I certainly believe so. We can see from the teachings of Jesus that there is an expectation of growth.  The parables of the talents and the sower clearly demonstrate that.  It is also obvious that they counted the number of people that were listening to Jesus during these teaching moments and that practice continued in the book of Acts.  However, I believe that often there are times that we are so focused on counting that we forget what we’re counting for.

As leaders we need to make sure we’re not counting to feed our egos or to feel a sense of personal accomplishment. We’re counting so we can effectively lead and make decisions in the best interests of those God has asked us to serve.

There are lots of tools out there to aid in tracking measures.  If your are in the market for a new database and your church can afford to spend some cash I’ve worked with both Fellowship One and People Driven Software and both services have good tools, that provide helpful reports, and they have solid customer service. However, if your strapped for cash and would like to use a free tool just to aid you with some broad measures Church Metrics may be the right tool for you.

Once again Leadership Network is pulling together some new voices around the country to encourage Christian leaders everywhere through this FREE online conference. The Leadership Network puts it this way, “Ideas come from everywhere. On March 3rd, you will be confronted with some of the best thoughts and ideas about the church that you have never thought of, from people you may have never heard of… yet.”

Here are some reasons you should participate in Aha!

• IT’S FREE – no cost to you or your church
• IT’S EASY – just login from any computer and enjoy
• IT’S REFRESHING – I get tired of hearing the same stories from the same leaders
• IT’S EXCITING – new leaders have new ideas
• IT’S COOL – any time you can win an i-pad, well that’s just cool…
• IT”S FREE – oh wait, did I already say it’s free???

To register – click here

To see the list of speakers – click here

While it’s still very early into Buzz’s life cycle, initial indications show that Google has a hit on its hands. Linking Buzz to Gmail’s millions of users has clearly brought people into the company’s new social domain.

Google has only released two numbers so far: there have been over 9 million posts and comments in about 56 hours, amounting to around 160,000 posts and comments per hour. That’s even more impressive if you consider the fact that most users didn’t get Buzz until Wednesday the 10th.

The other number: over 200 mobile check-ins per minute, nearly 300,000 mobile check-ins per day.

Those numbers are simply stellar.

I think what is making Google Buzz take off is the fact that it is directly embedded as a part of Gmail.  This makes it user friendly, easy to access, and even links to other tools like twitter, and flickr. Here is a video Google recently released to provide some more detail:

“The worst effects are emotional… no smiles on the street and a sense of despair.”

Haiti needs hope.  Yes, as Christians we need to help with disaster relief, we need to lead our nation and the world in providing water, food, and medical care but we also need to share Jesus.  Haiti needs hope and that is where organizations like Faith Comes By Hearing are doing some great things.  They are partnering with disaster relief organizations to bring hope to Haiti through the distribution of solar powered audio bibles. 

Not only do I love the idea but I love the technology. The other wonderful thing about their approach is that  literacy doesn’t stand in the way.  With the use of these audio bibles there is no need for batteries and even those that are uneducated can still hear the message of hope that God has for them.  Currently the organization distrubutes audio bibles in two ways.  On is through the Bible Stick which is basically an mp3 player that is compact, easy to use and practically indistructable.  They also distrubute a version of these units to military personnel in the battlefield.

To get an idea of what a bible stick looks like you can preview their bible stick for kids below…

To help on an even greater scale in Haiti Faith Comes By Hearing has designed a solar powered audio bible that has the kind of amplification needed to play audio for up to 300 people to listen to a life changing message. So not only are they distributing audio Bibles to the US military and numerous countries around the world, but they also have over 400 different versions available for download and distribution.

“Faith Comes By Hearing is committed to reaching the nations with the Word of God in Audio, offering the Bible in a format that will connect with the world’s 50% illiterate population.” 

Click here to learn more about their work, how your donation can provide people with hope, and make a difference in Haiti or other parts of the world.

Is God Mac or PC?

That is, up in heaven, is he cranking away on a Mac or a PC? Does he love the iPhone or is he currently listening to Michael W. Smith’s greatest hits on a Zune? Does he have a little apple sticker stuck anywhere?

I feel like lists work well on blogs, so let’s break it down list style and weigh all the facts.

1. Macs are beautiful and glimmery white in their design. Christ and God are always represented as the “light of the world.” PCs are often dark. God is definitely a Mac.

2. As soon as you own an iPhone you start to feel a potpourri of pity and shame for anyone who does not own one. Someone whips out a Blackberry and you immediately, smugly think inside, “That poor person. Pushing on physical keys. The horror.” God doesn’t like that arrogance. God is a PC.

