website is one of the most valuable outreach tools available to you outside of the people in your church. Visitors who visit your website should be able to come away with a good idea of who you are, what they can expect from the church and know whether or not your church would be a good fit.
I’ll concede, we all want the people to visit our building before they make up their mind. Unfortunately, in our digital age, the perception is already decided BEFORE they step foot in your door.
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Find Out More
One of our Account Managers will be happy to get in touch with you and provide a solution for your church.