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Why Jesus May Not Care About
Your Standards For Perfection
In Church Communications
Credo Courses
This month we introduce Michael Patton, a pastor turned
entrepreneur.
Stranger Danger—The
Google Play Store and Safety Town
BibleNote for Microsoft OneNote
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CONTENT
The Soft Underbelly
of the Church
20
MinistryTech.com2
Xtra-PC makes an old computer new!
Does Passing The Offering Plate Still Make Sense?
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PARTNER ARTICLES
Founder & Editor-in-ChiefSteve Hewitt
EditorJoey Tindell
Art DirectorCrystina Lindoerfer
Contributing EditorsYvon Prehn
Nick Nicholaou Russ McGuire
Jonathan SmithSteven Sundermeier
Kevin Purcell
Copy EditorRachael Mitchell
Outreach Inc.5550 Tech Center Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80919(800) 991-6011
Ministry Tech® is a registered trademark of Outreach, Inc. Written materials submitted to Ministry Tech® Magazine become the property of Outreach, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Ministry Tech® Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Outreach, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Ministry Tech® Magazine, or Outreach, Inc.© Copyright 2016 Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved
April 2016 3
A year ago I sold Christian Computing Magazine to Outreach. I had confidence that they would take the magazine and make it greater than I ever could, and they have met that challenge. With a new name, new design and new webpage, they have added thousands of new readers this last year. When I entered into the arrangement with Outreach, we agreed that I would stay with the ma-gazine and serve for one year. It is now time to say goodbye.
I really don’t know what I can say that will express my gratitude to God for allowing me the privilege of ser-ving as Founder and Editor-in-Chief for 27 years! There are just too many to thank! There were many, many people that played a key part in the success of the magazine, both employees over the years, associations that helped us along the way (Gospelcom and Moody Radio come to mind), and too many great companies that produced great products, software and services that supported this ministry. Some of those that were responsible are already gone. Either they have passed on to their reward (such as Guy Bolen, my late Father-in-Law and business advisor) or they have already retired and slipped from the public eye.I do want to thank my many readers over the years. Some can still show me the first issue of CCMag, publi-shed in January 1989. Readers have always supported me, uplifted me in prayer when it was needed, and provided vital feedback on the direction they wanted to see me take the magazine. I thank you all. I also thank our wonderful writers that provided such great content, reviews, and advice. Few knew that they wrote for free, out of their own calling to ministry. Thank you all. I actually don’t know what the future holds for me. I know I have a few more years of service to provide, but I am just not sure where that will be at this point. However, my prayer has always been for God to use me, and I am sure He will find a new place for me to serve.If you would like to connect, I suggest you make note of my new email. I am not sure if the email address that I have held since 1995 will be any good much longer. You can still connect with me however at [email protected] 27 years, I have closed each editorial with the same line “Together we serve Him”. It has been a blessing beyond my imagination to serve him with this magazine, and all of the opportunities that came with it (spea-king at conferences, radio, TV, a book, and multiple publication opportunities). May God bless all of those that made this magazine a success! And remember…
Together We Serve Him,
Steve [email protected]
It’s time to say goodbye.
ofhelping churches better communicate with their congregations.more effective evangelism. helping churches have more money for ministry.strengthening church communications. pouring into the Kingdom.
27YEARS
It is no small feat to successfully do anything for 27 years, let alone lead a successful publication. But, that is exactly what Steve Hewitt has done with Christian Computing Magazine and MinistryTech.
Steve, your leadership will be missed. And, it’s our hope and goal to continue the legacy of helping local churches leverage technology to fulfill the mission of the Church for many, many years to come. Thank you for your faithfulness and God’s best to you in the years to come.
The MinistryTech team
In this article series, we’ve defined a Christian entrepreneur as: a person, driven to glorify God in all he does, and ruled by the Word of God, who starts a new venture and is willing to risk a loss in order to achieve the success of the venture.
Each month I’ve been introducing you to specific Christian startups and entrepreneurs, some of which may be helpful to your church, ministry, business, or family, but my main intent is to encourage and inspire you to be entrepreneurial in your ministry and career. This month I’d like to introduce you to Michael Patton, a pastor turned entrepreneur. God has used Michael to introduce a number of innovative new ventures including The Theology Program, Reclaiming the Mind Ministry, and Credo House, but today I’m going to focus on Credo Courses, a business whose mission is to “make accessible the top scholars in the world, teaching on the greatest subjects in the world.”
Called to the Ministry
In the mid-1990s, God called Michael to ministry. He finished a BA in Biblical Studies then earned a ThM in New Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary. While finishing his doctorate he began serving as a singles Pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in the Dallas area. He enjoyed the opportunity to engage in the lives of young church members and to help them connect theology with their everyday lives.About a year into his ministry at Stonebriar, like any good entrepreneur, Michael
identified a need. There was a real hunger for the kind of deep theology that is taught at seminary, but most people in the church weren’t in a position to pursue a seminary degree. Michael started teaching what would become The Theology Program - a set of 60 lessons across seven courses on theology and apologetics, rich in Biblical truth, but designed for lay people. The content resonated with the members of Stonebriar and over the next several years hundreds went through the course.
Originally taught live, Michael saw the opportunity to leverage modern technology to expand the impact of the content, first recording the courses on VHS, then moving to DVD, and finally, in partnership with Bible.org, taking it online. “Our vision is to make theology accessible not just to today’s audience, but for 50 years from now and beyond. Those that came before us used the technology of their day, which largely was in the form of printed books that we still enjoy today.”
By making The Theology Program available online, Michael began a new form of ministry that has since touched tens of millions around the world.
CREDO COURSES
Russ McGuireis a trusted advisor with proven
strategic insights. He has been blessed by God in many ways including serving
as a corporate executive, co-founding technology startups, and writing a
technology/business book. More importantly, he's a husband and father
who cares about people, and he's a committed Christian who seeks to honor
God in all that he does. His newest venture is as Entrepreneur in Residence
at Oklahoma Christian University.
