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Innovation is
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32
8 The IPad
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36
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How a church with no bibles still has a biblical impact on the culture.
30 Church
incubator Manhattan,
New York.
Feed Editors
iven that this is our
special, “Social Media Edition” I
though it necessary to share
our rich roots on Twitter,
namely that, it’s where we
started. That’s right, we
weren’t a company with several
employees in a downtown
urban area, just a simple
Twitter profile, trying to keep up
with creative Christianity. We
followed, talked about and
shared the webs most
innovative Christian tech,
strategies and lifestyle
solutions that so many
G have come to enjoy. And this
month, we continue in that
tradition.
Check out, ‘Social Media
Christians’ [p23] where we
explain the chronology of how
believers have migrated online.
Also, don’t forget to look at, ‘
Now is the BEST time
for Christians to take
over the social media
space.
-Linda
Churches that meet the real
needs of people, not just
preachers! [p41]
We plan to continue
unearthing innovative
Christianity on every social
media platform we encounter.
Our single greatest hope is that
you would join us for the
journey.
‘Growing your Church on
Twitter’ [p10] we reveal the
secrets of our growth on the
famous platform. We also
touch basis with Creative
Christian Companies, our think
tank group meeting in upstate
New York, to brainstorm
creative ways to develop
Click below to
engage with
creative Christians
in our Google +
group.
Growing Your
Church
r does it matter?
That’s the big question so
many church marketers
are beginning to ask?”
says Tyler Mason media
specialist at Mt.
on Twitter Vernon Christian Center in
German Town, Maryland.
He debates, not whether or
not Twitter is important to
the body of Christ, but
whether or not Christians
understand that it is.
o
“Because let’s face it, the
reputation of Christianity
has dropped” Tyler
continues. “And now more
than ever, we need to
have a strong presence on
the second biggest, but,
the world’s fastest social
network. And that’s twitter.
But my church doesn’t
seem to understand that. “
are at about 22%. “Are you
surprised?” our friend
Tyler explains in the media
room of his church. “I have
the hardest time
convincing ministries to
get out there and be
creative, but to no avail.
Now look whose winning!”
Tyler has a point, according
to the Pew Forum’s new
survey, evangelicals make
up about 25% of the
Christian landscape,
however, the all famous
“nones” , secularists who
don’t identify with any
religion [Note: Nones
consider atheism a religion]
Case and point, Christians
need to do church without
walls. And Twitter is where,
for the most part, they
haven’t begun. Secular
organizations and groups
shouldn’t be making the
strongest connections there.
But they are. The question
is how?
Continued on
page 15
Credit monitoring site
Credit Karma does weekly
trend chats with its
followers giving advice on
brushing up your finances.
Like many other
restaurants,
Chick-fil-a uses
Twitter to
showcase its
awesomeness and
promote its
overall brand.
Though no longer pastoring,
@PastorMark page stands as a
tribute to how well the
millennial leading Christian
used the platform to make
his mark.
Philadelphia based
Lifestyle Brand, Bear
Fruit, uses Twitter
to build discussions
around its products
and services,
creating viral
promotion.
How Churches Can
Grow On Twitter
Forget promotion and focus
on product.
“It’s a quicksand effect”
says social media strategist
Kate Horn. “If you use
Twitter to promote, you’ll
be demoted. However, if
you use Twitter to provide
content, visual, verbal and
beyond that is uncommonly
engaging, you’ll be
promoted. “Twitter she
says, “Punishes the impure
in motive”.
Kate Horn also urges
churches to not think this
devalues marketing. “Its
quite the opposite. Twitter
is the marketing! Christian
leaders have been using it
to do their marketing,
without realizing it is the
marketing. It’s sort of like
using a brochure to sell
something, without
realizing the brochure itself
is representing your brand.
And if it’s not visually
appealing, has good offers,
and engaging substance,
nobody will read it”
Viewing Twitter as a
brochure for your church,
blog or website is a good
bit of advice. Why visit your
sanctuary when something
as basic as its Twitter page
is utterly boring?
