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Applying Tomorrows Technology to Todays Ministry

Volume 19 September 2007 No. 9

Cover Story - Page 9

by Steve Hewitt by David Gillaspey by Jason Powell
by Steve Hewitt

Phone: (816) 331-8142 FAX: 800-456-1868 Copyright 2007 by Christian Computing, Inc.

Special Feature - Page 12 Special Feature - Page 32

Editorial

My Top 25 Church Website Design Tips

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Inside the Box

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September 2007

Christian Computing Magazine

editorial
Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com

The Importance of

CMS Throughout the Years

his months cover story is a two-part article that I felt would give people some needed information when purchasing a Church Management Software program. While the number of CMS companies decreased drastically for over a decade, they have increased almost as drastically in the last five years. Hopefully, by combining the second half of this article with our annual CMS Overview and feature charts (in our upcoming October issue next month), it will provide some help for those seeking to find the right product for their needs.
(I also wrote this article for another reason. It is part of one of the classes we have set up for the Ministry Technology Institute. We have added a lot of information on our site this last month, including a beginning course list, faculty, advisory board members, and much more. Visit www.ministry-tech.com for more information.) It is exciting to see how CMS products have matured over the last 20 years (yep, I am old.) It was pretty exciting 20 years ago knowing your CMS could sort your mailing list in zip code order and save you money on postage when mailing out your monthly newsletter. Now, most help facilitate communications in a wide variety of ways while building community and enabling ministry. Many CMS products now offer the ability to access data via the Internet. Some even allow members the ability to edit and update their own data, (including making the end-user decision on what personal or contact information is available to other members.) Now churches not only track membership so they can create attendance reports, they can now check-in members, including children, as they enter a building, providing needed security for larger churches where nursery and children workers are not always familiar with the parents of the children they are watching. Twenty years ago, churches organized prayer chains where one person would call the next person on the list to share an urgent prayer request. Now products such as PhoneTree work with almost every CMS September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine package to allow virtually instant phone delivery of prayer requests and other important messages to specific groups or the entire congregation. CMS have come a long way, and those churches that find the right product to meet their needs, as well as help them achieve their dreams, are truly blessed. Together We Serve Him,

Steve Hewitt Editor-in-Chief

ATMs And Cell Phones May Soon Link Both of the two major companies that produce ATMs have announced plans to release ATMs that can network with customers cell phones or PDAs. Banks have been working to launch bank-by-phone services with many of the same features as online banking. By linking cell phones, customers could use their phone to find the closest ATM. In addition, customers could select a service that would allow their receipts from ATM transactions to be sent via text messages to their phone. Besides the convenience, it would provide added security since a customer would be immediately informed if an ATM transaction was in the process of taking place without their knowledge. Cell phones could also be used for added password security since an ATM could be set up to require both a card and a signal from the phone, before a withdraw would be allowed. For more information, visit http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/04/ap4081354.html Bank of America Announces New Security Plan Utilizing Text Message Codes to Customer Cell Phones Bank of America is offering a new free service named SafePass for customers who want more security when using online banking features. With SafePass, whenever you log on to your online banking, a one-timeuse, six-digit code is sent to your cell phone as a text message that is required to authorize online transactions. The code would only be available for 10 minutes and then would no longer allow you access to your account. For more information, visit http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/09/10/daily8.html When Hospitals Say No Cell Phones they REALLY Mean It New research from Holland seems to indicate that cell phone use in hospitals could interfere with medical equipment. In a research study, they were able to cause medical equipment malfunctionsto occur, such as totally switching off and restarting a mechanical ventilator, completely stopping syringe pumps without setting off an alarm, and causing incorrect pulses in an external pacemaker. In most cases, these tests seemed to indicate that the cell phone had to be used within a yard of the medical device, but since you dont know what is running on the other side of a wall, or how different phones will transmit, it seems fair to suggest that when they say no cell phones, they have a reason to really enforce the restriction. For more information, visit http:// www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/06/health/webmd/main3238669.shtml Paper Batteries? Paper Batteries Are Under Development A new type of battery is being developed that will come in the form of paper. The batteries will be flexible and foldable, and can work at remarkable low and high temperatures. Because they can work at -73, they have already received interest from the space program. In addition, it has been discovered that they can actually recharge themselves when placed in contact with body fluids, meaning they could be inserted under human skin to power pace makers and such. The batteries could be as large as a sheet of newspaper, or as small as a postage stamp. Presently, a postage stamp sized battery sheet has been created that can power a small fan or LCD device. Cost is the biggest factor, but it is hoped that if it is further developed for use in space, the money spent will help to continue the development and lower the price. For more information, visit http:// www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070814.wpaper14/BNStory/Science/home National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Moves from Milk Cartons to Computer Screen Savers The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children started offering a new screen saver program that will help provide the pictures of missing children directly to the computer screens of thousands. People can download the screensaver and run it on their computer. The program will send pictures with updated information over the Internet directly to a computer users screen saver, and will display pictures and information of 4
September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine

children that have been reported missing from their particular region. Whenever the NCMEC has published pictures of missing children in the past, one in six are found as a result of someone recognizing the picture of a missing child they have seen. The screensaver is available free at www.missingkidsaver.com. For more information, visit http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/screensaver.kids/index.html A Teenager Hacks Apples iPhone For Use By Any Wireless Company CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company, offered a deal to anyone that could figure out how to hack into Apples iPhone and remove all of the coding for AT&T so that the phone could then be used by any other wireless company. A teenager met the challenge and presented CertiCell with the hacked phone in exchange for a new Nissan Car, three new iPhones, and a promise of a consulting job. Presently CertiCell is saying that they do not have plans to commercialize the information gained on how to clean the phone for use on another network. For more information, visit http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070828/ D8RA21B01.html Cell-Phone Only Homes Hits a New Mark The number of homes that ONLY have cell-phones is now higher than the number of homes that ONLY have land line phones. Most homes have both. However, many people have decided they no longer needed both a cell-phone and a land line phone, and have discontinued their land-line phone. The number of homes with a land line has decreased since 2000, while the number of people obtaining a cell phone has increased sharply. And, due to great pricing plans, many have felt that keeping a land line phone, even for local calls, is just not worth the cost. For more information, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/technology/27drill. html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1188407051-+ZhAcAc6r5NvzFQ8ROpsnQ Where Are The Fastest Internet Speeds? Japan The US might have invented the Internet, but Japan is excelling in providing high-speed connections to their citizens. How much faster are they than what we have here in the USA? It depends on what you use there and here, but it can be as much as eight to thirty times faster in Japan. There are many reasons for the speed difference, but basically it comes down to the wiring. With Internet, the closer you are to a loop, the faster your connection speed. Japan has been re-wiring their cities since 2000, and 8.8 million Japanese homes have fiber optic wiring directly into their homes, roughly nine times the number of homes here in the USA. So, what can you do with all of that speed? Japan is moving much quicker to provide TV services since video can obviously be transmitted clearer and faster. However, they are working on many other areas, such as in the medical field. Since they have the ability to use such a fast nation-wide network, pathologists -- using high-definition video and remote-controlled microscopes can examine tissue samples from patients living in areas without access to major hospitals. For more information, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/08/28/AR2007082801990.html Goodbye Gateway Computers, Acer Buys For Only $710 Million Gateway Computers are no more. For years they have been ailing. Started in 1985, they were famous for shipping their computers in boxes that looked like jersey cows. They marketed similar to Dell, avoiding sales in stores and going the direct market route. However, after the turn of the century, Dell sought to move into the business marketplace while Gateway continued to market to individual consumers. It has been a downward spiral ever since. In 1997, just 10 years ago, Gateway turned down a $7 billion takeover bid from Compaq. Considering the final price just ten years later, you can see it has been a tough decade. In my opinion, the downfall of Gateway was due to the fact that many of their machines were proprietary when it came to add-on paraphernalia. For more information, visit: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070827/D8R9KRQ00. html Will I EVER Get My iPhone On Another Carrier Than AT&T? Woot! The iPhone can be cleared of all of the coding that makes it work on the AT&T network. And,
Christian Computing Magazine September 2007

many in the legal arena are stating that doing so is perfectly legal. In fact, it is also legal for me, as an individual, to program the phone to work with another network. However, many are now warning that it would be ILLEGAL for anyone or any company to make a profit doing so for the public. The reason wireless cell phone companies lock their phones is because they help subsidize the cost of the phone. However, in the case of the iPhone, AT&T did not subsidize the cost. In fact, you can walk into an Apple store and purchase an iPhone. However, some of the software they use to make the iPhone do what it does is copyrighted. A company in Ireland was about to release their website iphoneunlocking.com but received legal advice that if they launched such a company they may be in legal trouble. The iPhone is only sold in the USA, yet this company was located in Ireland. In Japan, the iPhone is so popular that people are buying them and using them although all they can do is send text messages, they do not work as a phone yet in Japan. You can expect to hear more about this subject as it develops. People WANT this item, and they want it to work on whatever phone network they are using. The iPhone WILL change the way we do cell phones. For more information, visit: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/ business/iphone.php

