Date: August 7, 2014

Why Energy Inefficient Churches Are Losing Their Power

Energy inefficient churches are plagued by skyrocketing power bills. Let’s face it, church production takes a lot of power. Not just “Holy Ghost Power”, but power company power. While a lot of energy is used during production, inevitably a percentage of that energy is wasted. I’m willing to bet a lot of church buildings have terribly inefficient systems. It’s possible most church leaders are unsure of where their power is even going. I’m concerned that churches have come to accept the notion that high energy bills are simply the cost of doing ministry. The truth is, it’s not out of your hands. You can take responsibility for your church’s energy usage.

The first step: Understand where you energy is going.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Lord Kelvin

The two most important numbers on your church’s energy bill are usage (kW/month) and payment due ($$$). This tells you the overall amount of energy used, and how much it’s going to cost you. What the bill doesn’t tell you is the breakdown of usage in your building. It’s critical to know where your energy is going so that you can identify potential places of improvement. Don’t worry. This guide will get you pointed in the right direction.

Four common culprits of energy waste found in churches:

1. HVAC:

Church heating and cooling systems are by far the biggest offender of energy waste. It takes a lot of energy to heat/cool large venue spaces. Church sanctuaries are no different. Some HVAC systems need to run for hours prior to service to get the room to a comfortable temperature for attendees. You’d be surprised at how inefficiently some of these systems are running. The first place to look for a quick solution here is at the HVAC management system. Commercial grade smart thermostats from the best in the industry are becoming widely available and resemble features seen in intelligent thermostats for the smart home market. Changing out an archaic HVAC regulator with smart products will give you the fastest reduction of energy waste for minimal investment. Talk about bang for your buck. In the next post I will go more in-depth about addressing larger HVAC waste issues.

2. Lighting:

Another large contributor to energy waste at your church may be your lighting systems. If your church has yet to convert from the old school gym flood lights and fluorescent tubes, you are missing out on significant energy savings. There are tons of new energy efficient options on the market right now including CFL, LED and Induction fixtures. Upgrading your lighting is another fast way to reduce energy usage throughout your church buildings. Another benefit of switching is the increased life of the new technologies. These new fixtures will require far less maintenance and bulb replacements than ever before. Doing the whole building in one go may not be cheap. Consider doing it in phases. The good news is that prices are dropping.

Next consider smart zone control. Many churches are now benefitting from using smart motion censoring technology to control lighting in classrooms, meeting spaces, and auxiliary areas. Scheduling and way finding software can be integrated into smart lighting systems to ensure that you have light only where you need it. These technologies are especially effective in energy reduction during non-peak hours.

Lastly, consider LED stage lighting fixtures for production. LED’s fixtures offer lower wattage, multi-color, multi-pattern options to lighting designers and don’t require power sucking dimmer packs.

3. Phantom devices:

Phantom devices are anything that stays on 24/7. Do you know how many devices in your church are NEVER turned off? These are most likely computers, AV, IT, emergency, and security devices that may or may not go into “sleep mode” and never fully turn off or unplug. While the sleep mode feature does add the convenience of short wake up times, certain devices need not be on 24/7. Identifying the devices that can be completely shut off and connecting them to smart power strips that will decouple the device from the outlet when off is a great first step. Some smart power strips can be connected to scheduling software so that they are on when you need them and completely off when you are gone.

4. AV:

Audio visual manufactures have been producing more energy efficient devices over the last 5 years. The advent of class D MOSFET amp has significantly improved the efficiency, output, and reliability of modern audio amplifiers. A lot of those devices have integrated control features allowing users to remotely monitor energy usage. Old-school workhorse amplifiers, CRT tube TV production monitors, and large projectors not only require a lot of energy, they also produce tons of heat. In each upgrade, consider the energy rating to maximize efficiency in your AV systems.

Next Steps:

If your church has been discussing upgrading any of these four systems sometime in the next 5 years, make energy usage and waste apart of the discussion. If you really want to get a handle on your church’s energy (and energy bill), I’d highly recommend getting a commercial grade energy audit. Next time we’ll break down what you can expect to learn from a church energy audit.

Date: May 27, 2014

Where Does Your Power Come From?

When you turn your light switch, TV, or plug up your smartphone, do you ever wonder where the power that brings these devices to life comes from?

Without going too deep into the intricacies and variations in the electrical grid, here is a brief overview of how electricity is distributed in the United States.