Continued from
page 12
“Leading with why you want them
to follow, is a great way to get
followers”
says Andy Broestein none profit
specialists at Zale’s Consulting,
“You have to create a strong “why”
before they do “what” you say. In
this case, give them a reason to go
to your Twitter account”. So
instead of asking them to follow
your blog on Twitter, say, “Get
exclusive interviews, chats and
more at our Twitter account”. The
more customized you can be, the
better! “There should be
something there that I can’t get
anywhere else. You should
leverage the difference of Twitter
from the other social media
accounts. Namely that they get
something there that they can’t get
from your Facebook or other SM
profiles.”
Andy continues by saying, “So if
you’re on Twitter, your
organization needs to have
content unique to Twitter or,
content that best gels with WHY
people come to Twitter. Too
often, people use their Twitter to
send people somewhere else,
like Instagram. This gives them
more work to do and just
causes them to either unfollow
or disengage.”
Lead with why
How are you
engaging
others on
Twitter?
Click to
share
All in all, Christian organizations
should be utilizing Twitter’s
uniqueness to their advantage.
There are titles, messages and
word arrangements that sell,
and there are those that don’t.
You want to be the former. For
instance, saying, “How to Pray”
on your tweet with a link to the
blog isn’t nearly as good as
saying, ‘3 Keys to Effective
Prayer’. Why? Book marketing
expert Roger C. Parker says,
“People want to know that
they’re going to get something,
and having a numbered title
helps that”. Other good ideas
from him:
Curiosity creators,
‘Never Eat Alone’ for
instance, is a best
seller with a title
that makes you think,
“Why?”
Have Good Copy write
Targeted titles. ‘The
Geeks Guide to
Fashion’ for instance
would get the interest
of apparel fanatics.
Benefit emphasis,
simply put, you
should title your
tweets with emphasis
on the benefit it
brings Apply these tips to your church’s
Twitter account and spark a
growth curve like never before!
Finally, we would add to this
following and unfollowing. Simply
follow people who would most
likely be interested in your tweets
and unfollow them at a date later
than 24 hours. This promotes you
within their account while
maintaining Twitter’s policies. Do
as many as possible each week,
as Twitter will tell you when you’ve
reached the follow limit.
ts not for me to bring them
to Christ, that’s the Holy Spirit’s
job, is the answer you’ll hear
from most evangelicals. When
you ask them why they aren’t
engaging the lost on YouTube
Facebook and Instagram. The
honest truth is this, most
believers don’t know how to
engage others effectively for
Christ. And the fact that we live
in a post social media world
I
What’s the
code of
conduct for
evangelicals
online?
doesn’t make it any better. So
how do we do this? There must
be a way for tech savvy
believers to advance Gods
kingdom in their realm, because
let’s face it, that’s where the lost
are
are going with their complaints
about Christ. And if we are wise,
that’s also where we’ll go with
Christian solutions. These are
the rules.
10 Online
Commandments
The
Get off of Christian sites. “Men
don’t take a candle and put it
under a bush” [Matt 5:15].
Believers have to realize that
Christian sites are great starts,
but, we’re to take that light
onto none Christian platforms,
sites and blogs to comment and
interact in such a way that
brings others into the faith.
Be brief. Blogs, comments and
texts that are too long, just
don’t get read. In the seldom
cases that they are, its because
the brief opening sentence or
some
Behave. If you don’t observe
protocol on the sites, blogs
and places online where you
want to win others, you won’t
win others. You have to find
commonalities with the world
before you can change it [1
Cor 9:22]
1
2
3 other factor contributed to it.
Learn to communicate briefly,
and only extend conversations
when it’s absolutely necessary.
Not as the norm.
Behave. if you don’t observe protocol you won’t win others.
Communicate. That’s to say,
learn to express yourself both
casually and cordially online.
This sounds obvious but the
plethora of misspelled words,
unclear explanations and
emotionless comments seen
online by Christians prove
otherwise. You have to be a
good communicator in order to
win others online.