MinistryTech.com6
Michael Patton, Father of four, husband of one, developer of Theology Program, writer, theology teacher, U2 lover, working at the Credo House of Theology.
Called to His Hometown
His time in Dallas was rich with blessings, but starting in 2004, a series of medical issues in his family led to the clear realization that Michael had to return to his hometown of Oklahoma City. During this time, Michael continued to be tuned into the needs of his “market” and graduates from The Theology Program were hungry for more. Michael envisioned building a dream team of the best teachers from seminaries across the country all teaching on their strongest topic.
With the blessing of the Stonebriar leadership and congregation, Michael began laying the foundation for this vision. He created Reclaiming the Mind Ministries as a non-profit platform for distributing The Theology Program, moved back to Oklahoma, and began a blog (Parchment & Pen) and podcast (Theology Unplugged). While Michael considered pursuing a pastor role in a local church and continuing the work within a specific church body, he had already seen the impact that could be had by being evangelically neutral and serving all evangelical churches without any preconceptions that would come from affiliation with a specific church or denomination. Over the years, more than
April 2016 7
2,000 churches have used The Theology Program in some form.
Within a few years, the ministry had leased some space for filming and recording new content. They wanted to have live audiences, so they became a coffee house to attract alert minds passionate for theology. They began hosting “Coffee and Theology” each Tuesday evening at 6:30pm and brought in guest speakers for “Coffee with Scholars” special events. As part of Reclaiming the Mind, Credo House operated as a non-profit with a mix of coffee sales, memberships, and donations funding operations. Michael says “I love this place. I love teaching theology and apologetics. It’s energizing when people see the impact of theology on their lives. And, when we bring in great theologians from different seminaries, I soak up their teaching and see the impact on my life.”
Called to Business
While the warm and cozy environment of
learning from God’s Word together over a steaming mug of coffee is a rich opportunity, it has limited reach. In 2012, Michael started bringing his original vision to reality. He created Credo Courses as a for-profit business and began working with leading Biblical scholars to create new content for streaming over the Internet. In 2014, Michael hired Ted Paul as executive director and the pace of new content creation picked up. To date, eight courses have been filmed with three of them currently in post-production.
With the global reach of the Internet, hundreds of students from around the world are connecting to Credo Courses and some churches are pursuing licensing the entire catalog for all of their members to use. In our interview, Michael and Ted laughed about how quickly video technology has progressed and how it shows from the original The Theology Program content from 15 years ago. Ted shares “technology has come so far that, these days, it’s relatively easy to capture video really well. You have to
create a high quality product or you’ll just get lost in the noise.”
I asked Michael and Ted about what is different in being a Christian entrepreneur. Ted emphasized that we can’t be fooled into complacency. “We still need to build a solid business. God won’t automatically bless your business just because you slap a fish symbol on it.”Michael talked more about the challenges of fitting into the business world without tarnishing your impact for the Gospel. “To be successful in financing the business or closing sales, you often have to promote yourself, drop names of the people you’re working with, and even show some level of favoritism towards those that can help you the most. Keeping James 1 and 2 in mind can help keep us grounded in these times.” At the end of the day, Michael emphasizes that the difference between a Christian entrepreneur and a non-Christian is what drives and motivates them. “It’s not about me and my agenda, it’s about the glory of God.” Amen.
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MinistryTech.com8
Yvonn PrennMinistry Communication
About Your Standards For Perfection In Church CommunicationsSometimes people don't think they are doing all they can for the
Lord in their communications ministry unless what they produce is
professionally perfect and produced with the latest technology. Of
course, after rounds of editing and committee approval no mistakes
theologically or grammatically are allowed.
April 2016 9
Only a select person or two
in the church is good enou-
gh to produce the quality
needed, or an outside firm is
hired to do the work. Though
the goals might be commen-
dable, is this really what Jes-
us wants?
After all, if we are his disci-
ples, shouldn’t our standards
of perfection be His? To see
how He might prioritize per-
fection in church communi-
cations, let’s look at his life:
If we honestly look at Jesus'
life, what sort of standards of
perfection did he have?
Let's look first at who He cho-
se as his disciples, the ones
who would be trusted to carry
out his message. They were a
pretty scruffy group to start
and they didn't get much be-
tter in three years of time. Not
one of them was a professio-
nal religious person.
Second, his meetings we-
ren't very organized affairs:
little kids running around,
not enough food, and cons-
tant interruptions by sick
people. Not what anyone
would consider a professio-
nally managed event.
Third, when he left his remai-
ning disciples with the task
of evangelizing the world, he
didn't leave them with a plan
that was even vaguely perfec-
ted. The Great Commission
could be summed up as "tell
people about me and help
them grow in the faith." For
a perfectionist
manager today,
those parting
words have
a tremendous
amount of wi-
ggle room that
would allow wildly diver-
gent attempts to apply it.
It wasn't that Jesus didn't
care about excellence, but
he obviously had a diffe-
rent standard of perfec-
tion than what we might
consider perfection today.
Following are some obser-
vations about how Jesus
acted towards his audience
and how this might apply to
church communications:
to demonstrate his might; he
could have healed a city with
one booming command. But
he didn't do any
of those things to
show his perfect
godhood.
He showed us
what God was
like by meeting
needs of his creation. He
bailed out an embarrassed
groom who ran out of wine at
his wedding feast; He made li-
ttle kids comfortable; He hea-
led a woman humiliated by a
chronic disease.
Commentary and application:
Perfection in communica-
tions doesn't come from
showing people what a big-
deal, perfect church you are
or how you can create com-
munications that are more
expensive and fancier than
the church down the street.