3. Apple makes real efforts to improve the planet and recycle their products. God loves that. God is a Mac.

4. Apple is notorious for rejecting apps that people try to put on the iPhone. God doesn’t reject anyone. God is definitely a PC.

5. PCs are often plagued by viruses and crashes. Much like sin, God hates that. God is definitely a Mac.

6. Mac commercials are constantly mocking people who use PCs. God hates mockery. God is definitely a PC.

7. You don’t have to learn a complicated operating system to use a Mac. You turn it on and go. Same with God. Repentance and salvation are not complex systems designed to confuse people. God’s a Mac.

8. PCs are constantly needing to be upgraded and updated with the latest software and operating systems. Just like sanctification. You are constantly changing and being renewed. God’s a PC.

9. Macs take a very holistic approach to computing. There’s iLife and iTunes and iPhone. They all work together seamlessly. Just the way God wants to be integrated into every part of our life. God’s a Mac.

10. Some people treat Apple’s Steve Jobs like he’s God in a mock turtle neck. Turns out God is not cool with that. God’s a PC.

11. Macs are very intuitive. When you want to do something, you don’t look up how to do it, you just do it. With a PC, things are often backwards. When you want to shut down for instance, you have to click “Start.” The Bible is very intuitive too. Proverbs lays out pages of simple wisdom that just makes sense. God is a Mac.

12. Macs are all about outside appearances. They look fantastic. But God cares more about what’s inside. Macs are too vain. God’s a PC.

13. Macs make music easy to enjoy. They’re more artistic and often the choice of graphic designers and photographers. God is a great fan of the arts, as evidence by the colorful sunsets and sunrises he paints each day. God’s a Mac.

14. Macs are really expensive. God’s not. He paid the cost. He paid the debt we owed to him. God’s a PC.

15. The Mac logo, an apple with a bite out of it, is reminiscent of our fall from grace in the garden of Eden and God’s forgiveness of us. God’s a Mac.

16. The Gates Foundation has given millions and millions of dollars to help people around the world. God’s all about generosity. God’s a PC.

17. Apple stores are not designed like traditional retail outlets, but are more like aesthetic sanctuaries. They’re practically consumer churches. God’s a Mac.

18. Mac is constantly teasing us with information. There is a tablet. There’s not a tablet. God, on the other hand, is much more direct with his love and purpose in our lives. God’s a PC.

There’s the list and I’ve got to tell you, I’m stuck. I have a PC desktop and an Apple laptop. I don’t know who to score this one as anything other than a tie. How about you?

You can read more of Jon’s funny stuff or even buy his book by clicking here.

Is God a Mac or a PC?

What evidence would you offer to support or deny either decision?

The best part for you… no more listening to long voicemail messages!!!  Google Voice transcribes all your voicemail into an email.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier this had made things for me.  My voicemail hits my blackberry as an email and I can click through and call that number back if I need to return the call.  SOOOOOooooo convenient.  If your still now just beginning to catch on, watch the video below for a simple explanation:

Now here is where it gets better, If you’re smart your already thinking, “But my caller ID will still show up, they won’t see my new Google Voice number.”  That is where the nifty application comes in.  If you are using a Blackberry or Google Android phone, this app fixes everything.  Using the app you have access to your entire address book and you place calls through the application instead and PRESTO – your caller ID number that is displayed is your Google number.  Again, here is a video that explains it quite simply:

Click here to learn more about Google Voice

- If 96% of Gen-Y has joined a social network… social media is not a fad.

- If social media has kicked pornography out as the #1 activity on the web… social media is not a fad

- If facebook added more than 100 million users in 9 months… social media is not a fad.

- If 80% of companies are using Linkedin to find employees… social media is not a fad.

Watch the video below for more great statistics on social media:

Tweetdeck – by far my favorite twitter tool for my PC.  It allows me to group the people I follow to make things so much easier.  As you can see in the picture below, I set up 5 columns:

1. Must Read – these are people I want to follow closely and do my best to catch everything they write.  For me, this group includes ministry leaders, key people in technology, close friends, family, and our church staff.
2. All Friends – this is a column with everyone I follow on twitter.  I do look at this column but I don’t read everything.
3. Direct Messages – twitter is basically a public conversation… However, you can send private messages and this column keeps me up to date on those messages.
4. Mentions – Anytime people mention you on twitter it hits this column.  On twitter when you use someones username like, @chiapperino, they are certain to see it and it makes it easy to maintain a conversation.  Just remember it’s still public!
5. Twitscoop – This column is a function that tweetdeck has built in to let you know trending topics on the public timeline.  It displays key words to let you know what people are talking about.  To give you an example, this is how I found out Farve was playing football again!