Do warfare. This means
apologetics. The Christian
who knows how to
strategically tear down none
Christian values in debate
will win souls by the dozen.
When you refute anti
Christian arguments, those
who are in the valley of
decision are able to enter
the kingdom. It’s just the
assurance they needed.
4
5
Love through action. Drop
all the Christiane-eese
language. Even when
discussing scripture, be
sure you keep things kind
and clear enough for the
simple to grasp. Avoid
trolling, name calling and
bigotry. Be direct. Be
immovable. But don’t be
rude. Speak the truth in
love [Eph 4:15].
6
Contribute to the overall
community. Debating
and winning souls
shouldn’t be all you’re
doing. Be sure you are
adding value online.
Be vivid. Dan Roam, author
of ‘Blah-Blah-Blah’ created
this term. Namely that, your
words have a visual and
verbal interdependency. Use
statements that help them
picture what you’re saying.
Be lightly poetic when
witnessing to others. Make
them see what you mean.
Challenge yourself. Join
groups online that
challenge what and how
you believe for the
better. It’s the only way
you’ll grow and develop
as an evangelical online.
Respect it as ministry.
This is perhaps the most
important of the ten. If
you think your time
online, is just time online,
and not an opportunity to
witness for Christ, you’ll
never take any of the
former seriously.
Drop the Christian-eese and speak normal.
7
8
9
10
First you have to know it.
“Christians who wish to live their
faith on Social Media need to
comprehend it, perhaps better
than most people” Tim Weinstein,
media specialist at Faith Works, a
ministry consulting firm in
Richmond, VA. Tim advises his
ministry clients to establish a solid
presence on the three biggest
social networks as a starter.
“Facebook, Twitter and Google+
should be the minimum for every
forward thinking believer and
especially at the organizational
level. Once
solid profiles are created there,
the worst thing you can do is try
to update them daily. This
doesn’t work” Tim says. Instead,
to get into the game of being a
Christian with a solid social
media presence, Weinstein
believes you should pick one
favorite that you like the most.
“Again, be sure you complete
step one, that is, you’re on all
three networks, but after that,
pick one to be active on more
frequently. Siphon off the rest to
your team, if you have one. If
not, simply update those ones
when you find the time.”
How cool! Nobody wants to get
updates on social media from a
Christian whose only life is
putting updates on social media.
Pick one for more fun and, as
Tim said, more effectiveness.
Facebook,
Twitter and
Google+ should
be the minimum
for every
forward thinking
believer
being discouraged by it” See the
twist? People are looking for
fresh insights into the Christian
faith, so if you’re not providing
that, your content is off kilter.
And that doesn’t mean you go
off like Rick Warren on a perfect
tweet stampede! Rather, it
means your Facebook posts
and Google+ updates are about
things that aren’t unbiblical for
starters and creative when you
have to go Christian. This
means visual aid, creative
writing and innovative insights
into good ol Christian values.
People are
looking for
fresh
insights into
the Christian
faith.
But social media Christianity
doesn’t stop there. The one
thing you must do to develop
your presence as a believer on
SM is provide quality content.
“It’s good to know scripture, but,
followers would rather see it
creatively applied in your posts.
You should aid others into the
Christian worldview with good
visuals, copy write and other
effective behaviors than
thumping the bible” Tim
finalizes.
Content
Content is what people are
looking for. Case and point,
Rick Warren. Oh sure, he’s a
mega church pastor of one of
the largest Baptist
congregations in the U.S.,
but, he’s a tweet machine!
“Faith is not denying reality.
Faith is facing reality without Continued on page 28
The rule here is to join groups that
organize around your values and
interests. Then participate in addition
to posting on your main profile.
Brevity and timelines is king on
Twitter. You’ll get re-tweets and
follows as you post quality content
in live time before others do.
Since Google+ connects to the
search engines, you want to focus on
quality more than quantity, as what
you post will end up there.
Your videos should be well
planned and thought out. Be sure
they have quality recording and are
tackling real issues in addition to
being fun to watch.