September 2007

Christian Computing Magazine

scott howards hotPics

Scott Howard - scottdhoward@gmail.com

Blog Sites and More

ow are all you CCMAG readers doing? I am hoping that none of you have gotten the worst of the storms or the fires that have hit the different areas of the nation this summer. I did not experience either of the two but we have not had hardly any rain this summer, here in southern Indiana, which looks to be causing the majority of the corn to die. Well, the thing to remember in situations like all of these is that our Lord is in control and we really don't need to worry. I realize that is easier said than done, but all we need to do is follow his guidelines in His Word and to let the Holy Spirit work through us and it will work out in our favor. There will always be obstacles until the day that our Lord takes us home to be with Him, so we should remember to continue to let Him use us for whatever specific purpose He has placed in us to further His kingdom and let Him take care of the rest.
Last month I shared with you just a little bit about what Church IT RoundTable is all about. This month I am going to share with you a few more resources that are linked to Church IT RoundTable. You may be thinking that the order that I have showed you some of the resources is a little backwards but that seems pretty normal to me because some times I go about things in a backwards kind of way. Just bear with me and maybe you will figure out why I did something a particular way. Then again, you may not. www.citrt.org is the first site I want to share with you this month which is the main site for the Church IT RoundTable. The first thing I would probably suggest for you to do is to get a hold of Tony Dye and Jason Powell and let them know how you
Christian Computing Magazine September 2007

are interested in being involved if you are wanting to do more than just check out the content or if you have any questions. You can get to all the podcasts on the TalkShoe site from the main page as well as the wiki and forum links which will take you to ITDiscuss. Of course you will see the links to Tony and Jasons blogs as well. www.tonydye.net is the blog by the one and only Tony Dye. I know I know, that was an obvious one, but you just never know right? Tony is a staff mem7

ber at Perimeter Church and no doubt about it has a passion for Information Technology and the Church. Tony keeps a Coming Up section so you can see the events that he is looking forward to in his near future. His posting seems to be fairly regular so make sure you keep up with his posts to see what he is all about. www.terrystorch.com is a blog by Terry Storch, who is another person involved with Church IT RoundTable. He has also been part of the initiative to get LifeChurch.tv going. Terry is also the co-author of the book The Blogging Church. Terrys blog covers everything from technology and blogging to family and humor so you should have a good time reading his posts. Terry is also a LinkedIn user so you may want to add him to your connections list and if you have a good question for him, send it his way. www.snopes.com is a really beneficial site that I use somewhat regularly as a systems administrator. There are several features that I will let you check out about this site but I am going to talk about the one area that Read CCMags Review of our LogosGiving Service!Visit I am familiar with. If you click www.ccmag2.com/logos/0205coverstory.pdf on Inboxer Rebellion on the main page, which is the icon of a out to everyone they know. Great site, check it out. yellow envelope and a magnifying glass it will take www.iana.org is the Internet Assigned Numbers you to the page I want to tell you about. Everyone Authority. This site has a heap of interesting informahas received an email from someone that talks about how they are going to die if they use plastic dishes in tion if you want to learn more about the structure of their microwave or that a famous actor just died from IP addressing and the different top-level domains. eating canned meat. Well, this is the place to find out You can also find links to other organizations that are what is true and what is not. You can either search for linked to the IANA in some way, shape, or form. You can see some interesting charts on here as well if you a particular phase out of the email you received or are into statistics. I will not go into a lot of detail here you can just look it up by category. I almost always but if this seems to be your thing check it out and see find out that the email is not true at all or that it is only partially true or that the news that I am getting is what you may not know. true but is like 5 years old and worthless. Then I get to explain to the employee that they need to check out this stuff for themselves before they go sending it 8
September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine

cover story
Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com

Church Management
Software
Part 1
s soon as small businesses started using computers, churches also purchased and utilized this new marvel of technology. Of course, those early computers were mere toys compared to what we have available on todays market. Churches purchased computers in the 80s in order to do basic tasks still needed today, such as merging members names into correspondence to comply with non-profit mailing permits, to print and sort mailing labels according to zip codes. Then, once membership information was entered into a database, keeping attendance, tracking contributions, etc. became the task of the churchs computer.
While many of those early churches used off-the-shelf database programs, still others did not have the ability to take the time to learn the needed programming to get easy-to-use data entry forms, nor did they have the time to create the reports they really needed for the specific needs of a church. Soon programmers within many churches created customized templates to guide database software to meet the specific needs of their church. Since it was obvious that other churches would need the same solution, many started marketing their specific programs to other churches. At first, many programs incorporated designs within the needs of a particular denomination. This had more to do with terminology than functionality. One database would have the ability to designate members who were deacons while another might use the term elders depending on the jargon of their specific church. When Christian Computing Magazine (CCMag) first published their annual CMS overview in the early 1990s, 262 different companies produced database management/administration software for churches. Some marketed programs only within a specific denomination, while others only marketed their product within their city or state. When CCMag first reviewed these programs and offered comparisons, Steve Hewitt came up with categorizing all of these types of programs September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine into a common name, Church Management Software (CMS). The number of CMS packages continued to decline each year until at one point there were only 37 companies on the market. Why the decline in the number of CMS packages? Many of these companies survived in a vacuum, unaware of their competition, because of the lack of connections between many church organizations and the inability to share information across the nation and across denominational lines. Four significant things happened in the 1990s that caused this decline. First, CCMag grew as a national publication. As a result, people across the country discovered CMS products and options that they were not aware of previously. Second, the Internet grew to a level that it connected the Christian community across the nation. Many companies could not survive as a national marketplace devel-

How To Evaluate

oped and communication lines allowed for comparison of price and features. Third, many specific denomination CMS packages dropped their product or they merged with another CMS or they endorsed another product on the market. Fourth, Windows became the accepted OS for many IBM compatible computers. Many companies, maybe as many as half, died in the couple of years that Windows became a standard. It is important to note that all of these products helped to develop the wonderful products we now have on the market. Many did not just die, but merged with other CMS companies, passing their user base and knowledge onward and upward. The Number of CMS Companies Increases Again After declining from 262 CMS companies in the early 1990s to only 37 in 2002 the number of CMS companies started growing again. The number of CMS companies in the marketplace increased to 70 companies by 2007. There are two reasons for this increase. First, new companies offered a web-based CMS package. With the growth of the Internet and high-bandwidth access, ASP and web-based packages offered a different aspect for CMS programs. They have nothing to install, the ability to connect anywhere that the staff has access to the Internet (making working at home possible), and the ability to add features that allow an entire congregation access to some of the data, such as providing an online membership directory behind a password protected wall. Second, the cost of computers and technology continues to drop. At the same time, smaller churches are realizing that using a CMS package is not only something they can afford, but that they are required to utilize if they wish to offer many of the same services that larger churches are offering, and deemed necessary by congregations of today (such as broadcast email newsletters, online giving, etc.) Evaluating CMS Packages Gather A Committee I know it sounds like the obvious church thing to do, but if you are purchasing a new CMS package, or looking to move to a new system because you are not happy with your present system, you need to get the right people together to make the proper decision. One of the biggest mistakes a church can make is to allow a single staff member, even if that staff member is the senior pastor, to pick the CMS package the rest of the staff and church must use. Todays CMS packages are not just designed for the church secretary to keep a database of members. Many are now designed for the entire staff to

access to facilitate communications (phone voicemails, emails, mail merged letters, etc.), track attendance, schedule resources and facilities, calendar events, and create reports. In fact, many programs, especially those that are hosted on the Internet, are now designed for the entire membership to have some access to data such as membership directory, individual contribution reports, etc. The decision to purchase a CMS package is one that should have the input of many key leaders and staff members of the church. So who should be on this committee? First, include the staff members that will be using it. This is especially true when it comes to data entry. In the 90s, I would recommend inviting lay people who are involved in computers on a corporate level. However, today, computers have become easier to use and I feel it is more important to involve those involved in ministry within the church. CMS programs have moved far beyond just keeping track of important church membership data such as names, addresses and contributions. Most have now moved to provide exciting ministry tools including enhanced communication tools. It is important that those involved in ministry be involved in the process, both paid staff as well as key ministry volunteers. As well, be sure to include those that deal with the finances for our church.