Energy producers are power generators that harvest coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro-electric, geothermal, bio-waste, wind, or solar energy. Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) are open electricity markets who source their energy from thousands of energy producers across the country. RTOs trade their wholesale energy to energy providers. The energy providers supply local companies who then deliver that energy to residential, commercial, and public customers.

Energy as you can see, changes hands a number of times before reaching your home or business.

I back-traced my energy bill here in Chicago. I found that my power is delivered by ComEd (Commonwealth Edison), provided by Integrys Energy Services Inc, and traded by PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland) Interconnection LLC. PJM currently receives energy from over 1300 energy producers. After that, it is nearly impossible to say what percentage of the energy reaching my house comes from coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro, wind, or solar. Presently we do not have a choice of which energy source you receive power from.

However, RTO’s, like PJM, do publish a breakdown of their current sources. The pie-chart below shows PJM’s entire energy capacity by source.

(Image courtesy of PJM)

Ok, we’ve sort of figured out where our power comes from. Why does where we receive our power matter?

There is a huge debate over energy going on right now. Fossil fuels vs. Renewables. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas are a limited source formed over an extended time period in the ground from the remains of once living organisms. It takes a great amount of energy to extract and exploit the energy from fossil fuel sources. The process of extraction and exploitation of that energy often leaves behind byproducts and contaminants that are emitted into air and the ground. While fossil fuels are cheap and reliable, we are currently experiencing unimaginable after effects of this process around the world.

Renewables such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal are energy sources that will not be depleted. For the most part, they do not produce byproducts that harm the environment. The process of extracting energy from these sources generally requires far less energy than that of fossil fuels. While you are likely very familiar with the debate by now, one thing has changed over the last ten years. The US has recently been producing record amounts of fossil fuel energy.

A recent Gallup poll indicates the majority of Americans are in favor of protection of the environment at the risk of limiting fossil fuel energy supply. In the same report, Gallup says that 83% of Americans believe the energy situation in the US is serious or very serious, and 64% of Americans would like energy producers to emphasize production of alternative energy rather than fossil fuels.

While I believe God provided us with all of these wonderful resources to generate energy, like most Americans, I really want to see more renewables come online in the PJM energy market and others across the country.

In Genesis 1-2, we see that the earth and everything in it was created by God who entrusted man to manage it.

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. (Genesis 2:15)

All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power.(Genesis 9:2)

God gave man a great power, to subdue everything on the earth. He has given us everything we need be good managers of the resources he provides. He also has given us the freewill to choose how we manage things. Throughout the bible we also see consequences when we mis-manage those resources. We are clearly starting to see the impact of our mis-management of resources as the sky, water, and ground become filled with more and more contaminants. The people are clearly in favor of producing renewables, yet we see producers moving in the opposite direction and even fighting incentives for citizens and businesses to get involved in adding excess alternative energy to the grid.

Today most of us don’t have a choice of where our energy comes from, but we can choose how our country will continue to generate electricity. Many states have passed renewable energy standards, legislation requiring their utilities meet a certain percentage of renewable energy by a certain year (i.e. 20% by 2020).

So what can we do?

Support renewables by installing renewable energy generators that tie in to the grid or purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) .
Be sure the people you vote for will legislate and enforce renewable energy standards.
Be good stewards of the power we receive.

As church technical artists, we know our systems use considerable amounts of energy for weekend services and special events. It’s not only important for us to understand where our power comes from, but also where it’s going. In the next few posts, I will discuss these three methods and more ideas the church can use to make meaningful improvements to it’s stewardship of energy.

Date: May 9, 2014

Hi-Tech Church Apologetics

Catching up with friends and family always brings a bombardment of questions about my recent move to Chicago and my new job. As a church audio engineer, the one question I get A LOT is “what is it with churches trying to be cool and hip with their use of technology all of a sudden?” I can see where they are coming from. Walking into a local mega church can be confusing. The experience for non-church goers can be like a mashup of a rock concert and Ted talk. Special events at the most advanced churches are bordering vegas show level production. Many are indeed confused with modern church’s use of technology and social media. Some say it is the church’s desperate attempt to remain relevant. “Isn’t the gospel enough?” they protest.

Some offer the great commission as their primary argument for the church going big with technology (google “Digital Missions”). I would like to offer a different argument for churches to embrace technology. The great commandment. Love.

Here are 5 ways the church loves through technology:

1. Streaming. Internet live streaming loves the church attender. It is a great tool to extend your church services and events outside of the physical church building. Folks who are sick can tune in from home, and people who are traveling can keep up with the latest series. These are great benefits for church regulars. Live streaming also loves the church seeker. Streaming provides a low pressure gateway for those who would like to check out your church without the intimidation of going to a big huge place for the first time (or a small place where everyone will ask them to stand and give their name and credentials). The hard work and thoughtfulness of a live stream can go a long way to introduce and connect people to your local body of Christ.