Jesus’ idea of a perfect publi-
cation, if we follow His plan,
would be one that made sure
it addressed the needs of peo-
ple. One that told them why
the event would help them,
how it would serve them, and
how their lives would be bet-
ter because of it. It would give
them all the details necessary
to attend without having to
take an extra step of calling
someone or looking it up on
the web or jumping from link
It wasn't that Jesus didn't care about
excellence, but he obviously had a
different standard of perfection.
Observation #1: Jesus
always focused on the
needs of people in His com-
munication, not on how
great He was.
He could have created a li-
ttle world in the palm of his
hand as a demonstration
of his power; he could have
had stars fall from the sky
MinistryTech.com10
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to link if it was an email. Those details, including the time, lo-
cation, name of person in charge, directions, child care provi-
sions, and cost would all be there and easily accessible.
One area where I see this "perfection" lacking so often today is
in church websites. I've recently observed a number of websi-
tes that were created using professional groups that supplied
a fancy, flash-enabled, website with lots of photos of smiling
people, great colors, and buttons that you can push to hear
sermons. However, when you try to find the details of what
small groups are meeting, or what time to get your kids to a
youth group meeting and where it is being held, or what the
church really believes about anything, it can be an impossible
task.
People do not go to church websites to be wowed by flashing
graphics and bright colors, they go to have needs met. If they
can't get those needs met quickly and easily, your website is
far from perfect.
Observation #2: Jesus focused on potential perfection.
When Jesus called Peter, he was not anything like the Rock he
would become. He was more of an irritating pebble in Jesus'
April 2016 11
MinistryTech.com12
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journeys.
But every time Jesus called him, "Pe-
ter", Simon had a vision of what he
would become. Eventually, he beca-
me the leader and pastor, the Rock
that Jesus knew he would be.
Commentary and application
Your volunteers and staff members
creating ministry publications sel-
dom come into that job with any
training at all. They are far from per-
fect in communication knowledge
about design ideas or execution.
Focus on encouraging, equipping,
and providing opportunities. Love
them lots. Give them time to try
things and to grow up in their skills.
Provide training and tools and they
will amaze you.
Regarding training, I was recent-
ly communicating with a woman
whose church had spent several
thousand dollars (a typical amount)
to have their website professionally
designed. They were having all sorts
of problems getting their church
content to fit into the design and the
costs kept mounting.
Knowing there were other options
for getting this done, I asked her,
"How do you think you would have
done if the money spent on this
company had been used to train
you and if you had been given time
to implement what you learned?"
She just sighed.
This situation could be repeated far
too often and it shouldn't be. Your
people have tremendous potential
April 2016 13
and with time, money and training they will not only accompli-
sh great things for the church, but you will have participated in
growing them in skills and service. To invest money and time in
your people instead of a quick, "professional" solution may take
more time, but the results will be much more lasting.
Don’t expect perfection from the start, help your people
grow into it.
Observation #3: Jesus trusted his followers to tell his story
When Jesus sent out the 70 he told them what to take, but he
didn’t give them an exact script to follow. He did a similar thing
as mentioned earlier with the Great Commission.
Commentary and application
Though this many be very hard for some people to hear, you
can have too much control over perceived requirements for
perfection in your church communications. I’ll never forget the
I’ll never forget the response of one church
communicator who asked me to critique the
communications from her church and when I
asked her the goal of her church communications
program, her answer was, “Never send out
anything with a typo.”
MinistryTech.com14
For more ideas on how to create effective church communications that bring people into your church and help them grow as Jesus’s disciples, go to: http://www.effectivechurchcom.com.
response of one church communicator who asked me to critique
the communications from her church and when I asked her the
goal of her church communications program, her answer was,
“Never send out anything with a typo.”
Her communications were “perfect” and no typos to be found in
print or online, but they had no life, no passion, and no power.
Highly edited social media is not compelling. Her church was
not growing.
How you break loose from the grip of unnecessary perfection
will be different for every church, but if your communications
aren’t bringing people into your church and helping them find Je-
sus, take some time to consider if your standards of perfection
hinder your church communications rather than enabling them
to reach your world.
April 2016 15
BibleNote for Microsoft
OneNote
BibleNote for OneNote gives me something I’ve been looking for in Bible software ever sin-ce I bought my first tablet PC about 8 years ago... With it, I can put handwritten notes in the margin of a digital Bible. In addition, I can highlight with a pen and draw on the page using my Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pen.
See http://www.biblenote.pro to download the program and add-on modules for free.
ARTICLE BY KEVIN PURCELL
MinistryTech.com16
The BibleNote User Interface
OneNote users understand the value of ta-
king handwritten digital notes. Grab the pen
and start writing just like one does with a
paper Bible. The OneNote user interface
works like a three-ring binder with a bunch
of notebooks in it. On the left hand side of
the screen we see different notebooks. Bi-
bleNote adds at least three and as many as
five different OneNote notebooks.
• Bible notebook – your preferred Bible
translation goes here.
• Bible Study notebook – a second note-
book where you can add Bible studies or
sermons.
• Comments to the Bible notebook – the
place BibleNote stores your comments
or notes that you add to a Bible trans-
lation in either the Bible notebook or Su-
pplemental Bible notebook.
• Dictionaries notebook – an optional no-
tebook where you can add Strong’s or
Vine’s dictionaries.
• Supplemental Bible notebook – an op-
tional notebook where BibleNote stores
an extra Bible text.
See handwritten digital notes (above)
Open the Notebook in OneNote and click on
the Bible notebook along the left (or in the
dropdown box in the upper left corner on the
notebook toolbar). You will see a row of tabs
across the top of the screen just below the
OneNote ribbon. One shows suggested me-
thods of marking the Bible text plus the Old
Testament and New Testament tabs. Click
one to open the testament and you’ll see
the books of the Bible. Click or tap the book
tab to open it and you’ll see a list of chapters
along the right. Open it to see it.