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List Your Wants and Needs In a way, purchasing a CMS package is similar to purchasing a car. You should certainly have some obvious basic needs such as wheels, steering, an engine and brakes. While I am not sure anyone has actually come up with a definition for what defines a CMS package, it is safe to assume that all packages provide a way to enter membership data information, sort that data, and create some reports. However, there is a reason there are so many different programs on the market, each with hundreds and even thousands of very satisfied customers. There is a reason there are so many different types of cars on the road even though most can get you to where you need to go. Some have automatic transmissions while others have a stick shift. Those that are more expensive come with more power options. While some value MPH, others value heated seats. You have to shop to find just the right package to meet your needs and your wants. Comparing your needs and wants with CMS features Do you want something to serve your church staff or something that enables your entire congregation to access membership data? Do you want a product that is available to you when you are in your office, or do you want something that will be not only accessible by you when you are home and/or on the road? The answer to this question, for example, will depend upon individual preferences, Internet connection availability and security concerns. Will you be using other products and services that relate to membership data? If so, do these products and services have the ability to utilize the data directly (such as a product/service like PhoneTree) or will the program allow you to sync your data with your PDA. While many CMS packages now have the ability to send out broadcast e-mails, I still believe you will have a greater delivery success if you use a program like Constant Contact. Can you do a query to collect the e-mails for a specific group and export the list for import into Constant Contact? You will need to decide if your want to manage members, or include financial functions. Some programs seek to provide their own financial features, while other churches are more comfortable using other existing programs to fill this need. CMS packages have continued to mature over the years, providing many additional services such as event management, resource management (room availability and equipment tracking right down to the number of basketballs you own), check-in, and even the ability to handle your churchs bookstore sales. How can you develop a list of your needs and/or wants if you do not know what is available or possible? There are two ways to get a picture of what is available. First, each year for over a decade, ChrisChristian Computing Magazine September 2007

tian Computing Magazine has provided an overview of CMS packages in their October issues. Check out the latest October issue (visit www.ccmag.com and click on the back issue option) and read through the feature chart. Some features that CMS products now provide include: 1) Can send individual-addressed bulk email, 2) Data can be accessible in real-time via PDAs 3) Church members can update their own personal information online 4) Includes Dashboard 5) Prints color pictorial directories, 6) Prints U.S. Postal bar codes, 7) Contribution statements can be created and mailed or e-mailed automatically, and much more. The list of features continues to grow each year as technology solutions are developed and adapted for ministry use. Second, visit many of the sites listed (either the ones in the CMS overview issue already mentioned) or do an Internet search for church software. Many companies provide unique features that set them apart. I can think of at least a half dozen unique features that set particular CMS packages apart from others. Unique features do not show up on feature charts, you have to find them. However, most companies are obvious about what sets them apart from their competitors when you visit their websites. Do some browsing on the Internet. It is just like walking through car lots to check out the features that set specific models apart from others. Next month, look for How to Evaluate Church Management Software Part 2 to continue the series.

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special feature

25 Church Website
Design Tips
Below are listed my Top 25 church website design tips. They are based on my review of 14,000 church websites to date. The tips, while numbered, are not in any special order that is, they are not ranked in any way.
David Gillaspey, president, Great Church Websites http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/
Website 2007 All rights reserved, except screen shots, which are copyrighted by the individual churches.

My Top

1. Dont include a splash screen or an intro page on your site. That is, dont have an intro page that requires or allows visitors to Enter or Skip intro, such as the one shown at right. Splash screens and intro pages are outdated techniques that waste bandwidth and waste user mouse clicks. (The most important content on your site should be reachable in three mouse clicks or less.) Heres another, particularly audacious example of a splash screen: www.thehopeconnection.org. (However, the designer of the site had the good sense to program a browser cookie to be set so that the splash screen is bypassed the second time someone visits the site.) There is one legitimate use for a splash screen, however, and thats when you need an inviting-looking home page that provides paths to several different related sites. One example would be a situation where a church runs a Christian school. The home page or splash screen, then, would include links to the churchs website and to the schools website. Another

example is the home page of Mountain Lake Church of Cumming, Georgia. The churchs home page provides paths to a Visitors & Newcomers version of the site, a Members & Attenders version of the site, and a third site for church planters. 2. Dont make an all Flash website. Dont make visitors wait for your site to download every time they visit it. Dont make them scroll down to see the last three lines of a block of text. (That dinosaur as one designer disparagingly called it known as HTML has the amazing ability to dynamically accommodate any amount of text vertically because the webpage can expand vertically.) Dont make them squint to read text on your all Flash site because you set the text to 8 point font size and gave visitors no way to increase the size. Instead, make your site with HTML and embed Flash movies to do what Flash does best: animations and audio/ video. (But see next item, too.) Christian Computing Magazine

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September 2007

3. Dont make visitors to your church website see the same animations over and over again in Flash movies. Figure out a way, using cookies and/or session variables, to turn off your fancy animations (once youve impressed visitors with your incredible skills and talent) and stop wasting visitors time. Theyve come for information. 4. Dont use frames. Frames have fallen out of favor among website designers, and further, cause problems for the screen readers that blind people use to browse websites. Heres an example website. Notice that the bottom right quadrant scrolls up and down, while the top and left stay put. Thats done with frames. Now, you might think theres some merit to this concept, and indeed there is. However, just trust me when I say that use of frames is out of date. Dont do it. 5. In menus, dont use buttons beveled, oval, square, arty, etc., especially buttons separated by some space (see example at below). This is an outdated technique. Use text links instead, as much as possible. Text links download quickly, and can be read by the screen readers that blind people use to browse websites. 6. Dont use strongly patterned page backgrounds (e.g., tiled backgrounds). Strongly patterned, tiled backgrounds are an outdated technique that makes your site look dated. However, subtle background patterns have made a comeback. I think this is greatpatterns exist everywhere in real life, after all. Theres also a new trend of using large paisley or vine-like patterns or figures in the background. If you choose to do this, ensure that the patterns dont call attention to themselves. 7. Dont use animated gifs, visitor counters, or rainbow colors on your church website. (See examples below.) All three are outdated techniques that make your site look dated. Also, dont credit your hosting company. Its OK to give credit to the web designer, however just keep the credit line subdued. 8. Dont include your denominational logo in the banner. Christian Computing Magazine

Sorry, but denominational logos were created decades ago and simply dont reflect current graphic design standards. Because of this, its difficult to include them in a banner in a manner thats appealing. Im not saying dont include the denominational logo at all on your home page just keep it small and away from the banner. In fact, your church ought to have its own unique logo, one that reflects the mission and purpose of your church. The church logo can go in the banner.

9. Dont put a photo of your church building or your pastor (or pastor and spouse) on the home page. Two reasons for avoiding the building photo: 1) photos of people are by nature more interesting than photos of buildings (even scenic photos are more interesting than building photos); 2) a church is a body of people meeting together in community not a building. Therefore, use photos of people on your home page, not building photos. By photos of people I do not, however, mean photos of your pastor, priest, minister, or bishop. 10. Dont fill your home page with ads for ministries or church events (and especially, dont allow ads for secular products). Advertise your ministries and special events to people who already attend your church, by putting ads in your worship folder/bulletin or including them in your projected announcements. Save the valuable real estate of your home page for communicating with people who have yet to enter through the doors of your church. (Im not saying dont use any ads; just use them sparingly and wisely.) 11. Add a what to expect page to your website. Church is scary to unchurched people. Provide a page of information telling potential visitors what to expect

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when they visit. Youll certainly want to talk about your services (type of music, how long, format or typical order of service, what to wear) and provide information about childcare. But dont use churchy terms. For example, contemporary worship is meaningless to those who havent experienced even traditional worship. 12. Include on your home page the following essential information (in easy to find locations): church address (including city and state) phone number weekend service times location of services (or link to the webpage that includes this information) email link to webmaster Why make your visitors hunt all over your website for this information? The best church websites put this information in plain sight on their home page, with the exception of the email link. The email link to the webmaster is to enable visitors to report problems. You wouldnt believe how few church websites include this. This link (when present) generally is put at the bottom of the home page in small type. 13. Add Scripture to your home page. Between the beginning of 2007 and the date of this writing (mid June 2007), Ive added 100 churches to The International Directory of Church Website Design, of which I am the editor. These represent some of the best of church website design today. Only nine of the 100 newly added home pages included Scripture. Ninety-one didnt. For shame! 14. Include both an HTML submission form on your website and email addresses for individual staff and ministry leaders. HTML submission forms are harder to use dont you get tired of entering comments or requests in those little 1 inch by 1 inch text entry fields that web designers provide because they dont know any better? Or entering your email address in a 1 inch wide email text entry field? (Emails are invariably twice as long as the space provided to enter them.) However, people browsing your site on a computer other than their home or office computer dont have access to an email program. For them, it is essential to include an HTML submission form on your site to allow them to communicate with your church or staff or ministry leaders of your church. If your site uses PHP, then try the Ultimate Form Mail script (www.ultimateformmail.com) developed by Jack Born of Surefire Website Design. This script makes it easy for you to set up an HTML submission form that sends the collected data to the recipient as an email (and CCs the sender) and also saves the data, if desired, to a mySQL database. (Purchase the one-client license if youre a