2. Big Data. Collecting data about the people you want to reach through your ministry gives churches important information about their local, national, and global community. Why make guesses or assumptions about your community, when you can have certainty about what’s important to them? Churches collect their data through email marketing, social media campaigns, polls, and surveys. These resources can help churches shape programming quickly. Churches can now make adjustments to reflect what their community cares about and needs. Then, analytics allow churches to measure their impact and reach. Churches can know exactly how they are doing at loving people. You can’t improve what you can’t measure. At least not efficiently and effectively.

3. Multi-site & simulcast church model allows churches to expand their reach while remaining local and small in feel. Getting a smaller church feel is important to many people who have difficulty finding community in large crowded mega churches. A small local church ensures that someone knows your name. It means you can find friends and community groups faster. It means you don’t have to travel far from where you live. It means you will likely be attending church with your actual neighbors (with whom you practice the great commandment). Many churches encourage us to live life in community, multi-site and simulcast build that motto into their structure.

4. Big Screens and Loud Sound. I know, I know, you want to go to church, not a live concert. You don’t know why there are huge screens and speakers coming at you from everywhere. Trust me, many churches have integrated modern Audio-Visual systems because they love you. Most church buildings were not designed with the congregation experience in mind. Many have poor sight lines and terrible acoustics. If you are siting in the back you can’t see the pulpit. If you are too far left, you can’t hear the worship leader or the pastor. Modern AV systems assist the artist and audience engagement through a range of music, dance, and other artistic expressions of worship while providing high intelligibility of spoken word. The big screens and loud sound systems ensure that every person in the room can hear and see.

5. Social Media is a means to engage people beyond Sunday and beyond the four walls of the church. The content your church produces can spark on-going conversation, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your members can respond to and share your content with their networks, thus extending your church’s reach. That awesome point in the sermon, that song that speaks to someone’s experience. They can be shared over and over through likes, retweets, and re-blogs, for weeks and months after the service has ended. There is also now a record that people can search for, bookmark, and come back to, all online. These days you don’t even have to be at a computer, you can create and access social media from the phone in your pocket. The voice of the church is badly needed on the walls of social media. We can love our neighbors online everyday through social media.

Whether you loath or embrace these changes in technology use in the church, these are just the tip of the iceberg. Technology is advancing pretty fast. Remember, we don’t have to look at it as solely a new way to “reach” the next generation or to stay relevant. If we really think about the ways “loving your neighbor” is changing in this day and age, you might be able to come up with new ways to love with technology. Any ideas?

Date: March 29, 2014

Why Your Church Should Hire Techies

Some churches have the unfortunate tendency to underestimate how badly they need to hire techs to handle audio, video, lighting, and IT. It seems even more difficult for churches to hire a director. Maybe the pastor has thought about it. Maybe the elders have even debated it. Tight budgets no doubt weigh heavily in these decisions. However, there are five things your church may not be considering when to hire or not to hire is the question:

1. Technical work is harder than you think.

The work of a church tech is very complex. Systems in the digital age are almost always in flux and the state of technology has never been advancing at such an accelerated pace. Many millennials have actually gone to college to study in related fields and have the student loans to prove it. Many baby-boomers boast decades of experience and are committed to staying up to date on leading edge technology. The church presents a unique challenge to technical artists. The delivery of the gospel in a clear way Lastly, demands on technology use to do things such as streaming, simulcast, and archiving require collaborative efforts among multi-disciplinary teams of technical artist to make “simple” concepts a reality. The value of a good technical artist in the for-profit market is to the tune of $45k-85k. Great technical artist are well worth the investment.

2. More time is required than you think.

While church techs are indeed often the first to arrive and the last to leave, when additional tasks or special projects are added to the typical work load, it isn’t uncommon for some tech teams to spend hundreds of man hours a week to complete a project. On top of that also they have to make Sundays happen. Many of those hours is time each tech has to spend away from their family and other obligations. It’s my hope that a more realistic view of time and energy techies commit to projects might prevent usury.

3. Bad tech will hurt growth.

Developing a top notch technical program takes consistency. Every church has a different set of values, objectives, and method. In order to adhere technical systems to the mission of the church, significant thought and planning has go into design and processes that will support the mission and accommodate its growth. When the technology in place does not work for the church, it often can work against the church. When audiences are constantly distracted by constant “technical difficulties”, they will often question the integrity of the leadership.