In addition, the program adds a new rib-
bon to the OneNote ribbon bar called Bi-
bleNote. The ribbon holds buttons for the
following:
• Look up a verse – navigate to a verse
Handwritten digital notes
• Write a comment – add a comment or
note to the current passage (links will
get added at the end of that verse’s line)
• Notes analysis – scans the notes and
adds hyperlinks to Bible passages
• Quick page analysis – scans the current
page for passages to hyperlink
• Search in dictionaries – searches in the
dictionary
• Unlock current book – unlocks the cu-
rrent book so you can add new pages
(New Page button on the right hand side
above the list of chapters)
• Unlock all Bible – same as previous bu-
tton, but does it for all installed Bibles
• Parameters – like a settings page to
change how BibleNote works and to add
April 2016 17
a supplemental Bible
• Manual – learn how to use the program
• About Module – gives publisher details
about the current book
• About Program – gives details about Bi-
bleNote itself
If you click on the Parameters button
you can add a “supplemental Bible”. This
will put the other notebook in OneNo-
te. I have the ESV as my primary Bible
and the NKJV as my supplemental Bible.
SEE BIBLENOTE RIBBON BAR (BELOW)
Drawing in the Margins with BibleNote
The thing I love most about BibleNote, and
BibleNote Ribbon Bar
the real reason I’ve downloaded/installed it
is to use my Surface and Surface Pen to wri-
te in the margins and highlight the text. Plus,
you can add space between the verses if you
unlock the Bible. This allows you add larger
amounts of text.
I know of no other digital Bible that lets you
literally draw or write with your own hand-
writing on a tablet. All of them allow the user
to type notes or even use the built-in hand-
writing recognition of windows to add text,
but you can’t just write.
To do that, open your Bible text and then tap
or click on the Draw tab. OneNote will let you
use different pen styles and highlighters.
Customize the width of the pen or the color.
You can even add shapes, like arrows in order
to connect two words to show correlations
between thoughts. Use the text cursor to
type into the text.
Thoughts and Hopes
I reached out to the developer of BibleNote
and he created this as a labor of love. It’s free
to download. I hope they can add other mo-
dules and continue to develop the program.
I’d love to see the ability to use multiple Bi-
ble translations, a parallel mode to see at
least two texts on page at once, and a quick
way to enlarge the text and put more space
between verses with a single click or a Pa-
rameters setting that affects the entire Bi-
ble. The text is a bit small and there’s not
enough space between lines for writing
notes between the verses. You can add it,
but I’d love to have the entire bible double
or triple spaced.
I also wish I could buy other modern tools,
like my favorite translations, dictionaries and
maybe even commentaries. I don’t want Bi-
bleNote to become a replacement for Bible
software, but it would be a great tool for de-
votions if it had a Study Bible option attached
to the text. Imagine having the ESV Study Bi-
ble or HCSB Study Bible inside while reading
the Bible for your devotions. I don’t need a
一䔀圀℀䌀唀匀吀伀䴀䤀娀䔀䄀 䈀䄀一一䔀刀 伀一䰀䤀一䔀
full program like BibleWorks, Accordance or
WORDsearch just to do devotions. Howe-
ver, I’d like a little more than just the text of
the Bible so I can quickly look up a word in a
dictionary or read some background about a
passage in a good quality study Bible.
BibleNote offers a nice solution. I’ve just
started using it for about a week, so apolo-
gies if I’ve accidently left out important fea-
tures or gotten some details wrong. Down-
load it yourself, if you’re a OneNote user you
have to at least try it out. People with a tou-
chscreen Windows machine that has stylus
support will want to start taking margin no-
tes in the program.
Why would anyone want to use OneNote
instead of built-in notes in their favorite Bible
study software? Just ask people who invest
years with one program and then get frus-
trated with the direction of the developers
of that program or learn that the company is
pulling back development of offline software
to focus on their web-based Bible. It’s also a
little unnerving when you learn that some of
the biggest Bible software makers are laying
off employees. No one knows for sure if their
favorite program will be here in a year or two.
It’s often impossible to get your personal
notes out of the program. Use a third-party
solution like OneNote so you can store your
notes in something that’s not tied to one
specific Bible program. I use at least three
on a regular basis because I have books and
commentaries in them that I want to use, but
can’t get. I have one expensive com-
mentary set in one program but don’t
want to pay hundreds of dollars to add
it to the other programs. This way I
can open one Bible program, write my
notes in OneNote and then open the
other program and still access my no-
tes without having two Bible programs
running. It’s not the perfect solution,
but it’s better than investing all your
time in one program.
Kevin PurcellHigher Power
April 2016 19
The Soft Underbelly of the Church
If I was to someday turn to the dark side, and for the sake of argument let’s say I haven’t yet, I’m convinced that I could retire hacking churches. Churches are treasure troves of data that has a relatively high black market resale value.
Churches also aren’t as obsessed with securi-
ty as the corporate world is. Of course, if you
are a hacker, my intent here is not to encoura-
ge you to go after churches but rather to en-
courage churches to be vigilant when it comes
to their cyber security.
Everyone is getting hacked. It doesn’t take
much to see that your data isn’t really safe an-
ywhere. But that doesn’t mean we go hide un-
der a rock. It seems that hacking is in the news
daily. Remember Target, The Home Depot, and
a small outfit you may have heard of called the
United States government?
When a corporation is hacked their profits and
shareholders may suffer, but what happens
when a church is hacked? Our message is
much more important than selling goods and
our reputations and balance sheets often aren’t
strong enough to weather a hacking storm.
While cyber-attacks are a threat we have to
manage, it is no different than the threat of
someone slipping on the ice in your parking
lot and suing you. At some point if you are
doing ministry effectively you will be sued.
You will be hacked.
Churches are sitting ducks. So then, why
aren’t churches targeted more? Mostly be-
cause the hackers don’t think we are big
enough to warrant any attention. I think that
is their mistake. Mega churches are plenty
ARTICLE BY JONATHAN SMITH
MinistryTech.com20
big and contain just as much key black
market data as the big box stores.