church; web designers may wish to purchase a multi-client license.) Now, having said all that, also include the email addresses of staff and ministry leaders on your site. Afraid of getting spam as a result? Get over it! Enabling visitors to your site to easily contact staff and ministry leaders is more important than your staffs personal convenience. But, you can do something to alleviate the problem: obfuscate (yes, there really is such a word), that is, disguise, email addresses on your site to lessen the possibility of their being collected by so-called spambots. Try the one provided on www.spamspan.com. 15. Make your website more than an online brochure. Ive read criticism before that church websites are just fancy brochures. Never have I appreciated the wisdom of that as I do now. To be sure, a church website should be at the very least an excellent online brochure, with welldesigned, easy-to-read, and easy-to-get-to pages. But take it to the next level, folks! A church is not a building, its not even its many ministries. Its people. So use your website to tell members stories through words, audio, and/or video. 16. Where possible, avoid dropdown menus and slideout menus. These popular navigation systems force the user to constantly revisit a menu to choose another submenu item. That wastes time. Moreover, so many dropdown (especially) submenus are hard to use: Items on the dropdown (or slideout) submenu are tricky to get to with the mouse, or the submenu disappears before the user reaches the desired link. The better websites that I have reviewed employ a static submenu display of some sort: The submenu (which changes according to which item on the main menu was clicked) remains statically displayed, making it easy for the user to see all the items or links on the submenu, and to reach them with his or her mouse at any time. (However, see next item.) 17. Dont confuse visitors with your interior navigation links. Lets say that in the Ministries section of your site, you list a number of links to various ministry pages. One of the links, however, takes the user out of the Ministries section and leads them to the Missions section, with its wholly different submenu. This is very confusing to the user. Therefore, provide some indication or warning that a link in one section of your site will take the user to another section of your site. 18. Use generic, easy-to-understand labels for links to ministry pages on your site. A church website I recently reviewed included links to the following ministries on its ministries overview page: MA, Engage, The Stirring, Christian Computing Magazine

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Epic, and Point Blank. Would you know what these ministries are? Neither did I. Its OK to title your actual ministry pages with the real names of the ministries. But use generic links such as Mens Ministry, Womens Ministry, Teen Ministry, College Ministry, etc., to get your visitor to the ministry pages in the first place. 19. Underline links in text. Underline links in text even if you think its ugly to do so (and it is). Web users expect links to be underlined that is the web standard. I recently reviewed a website in which links displayed an underline only upon mouse over. Not very helpful! The user cant scan a block of text with his or her eyes to find the links but has to physically move the mouse over all the text to locate links. Also, because underlined links are the web standard, do not underline words or phrases that arent links. There is an exception to the underlined links rule, however: links in a row under or over the banner, or links in a left- or righthand column, generally do not have to be underlined because web users understand these to be navigational links. 20. Show, dont just tell! I recently reviewed a church website with a wealth of information on the inside pages but not a single photo of the different ministries offered by the church. With the ubiquity of inexpensive digital cameras, this is inexcusable. 21. Include captions (identifying information) with photos. Its not necessary (and possibly unsafe) to identify the people in the photo, as would be the case with a magazine or newspaper photograph. But you should include information for each photo identifying the ministry, the ministry event, the location, and date. The only exception for this would be if its abundantly clear from the photo or by the context in which its used whats going on in the photo. The reason you should add Christian Computing Magazine September 2007

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captions to photos is that, on a website, photos are seen by people who are not familiar with your church, its ministries, and its members. 22. Dont call your sermon audio downloads podcasts even if your downloads use iTunes. Podcasting by definition means not having to download manually anyway. Podcasting uses special software, including, for example, iTunes, to periodically check for the latest available files from a site and download any new files for the user in the background automatically. The key term is automatically. So, if you put links to audio files on your website with the intention that users will click to hear or download files, then youre not podcasting. 23. Dont add an audio background song or tune to your website. Adding background music would probably violate copyright law, to begin with and the audio usually is more annoying than beneficial. Unless you have a license (e.g., from ASCAP, the performing artists organization your CCLI license wont help), the only music you legally can add as background audio to a site are songs in the public domain performed by a musician in your church, original songs, or so-called royalty free songs created with Sony Acid (www.acidplanet.com) or Sonicfire Pro (www.smartsound.com). You cant use a Michael W. Smith recording of a hymn, for example. The hymn may very well be in the public domain though not all hymns are but the recording isnt. Nor can you add a song by The Newsboys both the song (melody + lyrics; two separate copyrights) and the recording are copyrighted. Regardless, if you include background music (or sermon) on your site, then provide a button to enable visitors

to turn off the sound. 24. Include time zone information if you broadcast your services live over the internet. In order for someone on the other side of the country or the world to watch your worship service live from your website, they have to know when the service starts, right? Dont expect them to try to figure it out by themselves. Help your visitors by providing the name of the time zone youre in, including standard time or daylight savings time. But dont stop there. How would anyone in, say, the Philippines know how many hours ahead or behind Eastern Time or Mountain Time they are? Provide the time zone offset relative to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). 25. Include the alt = [description of graphic here] attribute in the underlying HTML code for every photo and graphic on your site. This is read aloud by the screen readers that blind people use to browse websites. (It also helps to increase your church websites ranking by search engines.) There are many steps you have to take to ensure your website is fully accessible (to the blind, motion-impaired, deaf, etc.). But this is one step thats easy to understand and easy to implement, which is why I list it here. See www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/accessible/disabled.html, among may similar resources on the web, for information about how to implement this suggestion.

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Christian Computing Magazine

inside the box

Donald Stratton - Donald@PowerNotebooks.com

Benchmarking:

Facts and Fiction

eceptions, benchmarks, and statistics... what they have in common is their ability to seem trustworthy even when they actually misrepresent the truth. In this article, I will discuss real world vs. sythentic benchmarks and what this means for you as you decide what or even whether to buy.

Part 1

First, when discussing benchmarks, we must first establish that a good benchmark measures as few changes as possible. If computer A has X CPU, X Graphics Card, and X memory, and computer B has Y CPU, Y Graphics Card, and Y memory, then the measurements are comparing the system as a whole and do not really help you to determine if upgrading from X to Y graphics card is worth it. A benchmark might depend more on the CPU or memory performance, which skews the value of the GPU. The ideal scenario is that the benchmarked computer system is 100% identical except for the part being measured. Secondly, the benchmarked system will probably not be identical or even close to your computer. A better graphics card will make a greater difference on a system with the fastest CPU than it will on a system with the slowest CPU. The reason is that on the slower system, the slower CPU creates a bottleneck that the graphics card must wait on. It can be difficult to estimate these things accurately, and most reviews/benchmarks are done on top-of-the-line or near top-of-the-line systems to create the greatest possible margin for the part being tested. Consider benchmarks in reviews to be a best case difference between X part and Y part, and be aware that if your system specs dont match up to the benchmark system specs, then you probably wont see quite that amount of difference. Third, every benchmark should be judged by percentage of difference. This is very important to understand. If a given part is 10% faster, its not going to make a noticeable difference. Lets use a best case scenario. If a given CPU is 10% faster, and you have a calculation that takes 3:30 min to complete, September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine

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that calculation will instead complete in 3:09. An example of this sort of process would be mp3 encoding, not gaming or business applications. If you really think youre going to notice 20 seconds over a 3.5 minute process, and you run that process all the time, then by all means, go for the performance increase. A more realistic scenario is that instead of taking 3s for an application to start, it instead takes 2.8s. Good luck noticing that. What I personally look for when considering paying significantly more for a part is whether A) that part is at least 50% faster (a sizeable boost) and B) how important that part is to my use of the computer. I might spend the extra $200 for a jump from integrated graphics to an Nvidia 8600M GT graphics card (a huge performance difference), but if I dont play games or work with 3D apps, it doesnt really matter. Next month we will continue with part 2.