4. It’s more expensive not to hire.

While volunteers are mostly concerned with making Sunday happen, a paid technical director will partner with church officials to see that the church reaches its objectives. If there is no one to fill this gap, churches will have to spend significant amounts of money hiring consultants to fix what’s not working. They will not necessarily be around to evaluate the effectiveness of their solutions. A good tech team will monitor systems, perform maintenance, and anticipate updates. This often translates to significant savings for your church.

5. If you don’t, someone else will.

Church techies are looking for opportunities. Some are willing to travel or uproot for the right opportunity. Many would LOVE to work for the church that they have been volunteering at. If they receive an opportunity to work elsewhere, I imagine most would strongly consider it. Church leaders, ask yourself. What if your volunteer left your church right before your next service? Could your service go on without a hitch? If not, I strongly suggest you considering hiring a techie.

Date: March 7, 2014

Waiting, Praying, and Searching for a Church Tech Staff Position: Part II

Part II: Wait With Action

There is an ever growing pressure for churches to produce more and more culture leading content not to just remain relevant, but to become influencers of culture. The vast majority of churches however are not providing adequate resources to ensure that the content it produces is done well. Confused? This phenomenon can be explained in several ways. For greater detail on that dilemma, see my last post that gives three reasons why churches aren’t hiring technical artists. If you feel strongly that God wants you to build a career using your talents and skills in a church setting, you’ve probably also reached a point of frustration with lack of opportunities present. The key here is to not get discouraged. I’ve got great tips that will help you wait with action!

Here are five things you should do while waiting, praying, and searching for a staff position at a church.

1. Don’t Wait To Get Experience: Churches, like any other organization will want to see a resume anytime you apply or interview for a paid position. Most are specifically looking for relevant experience. If you haven’t had a paid staff position at a church before, the best way to show you have relevant experience is through industry work experience or volunteering. Volunteering in your community or at a local church is a great way for you to get valuable experience. Ask around to see if anyone you know could use your skill-set for a project or two. This is also a great way to get references who can speak on your behalf to potential interviewers. If you have been volunteering at a church for awhile already, don’t be afraid to put that experience on your resume.

2. Continue Your Education: If you are in college, there probably isn’t a church tech major at a seminary and divinity school (yet), but you can certainly attend an excellent institution that offers a degree in a relevant field of study. If you already have the degree, working towards a certification, license or other credentials further legitimatizes you as a professional in that field. This will separate you from the average hobbyist or weekend warrior.

3. Conference and Network: One of the keys to finding a position is to grow your network. Attending conferences and meet-ups put you in the room with people who are doing exactly what you want to be doing for a living. This is the place where you gain great industry insights, connections, and encouragement.

4. Don’t Turn Down Opportunities: Sometimes an unlikely opportunity may arise that may take you by surprise. Maybe it doesn’t look like what you thought it would, pay like you thought it would, or be where you thought it would. Unless you have strong conviction that this is not the opportunity for you, don’t let viable opportunities go by while waiting for the “perfect job” one to fall in your lap. It might not be your final destination, but it might be a step in the right direction that leads to greater opportunities.

5. Keep Praying: A career in ministry isn’t usually something people magically fall into. It certainly isn’t the most lucrative of industries. If God has given you a vision to serve his people vocationally, it’s likely he hasn’t shared all of the steps you will have to take to see that vision become reality. Prayer is key. Checking in with God is the single best thing you can do throughout the entire process. During the ups and the downs.

One of my favorite examples of someone who served God’s people in a non-ministerial professional capacity is Nehemiah. We’ll break down how this guy broke into full time ministry in the next post. Until then, I’m praying you get a really awesome opportunity to serve the people of God in a professional capacity.

Date: March 6, 2014

Waiting, Praying, and Searching for a Church Tech Staff Position: Part I

As technical artists we’ve observed an unprecedented expansion of technology use in churches. Several large churches taking advantage of newly affordable technology have done some pretty cool things. Christian ministries have sponsored high quality productions including live broadcasts, stage plays, films, music albums, festivals, tours, and more.

Large productions are never a one man show. It takes a multitude of talented individuals. Writers, composers, directors, singers, actors, talent managers, coaches, editors, music producers, riggers, graphic designers, marketers, printers, contractors, finishers, videographers, grips, technicians and more. These are just some examples of all the different technical artist positions required to make huge productions happen.