Hackers are after demographic info like
name, address, and phone number be-
cause they can sell those records to bad
actors conducting phishing schemes and
other online criminals.
The value of that information goes up ten-
fold if you have a social security number
tied to that record and even more if you
can connect a credit card to it. The bad
guys don’t realize how churches work and
that we are sitting on tons of that very
information. Nor do they realize that we
don’t protect it very well.
Their ignorance may be our bliss for now,
but at some point they are going to figu-
re it out or someone from inside church
ministry is going to go rogue and open
their eyes.
Churches are sitting ducks by the very na-
ture of our business. Our business is to be
open and welcoming. We don’t want to
shut anyone out and we preach a message
of salvation and forgiveness. Our goal is to
draw people in, not push them away. Our
business is based on people voluntarily
giving us their money. What is the great
commission? That makes us a target, or
at least it should.April 2016 21
We also lack the deep pockets of corpo-
rate America. How much did the Target
hack cost them? They have deep poc-
kets so a $160+ million hit due to hac-
kers can be weathered. They also have
the additional millions to pour into fixing
the problem, hiring security specialists,
etc. We don’t.
Churches are sitting ducks by the very
nature of our people. We have all levels
of economic status in our churches and
we strive to reach out to those who have
nothing. We teach our people to be kind
and loving and forgiving and to be trus-
ting. We teach them to evangelize and in-
fluence others with our message and not
to let pride or shyness get in the way. Our
people are our biggest asset, and also our
biggest liability.
We also use volunteers. Go into your local
bank, set up an account to become a mem-
ber, and then volunteer to help them and
see if they give you access to their databa-
se. Churches do this all the time – and we
should as our survival depends on it.
In my opinion our data is pure gold. As I
mentioned, I think we are getting by for
now because the hackers don’t know
much about what we store.
Churches are sitting ducks by the very
nature of our beliefs. What does Jesus
teach? Lock it all down and throw away
the key?
While we are taught to love people and
MinistryTech.com22
minister to them we are also taught about
stewardship. Stewardship is what really
kicks in here in terms of data management
and security. Remember the parable of the
talents in Matthew 25:14-30? Think of the
talents as our data.
We need to provide access to the data so
we can accomplish our mission but we
also have to be good stewards of the data
so it isn’t stolen. We tend to do the former
and not the latter as it is difficult for church
leaders to take a step back and evaluate
data access policies.
“WHAT DOES JESUS TEACH? LOCK IT ALL DOWN AND THROW
AWAY THE KEY?”
Stewardship is difficult – which is why
we struggle with it. Pastors aren’t taught
about cyber security in seminary. They
want to use technology to connect with
people and they don’t want to hear about
any security hurdles. How did the malware
get into Target’s system? Through an un-
patched server. Pastors and church admi-
nistrators don’t like to hear technology and
data management requires an investment
in security, but if you believe in accoun-
tability before the Creator then you may
want to think twice about that.
I admit this is a difficult balance to strike
but we have to do better, because we are
sitting ducks.
Next month’s article, entitled Protecting
the Soft Underbelly of the Church will ad-
dress ways in which we can help protect
our data while still maintaining maximum
efficiency and Kingdom impact.
Jonathan Smith Director of Technology at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, IN
You can reach Jonathan at [email protected] and also follow him on Twitter @JonathanESmith
April 2016 23
Now you can donate computers safely!
Xtra-PC makes an old computer new!
It has been a bit since I have been excited about anything new
that has come along in technology, specifically a product that
can really benefit the church and those that want to minister
to others. But that changed recently!
I am thrilled to tell you about Xtra-PC
because it is ALL about ministry and
providing new technology tools to those
in need! If you are a ministry or a mis-
sion organization, pay special attention
to this announcement, because Xtra-PC
can really open important doors for you
as you look for ways to help others!
There are millions of old computers that
are no longer of service. In the past,
many people have wanted to donate
computers that still work but have been
replaced by newer technology to chur-
ches and ministries so that their minis-
tries could provide those in need with
computers. However, I have always war-
ned against doing this – since no mat-
ter how well you think you might have
wiped your hard drive, someone could
potentially get your old data off of that
hard drive including your personal ID
and information. It is for this reason that
I have always warned that donating a
Written by Steve Hewitt
MinistryTech.com24
computer was a security risk! But NOT
ANY MORE!
Xtra-PC has developed a way for peo-
ple to restore old computers to run
like new even if there is NO hard drive.
This makes it possible to donate old
computers and know that their data
is secure. If you have an old computer
that has become painfully slow, the OS
is out of date and you are pretty sure
it is sick with a variety of viruses and
malware, use Xtra-PC to bypass all of
the problems and make your computer
useful again. OR, if you wish to dona-
te an old computer you can simply pull
your hard drive(s) out of your computer
before you donate them, since Xtra-PC
enables an inexpensive USB device to
provide a new OS to run the computer
without the need for a hard drive!
Xtra-PC is built upon the proven OS,
Linux, bypassing your old, slow, bloated
Windows OS to restore your computer’s
speed and performance! It has the look
and feel of your former Windows PC, and
comes with many programs and utilities
that enable you to do most of the same
things you did on your older Windows
based computer!
Here is how it works.
Purchase the Xtra-PC, starting price for
Xtra-PC is built upon the proven OS, Linux, bypassing your old, slow, bloated Windows
OS to restore your computer's speed and performance!
Sius, quis nonsume in pertem et ca porit, quo essendum mo etimmovit que dummei u description hereLat.
April 2016 25
around $25. Take any old computer, lap-
top, desktop or netbook, with or without
a hard drive, and make sure the compu-
ter is off. Your computer DOES need a
USB port, but most computers built by
2004 will have this. Insert your Xtra-PC
USB stick into the USB port. Turn on your
computer. When the startup screen, the
first screen, appears, you simply hit the
boot menu key. For most computers,
this will be F12. F11, F10, F9, F1 or ESC.
