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A megachurch is a church that consistently draws more than 2000 people. While not exclusive to the United States, there are about 1600 churches nationwide that fit the profile. While each church is diverse and different, several similarities appear between them. The following infographic looks at some of these commonalities; attendees, campus type and leader.

With Easter just 40 days away, today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For those, like myself, who did not grow up following the liturgical calendar, Lent may be a foreign thing. In short, Lent is the season of the Christian Year where we focus on simple living, prayer and fasting to grow closer to God.

Changing churches is never easy. For those who are very connected through volunteering, children's ministry, and other aspects of church community, change is rarely sought after. Many people feel called away from their current church for a number of different reasons. Moving to a new state or city is one obvious situation, but there are a slew of other reasons why people leave their church and join another, or quit church altogether. What leads up to this point is perhaps, a can of worms to be opened.

I am writing this during the weekend where much of the Northeast (and some of the Southeast) of the United States is reeling from a series of blizzards that dumped 18-30 inches of snow. I just received a message from one church regarding how they are cancelling service in order to maintain some of the wisdom of keeping folks off the road. And while I do agree with keeping folks from driving in dangerous conditions, many of our weather-cancellation messages just stop at "don't come out this week, we'll pick up next week."

The last decade has seen both an avalanche of digital innovation and a responding flood of discussion about the ways that innovation is improving—or degrading—our lives. You've probably read or participated in plenty of discussions about whether or not ebooks are "better" than print books. As an employee of a book publishing company, I've seen publishers struggle, not always successfully, to identify which book-related behaviors can be replicated (or even improved) in a digital context.

Open source software is software that is basically free to use, change and share by anyone. Made by many people, it has the potential to become more than any one person or company could plan for. When it comes to church software, a number of open source solutions exist.

Monday morning starts, just like most mornings start. A cup of coffee, small chat with a few co-workers, and then head to your desk to get the day going. Most likely you do not even think about it. You push the power button on the desktop or tablet, wait a little bit, open a program or two and your church management software is up and running. There are profiles to update, events to create, emails to send, and a host of other responsibilities that you hope your ChMS can handle. You use this software every day, but do you really KNOW your church management software provider?

If your church's Facebook reach is declining, you're not alone. While there are several reasons for it, the bottom line is... Connecting with your followers is becoming more difficult.