Twitterfeed – Do you blog?  If so, this is an easy way to have you blog posts hit your twitter account automatically letting others that follow you on twitter know you have posted something new on your page.

Ubertwitter – a great application for the blackberry that makes it quick and easy to stay in touch with friends on twitter and send tweets!

Twubble- trying to figure out who you should be following on twitter?  Twubble tries to “help you expand your twitter bubble.”  By giving twubble access to your twitter account it looks through your friends on twitter and looks at who they follow to give you suggestions.  Great tool that you may want to give a try…

WeFollow- On online directory of twitter users.  If you are on twitter you should register here and it is also another place to find people that have similar interests, careers, or hobbies.

If there any twitter apps that you find helpful please share them below and fill me in!

Click here to follow me on twitter.

Key components to a great church website:

1. Less is more – don’t bombard me with every ministry on the homepage, everyone doesn’t need to know about your underwater basket-weaving class!

2. Don’t make me scroll – long web pages are lame.  I don’t want to scroll forever into a bottomless web pit, remember i can click… my mouse has buttons!

3. KISS – keep it simple stupid!  Ok, so I stole that one from my Sgt. in the military, but it works.  If you can’t make it easy than dont do it.  Complicated parts of websites just make the user frustrated, so if it can’t be simple than leave it out!

4. Use a simple CMS (content management system).  There are great tools out there like wordpress and joomla that are free! This means you can update the info regularly with out a pro doing it for you. If it is not easy for you to use then you wont want to bother maintaining it.

5. Relevant information – KEEP YOUR WEBSITE UP TO DATE!!!  Don’t tell me about the Christmas party that is coming up when it already happened 6 months ago!

If you’d like to see some great church websites Ministry CSS keeps a superb list.  You can take a look at some of them by clicking here.

Your church should be on facebook. Plain and simple. Just in 2009 facebook has grown 276% in users aging from 35-54 (reported here) so you can’t ignore this communication tool.

1. Effective Communication – People are already using it. One challenge that we constantly face in ministry is the competition for people’s attention.  I think it is hard for those on the receiving end to weed through the daily information overload and actually figure out what is important.  Instead of sending people more snail mail and e-mail to sort through why not use a tool they are already using to aid in the communication process.  With more and more people connecting on facebook it is an easy way for churches to stay in touch with our congregation and the community.

2. Share Photos – People love to see pictures of something they were a part of, plus great pictures can be a tool for people to show their friends how much fun a church can be!

3. Share Video – Facebook makes video so easy.  Not only can you quickly record off your pc camera to share a video message on facebook but you can also embed links to great tools like Vimeo and YouTube.  We currently use Vimeo since our messages are now in HD and YouTube limits your video to 10 minutes in length.

4. Connection Point – Church websites are great, but lets face it, a church website is a one way conversation.    When people visit your fan page on facebook they can see regular people, just like them, posting thoughts, sharing photos, and interacting with one another.

5. Easy Invitation - Since facebook makes it so easy for a conversation in an online environment, it can also be a great way for your people to invite others to church. When new people see your church on facebook and begin using your fanpage as a “connection point” it can really make the unfamiliar seem more familar, thus helping people muster up the courage to visit on a Sunday.

6. Staff Visibility – As churches grow larger, it can be challenging for the average person that attends church to know who does what on your staff.  Encouraging your church staff and key leaders to use facebook and interact with the church page can be a great way for people to learn about your team and other serving opportunities in your church.

7. Its Fun – If you make the choice to have fun with it, you can have a great time on facebook.  Even if you had an ugly past and don’t want to re-connect with people from your past you can still have fun using facebook to deepen relationships in the present!

8. Celebrate Success – Sometimes in ministry I feel like we spend so much time focusing on areas we need to improve, that we forget to celebrate what we’re doing right.  When interacting on facebook, you can see first hand the impact that a worship service or event has had on others.  You actually end up with a documented timeline of events after you’ve been at it a while, which makes it easy to remember and reference the good times!

9. Rally The Troops – After you’ve got a good following, facebook can be an easy way to communicate a need quickly.  Since many check the website at least once per day, or some even through their cell phones, you can get quite a quick response.  Sometimes even in just a few minutes!

10. ITS FREE – Oh… did I say its free?  Yep, you can do facebook for free, just like the people that already use it in your church… so what are you waiting for?

All you need to do is first set up your own facebook account, if you don’t already have one… then click here to create your own fan page!

If you can think of some other good reasons share them below or I’d love to connect with you onfacebook or twitter!

Other releated posts:

• Merging Social Media and Minsitry
• Twitter – Should You Try It?
• Five Reasons Pastors Should Use Twitter
• Social Networking For Small Groups