The Ultimate Online Technology Strategy For Smaller Churches

Thomas Costello Web 2 Comments

Smaller churches are sometimes reluctant to embrace technology and take their churches online. However, having an online technology strategy helps boost member engagement and new church visitors. Odds are, at least part of your church family uses social media and mobile devices often. This means that part of your potential visitors are online too. Connect on a wider scale by getting your church online. It’s easier than you might think and the rewards are well worth the effort. Keep Consistent Branding One thing to always remember throughout your online technology strategy is to keep consistent branding. From having the same …

6 Tools To Ensure The Safety Of Your Church Website

Thomas Costello Web 0 Comments

The safety of your church website is paramount to building a good reputation with visitors and search engines. Safety and security are often overlooked parts of website maintenance, especially for smaller sites. The problem is, hackers don’t care about the size of your site. They love stealing resources, lifting user data and using sites to pass on malware to unsuspecting visitors. All it takes is a little regular maintenance to protect your church community and potential new members. Besides, no one wants to deal with the cleanup after a site’s been hacked. 1. Use Backup Software No matter what else …

7 Top Online Giving Companies For Churches

Thomas Costello Web 4 Comments

If church donations are down, the problem might be with your giving options. Take a moment to consider how many of your church members actually carry cash with them anymore. Odds are, many members, especially those under 50, are more used to carrying debit and credit cards. This means when the offering plate comes around, they don’t have anything to put in it. This doesn’t mean they don’t want to give, though. Online giving options give these members a chance to give on their terms. They can make occasional donations or set up a schedule, so they never forget. It’s …

How The Internet Has Revolutionized The Way Churches Communicate

Thomas Costello Web 0 Comments

It’s undeniable that the Internet has changed the way churches communicate. Gone are the days of a few conversations after church, only to see members again during service hours or special appointments. Now, it’s easier than ever to send an inspirational message in a few clicks or ask for prayers from hundreds of miles away. The possibilities are seemingly endless. While it’s true that some believe the Internet has hurt churches, the digital world has actually opened up more lines of faith-based communication than ever before. Reach Members Any Time Your members come to church to worship together, but they …

Get Results Online For Your Church

5 Point Checklist To Get Results Online This Year

Ian Hyatt Church Leadership, Web 0 Comments

2017 is in full swing. Before we know it, 2018 will be upon us unless of course, the Lord comes back(smile). If you are already committed to utilizing the internet as a church, you no doubt want to get results online this year from your efforts. Are you are seeing good results online so far this year? Good for you and this post may help you continue to get results online! We are now approaching the first quarter of the year. As a church, I am sure you hope that by now you have some good strategy, processes, and goals …

Get The Unchurched Through Your Doors

How To Get The Unchurched To Walk Through Your Doors

Thomas Costello Web 2 Comments

We know that most churches are looking for ways to improve attendance and increase their members. Sadly, it’s not always as easy as just posting a “welcome” sign outside the church. If you want to increase both members and attendance, you need to find ways to get the unchurched to walk through your doors. Don’t discount the unchurched. Many still have faith, but they’re just not sure where to go for guidance or which church might be the right fit for them. Understanding The Unchurched The most important to thing to understand about the unchurched is that many still believe, …

Apps for Churches

6 Church Apps To Make Life Easier For Your Members

Thomas Costello Web 0 Comments

If you want your church members to stay involved even after they’ve left church, it’s time to start recommending some digital options to make life easier for your members. What’s the one thing most, if not all, of your members always have with them? That’s right – their smartphone. By recommending church apps to your members, you’ll keep them engaged with their faith throughout the week. From socializing to delving deeper into God’s word, these six apps are designed to create a more engaged community, even when your members can’t make it to church that week. The Olive Tree Bible …

online giving provider for your church

How To Choose The Right Online Giving Provider For Your Church

Thomas Costello Web 2 Comments

If you’re searching for an online giving provider for your church, you already know you have quite a few options to pick from. Finding the right one is crucial to increased giving as it’ll appeal to more members and even non-members. With everything from PayPal to specialized giving providers, you should consider all your options carefully. Don’t worry, though. Once you know what criteria to look for, it’s easier than you might think to find the perfect solution for your church. Think About Ease Of Use One of the most important things to consider with any online giving provider is …

the absolute worst church website advice

The Absolute Worst Church Website Advice We’ve Ever Heard

Thomas Costello Web 0 Comments

Your webmaster told you what?   Oh. No. He. Didn’t! There is no shortage of terribly bad church website advice out there. We hear it every day. Some person who used to work in some tech field says that your website needs to do this and not do that. Here’s the thing – What may have been good advice in 2008 might be a terrible idea today. In fact, some of those “great tips” might be hurting your website today. Let’s walk through the bad church website advice that we hear most often.  If you have to open a new …

7 signs that your church website is stuck

7 Signs That Your Church Website Is Stuck In 2006

Thomas Costello Web 4 Comments

The web development world has gone through an enormous amount of change in the last decade, and sadly many church websites seem to be living in the past. Here are 7 signs that your church website might be two thousand and late. 1. Drop down menus to get to the content Back in 2005, we loved drop-down menus.  They were a great way to squeeze in those extra pages without cluttering up the menu.  They solved the problem of churches having 20 items in their main site navigation. Now they could nest pages under headings in the navigation and keep …