Communication

Is your church finally ready to dive in and start using Instagram? While you're nowhere near the last church on earth to take the plunge and join the Insta-church party, you will be joining this online community at a time when the platform is at its peak. Churches and users have learned some pretty savvy tricks to keep their accounts visible, viral, and performing their best. So where do you start?

Church planters need all the help they can get. The business of launching a new church and establishing a new worship community requires all the strength God can offer. Luckily, churches can also rely on missionally-focused church planting networks to provide a great deal of support and guidance during the process too. But what other resources are available?

On a weekly basis, 15 women from countries across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia gathered together through a Zoom video conference — Bible study notes in hand — ready to discuss the book of Romans. Using video conferencing software for a Bible study may be a novelty to many and very foreign to some, and as technology evolves we face new opportunities to use tech for good.

Chances are if you are a pastor or if you work with one, the following question has come up, "when are you (or when is your pastor) planning to publish a book?" It's fairly common for a pastor to want to write a book, especially after the number of years they spend in study. After writing dissertations and papers galore, along with years of writing sermons, pulling together a book shouldn't seem too daunting. Yet, it still is.

The church bulletin plays a vital role in making visitors feel welcome and members feel connected to the life of the church. Whether handed out by greeters or left out on a table for visitors to grab before entering your sanctuary, your church bulletin serves as a first impression that can shape how others see your church. Like with any other form of outreach, you want to make this impression count.

Church planting is an intentional process of establishing a new center for worship where a congregation can grow and thrive. Though this work is inspired and filled with hope and lots of energy, it is also an extremely challenging process. Because of this, church planting networks become an increasingly important source of support and resources for aspiring church planters.

With Easter just around the corner, graphics, media, and marketing intel just might come in handy as you finish up your church's Easter service planning. Here are three valuable resources that might help:

For a holiday that is known for leprechauns, wearing green, and drinking to excess, I like to take time out to pause and celebrate this patron saint of Ireland, who has an incredible testimony, and whose Breastplate moves me deeply. St. Patrick overcame huge obstacles and trauma in his life to listen to God's call and act--bringing the Christian faith to a whole nation and building a heritage that long outlasted his personal efforts.