Even if you hate taking pics, you
should have a decent presence
on Instagram as it’s the top
photo sharing network.
Linked-In should reflect your
more professional self and
house your business
interactions correctly.
But you should still have fun.
The part of social media that
gets the most attention is the
casual part, sharing engaging
life experiences with others, a
day at the mall, club, church or
fun park should appear in your
If you can’t show others that
your faith transcends religious
sayings and scripture quotes,
and gets into your day to day
life with photos, audios and
videos, it’s less convincing.
The part of
social media
that gets the
most attention
is the casual
Continued from page 28
timeline. The Christians who
shares their professional,
casual and all aspects of their
life, not just their Christianity,
will find greater following and
impact for the kingdom. Overall
the approach is more
welcoming.
Sociability
Christians have to adapt a more
sociable and open psychology
online, and that means social
media. We have to begin
communicating with others
while still being able to main-
tain our own faith. This is what
the world loves to see from
believers, and that means being
a social media Christian of
sorts. One who can succinctly,
briefly and socially interact with
others within the confines of
Christian values. It has little to
do with
only talking to Christians, and in
fact, is intended for none
Christians too experience.
The need has never been
greater. More and more, we’re
seeing the “nones” that is, none
theistic asking questions and
wondering if “that faith stuff” is
even valid in this day and age.
Who better to show them that
you can live a full and abundant
life while still being sharp in the
principles of God’s Word, than a
social media adept Christian?
Start by following your favorite
accounts on social media, both
Christian and not. Study their
techniques, glean wisdom and
figure out how you can share
your values as a believer using
the same. Remember to keep
this on top of healthy interaction
with others on the platform as
well. We’ll begin to see a world
changed the moment we see
creative christians on social
media, being the light God
intended them to be, not
folded up in a corner of a
Christian blog somewhere.
Communicate
with others,
and still
maintain your
faith.
ay it with me,
Here, we chart down 3
major ways we could be
using our tablets to
heighten the church
experience.
The IPad
Church S “This is my bible.
I am what it says I
am. I have what it
says I can have. I
can do what it says
I can do. I’m about
to receive, the
engrafted word”
One problem with this
though, nobody’s holding
up a bible as such, they’re
holding up tablets. They
may as well begin starting
the chant off with, “This is
my bible app…” and go
from there. But this is
such a cool thing, one that
most churches are likely
sleeping on.
Christian Town square, -
things like live Q&A’s,
comments, questions and
the like, can be facilitated
during the sermon or with
an ‘After Church’ segment.
Imagine a live chat
surrounding the subject
matter, permitting everyone’s
voice to be heard at a pre-
selected facilitator’s request.
This means we can address
real issues on Sunday, not
just the ones targeted in a
This means we can address
real issues on Sunday, not
just the ones targeted in a
scripted sermon. British
academics Stephen Reicher,
Clifford Stott, and John Drury
have found that
Clifford Stott, and John
Drury have found that
individuals in crowds do not
abandon their rationality or
surrender their identity to a
Continuity, - Why does it
have to end at church?
Again, the ‘After Church’
segment can begin an hour
or so after the last service,
online. Now, you can say how
you felt, discuss what about
the message you struggle
with and what you want
Change, - In churches
today, the pastor is the
chief change agent.
However, when Jesus
walked the earth, it was the
people’s faith that caused
the shift. What happens
when we return to that
model? Imagine a church
where solutions connect to
problem s
mob mentality. They do not
lose their minds. They do,
however, become highly
sensitive to what those
around them are doing, and
become strongly
cooperative as a result. Use
this! Ask them questions
during the service via text
and take live surveys to get
feedback in real time. Turn
the Sunday monologue into
a dialogue, everyone can
look forward to.
The mobile digital church,
is a more effective one.
Only, we haven’t been
acting on the advantages
and thus leaving ministries
as is.
with greater quality. Why?
Because nobody, even the
pastor, gets
EVERYTHING from God.
The body as a whole can
contribute, and the IPad
can be the tool we’ve been
waiting for!