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wordsearch word
Bob Dasal - bdasal@wordsearchbible.com

Enter WORDsearchMedia.com
very Sunday thousands of churches use video technology to enhance worship. Video sermon illustrations are powerful and pastors use them to help drive their sermon points home. WORDsearchMedia.com (WSM) celebrates this phenomenon with FilmFest.
FilmFest is a search for outstanding video sermon il The technology revolution of the past 20 years has lustrations. If you have a video camera and a creative idea provided new and exciting tools to enhance the sharing of to illustrate a Scriptural Truth or Principal, submit an entry Gods message of love and hope to man. The message has and you might be the winner of the $1,000 First Prize. The not changed, but the tools for sharing it has. More than 68% deadline for entry is October 25, 2007. Go to www.WORDof todays church buildings have multimedia capability. searchMedia.com for the While some churches have only entry form, Official Rules, basic equipment, more and more and complete information churches have installed state of the about FilmFest. art video capability. What started From the entries an as a way to enhance the music in impartial panel of judges, worship has now affected the sharconsisting of pastors and ing of the Sunday sermon using media ministers, will select video illustrations. 20 finalists. The WSM web WORDsearch provides site will announce the finalthe best Bible software available ists on November 1, 2007 for those who preach and teach and will post the finalists to change lives. Providing media videos on their web site. resources was a natural extension Online voting will determine of that commitment to serve those the three winners. Visitors to WORDsearchMedia.com can who serve the Lords Church. WORDsearchMedia.com has preview the videos and then vote for their favorite. Voting become a major channel where churches and ministries can will begin on November 1 and conclude on November 15. find the best in video resources for worship. WSM does this The first, second and third place winners will be announced by working with all the major producers of sermon illustraon November 19. tions, worship backgrounds, countdowns, etc. The art of illustrating scriptural truths is as old as the Help us recognize and honor those who use their God church itself. In fact it predates the birth of the church on the given creativity to produce video illustrations by making sure Day of Pentecost. The Lord Jesus was a master of illustrathey know about FilmFest. tion. His word picture illustrations continue to effectively Please note: FilmFest is open to United States residents communicate eternal Truths and spiritual principles today. only and anyone entering a video must have unencumbered Through the centuries preachers have followed His example ownership rights to it. There can only be one entry per and have used illustrations to communicate the Gospel. John FilmFest event. FilmFest is subject to all federal, state, and Wesley stated, Illustrations are windows that let the light local laws. Visit www.WORDsearchMedia.com/filmfest in. today! September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine 19

$1000 First Prize, $600 Second Prize, and $400 Third Prize

FilmFest and Win!

nick at church
Nick Nicholaou - nick@mbsinc.com

Layers of

Protection

e are all masters of risk management! You may not have thought of yourself that way, but its true! You began learning how to manage risk when your parents taught you that you shouldnt touch something hot because it would burn you. In elementary school you learned to avoid the school bully because any encounter with him or her could hurt. So all through our lives weve learned how to manage risk. And, as risk managers, we need various layers of protection from those things that could hurt our ministrys computer systems.
Power Power problems come in two flavors power irregularities (spikes, brownouts, and blackouts) and dirty power. The solution for both lies in relatively inexpensive UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supplies). UPSs are essential for servers, switches, and routers, and theyre optional for desktop workstations (notebook computers already have them built in!). The key is that UPSs connected to our servers must communicate with them to shut them down when their batteries get low. Their configuration should also turn the servers back on when power is restored. Our firms favorite UPSs are APC Smart-UPSs (see www.apc.com) which come with the software and cables necessary to protect and communicate with servers. Smart-UPSs have batteries that keep systems running for a time, but they are limited if your organization experiences prolonged outages. However, they can bridge the gap between when your power goes out and your generator kicks in, allowing you to buy a generator that takes a little longer to come online, which will save you money on that purchase. Desktop computers dont usually get UPS protection, but should always have surge protectors to help protect them from spikes that could overheat some of their components. Surge protectors should be UL listed and replaced periodically since every surge they absorb weakens them. Our firm recommends replacing them when new computers are purchased. Web Content One of the most dangerous risks our teams face is temptation when theyre connected to the Internet. Affecting both males and females, giving in to that temptation has ruined many lives even those in ministry. In fact, if someone is in ministry they are under greater spiritual pressure, so eliminating this issue is an important part of risk management. There are generally two strategies to help protect our team members when theyre connected to the Internet content filtering and accountability software. Web filtering works fairly well, and if there are stuChristian Computing Magazine

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Christian Computing Magazine

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dents who access the Internet through your organizations system it should definitely be used. One of our favorite solutions for this is SonicWALLs (see www.sonicwall. com) content security management device. These work great for browsing the Internet. For email content, we like Barracudas SPAM Firewalls (see www.barracuda. com), which keep most spam from getting to users email accounts. These solutions also protect from viruses, but virus protection should also be in place on desktop and notebook computers. Our favorite solution for this is McAfees anti-virus software (see www.mcafee.com). It is capable and leaves the computers operating system alone. The problem with these filtering devices is that the challenge is constantly changing, and those who are driven to get around them can. So we believe a wise decision is to also add accountability software to each computer. Our favorite is Covenant Eyes (see www.covenanteyes. com). It records every place a user goes on the Internet and sends a report to their accountability partners with scores that are extremely helpful in changing the way users think about Internet content. Manufacturer Error The best protection from manufacturer errors (like failed hard drives) is to make sure you have a good backup. We recommend backing up your entire server five nights/week, having enough tapes to save at least

2-3 weeks of backups (that means at least 10-15 tapes), and taking one tape off-site each week in case of a larger disaster. These backups should also be tested periodically to make certain theyre working correctly. User Error Recent studies show that, for the first time, users are a bigger threat to our systems and data than are malicious software attacks like viruses. All of the above help in this area, but consider also adding a desktop / notebook cloning solution like Symantecs Ghost (see www.ghost. com) to re-establish desktop and notebook configurations that have been broken by their users. By configuring a local computer and then using this product, you will have the ability to re-write local hard drives in minutes, quickly making them usable again. The key to this strategy is to make certain all data is being saved to the server hard drive since anything saved to the local drive after the Ghost image was made will be lost. Those Who Intend Us Harm System Security. A good password policy and strategy is essential in todays ministry workplace. Our systems contain sensitive data and must be protected from those who try to harm us. The policy needs to address: Password strength, Prohibition of group logins, and Prohibition of sharing passwords. Server security. Servers should be in rooms or cabinets / racks with limited key access. Their security will keep someone from being able to easily steal or tamper with them. Also, they should Be on a dedicated electrical circuit, Be air conditioned, and Be located in a convenient location for the person responsible for changing the daily backup tapes. Making certain these layers of protection are in place make your systems more reliable and available for your ministry team members, and that will mean more ministry and, thus, more reached for Christ. - - Nick Nicholaou is president of MBS, a consulting firm specializing in ministry computer networks, operational policies, and CPA services. You can reach Nick via email (nick@mbsinc.com) and may want to check out his firms web site (www.mbsinc. com) and his unofficial blog at http://ministry-it.blogspot.com.

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tech talk
Dr. J.D. (Doc) Watson - docwatson@nctelecom.net

Hot Tips 33
his installment of our series demonstrates how to organize the Start Menu with user created folders, how to clean up the Desktop of unused icons and shortening the names of remaining icons, and finally how (and why) to change double-click to single-click in Windows Explorer, My Computer, and other folders.
Organizing the Start Menu there. Once this is done, remember that you can drag There are as many ways to organize a Windows PC your new folder names wherever you want them on the as there are users, but here is one Ive used for years. Start Menu. Since I have never liked the cascading menu system that Cleaning Up Your Desktop started in Windows 95, I avoid Just like a real desktop, that mess whenever possible. your virtual desktop can get Naturally, I put the most often cluttered very quickly. What used stuff on the Desktop, but with all the install programs that gets cluttered very quickly that put shortcuts on it, your (see the next tip). I, therefore, kids putting shortcuts to like to create my own foldtheir games on it, and so ers on the Start Menu using forth, it can soon be a mess. names such as: Bible, Office, One way to clean it up, of Music, Utilities, and so forth course, is to run the Clean(Fig. 1). up Wizard, which identifies One way to do this is to shortcuts that have not been right-click the Start butused in the last 60 days. ton and select either Open To run the wizard, first open or Open All Users, create Display Properties either the folders you want (File > from Control Panel or by New> Folder) and then either Fig. 1 Creating folders and shortcuts on the Start Menu. right-clicking on the Deskdrag or copy-and-paste shorttop and selecting Propercuts into the new folders. Alternately, you can right-click ties. Second, click the Desktop tab in the Display the Start button and select either Explore or Explore Properties dialog box, and then click the Customize All Users and then create the folders and shortcuts from Desktop button. Third, click the Clean Desktop Now September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine 23

icon, select Rename, edit the name or type a new one, button to open the wizard and then click Next to conand press Enter. You can also click and drag them to tinue. This displays all the shortcuts currently on your where you want them. Desktop, as in Figure 2. Now just click each shortcut to specify whether or not you want it removed (a checkmark beside it indicates it will be removed and placed in Changing Double-Click to Single-Click Hey, those nanoseconds the Unused Deskadd up, right? So why not top Shortcuts foldsave some by changing to er), and then click single-clicking instead of Next. (NOTE: all that double-clicking. rest assured, you After all, you single-click are not deleting any links in your web browser programs here, just shortcuts to proand shortcuts on Windows cascading menus, so why grams.) Fourth, in not do the same in Windows the Completing the Explorer, My Documents, Desktop Cleanup My Computer, etc.? It takes Wizard dialog box, a little getting used to after view the items in all those years of clickthe Shortcuts box click, but I think youll to confirm that you find that its worth the want them removed retraining. from the desktop, Fig. 2 Selecting unused icons to delete in the Desktop Cleanup Wizard Open My Computer, and then click Finor just Explorer (Windows ish. Key + E), and select Tools > Folder Options. Now Another way to clean up your desktop is by renamin the Folder Options dialog box (Fig. 3), just click ing icons to one line names. Simply right-click on an