Over the last decade, well respected leaders in the Christian community have been spreading the message of living a purposeful life. Out of that craze, several spin off’s have gotten people excited about having a God-ordained career that they love. Some logically conclude the following:

“Maybe God wants me to go into full-time ministry as a technical artist.”

Is this your dream?

It was certainly mine at one point in time. What happened next was a harsh reality. There were no job openings. Especially not at my current church. Not even when I looked just outside of my church network. Nothing. The church job market was just as rough as corporate America. I couldn’t understand how everyone was talking about wanting to do great things in their church and in their community with technology, but no one could point me to a church who was expanding their staff. Upon further investigation, I learned quickly why this was the case.

Here are three reasons why American churches are not necessarily hiring techies:

1. Pro-sumer mindset. “Technically challenged” church leaders see something cool another church did and they sometimes assume that they could find all of the equipment to pull off a similar production at Best Buy or Guitar Center. “How hard could it be?” One reason why churches don’t even have certain skilled positions on their radar is because they simply don’t think the job requires a professional. It may not have crossed a leaders’ mind that a degree or certification may be required to even operate certain equipment.

2. Volunteerism: A spin off of the pro-sumer mindset is the thought that a church should place volunteers in highly skilled areas. Even deeper than that is the idea that professionals should “serve the church” by donating their time and talents. While volunteerism is not inherently problematic, when the vision of a church requires the equivalent time and energy to that of a full time or seasonal position, one might think that they were being taken advantage of. After all, you wouldn’t ask your pastor to preach 4 times a week for free. That would be absurd. Pastors usually have degrees (student loans), licenses, and the affirmation of the leadership to “serve the church” WITH appropriate compensation. Technically professions have degree (loans), certifications, and licenses as well to practice their profession and should be treated accordingly.

3. Tight Budgets: You might be tired of hearing about the economy at this point, but average churches have taken sustained financial hits as they rely on charitable giving to keep their doors open. When their tithing base tightens up their belt, the church follows. Sometimes this results in one highly skilled person operating in several capacities at once. There may be one technical director on staff who is also acting as a program director, stage manager, etc. This director may love to hire you as his or her assistant however budget limitations may cause them to go longer periods without hiring the help they truly need.

Despite these three dismal reasons that churches aren’t hiring, DO NOT GIVE UP. Now that you know what you’re up against, you can use this knowledge to set yourself up to be the exception. The GOOD NEWS is that none of those three scenario’s are sustainable. Usually when something goes awry with one of the above, an opportunity opens up. Next time we’ll discuss what you need to do to be prepared for such an opportunity.

Date: February 4, 2014

It’s Not Just You, Streaming Commercials Are LOUD

The other day I was streaming one of my favorite shows from a popular online streaming site (both of whom will remain anonymous) when out of no where a noticeably loud commercial disturbed my viewing pleasure. Man that’s loud, I said to myself…but how loud? I wondered. So I did what any decent techie would do and I reached for a meter to measure. I’ll spare you the geek details and just post a screenshot of the audio recording of the show. You don’t have to have an engineering degree to see the difference here. Take a guess where the commercials are…

It’s not just you, streaming commercials are really too loud. Not all streaming sites are created equal. Some actually have commercials that are indistinguishable in volume, others have commercials that are at a less volume than programming. If you come across loud commercials, don’t just take it. Find a way to file a complaint. As of December 13, 2012, the FCC set rules requiring TV providers (over-air, cable, and satellite) to set commercial volume no louder than program volume. It isn’t clear if these rules cover streaming content over the internet.

Can’t we all just stream along?

Date: January 18, 2014

Why Your Church Needs An App

In my last post, I briefly touched on how church mobile apps could be the successor of the out of date (and wasteful) church bulletin. I wanted to expand on this idea because church apps can do more than just simply inform church goers about what’s going on around the church. While reviewing current designs, I’ve seen powerful current capabilities and future potential for church apps. Here’s the punchline for this post:

The church mobile app can redefine how your congregation interacts beyond Sunday.

Here are 7 features of mobile apps that will have your church goers engaged throughout the week:

1. Interactive Calendar: Calendars in church mobile apps utilize modern tools that help both potential attendees and event planners. Users will be able to integrate with calendars built into their phones and email, allowing them to add reminders, get directions, and set their RSVP which planners will receive instantly allowing them to plan accordingly.

2. Media: Streaming live services and on-demand video, audio, photos, and podcasts can be accessed by thousands of smartphones anytime, anywhere.

3. Bible App Integration: Sermon Notes can contain links and will open up some bible apps like YouVersion and take a user right to the passage they are studying.