Pastors today and ministry
leaders alike, have to
wake up to the change
that has occurred, see it
as divine, and take
advantage of it.
Picture if you would, a
world with no churches.
No, forget that, a world
with no churches as we
know them today. No
buildings. No steeples
And to be specific, nobody
wants a podium sermon.
Nobody grows like that
No baskets with
offerings from the
people.
I think we’re going, and in
fact, are now there. Simply
put, church as we know it, is
no longer necessary. Buildings,
people, and donations. What’s
become more important is theology,
mission and culture. The church
building, size and preference is now
officially of lesser importance.
The big underline is
innovation!
You’ve heard of it
before as edutainment.
Its colors, actions, and
beyond that are
designed to make the
message more
memorable.
What’s become
more important
is theology,
mission and
culture.
Educational instructor
and author of, ‘The
Accounting Game’ Judith
Orloff, believes that too
much attention to detail
in lectures is the main
reason nobody
color, movement, smells,
emotional experiences and
lots of play and fun.” she
says. The churches and
ministries that reach
others will begin, more and
more, to take on this
Church as we
know it is
no longer
necessary.
elementary school,
much of the
information you
learned went directly to
your long-term
memory, because it
was peppered with
music, color,
movement, smells,
learns
anything.
“While in
elementary
school,
much of the
information
you learned
went
directly to
your long-
term
much of the information
you learned went directly
to your long-term
memory, because it was
peppered with music,
color, movement, smells,
emotional experiences
and lots of play and fun.
methodology if
for nothing
Other than the
fact that it’s more
effective.
Ordith
who founded
her own college
In Burlington, Vermont
puts it this way
“Kindergarten is the
best learning model,
we have! In grade
however, we moved
away from colors, maps,
visuals and the like and
went into memorization so
we could pass tests. But
this only stores data into
your short term memory.
The Purple Cow
This all reminds us of an
article we did in a recent
ideas issue of Faith FEED.
In it, we mention Seth
Godin’s theory of the purple
cow. That nobody
remembers something that
isn’t remarkable, or worthy of
remark. If Judith’s
educational approach is
right, then we’ve been on
This thing for quite some
time. Namely that,
creativity, is what makes
your brain push it’s “save
button”.
Creativity
makes your
brain push
it’s ‘save
button’
Christian entrepreneurs,
authors, and leaders
would do well to take note.
If the message isn’t
edutaining, that is to say,
colorful, emotional and
creative, it’s not
uncommon and is thus
unworthy of remark.
Nobody will remember it.
So how do we get there?
How do creative Christian
leaders re-spark the fire
that they once had?
together. To make a
complex and confusing
thing simple and clear, you
have to get into the
mindset, not of a preacher,
but of a kindergarten
teacher. Focus on the big
picture. Use visual aid.
And get them involved.
Go Kindergarten
“You learned the alphabet
by singing. You learned the
multiplication tables by
saying them out loud with
each other. You laughed a
lot. You were creative.”
According to Judith. Why
now, when evangelizing as
adults, we switch things up?
“Most attempts to teach fail
because of too much
attention to detail and a
failure to present the big
picture framework of how it
all works and fits
Invoke Emotion
The sad thing about the
bible is that we don’t get to
see how Jesus said it, we
only know what he said.
But we can be sure that,
many of the plain vanilla
bible sayings we read,
were filled with emotion.
You have to do the same.
The sad thing
about the bible
is that we don’t
get to see how
Jesus said it,
we only know
what he said.
This means
communicating how you
feel about your message
and why? People want
something human to
connect with on your blog,
during your sermon or
lecture. Give them that!
Coming to Christ,
learning to pray or the
like, with a mark of
progress or completion, it
becomes even more
effective.
Gamification
People, more than
anything, remember what
they do. However, if you
can reward them, for
The more game
concepts you can apply
to their learning process,
the more effective it will
be.
