Blogs
Communication
Praise the Lord
9/26/2012
Rev. Tim Lloyd at Oakhurst church confessed on Facebook this week that he's a pastor who just learned what PTL means. It reminded me of an email conversation I had years ago with a clergy friend. She e-mailed that she was home from driving a long way to borrow curriculum from another church. "PTL," she wrote. The tone of the email made me interpret PTL as an eyeroll. "Sorry, ugh," I wrote back. Her reply: "No, that's a good thing! I mean it, PTL!" I should have Googled "PTL" -- Praise The ...
Bullying: Resources for the church
9/12/2012
Back to school means another chance to take a look at what churches can do to help prevent or respond to bullying. I came across these resources for a pastor last year and they are still worth looking into now: General Board of Church and Society has a printable flyer on bullying as part of its domestic abuse material. Domestic Violence Brochures United Methodist News Service did a three-part series on bullying in 2010. You can find the stories here: Child ends life because of bullying Bullied...
Tools of the Trade
9/6/2012
I have heard rave reviews of several online tools lately that help church members do some good old fashioned United Methodist ministry. Here are a few worth looking in to: www.instantchurchdirectory.com/ Instant Church Directory (and other programs like it) allows you to upload digital photos of your members any time so that you always have a current online member directory. It can be printable or just housed online. www.mealtrain.com/ Meal Train is a free online tool to help you schedule ...
Meeting Scheduling Made Eas(ier)!
11/26/2011
How many emails and phone calls does it take to schedule a meeting? If your experience has been like mine over the last few weeks, the answer is: way too many! Everyone is so busy that it's almost impossible to find a time that works for everyone. Why not cut down on some of the back and forth by using one of the online scheduling services to help you find the perfect time to have your meeting? Here are two great (and free) websites that can help: Doodle: http://doodle.com When2Meet: http://...
Check Out This Video
3/24/2011
Northside Presbyterian had no trouble getting volunteers for leadership positions this year! Check out their video. http://vimeo.com/19076524
The Right Visuals with the Right Words
2/14/2011
The Wall Street Journal ran an excellent article by graphic designer Nancy Duarte on the importance of using the right pictures with the right words when you're making a presentation. Some of the points and tips she touches on are: We do lots of presentations these days, but "few people are trained in visual thinking." When pictures* and words are used well together it deepens the experience, "unifing mind and emotion." *But, they have to be the right pictures. "Keep slides simple." "A ...
Does Your Church Have a Facebook Marketing Strategy?
1/18/2011
Mashable recently shared a blog post with "8 Quick Tips for Developing a Facebook Marketing Strategy." The tips are geared to business, but some of them are certainly relevant to churches. A line in tip 8 says: "Being connected socially means engaging with customers, fans and critics wherever they are." Here's the article: http://mashable.com/2010/10/07/facebook-marketing-tips/
A Wall of Small Groups at Crossroad UMC south of Pittsburgh
12/29/2010
An easy way for people to see where to get connected!
Hay, you!
10/19/2010
Mt Gilead UMC in Sharpsburg got creative with hay bales to advertise their car show this weekend. By the way, they had 70 cars at the car show and raised over $4600 for their Relay for Life team next year.
Give a Bible to Someone Who's Searching
8/24/2010
United Methodist Communications just announced the release of the Rethink Church Edition Common English Bible (New Testament). Churches may order their own copies at $5 each to give away to church visitors or at Rethink Church events in their communities. Below is the UMCom news release: Give a Bible to someone who’s searching Nashville, Tenn: For less than the cost of a matinee movie ticket or a couple of gallons of gas, you can place the New Testament in the hands of a spiritual seeker who ...