4. Online Giving: Most apps will offer a giving option that lets your app link right to your websites online donation page. This way your users won’t have to go looking for it themselves.

5. Notifications/Alerts: Communicate with your congregation directly, send weather alerts, emergency notifications, and updates to important topics right to users phones, they can opt-in or out in their own settings.

6. Customer Management System: You won’t have to pay every time you want to make an update, most design firms offer proprietary CMS (customer management systems) which give you the keys to adding content and making incremental improvements to the user experience on your apps. Some functions will merely take an RSS feed and will update automatically when you update the parent platform (i.e. Facebook or twitter timelines).

7. Social Sharing: The ability for users to share your content with their followers extends your churches reach into the community in ways you you’ve never imagined. Social media is participation in America is growing daily. If your church doesn’t have a web presence yet, first focus on developing profile pages on the top social networks (and please please please update your website).

Remember, the features above are just highlights of where current app design is now. Keep in mind, church mobile apps have only been around as long as the app stores themselves have which is really 5 years or less. We can’t even begin to imagine how this technology will evolve in the next 2,3,or even 5 years from now. One thing for sure is, you do not want to be too far behind on this. If your church wants to continue to stay relevant by “meeting people where they are,” well, the world is going mobile. But don’t worry, you don’t have to go at it alone. Take a look at what these 5 mobile app design firms have come up with and the churches that use their apps today:

1. The Church App

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android, Windows 8

Top Features: On-Demand Video Streaming, Audio Streaming (Podcasts), interactive calendar with location services, registration, sharing, contact information, Music Album Listening, Blogging, Social Media Integration, Custom Content Management System.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC), Billy Graham Evangelic Association, Mars Hill Church

2. Faith Network

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android, Windows 8

Top Features: Live/On Demand Video Streaming, Push Notifications/Alerts, Online Giving Integration, Google Maps, E-vites, Sharing, Dynamic Events Calendar, Social Media Integration, Content Management System

Clients Apps Highlighted: Highpoint Church, First Lavaca, Church of Grace

3.My Pocket Church

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android

Top Features: Push Notifications, Events Calendar, Church Contact Information, Social Media Integration and Sharing, Appointment Scheduling, Car Finder, Media Streaming, Wufoo Form Integration, YouVersion Integration, Content Management System.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Pacific Cross Roads Church, Antioch (Bend, Oregon), Crosspointe Church (Anderson, SC)

4. Church Wise Solutions

Operating Systems Supported: iOS & Android

Top Features: Push Notifications, Form Builder, Mobile Giving, Sermon Podcast, Prayer Wall, Social Media Sharing, One Touch Contact Info, Youtube & Vimeo Integration, Events Calendar, Directories, Blog Feed, GPS Location Services, Music.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Connection Pointe (Little Rock, AK), Christ Church (Fairview Heights, IL), Midland First Assembly of God (Click links for live demos from Church Wise Solutions).

5. TWELVE

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android

Top Features: Live/On Demand Video Streaming, Push Notifications/Alerts, Online Giving Integration, User Registration, , Multi-level CMS (Content Management System), Blog (with comments and likes), Itinerary/Calendar, Prayer Wall (with comments and likes), Audio Video Podcast Library.

Clients Apps Highlighted: River Church (Durham, NC), Mt. Sinai COGIC (Davenport, IA), FaithWorld (Orlando, FL)

Now that you’ve taken a look at what church apps look like today, what feature would you like to see in the next church mobile app?

Date: January 7, 2014

Tech & Arts 2014 Conference Schedule

2014 is here and we are already excited about all of the upcoming conferences on the horizon. Speculation about products coming this year began last year (i.e. 4k video). The inevitable fusion of the AV industry with IT via integrated technologies such as AVB will have a significant impact on current and future capital campaigns and infrastructure upgrades. The “mobile revolution” is rapidly changing the we interact with one another. Tech trade shows allow us a peak at where technology is headed. Conferences for creatives lets our imaginations run wild. Tech arts conferences help us build community.

Don’t have room in your calendar/budget to hit every conference this year? Following a conference from the comfort of your own home or workplace is certainly a smart way to stay up to date on the latest in the industry. Twitter has become a great place to aggregate coverage of the shows, press conferences, and presentations from top conferences to up & coming conferences. Twitter’s character limit generally produces precise announcements containing only the information that matters. Tech news media on twitter like @CNET, @Techcrunch, @Engadget also post video footage of their coverage. Quick searches using the #hashtags for conferences will also see things through the lens of conference attendees who are present. You can also follow the manufacturers you want to watch directly.