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Christian Computing Magazine

September 2007

25

the Single-click to open an item option. Notice also presented in my column from January 2004 to January the Underline icon titles consistent with my browser 2007 (including graphics). Order yours today (it will be option. This serves as a greatly appreciated). Like its predecesgreat reminder of the new sors, it makes a great quick reference setting and helps to keep because its divided into sections, each you from clicking on of which contains related tips. something prematurely. There are two other booklets Now just click OK to in this Hot Tips series, Windows Hot put the setting into effect. Tips 1 and 2. A single copy of each is But wait, you ask, $6.50 (sorry for the rise in price, but what if I just want to printing costs demanded it). Bulk prices select one or more files, are: $6.00 for 2-9 copies of the same such as when I want to title and $5.50 for 10 or more copies. delete or copy them? If youd like to help with costs (not Not a problem. To select required), add 50 cents for any number a file, just point at it for of booklets you order. a second or two (dont Docs Giant Utility Collection click) to highlight it. on CD is still postage paid at $14 (2-5 This also works with the copies $13 each, and 6 or more copies Shift key (to select files $12 each). Send orders to: MicroManuin sequence) and the Ctrl als; PO Box 235; Meeker, CO; 81641. key (to select files out of Thanks again for your faithful support. sequence). God bless. Fig. 3 Changing double-click to single-click for folders. Windows Hot Tips 3 and More Windows Hot Tips 3 covers all the tips and other stuff

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ACS ideas to impact

Successful Event Planning

from ACS Technologies

5 Steps to

ith the summer holidays over and a season change upon us, your church is probably seeing attendance numbers increase. The kids are back in school and vacation time is dwindling, so its easier for your church-goers to get back into a routine. To celebrate the return of these old faces and the presence of new ones, you may be considering holding a church event like a fall festival. ACS Technologies knows how important the planning of an event is, so weve put together the following tips to help simplify the process.
After-school programs

1. Define and understand your target group When attempting to reach out to your community, it is particularly important to identify the specific group of people that you are trying to reach. One great way to understand your community is by gathering demographic information. Demographics include information on ages, genders, races, and average incomes in your community. This information can be collected by contacting any of the following: The U.S. Census Bureau Your local chamber of commerce Online services that research demographics for churches

3. Build an event team to plan and carry out the event Once youve determined who you want to reach out to, you can then put together a team to plan the event. This group consists of church staff, leaders, and members who can serve in planning your event and making it happen. One way to find these people is by finding out the gifts and abilities of everyone in your congregation and then using volunteer management software to help you organize the data. You can then run a simple search to find people with relevant interests and skills. Once you assemble your team, bring them together to 2. Come up with event ideas that will appeal to your plan your event. Lead your team in a brainstorming session target group Defining your target group will help you begin to under- in which you discuss the mindset and desires of the people stand the needs, hopes, and fears of the people you are trying that you want attending your event. 4. Keep your event team on task as they carry out their to reach. Consider offering events, programs, and teaching responsibilities that will address the needs of the people in your community. It is important to consult your church-wide calendar This can attract them to your church. Ask and answer questions concerning who they are, how they think, and what they to plan a date, time, and location for your event. Choose a date that will work for your team and for your target group. want. Here are some examples of events that meet specific Consider using scheduling software, such as the new ACS needs: Facility Scheduler, that interfaces with your church manage Vacation Bible School Divorce recovery workshops ment software and allows you to create calendars. Calendars can be placed on your Web site or sent to a PDA quickly and Blood drives September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine 27

easily. Once you decide when to have your event, your team should make a list of tasks and needs for the event. This includes audio/ visual equipment, online or onsite registration, food, security, publicity, and anything else necessary to make the event a success. This also includes a list of volunteer needs. Estimate how many volunteers you will need and what kind of skills they should have. Responsibilities can then be delegated to your team members. 5. Make people aware of your event If you want to attract people to your event, you must market your event. Be very strategic about this. How you communicate with the people you are trying to reach is a vital part of event ministry. Publicize your event in a way that helps the community see who you are as a church. There are many tools available to make people aware of your event. For instance, by using an online data management system, your leaders can access the database from anywhere to retrieve phone numbers or e-mail addresses. They can then easily contact small group and Sunday school class members, new church members, and visitors. If youre not yet using an online data management system, consider Access ACS from ACS Technologies. Visit www.accessacs.com to find out more. To find out about ACS Facility Scheduler a new, innovative solution to help churches organize their facilities and resources call 1-800-736-7425. You can find extensive information about seeing your event through all its stages, visit www.ideastoimpact.com/events and download our Events from Start to Finish white paper.

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internet ministry
Walt Wilson - waltccm@aol.com

Technologies Going Global

merica is still the land of opportunity. Ask Chinese immigrants who are flocking to California. Fifteen hundred dollars and youve got a ticket for a plane ride to San Francisco. However, while many come here for the economic opportunity, they still go through a wrenching from family, culture, and language. Wouldnt it be nice to capture some of the old country on TV? In Kansas? In Alabama? In Texas? Yep, its being done.
Many new immigrants are now tuning into China on their TV sets, even in Birmingham. They are subscribers to KyLinTV, one of a new breed of companies building a business by broadcasting TV shows and movies available on the Internet directly to TV sets. For a mere $30 per month one gets 31 channels of Chinese TV piped to a TV set through a set-top box that connects to broadband cable. One new arrival recently commented, It used to be I could only find an occasional Chinese DVD and I would bring them back from China. Now I can watch live TV from China while sitting in my living room. The technology behind KyLinTV is Neu-Lion, Inc., of Plainview, New York, a start up company that sells new streaming-video technology. It enables broadcasters to deliver programming to a TV set anywhere in the world via the Internet. While a particular language based audience may be small at
Christian Computing Magazine

Web-to-TV

the moment, as the technology gains acceptance and Boeing keeps building airplanes it will potentially become a huge market. How many in the US would want to watch Cuban baseball, or religious broadcasts from Africa, or Latin America. This is a technology that will contribute further to the flattening of the world when you think about the cultural impact. How many in Iran would want to watch live TV from America. On the other hand, cancel that. TV, in general, is one of our worst exports. Since videos began showing up on the Internet ten years ago, tech companies have looked for new ways to turn the Web into a new form of distribution for TV content. This would allow content providers to go directly to the TV consumer without having to go through a cable or satellite middleman. Since the rule of the Internet is that of disintermediation of distribution channels, this is just another extension 29

September 2007

of the rule. I just looked at the new Sony HD Bravia line. In the back is a plug-in for modules that grab content off the Internet. Apple, usually ahead of the game, has introduced a box that wirelessly connects for iTunes, movies and programming, but may actually be too far ahead of the market with this toy. However the big guys in set-top boxes, Motorola and Ciscos Scientific Atlanta are working on new generation that will do double duty, taking content off the Web as well as from traditional sources. NeuLion markets their emerging technology at TV, cable and satellite trade shows. It also has identified owners of niche content, like ethnic TV drama shows, sports, religion and documentaries. It would appear they are targeting value-added and decent content providers rather than MTV-like content. For the supplies of content they have identified they simply send them a set-top box asking them to hook it up in the office. Thats how it starts. Chris Wagner, a NeuLion executive VP states, We have tests going in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The company recently announced a deal with the NHL to broadcast games to other content which the NHL only makes available on the Web. Interesting. Are they by-passing cable and satellite providers in favor of Internet? Again the question comes up, where is the church in the midst of emerging technology now bursting on the scene at a break-neck pace? Can we market the message posted on the Internet for global TV consumption? Can we disciple those in foreign lands who may never see a 30
September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine

seminary? Is there a denomination or a mega church that will step up to the plate to take this on? The Internet is global and can generate millions of seekers with the right market strategy. At Global Media Outreach we now see over one million seekers every month; people who are looking for a relationship to God. They are saying, Tell me more about Jesus. Yes, Im interested. What an opportunity! Then there is Internet Protocol Radio, a fancy term for radio broadcast on the Internet. Radio is no longer local it has become global. Apple calls their music and video store iTunes for a reason. And if thats not enough we now have Internet Protocol TV. While content is presently limited there is this NeuLion technology that grabs digital content from the Web and places it directly to your new 58 HD monster or an 8 portable in a developing country. Can the church provide the Good News and disciple new believers starting with a simple video camera and a PC? Can any church find a Spanish speaking or Chinese Christian to do a national broadcast? If we can post it to the Internet we can now broadcast to TV sets. Now that the technology has been developed it is possible well see it widely available through Apple, Cisco and others. As the market expands we will have the opportunity to address and perhaps change our own culture. It doesnt take an army of Silicon Valley geniuses to do this. It takes just a few ordinary men and women of vision who will follow God. Nehemiah was an ordinary man. A cupbearer to the king. He was not an architect. He was not a mason. He was
Christian Computing Magazine

not a master builder just an ordinary guy living a comfortable life, somewhat like the ordinary American. Jesus said (Matthew 24:14), that the good news of the gospel will be preached in the entire world as a witness to every nation The time has come.

