Kids 2.0 Bring Light To Church 2.0

By admin | Published: May 8, 2009

Yesterday—or was it this morning? —my ten year old daughter crept up behind me while I was working on a new church website design. Esther, a budding beauty like her mom, asked, “What ARE you doing?”

 “I’m trying as hard as I can to help get people into eternity,” I answered, “one website for church at a time.”

 “You mean,” asked Esther, “ you’re holding church service inside your computer?”

 “Hardly,” I chuckled as I turned from her and went back to work on the church content management system I was creating online.

 Suddenly six year old girl, Jasmine, wandered in in.

 “Is Daddy building another church online?” giggled Jazz.

 I thought about a deeper explanation, but I realized they were, in a way, correct. Each of them saw my new laptop as a parish. I think they saw my typing as a sermon. Here I was, graying at the temples, yet I knew my goal had been understood—church website design as a means to facilitate a wide range of church website hosting.

 I gave both five dollars for ice cream and rushed them out of the office. Each, in their own way, had helped me to see the online church web site I was attempting to design, the church 2.0 system, was more than an Internet church. More than a content management system for church with a design to connect people to Jesus.

 I understood, finally, this was my very own ministry website, a design engineered to help prepare hearts and souls online for the Kingdom of God.

 Thank you Esther and Jasmine!

 Before you know it these little ones will be full-fledged teenagers begging me to use Facebook and Twitter for churches as a means to Web 2.0 personal evangelism online.

 Can sermon podcasting be far behind?

 Maybe I’ll try to write a book: Ministry Website Design For Dummies. Then my children will finally understand who the brains is in this family!

 

 

 

Posted in Church website news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Kid Lessons For the New Church

By admin | Published: May 4, 2009

Last week my ten year old walked into the room while I was working on a new church website. Skip, our oldest, asked, “Whatcha doin’, Pop”?

“I’m trying to see if I can help bring more folks into heaven,” I responded, “one web site for churches at a time.”

“Do you mean,” asked Skip, “that you are building a whole new church inside your computer?”

“Hardly,” I smiled, before checking on the management system I was creating online.

Suddenly my youngest son, Biff, sauntered into my work area.

“Papa is building a huge church online! It will have 20,000 seats and my dad will preach there all the time,” he exclaimed.

I tried laughing off their ideas, but I realized there was an element of truth in what they shared. Each child saw my Apple Computer as a kind of techie parish. I think they viewed my web pages as type of sermon.

I embraced my kids. Both had helped me to understand the online church web site I was trying to design was something more than just some upstart Internet church. More than a church content managment system designed to bring the unchurched to God and Jesus.

I realized, for the first time in my life, this was my ministry, designed to discover hearts online and souls for God.

Thank you Skip and Biff! Maybe I’ll use their pictures on my next assignment—a portal featuring Facebook and Twitter for churches. Now that’s Web 2.0 for personal evangelism online!

Posted in Church website news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Churches looking to the Web for outreach opportunities

By admin | Published: April 16, 2009

Jim Westlake sits in his Timberline Avenue apartment Saturday afternoon contemplating the meaning of life. Curious, he pulls up Google on his laptop and searches for answers to some of life’s biggest questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Am I alone? Does God have a plan for me? Does God exist? If God loves me, why doesn’t it feel like it? Who is Jesus? Do I really need Him?

These are great questions, Jim, and there are millions of people just like you searching for answers — on the Web.

For many, the Web has completely replaced older forms of media. In some extreme cases, the Internet has all but severed ties between people, relationships from which answers to such questions would arise. However, many people take their deepest doubts, fears, and concerns to the anonymity of the Internet for answers.

“There’s a huge disconnect in our culture today,” says Christian Living Today’s editor-in-chief Michael Greenwood. “The computer and all the easy access to information have caused folks to reserve their deepest questions about God and spirituality for the Internet. They’re getting God knows what information out there when they should be people from local churches out there getting the message of God’s love for them into their hands,” he explains.

Local churches have a responsibility to meet people where they are. The field doesn’t come to the farmer, and people aren’t going to wander into churches en masse. It is the body’s responsibility to go out into the world to preach the gospel message. And if the world’s online, then churches should be online, too.

Chris Conant, founder of Epiphany Systems, has not only identified this need, but is actively pursuing change. “We see a great need for churches to connect with their communities online to meet their needs in a medium that is comfortable for the new social-tech generation,” explains Chris.

Epiphany Systems offers church websites at a fraction of the cost of most commercial options, but without sacrificing functionality. “We’ve brought the best of Web 2.0 to churches and ministries. We call them church 2.0 websites.”

Greenwood agrees. “Chris and his team have a great solution to some of the challenges we’ve observed. Their church content management system enables churches to connect with the people searching for answers online.”

There is great hope within the community of dedicated church outreach folks. With organizations such as Christian Living Today and Epiphany Systems, the message of God’s love can reach the increasingly vast mission field we know as the Internet.

Posted in Church website news, Church website providers, Parish website news | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Company brings Web 2.0 to churches

By admin | Published: April 15, 2009

Many church websites are great examples of cutting edge technology — from 10 years ago. For many churches, especially smaller congregations with a limited budget, the Internet is simply too overwhelming or too expensive to have a quality online presence. But there is a company out there seeking to change this.

Example of a church website design template

Example of a church website design template

Meet Chris Conant, founder of Epiphany Systems. Chris and his team of designers and developers have created systems that allow churches to get a church website online fast to meet their growing ministries’ needs.

Epiphany’s CMSLite is a church content management system designed to help small churches and ministries to have an online presence with many features that are normally exclusive to much higher-priced alternatives at rates that won’t break the bank. “We want the churches we partner with to be able to fund mission trips and do local outreaches, not pay through the nose for their church website,” explains Chris. “We’ve brought Web 2.0 to churches to create church 2.0 websites.”

For more information about getting your church online and serving in online ministry opportunities in your area, visit the Epiphany Systems website at epiphanysystems.com.

Posted in Church website providers | Tagged , , , | Comments closed