With that in mind, here is my hit list for conferences that church tech artists will really want to attend. Leave a comment if I left a good conference out and I’ll update the list!

Church Tech Conferences

Gurus of Tech

Dates: tba
Location: tba (usually in Chicago, IL)
Prices: tba
http://www.gurusoftech.com/
@gurusoftech on twitter

WFX

October 1-3,
Dallas, TX
Prices: tba
http://www.wfxweb.com/
@wfx on twitter

Creatives Conferences:

Seeds

March 5-7th, 2014
Tulsa, OK (Church on The Move)
$259+
https://seeds.churchonthemove.com/events
@seeds on twitter

Catalyst Conferences (http://catalystconference.com/)

West – April 2nd-4th (Mariners Church, Orange County, CA) http://catalystconference.com/westcoast/ $109-$299
Dallas – April 30th-May 2nd (location & pricing TBA)
Atlanta – (dates, location, and prices TBA)
One Day Atlanta – Feb 24th, 2014 (North Point Community Church) http://catalystconference.com/one-day/one-day-atlanta ($79-$149)
One Day Denver, CO Feb 27th (Southeast Christian Church) http://catalystconference.com/one-day/one-day-denver ($79-149)

Story Conference

Dates: TBA
Location: TBA (usually in Chicago, IL)
Prices: TBA
http://storychicago.com/
@storychicago on twitter

Tech Trade Shows:

CES International (Consumer Electronics Association)

Jan 7-10th, 2014
Las Vegas, NV
Prices: $200-$1600
http://www.cesweb.org/
@intlCES on twitter

NAMM

Jan 23rd-26th, 2014
Anaheim, CA
Prices: (Membership or Media Pass Only)
http://www.namm.org/
@NAMMShow on twitter

ISE 2014

February 4-6, 2014
Amsterdam, RAI, NL
Prices: Free with Invitation code – EUR 60 (On-Site)
http://www.iseurope.org/
@ISE2014 on twitter

Interop (IT)

March 31st-April 4th
Las Vegas, NV (Mandalay Bay Convention Center)
Prices: ($0-$2,899)
http://www.interop.com/
@interop

NAB (National Association of Broadcasters)

April 5th – April 10th, 2014
Las Vegas, NV
Prices: ($150-$1349)
http://www.nabshow.com/2014/sessions/conferences/
@nabshow on twitter

Infocomm 2014

June 14-20th, 2014
Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Convention Center)
Registration and pricing opens on Feb 11. 2014
http://www.infocommshow.org/
@Infocomm

CEDIA Expo

September 11-13, 2014
Denver, CO
Pricing: tba
http://expo.cedia.net/
@cedia on twitter

Interop (IT)

September 30 – Oct 4th
New York, NY (Javits Center)
Prices: TBA
http://www.interop.com/newyork/

November 17-23, 2014
Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Convention Center)
Prices: TBA
http://www.ldishow.com/
@LDITradeshow on twitter

Date: January 5, 2014

It’s Time To Stop Printing Church Bulletins

Like many other innovations of the past, new technologies have given way to updates that in one way or another offer more convenience to the consumer and reduce operating cost of producers. For churches, the paper bulletin itself was once a technological innovation. All of the essential contact information, upcoming events, capital campaign progress, full month calendars, and important announcements all printed on the same document and handed out to all who walked through the door on Sunday morning.

Like many other kids (and adults), I used to stuff church bulletins between the pages of my bible like huge bookmarks. Soon I collected so many bulletin bookmarks that the binding on my teen study bible fell apart. Fast forward to today and you will find that most church bulletins are a double sided one fold sheet 8.5×11 inch piece of paper but still are discarded almost immediately after services, or linger on the floors of cars until cleaning day. When I think about the amount of church goers who have no idea where to stuff their bulletins because they now use a mobile app for their bible, I’m convinced it is time to phase out the old church bulletin completely.

3 Reasons Why Churches Should Stop Printing Bulletins

1. It’s Wasteful. Bulletins are probably the most discarded item in the church (perhaps second to bathroom paper towels). Seriously, bulletins are usually found in the oddest places junking up people’s homes, cars, street gutters, and the planet. Paper waste is also a huge contributor to America’s landfill capacity problem. Sure we can recycle more, see #2 for my issue with that solution.