So before winning
another person to the
kingdom be sure you’re
innovative. Be sure your
using the new pulpit!
anhatten, New York. We
gathered in an East End office
park to conduct creative
class, where believers get
together and brainstorm
solutions to the world’s
problems, only this time, the
church! And it has become an
incubator of sorts for
developing ministries
The issue,-bureaucracy!
One thing that begins to
stifle any organizations
growth is bureaucratic
systems and procedures,
namely no accountability
amongst leaders and thus
confused followers and
volunteers. All in all,
bureaucratic churches
become ineffective.
Building a Team of Teams
M
One approach was suggested
by Pastor Brown, a volunteer at
First Christian Church in
Harlem. “Ongoing training.
Once you stop training you stop
growing. Church leaders should
undergo ongoing training that’s
specific to them as leaders. But
somehow those lines get
blurred as ministries develop,
and we consider “everybody” a
leader, which means nobody is”
That was heavy. But we need
growing, the people do as well.”
It! A whopping
80% of the 100
churches we
surveyed did
not have a
distinguished
program for
their leaders
ongoing
development.
“When the
leaders stop
Pastor Brown shared his
innovative approach to
ongoing leader training in
today’s churches during the
brainstorm. “There has to
be clear distinctions in what you
want them to learn, vs what the
other members do” To much
criticism. “I don’t think
that’s healthy as other
members would feel left out”
another pastor began.
But as Pastor Brown finalized,
“We can’t expect something
different from lay leaders if
we’re not giving them anything
different.”
beneath.” This is seen below:
We can’t expect
something different from
lay leaders if we’re not
giving them anything
different
Teaming Up
Your Team
The second idea was to create
healthier team dynamics. Our
own Rebecca Hines proposed
a solution mapped out in book,
‘Team of Teams’ by former U.S.
Marine general Stanley
McChrystal. “Churches have the
old linear chart where the pastor
is at the top and the workers
“While this is certainly better
than no order at all, it permits
bureaucracy [what we don’t
want], when it becomes too
layered, which is often as
those at the top get lazy” A
better organizational chart
would be”
When leaders facilitate
connections amongst their team,
idea flow and productivity is
higher!
It’s a matter of good better and
best” Rebecca tells the room full
of Christian leaders. Referring
to Sandy Pentland of MIT.
“Collective intelligence has little
to do with individuals but more
to do with the connections
between them and the easy flow
of ideas”.
Think of it this way, when was
the last time you had a ‘Town
Hall’ meeting for your staff,
volunteers and members? That
would be one example of a
team of teams, working together
to grow the organization.
So the height for Christian
leaders to reach for their
organizations are as follows:
When a leader is at the center
of multiple interconnected
teams, facilitating discussion,
brainstorm and ideas, instead of
being above it, churches will
see growth in all the right areas.
Are you overly layered in your
leadership approach? You may
want to consider what our
church incubator discovered
before bureaucracy brings your
organization down.
When leaders facilitate
connections amongst
their team, idea flow and
productivity is higher!
o the IWatch is here. And
apple fans are going wild,
mostly with good comments.
However, amongst its
complaints is loading speed,
insensitive touch screen and
overall bugginess. But we can
expect that with new products,
especially of this caliber.
So what’s the skinny? Namely
this,-it’s freaking sexy! The
design appeal of the watch can
match any of the following:
Apple IWatch Review
S
Elegant Tech
If style was
your concern,
the worry is
over.
This one most tickles our fancy.
Namely that, many watch
companies, who claim they
aren’t worried about the IWatch,
said Apple wouldn’t delve into
this category. But clearly it has.
Of course, this, like other Apple
devices is a tech product. So,
the nerds must be catered to.
And we’re all nerds in one area
or another [in case you feel
insulted].
Urban Geek
Let’s face it, Apple is
known for making tech
a cool space, namely
by taking it out of the
business realm and
into pop culture. This
design continues in
that legacy.
And while yes, the
bands are
interchangeable, we
notice the rectangular
head design is fitting
for today’s squares.
So while no, they haven’t
come up with a bible app for
IWatch, we can be proud
that the device is able to fit
all of our style preferences.
Whether it’s Chic, urban or
mega geek!