Then simply select to boot in the USB.
Each time you restart the computer, you
will need to hit this boot key.
You will notice that Xtra-PC boots quic-
kly, and the screen and operation will be
easy to use! You can install many of the
same programs, with the same icons
you are used to seeing on your compu-
ter now. Facebook, Kindle, Pandora, etc.
You now have a clean computer that is
free of viruses and malware!
So, what can you do with your com-
puter running under the Xtra-PC OS?
About anything you would want to do!
Windows specific programs won’t work,
but there are alternate programs to do
about anything and everything that Win-
dows has to offer. For example, instead
of Microsoft Office you can use Open
Office, or if you wish to connect to the
Internet, you can use Google Docs. You
can run your wireless keyboard and/or
mouse and you can install Skype. If this
is your old computer and you have kept
the hard drive in, you can access your
music and pictures on your hard drive.
It supports your webcam, and multiple
monitors. Xtra-PC does not turn your
computer into a webbook. It comes with
a lot of great programs you can run right
from the USB stick.
What else can you do? Anything you pro-
bably did before. Surf the web, play ga-
mes, watch videos, shop, post to social
media, etc., etc. What about storage? If
you have removed your hard drives, how
much storage does Xtra-PC have? The
Turbo model comes with 16GB of extra
storage for an additional $10, and the
Xtra-PC Pro comes with 64 GB of data
for a price of just $49.99!
Want to watch a DVD? Most new com-
puters don’t come with a DVD player, but
almost all of those old computers had
one. With Xtra-PC, you can now watch
movies on your computer again. Not a
MinistryTech.com26
movie buff? No problem, you can load
the Kindle viewer and read your favo-
rite book.
Skeptical? No problem. Xtra-PC comes
with a 30-day risk free money back
guarantee.
Additional advantages.
Imagine if you personalized the set up in
Xtra-PC, and stored your own files, ga-
mes, pictures, music, etc., on the Turbo
version. Simply pull the USB and drop it
in a pocket. Where ever you go, most li-
kely a computer is available with a USB
port. Simply put your USB stick in, boot
the computer, and select the computer
to boot to your USB stick. Imagine! Your
favorite bookmarks are already set in
your browser, or your favorite music is
just a click away, EVEN though you mi-
ght be across the nation or world using
someone else’s computer!
Imagine the missional and missionary
opportunities! Your church could encou-
rage the donation of old computers and
make them useful again for just $25.
If your church is in a low income area,
you could offer free computers to many,
many people, and have the browser set
to open to your church’s home page,
or provide other important information
about Christ, your church, or ministry
opportunities on every computer dona-
ted and turned on in your community.
If you travel overseas, there are many
old, outdated and slow computers
stored on shelves. The Windows OS
has become corrupted or outdated.
Now, within your pocket you can carry
dozens, hundreds or even thousands of
Xtra-PC USB sticks to bring new life to
these old computers!
Extra Advantage!!
I really like something else Xtra-PC has
done! If you are an organization and are
going to begin helping others with do-
nated computers, Xtra-PC will provide
you with a customized opening screen.
Imagine flooding your community, or
mission field with free computers that
greet them with an opening screen with
your branding and message! That alone
would be worth the cost of the product!
Want more information? Visit www.xtra-
pc.com for information about ordering
your own Xtra-PC. Be sure to check out the
videos that demo the product, as well as
read the “About Us” section to learn more
about this start-up family business!
April 2016 27
STRANGER DANGER—The Google Play Store and Safety TownSpring has sprung! With a milder Winter now behind us (I hope…
but’s let’s face it, I am from Cleveland—Winter here is almost never
truly “over”) we can now look forward to moving family activities
outdoors and planning an eventful Summer.
Protected with PurposeSteven Sodermeyer
MinistryTech.com28
plicated as we further explain the differences between “bad”
strangers and “safe” strangers (ie. firefighters, police officers,
etc.). To complicate things a little more, we have to explain
that to be classified as a “bad” stranger doesn’t mean they
have to be scary-looking like Ursula from the Little Mermaid
or have a deep sinister voice like Darth Vader, because “nice”
or “pretty” strangers are just as dangerous. Perhaps the most
important thing we can do as parents to protect our little loved
ones is to educate them about recognizing and handling po-
tentially dangerous situations.
When considering the safety (or lack thereof) of the Inter-
net, the phrase “stranger danger “can mean a lot of diffe-
rent things. For many, when you hear the term stranger
danger in this cyber context you may immediately think of
online predators—adult individuals deceivingly communica-
ting with children over the Internet via chat rooms, instant
messaging, Internet forums, social networking sites, etc.
VERY SCARY AND REAL STUFF! Others may be reminded
of many risks associated with receiving unsolicited emails
(malicious attachments, phishing links and scams), texts or
even phone calls from unknown (stranger) sources. Even
today, the highly prolific and
publicized ransomware in-
fections originate as a result
of a user opening an attach-
ment that masqueraded as
something of the user’s in-
terest. Again, this is all very
scary and real stuff that re-
quires serious attention.
For the purpose of this article,
I’m going to take a different twist on the stranger danger idea
and discuss how to identify fake apps in the Google Play Store.
In my opinion, the deceitful apps are often times malicious,
almost all the time a nuisance to the user and can be detri-
mental to the purity and innocence of your child. I consider
and treat these fake apps like the described “nice” or “pretty”
strangers (they don’t look bad but their intentions are anything
but good), and feel it is important to teach our children (and
ourselves!) the importance of awareness when downloading
and installing all apps and also how to recognize the fake ones.
IN MY OPINION, THE DECEITFUL APPS ARE OFTEN TIMES MALICIOUS, ALMOST ALL THE TIME A
NUISANCE TO THE USER AND CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE PURITY AND INNOCENCE OF YOUR CHILD.