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special feature

Granger Community Church

with Virtual Storage Environment
Jason Powell, president, IT Director at Granger Community Church

Improves Uptime

hurches like Granger Community Church (GCC) and other religious institutions are increasingly adopting technology like VoIP, Wi-Fi, advanced projection systems and satellite broadcasting to spread the Word of the Lord and build a stronger community with their parishioners. Places of worship like us now have Web sites, and some are delving into the world of podcasting to offer sermons, songs and prayers to download. State-of-the-art technology like storage networks and virtualization is helping leanly staffed organizations provide a more meaningful experience for congregations.
try. Our IT infrastructure is managed by three people whose main function is to serve the members that visit the Church on weekends. The IT staff controls a Microsoft Windows environment, dealing with 200 desktops and laptops on a Microsoft Server 2003 domain. The IT environment contains 6 physical servers and 20 virtual servers running functions such as Exchange, Radius, ISA, SCE, SQL, WSUS and SharePoint. We manage more than twelve terabytes of data. The Challenge Previously, we had a Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) environment that consisted of disk drives contained within each server chassis. DAS became increasingly hard to move data around, and once we decided to use VMware it was difficult to keep track of where the virtual machines were located. VMware is virtualization software that is used to partition certain workstations and servers into separate virtual machines, each containing its own copy of the operChristian Computing Magazine

As religious institutions everywhere capitalize on these technological advancements, Granger Community Church (GCC) in Granger, Indiana is active in the IT (information technology) community for participating in roundtable discussions and workshops, online outreach and strategies. We are a wired and technology-savvy Church that maintains active Wi-Fi hot spots during services. Along with their Bibles, parishioners at our church are now encouraged to bring laptops to access Web pages relevant to that day's services. We were founded in 1986 by Senior Pastor Mark Beeson and are currently one of the fastest-growing Churches in the country. At almost 7,000 in weekend attendance, we are growing with the intent of congregating 10,000 people by 2010 with 5,000 members participating and 3,000 servants leading. GCC strives to reach all ages to effectively communicate a relevant, uncompromised, biblical message to every unique generation. With a lean 80 full and part time staff, 60 percent are teaching pastors, administrative personnel or volunteers that lead the childrens minis32

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ating system. At GCC VMware is used by advanced users and staff who need to work with multiple operating systems. But, our IT staff could not easily move a virtual machine from one server to another because of the limitations of DAS. We ran out of storage space without the luxury of a large budget to support additional servers, so we were in severe need of consolidating our storage within a virtual environment that was easy to manage. We wanted a solution that would allow our small group to spend less time on storage administration, so we began evaluating iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions. iSCSI stands for Internet SCSI (small computer system interface), an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI facilitates data transfers over intranets and manages storage over long distances. iSCSI is also much easier to control than the traditional SAN technology known as Fibre Channel because iSCSI uses IP over ubiquitous Ethernet networks. Fibre Channel is a specialized technology for transmitting data between computer devices and connecting servers to shared storage that is more complex and less well known than IP and Ethernet. The high costs, consultant engagements and training associated with Fibre Channel usually eliminate it as an alternative for small to midsize IT environments like ours. IP and Ethernet are very common computer network technologies that do not employ complex procedures that require special training. My staff started researching SAN solutions from EMC, EqualLogic, IBM and LeftHand Networks. EMC was ruled out to due to Fibre Channels great cost and maintenance support. The most logical option was EqualLogic, a purely iSCSI SAN, because of the cost, as well as ease of set-up and management. In addition, EqualLogics compatibility with Microsofts iSCSI initiator was a good selling point. EqualLogics CEO Don Bulens worked directly with the IT department to discuss their storage needs and, within two days, an EqualLogic sales engineer was at the church attaching the storage technology to its network for a hands-on demonstration. No other vendor provided us with such attentive customer service. A sales engineer from a competitive storage vendor came out with a presentation but was not able to provide us with a live demonstration or connection for several months. EqualLogics enthusiasm, product features and ease of use pushed us to impleChristian Computing Magazine

ment a new consolidated storage environment using an ISCSI SAN. The Solution A non-profit organization with a limited budget and small IT staff like we have needs a solution that can be pulled out of the box, plugged in, turned on and working within an hour, without spending days reading through manuals or flying to training courses. The combination of VMware and the EqualLogic SAN has improved uptime, allowing us to provision new servers very easily. Now, the VMware server needs little attention the whole solution is seamless as opposed to its previous DAS environment. Other notable improvements include reliability, performance and data security which are crucial since our most critical data sits on the EqualLogic SAN. EqualLogic also continues to impress our staff with its technical support and customer service activity. We had a question about the EqualLogic SAN and one of the companys sales engineers stopped in to answer it during his vacation. The technical support proved to be amazing from the start and continues to solidify EqualLogics role in our SAN environment. Benefits Achieved We now have a virtualized storage and server solution we can rely on for complete 24/7 uptime, allowing members to have complete access to online service and files. Moving forward, we are contemplating putting archived video and data on the new storage environment. We also want three more terabytes of storage for more virtual servers and are looking to add more storage to double the space. The increased storage will provide more performance and redundancy, enabling us to continue to stack the storage they buy on top of each other while acting as one, unlike other industry solutions.

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higher power with kevin

Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org

Bible Study Synchronization

PC-Mobile Device

or years I have been predicting that an electronic bible study provider who creates a program that can synchronize your desktop/laptop version of your bible study content with your mobile version will be a huge seller. Well, finally we will be given the opportunity to find out if I am correct thanks to the folks at Laridian. I was pleased to receive a recent notification from Laridian that synchronization functionality is coming.
a great feature. I have seen hacks to existing products but nothing officially supported by the companies. One concern I had was that this new program would require buying new versions of the books I already have. But Laridian is doing the right thing. As Craig said in his August 21st blog post, Any books youve already purchased for MyBible or PocketBible will entitle you to download the same books for your Windows PC. This is one reason I am a big fan of this company. They recognize that selling Bible study software is a ministry. They make their living at it, but they dont bilk the consumer while doing so. Some others seem more interested in profit than providing a ministry at a fair price. But that is another article. This very generous policy does not apply to one resource. As Rairdin wrote, The only exception [to being able to download desktop version of already purchased mobile books] is the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, which were prohibited from distributing on the desktop until some date in the future. Were trying to remedy that because its a great commentary
Christian Computing Magazine

Craig Rairdin, president of Laridian wrote in an email newsletter to the companys customers, Coming soon is a free update to PocketBible for your Pocket PC which will allow you to synchronize the notes, bookmarks, and highlights youve created on your Pocket PC with the desktop version of PocketBible. I quickly emailed Craig and he would not give me a specific date nor would their PR person, Michelle Stramel. Craig pointed me to the Laridian blog at http://blog.laridian. com/ where he said that the product is now available at a discounted price of $19.99. Regular retail price is $29.99. If you cant wait wed be happy to accept the extra $10. Thats funny. But this development is serious and I could not be more excited. Laridian Pocket Bible for Windows is a desktop or laptop PC program that was created with mobility in mind. The program can be run directly from a USB Drive or from the hard drive. Load the program, on your thumb drive, or whatever you call it, and you can take it with you to church, your office, your friends house or just down the hall to the bedroom PC. That is