2. Recycling isn’t that great. Recycling still leaves an impact. If you have “responsibly” set up recycling bins at the exits of your church for all discarded bulletins, don’t pat yourself on the back just yet. The recycling process itself has a environmental impact especially when you consider the fact that paper fibers do not retain all of its original properties, meaning that paper can not be infinitely recycled. If you stopped printing bulletins all together, there would be no need to recycle. Not to mention the gas, exhaust and energy used to transport to and from recycling plants and the by-product waste created in the recycling process. To put it a different way, the Center For Research of Environmental Decisions is quoted by the New York Times stating that “although recycling is important, it should be but one activity in a series of behavior changes.”

3. Bulletins are losing their value. Sure phasing out the church bulletin will save you money on ink, paper, and printer maintenance. But, money savings is not always the defining factor for program decisions. You really have to think about the value for the money. If the church bulletin were a stock option, it would be losing value on the market everyday. Forecast would churn a downward trajectory chart for the foreseeable future. Americans are entering the mobile age more and more and are seeking ways to reduce the amount of paper luggage they carry in exchange for cloud stored information that can be recalled with a simple touch of a smartphone or tablet with an internet connection. What’s gaining value? Social media and an online presence. If the church wants to remain relevant in the lives of people who they want to reach, they need to provide content in the places where people consume content the most.

5 Ways to Replace the Church Bulletin:

1. Design a church app. Church mobil apps supersede more than just the aging church bulletin. Church mobile apps are replacing sermon CD’s with podcasts, blank note sheets are swapped for digital sermon notes with embedded scripture links, and church calendars can now sync with iCalendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook. They are providing methods of engagement Monday-Saturday. A well designed church app has the potential to be a hub for all church content and engagement outside of and even inside weekly gatherings. There’s two ways to go with the design of a church app. You can use a pre-designed template from a pre-existing church app platform or you can have one completely custom designed. Either way there are some great examples of how church apps out there already. For starters take a look at these excellent church mobile apps (they include examples from Elevation Church and Mars Hill). Mobile apps are still fairly new. There may be new ways to connect with your congregation that have not even been thought of yet.

2. Email newsletters. Email offers significant advantages over the paper bulletin. Whether it’s an event calendar, directions, or digital rsvp, email services help you plan ahead and get more accurate information about how people are engaging with your content and programs. Email services link Mailchimp, Constant Contant, and Emma provide professional platforms for your church to build great looking emails and manage your contact list. Email marketing today usually includes brief updates and summaries with links for readers to “click-through” to your website to get more detailed information.

3. Social Media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest are steadily increasing their subscribers. If your church is not currently developing a presence on one or more of these networks, you are missing out on many opportunities to engage with your parishioners and their friends throughout the week and even on Sunday. Each network is a place where everyone has a voice, the voice of the church here is desperately needed, but the ear of the church is essential to understanding what’s important to your community. A social media profile is not merely a place to try to stay relevant, it is a place where your church can thrive. Extend your reach in the community outside of the walls of the church and beyond Sunday. If you are a church that wants to “meet people where they are,” well a lot of people you want to reach are on social media. You can even create your own social network for your church with platforms like “The City” where your congregation can engage with each other and even create online groups where they can share their stories and prayer requests.

4. Text: Text messaging can be a powerful communication tool for your church. Think about it, users who opt-in don’t have to open a fancy app, enter multiple passwords, navigate to the right page or anything beyond the most basic function of a phone (second to making a phone call). Text messages also tend to have better viewing rates than email. Information will again land on a users phone and can be recalled later on at anytime. Users can usually opt-out or resubscribe at any time. Text can also be a great emergency alert system or a good communication tool for specific ministries (think weather emergencies or kids ministry).

5. Concierge/Help-desk. With change of any kind, there will be those who will cling to the bulletin with both hands. So how can we bring along the late adopters? How about implementing a concierge table in the lobby? Attendees could visit the table before or after service, or by appointment to get assistance with anything from basic event information, taking next steps in faith, or connecting to the church’s online community. The concierge essentially operates like a “geek-squad” help-desk. The concierge table can become another volunteer area where internet and mobile savvy members could help others make the transition creating new opportunities to serve.

Still Not Ready To Give Up The Paper?

Even if your church is not ready to completely eliminate the printed bulletin, perhaps your church might consider limiting the amount they print. If you have a significant population of the older generation who may not adapt to other methods, perhaps you could start an opt-in alternative where they can still pick up limited-run bulletin. You can also set a 5 year goal to phase out paper bulletins. Printed flyers and postcards for special events are still a great marketing tool as they are limited run and often retained and shared with others. Whatever you do, don’t just cut off your churches communication tool without building and testing new methods like the ones above. At the very least, please update your website. Take some time to develop, launch, and then make iterative improvements as the needs of your systems change.

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