As the father of a Pre-Kindergartener, I know that one certain
scheduled program we’ll be registering for is our community’s
“safety town” educational course. Safety town is typically a
one (possibly two) week program offered in the summer co-
vering safety instruction for children entering Kindergarten in
the upcoming Fall school year. The programming ¬¬usually
covers important topics such as fire safety, bicycle and bus sa-
fety, water safety, poison education and identifying strangers.
As I was preparing this article, I tried strolling down memory
lane and recalling my own personal experience with safety
town both as a student (many, many years ago!) and also as a
dad (our 2 older children have already passed through the pro-
gram). And while all the covered safety topics are very critical
for learning and child safety development, I kept coming back
to the topic of identifying a stranger, or as some course curri-
culums call it, “stranger danger”. I suppose the main life lesson
of this topic really comes back to one question or point, who is
a stranger? To many adults the answer is easy. A stranger (in
simple terms) is anyone that you or your family doesn’t know.
However, to a small, naïve child the answer is a bit more com-
April 2016 29
1 2 3 4Research the developer of the app that you are about to install or allow your child to install.
Check the required permissions before installing.
Read the reviews of the app.
Be mindful of apps that are simply mobile websites.
Whether it be a fake Netflix app
or a fake Angry Bird download,
there are numerous examples
(and growing exponentially daily)
of apps available in the Google
Play Store that aren’t what they
appear to be. If the publisher’s
name (typically placed below
the available app) is not familiar,
research it online. Take a minute
to Google the name of the develo-
per, as a legitimate developer will
likely have their own website and
other credible information online.
There is also a high probability
that if the publisher is bogus that
this will also be exposed during a
quick online search.
One quick way to identify a fake
app is to read through all the per-
missions. If, during the download
process, many more permissions
are demanded chances are good
this app may be fake. Also, use
common sense when going
through the permission listing. If
you or your child are attempting
to download a math app to su-
pplement schooling and the app
you are about to install is seeking
acceptance for tracking call logs,
text messages and requires your
GPS location, you may want to
think twice! The required app per-
missions should directly correla-
te to the functionality of the app.
I fully understand that every re-
view can’t be taken seriously. For
example, someone who had a
bad day or had a personal bad ex-
perience (even of their own doing)
may post a negative review. Or,
a clearly anonymous reviewer
might post either a glorious re-
view (likely from someone inside
the company) or a slanderous or
damning review (posted by so-
meone from a competing com-
pany). However, reading through
the reviews is generally a great
idea. If a published app is fake wi-
thin the Google Play Store, you’ll
likely see many reviewers post of
their displeasure and alert others
not to fall victim like they did.
Mobile website apps are a dime
a dozen. They’re easy to create
and merely point back to a mo-
bile version of the site, and are
typically loaded with unwanted
ads in an attempt to scam you
into clicking on them.
MinistryTech.com30
The bottom line is that even though there are millions of ama-
zing and legitimate apps available through the Google Play
Store, the belief that their store can be fully trusted and that
every available app is properly screened and harmless is sim-
ply not true. The Google Play Store is an open source store
and that makes it easy for a cybercriminal to add or remove
their apps at their leisure. For their part, Google does conduct
security checks by their team to certify apps, and while there
are an increasing number of bad/fake apps that are making it
through their service, Google Play is much more secure than
unofficial and/or third party online app stores. You need to be
super cautious when downloading apps from a location other
than the Google Play Store.
Even if you live in what most would consider a “safe” commu-
nity, you probably still exercise caution when letting your kids
play outside or be out after dark. The same goes when pla-
ying in the Google Play Store. My suggestion would be that
if your child (or you) hears of a popular “must have” gaming
app from a friend at school or in their neighborhood, don’t let
them download apps unless supervised. We should make it a
rule to have our kids seek permission or check with us before
downloading apps because more and more of them are being
found to be fake or malicious. And more than that, when we
are the ones authorizing the approval, we need to review the
steps listed above so that we too can recognize a phony app.
It’s been decades since most of us learned the basics of be-
ing safe on a bike or bus, but the fundamentals stick with you
(wear a helmet…don’t distract the driver). And online safety
within the Google Play Store (or anywhere) requires basic safe-
ty rules too. We want to protect our children’s eyes and mind
(and ours too) from negative and detrimental content. When
accessing an app, do not become distracted and click “yes” to
every demand they list, just to move through the process quic-
kly. You may be saying yes to a cybercriminal accessing your
banking information or complete address book. Following the
outlined safety steps will minimize your “stranger danger”, and
that is a good thing at any age.
April 2016 31
Does Passing The Offering Plate Still Make Sense?
And it’s time to ask if passing the offering plate still makes sense.
At eChurch, we’re helping churches transition to mobile giving.
Churches are already discovering how mobile can revitalize their
giving and prepare them for what appears to be an inevitable chan-
ge in how people care for their finances.
Here are ten reasons it’s time to dump the offering plate:
1. It reinforces negative perceptions about the church
One of the most common criticisms of the church is that “it’s only
after your money.” While this opinion is bolstered by lots of stories
of misused and abused finances in the church, it’s not helped by
taking offering.
Church offering, is a ten-minute window in every single church
service focused on people putting money and checks into plates,
baskets, and bags passed around the sanctuary. It’s a strange tra-
dition that people outside of the church don’t really understand,
and only feeds their suspicion that religion is a scam intended to
separate people from their cash.
How mobile giving solves this: When you train people to give throu-
gh mobile devices, online, or through giving kiosks, you’re remo-
We need to have an important discussion about the method we use to gather funds. While it’s
important to teach people to be generous (their maturity depends on it), we need to do it in a way
that makes sense.
Written by Ministry Tech Partner
MinistryTech.com32
ving a cultural element that people associate with hucksterism
and profiteering (and it enables you to keep the focus on Jesus
where it belongs).
2. It makes visitors feel awkward
Maybe you have a visitor that doesn’t really associate church
offerings with anything negative. We’re so used to the process,
we don’t really think about how weird that is.