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series and wed like to see more people using it. I asked Michelle Stramel, Laridians Public Relations person, why the company was taking this groundbreaking step. She said, a desktop version of our mobile products has been something that our customers have asked for from the very beginning. And I am included in that group. Stramel said that people want to view their content on both a desktop and a mobile device. They also want to be able to move notes and bookmarks between the two. Laridian has found that users like the simplicity of PocketBible on the PocketPC and MyBible on the Palm. So they chose to make that a primary goal of the desktop version as well. She went on to write, Despite intentions, it seems like Bible software today has gotten more complicated to the point where we hear quite often that our customers own this or that version of Windows-based Bible software but they dont use it because it is too difficult to use. Like office suites, most people dont use 90 percent of the functionality of their Bible Study software. The real question is whether Laridian has over simplified the programs so that it becomes unusable for the desktop/laptop user. Do users really want the same kind of simplicity on their laptop or desktop that they want on a mobile device? To find out just how good this inaugural desktop program was, I surfed on over to www.laridian.com and made my purchase with great hope. After all the President of Laridian was one of the early engineers involved in QuickVerse, one of best selling PC Bible software programs. I love the fact that you can quickly buy and then download the product. If you want to you can also ask them to send you a USB drive with the program installed. That is an extra $19.99. I have a plenty hanging around so I didnt bother. After forking over your hard earned cash you are given a link to download away. Automatically they list all the books youve purchased in the past along with the current ones. Any version bought for another platform is automatically listed as being available for the Windows version. If you have not yet purchased any Laridian products, you can take advantage of a bundled version that comes with a number of books and resources. I think a bundle of the desktop app along with one of the mobile apps would also be a good idea. Once the books are downloaded and installed, you are ready to use them. Installing is a little annoying. You install the main app first and then have to install each book you download. Each book installation requires 8 or 9 clicks depending on whether you are on XP or Vista (Vista requires you to give the installer permission adding another click or two). Why cant they just make them all zipped files that you can then unzip into the install directory? With a program like WinZip, 7Zip or WinRar, you could do that in a few clicks for all the books at once. I guess this is a minor annoyance. When you finally get the program installed and you start it up, you notice a very clean interface. It is almost Spartan looking. In the main part of the screen, you have your Bible with tabs running across the bottom of the window for each translation. One glaring omission is a way to directly enter references. You have to click the go to button on the toolbar. It gives you a list of the books of the bible. After a click then you get the chapters and finally verses. This is very similar to the functionality of a Pocket PC. Since there is no keyboard on a PocketPC I can understand leaving out a direct entry box. But on a desktop/laptop there really should be one. To the right of the Bible windows is the Personalization window
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where you can access bookmarks, highlights, searches and notes. Tabs across the bottom of the screen tell you which one is showing. I tried out the highlighter by selecting a version Psalms. I right clicked and chose highlight in red. Then suddenly the program highlighted that verse and about 15 chapters after it. Im not sure if I accidentally hit the wrong thing or if this was a glitch, but I could not reproduce the problem so I will give it the benefit of the doubt and say I likely did something wrong. Unfortunately, as I tried to erase the highlighting the program crashed on me. After restarting the app I could remove the highlighting and try again. At the bottom of the screen are the rest of your resources. Moving from left to right you find the commentary window, the dictionary window and the devotional window. Each has tabs across the bottom for quick, easy access to your resources. If you amass a large collection you can customize the tabs by clicking the more tab and clearing the checkmarks of the books you dont want shown or checking those you do. I like the customization features in general. You can change the layout, add more book windows, and change the categories of the bookmarks and highlights. There are a lot of Windows based Bible study programs. Most of the other companies are years ahead of Laridian in creating an easy to use yet useful study tool for the Windows platform. Once the synchronization features are added this might become a very useful tool. Id like to see how well it performs once that feature is added and the program gets a chance to mature with development. If you have already invested in quite a few Laridian resources then this might be a good investment. At $19.99 it is hard to go wrong. If you are not a PocketBible or MyBible user, then I cannot recommend PocketBible for Windows yet. Once the synchronization feature is added Ill take another look and update my opinion. One problem is that if you want to try it out you have to pay up front because they dont have a trial version. However, Stramel pointed out that they do offer a

30 day money back guarantee. With all the piracy, even in Christian software, I cannot blame them for this. When asked when the synchronization functionality will be added, Stramel replied, The Pocket PC synchronization will be first. I dont have a date for release but we are hoping it is soon. She continued, I also dont know exactly how it will work except to tell you that changes on either platform will be intelligently combined so that you always have the latest version of your notes, etc. on both platforms. My response is COOL! I truly cant wait to try it out and when I do, youll hear about it right here. Im rooting for you Laridian!! If the synchronization works and they add direct reference entry and maybe a content creation application so I can create my own books, then Pocket Bible for Windows has the chance to prove what Ive always said the first company to make a bible program that syncs between the desktop and the mobile device will do quite well!

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ministry communication
Yvon Prehn - yvonprehn@aol.com

For Successful Fall Outreach

The Theology, Tools, and Technology

ummer is over and churches are entering into a time of great opportunities for outreach. Families and singles are looking for activities around the coming holidays. Harvest Festivals and alternative Halloween celebrations can be great ways to connect with your community and draw them into your church. For the biblical foundation you need to motivate your people, a great church resource, and ideas on how to align all your technology for outreach, read on.
We need to remind our people why we do what we do in the church. We dont work to put on fall outreach events primarily because they are fun. We will have fun, but we should do them prayerfully and intentionally as a first step towards introducing people to Jesus. This is of primary importance because it is what we are commanded to do in the Great Commissionto share the gospel and make disciples. We work to fulfill the Great Commission because we know someday every person will face God and unless they have been redeemed by Jesus, they will spend an eternity in conscious suffering in hell. If you thought, well thats a bit harsh or if the previous statements shocked you, it may be time to review eternal realities for yourself and your people. Halloween is a great time to do this. Images of demons and spiritual powers are all arounduse these cultural images as a bridge and take time to share what the Bible says about evil, eternity, and judgment. C. S. Lewis book, The Screwtape Letters, might also be a useful resource. 37

First, prepare hearts Our heart beliefs come out in our actions. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks is how Jesus put it. If we want to be successful in our fall outreach in our churches, before we jump into the tools and technology, we need to work on the hearts and minds of our people. This is incredibly important because many people do not connect being involved with church holiday events with evangelism. Sadly, many people do not connect church with evangelism. In a recent issue of the Christian Research Journal (a publication I highly recommend and that can be subscribed to at www. equip.org) was a very telling quote: Five years ago the number one request coming into prayer lines across America was Pray for my lost family and loved ones that they do not go to hell. . . . Its number eight today. It has been replaced byneck and necknumber one, Pray for my physical body, number two, Pray for my financial prosperity. This has become the cry of the church. (Christian Research Journal, vol. 30, #3, p.22)
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September 2007

Theology then the tools Once the hearts of your people are aligned with why you are going to be doing all the work you are asking them to do in putting on an event, inviting friends and following up, you need a plan and a program. The BEST tools I can recommend for an outreach event you can hold anytime in the fall are the ones provided by GROUP (www.group. com/wildwest or 1-800-447-1070). Their newest program is WildWest Fall Fest. Like other programs they have put together, the extraordinarily creative people at GROUP have put together a package that contains everything you need to put together a professional and complete program: planning guides for the director of the event and all the volunteer jobs, PR suggestions, banners, CDs to give away, great games for kids to play, crafts for them to make, and best of all, numerous times and ways to share the gospel. In addition, one of the things I really like is that they suggest you take pictures of families as they come in and register for your eventand then they provide a really cute frame/mailer that you can insert the picture into and then use as a self-mailer to send back and invite the people to your church. If this theme doesnt interest you they also have Heros Unmasked, based on Bible characters. In addition, they also offer A Night in Bethlehem for Christmas. If you havent checked out these packages, please do so they are fantastic. Technology alignment Your sermons can provide the theological base and a tool like the programs offered by GROUP can provide the primary tool for your event, but then be sure you make the most of every technological tool in your church to align with your goals of using your fall outreach to bring people to Jesus. Here are some suggestions to help do that: Your website: be sure your church website is on every piece of PR you send out. On the home page have a place for visitors; have a place where they can go to find out answers about the Christian faith, about life and death, about the Biblical view of ghosts, demons, heaven and hell, in addition to a clear schedule and information about ongoing programs. Your printed materials: The best PR for any event is repeated in a variety of forms. Create an all purpose piece that can be used as a postcard, bulletin insert and in addition, save it as a PDF that people can download from your website to print off and give to friends or attach and send as an email. Email newsletters; PhoneTree, other electronic communication: create a series of reminders, invitations and follow up to be sent out before and after the event. If you take time to do these at one time and then schedule their delivery, youll get maximum impact from them. Fall outreach events are a lot of work, but with prayer and intentional planning they can be not only a time of community fun, but a time to change lives for eternity. For expanded information on fall and church outreach, suggested links you may want to add to your website, and other resources for church communicators, please go to my website at www.thelionsvoice.com. 38
September 2007 Christian Computing Magazine