If you’re visiting a church for the first time, it’s hard not to feel
like every eye’s on you. You start panicking and thinking “Do I
have any cash on me!? I know that I don’t have any checks on
me. Oh no, here he comes, WHAT DO I DO!?”
How mobile giving solves this: Having people give privately
through their mobile device doesn’t put the visitor through the
hassle of wondering if they’re expected to pay to listen to this
sermon or not.
3. It makes members feel awkward, too
Let’s be honest. Passing the plate makes regular attenders feel
awkward, too. I give regularly once a month, and every time the
plate passes in front of me, I’m self conscious that the usher
and people around me think that I never give.
And what about the people who haven’t made a commitment
to become givers yet? Sometimes it’s like the offering is desig-
ned to make non-givers feel guilty about convictions they don’t
feel yet. Whether we’re willing to admit or not, passing the plate
seems to operate as a form of compulsion to give—the kind
Paul warns us about (1 Cor. 9:7).
How mobile giving solves this: There’s no reason that regular
givers should have to feel unpleasant with the public method
the church uses to collect funds, and we don’t want to motiva-
te others with guilt. Mobile giving eliminates both issues.
4. It’s not a secure way to handle cash
There are always security issues with handling cash and chec-
ks. There’s a handful of people who have to count it together,
and then it’s put in the safe. Then the treasurer has to come
April 2016 33
and re-handle it, and then deposit it.
How mobile giving solves this: Any method that automates the
transfer of funds from one account to another is going to solve
this problem. That includes direct deposits, text-to-give, kios-
ks, and mobile giving. The nice thing is about these methods
is that anyone can contest them with their bank if they feel
there’s a discrepancy. That’s not the case with cash.
5. It’s not a biblical practice
We’re in danger of assuming
that passing the plate is bi-
blically prescribed . . . and it’s
not. I guess if we really want
to follow a scriptural practice,
everyone can take their cash
and checks and bring them to
the podium and lay them at
the pastor’s feet (Acts 4:35).
No one wants to do that.
When Paul’s reminding the Corinthians that he’s sending
some workers to pick up the money they’ve promised to be-
lievers in Macedonia, he instructs them about their practice
of giving. For Paul, it’s as simple as giving what they have
decided in their heart to give (2 Cor. 9). The onus is on the
believer to decide what they’re willing to give, to set it aside,
and to make sure it makes its way into the right hands.
The method of collection isn’t a sanctified element, the de-
cision to give is.
6. It’s lost time in your service
Think about all the time an offering takes from your service.
Sure, there are times when taking an offering is a meaningful,
and even beautiful, event. But it can be a pro forma activity that
kills the momentum from one element to another. Think of all
the other ways that time in the service could be better used.
How mobile giving solves this: Obviously if everyone uses
mobile giving, that time is redeemed—and you can still take
a minute to remind everyone of your mobile app and giving
options in your services without everything coming to a
screeching halt.
BY CONSTANTLY PROMPTING PEOPLE TO GIVE,
WE'RE NOT REALLY TRAINING THEM TO BE GIVERS.
own giving, there is no need to create middle-man positions that require
volunteer time—ensuring that we can use them for important ministry!
8. It enables spiritual immaturity
The important element in Christian generosity is in making a decision
to be generous, deciding how much you intend to give, setting that
amount aside, and then giving it. Discipling them to do this and not be
tight-fisted when comes to dealing with the Lord and his people is hard
work. Passing the plate every week is much easier.
By constantly prompting people to give, we’re not really training them
to be givers. And when I talk to other pastors about why we hold on
to this practice, their answer is almost always that people won’t give
otherwise. The fact that we think that we have to pass the plate every
week or else people won’t be generous is proof that the way we’re
doing things is enabling people to stay at their current level of maturity
when it comes to giving.
How mobile giving solves this: Collecting offerings using sources
like mobile giving puts the responsibility on the Christian to be res-
ponsible for their resources—and on leadership to train them to be
givers. And we can wean people off of a stimulus/response model
of Christian generosity.
9. It doesn’t encourage sacrificial giving
In a 2014 survey by Bankrate, it was discovered that fewer than two out
7. It’s a poor use of volunteers
People want to get involved and do something meaningful and power-
ful. We shouldn’t just put them into positions that don’t provide oppor-
tunities for growth. Some people have been responsible for taking the
offering for years, and anyone can do it. Let’s help get those volunteers
into areas where they can grow and mature in Christ.
How mobile giving solves this: When people are responsible for their
MinistryTech.com34
of five customers carry less than $20 in their
wallet at any given time, and more than two-
thirds carry less than $50 in their wallets.
USA Today said in a 2014 piece that between
2003 and 2012, the number of checks writ-
ten fell by 18.3 billion—a little less than half.
If people are carrying less cash and checks
but we’re counting on offering to be the way
that people give money to the church, we’re
just encouraging people to give what they
have on them. This isn’t training them to give
sacrificially; it’s training people to give as an
afterthought from their excess.
If you have a special speaker or mission Sun-
day and have to take two offerings, you’re
dipping back into the pockets of people who
don’t have too much to give, and already have
given what they felt they could spare.
How mobile giving solves this: When people
learn to give using mobile, they have to make
decisions about how much they’ll give and
are likely to give more.
10. It is a doomed model
If you’re holding onto passing the plate as the
best possible model for you church, you’re
counting on baby-boomers who are more li-
kely to use checks and cash. Millennials have
embraced mobile banking. An eMarketer
post from August, 2015 said, “59% of 18-to-
34-year-old mobile phone users in the coun-
try will access their bank, credit union, credit
card or brokerage account via mobile brow-
ser, app or SMS on their phones at least mon-
thly this year.” Even 28% of baby boomers are
using their mobile devices for banking.
The future requires the church to start trai-
ning millennials to be generous givers and
considering how to implement the technolo-
gy they’ve grown accustomed to.
April 2016 35
