Seminaries face unique challenges. Secular universities and colleges are up to their eyeballs in the new world of communications that include social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. There are few if any filters on these offerings and they generally pose more problems for a seminary environment than they do solutions.

Does that mean that seminaries are to be left in the Dark Ages with regard to communication? Let’s hope not. One of the main needs for future pastors and church leaders is to be in constant communication with their peers and to learn how to best handle the church congregation of the 21^st century. It ain’t like your grandaddy’s church anymore .

One way that future church leaders can be prepared is to have more modern means of communication within the seminary environment itself. Of course you can provide courses to help students learn the ins and outs of how the new world communicates (and even reads the Bible for that matter) but there is nothing like learning by doing.

While seminaries are often strapped for capital to implement these types of programs there are now web based software apps that can help facilitate the communication necessary to help them grow as leaders. Of course, MemberHub is one of those options (you didn’t expect me to not say anything about that now did you?).

Here are 3 very simple yet powerful applications for web based communication tools that should be considered.

1. Classes can have collaborative activities that strengthen their learning and help to reinforce what is covered in the class
2. Seminary wide communication can be taken beyond just e-mail lists and there can more information disseminated in a more efficient and effective manner
3. Seminary staff and departments can have greater continuity with less face to face meetings and more time doing what they do best; equipping.

Is your seminary living in the past in the way that it communicates with students and staff? Could there be greater learning and preparing taking place if there were quicker and cleaner communication for these groups? Could seminaries be using software to help improve communications and prepare students for using technology once they go out to shepherd their flocks?

We think so. Tell us what you think.

In the last week I have gleaned a stronger vision for what I think churches really want from online technology. They just don’t know it.

Social media, social networking, Facebook, Twitter…churches are being bombarded by a slew of social technologies and online tools to help build “community” and connect their members and staff. It’s absolutley mind-boggling how fast all this technology is moving and being adopted. Churches are looking around asking not only What? but also Why?

Churches are hiring consultants to come in and establish a social media plan for their church. In the words of Lee Corso (ESPN’s College Gameday) “Not so fast, my friend”. The market is flooded with social media gurus who simply aren’t *that* at all. Be careful before you pay someone to teach you about social media that takes your money and provides no value. Or perhaps even worse, plugs your church into the grid, only to find out that it doesn’t line up with your church’s vision and value. Churches are being advised to put together a plan and execute it accordingly. But so many churches and other organizations act without really, really thinking about what they want.

What I’m hearing is that churches definitely want private online groups for their ministries, small groups, teams and staff. Internally, churches want to use the power of the internet for logistics, planning, coordinating and communicating. But the other big one that some churches don’t even realize they want or need right now is the ability to communicate with other churches! Learn from other churches, share resources with other churches, and generally learn from each other. After all this is what this “social” media thing is really all about…the sharing of information, ideas and networking. And if churches are sharing information and strategies isn’t this a good thing for the Kingdom? I think so.

What do you think? What does your church use social networking or online technology for? What do you want to see with online technology for churches? What do you think about partnering with and sharing with other churches as opposed to competing against them?

It’s been a while coming, but we have now received our first bit of press on MemberHub.com. We began looking for an outlet to let church pastors, administrators and small group leaders learn about MemberHub about 2 months ago. We then stumbled upon ChurchCrunch. After exploring their blog and the various write-ups and commentary, I quickly learned that this was exactly what we were looking for; a focused platform for folks involved in ministry to “explore the intersection of technology and the church”.

We really appreciate the review and we’re also very exited for John and the folks at ChurchCrunch. Their active, participating readership is growing exponentially and I think it’s exactly what this community has been searching for. We’re looking forward to keeping the readers over at ChurchCrunch up to speed on all our updates and improvements to MemberHub. I also look forward to being an active participate to the digital conversation taking place at churchcrunch.com.

We’d like to point out the offer that we’ve extended to ChurchCrunch readers. On the MemberHub signup page you may enter the coupon code: churchcrunch0129. This coupon code will work through March 31, 2009 and will lock you in on the introductory rate of 10 cents per member per month for 12 months.

Thanks again John!

How many small, independent groups do you have in your church or non-profit?

• How many small group Bible studies?
• How many adult ministries?
• How many children ministries?
• How many groups of leaders?
• How many groups with common interests?
• How many teams of volunteers?
• How many teams of {fill in the blank}?

Are these groups using readily available online tools to communicate, coordinate and collaborate? Are they all using something different?  Some of them likely use Yahoo! Groups or Facebook. Many just use e-mail and Microsoft Word.

Wouldn’t it be nice if each group used the same tool? Should you provide your groups with the solution so that you can connect with each of them, manage them and track them? Each of your ministries would have their own calendar with automtaic event reminders. Each of your committee’s would have a central place to communicate. Each of your small groups would get their own mailing list to create discussions, share ideas, plan and communicate.

Is it time that you connect your organization and members and begin to help your members be organized, centralized and connected…so that they can leave time for real community?

Lot’s of questions! What are you thoughts?

Like a-bazillion others, around the world, I want to share my experience with Twitter. I’m really impressed with its usefulness thus far. I think it has far-reaching implications for all types of people, organizations, causes and relationships. New benefits are being revealed every day and they can be realized by churches, non-profits and all types of organizations! I haven’t really started my Twitter usage in earnest yet. I have 46 followers…whoop-de-do (I don’t know how to spell that). I have a feeling that the growth of MemberHub has much to do with how well we’re able to embrace internet marketing, social media and in particular Twitter. I want to share with others my experience along the way with Twitter so that others can see just what it’s able to do for MemberHub.

Here at MemberHub we are just now learning how to use social media and are ramping up our internet marketing campaign. Frank Reed, an SMB social media guru, has encouraged us to use all the social media marketing weapons available. Millee and I have both started to follow people on Twitter and take advantage of the “after-market” tools availble to really make Twitter work for you. We want to follow, learn from and ultimately contribute to the church technology and non-profits industry. Particularly, how can churches, small-groups, and assoications benefit from using technology to centralize, organize and unite staff AND members.

So…using Twollo, Millee is now following 353 people as of today at 3:00pm EST. Just yesterday, she started following a Christian Educator in Texas who has many connections to pastors and the faith-based community. Well he saw that Millee was following him on Twitter. For those of you who don’t know, when someone begins to follow you on Twitter, you get an e-mail notification with a link to the follower’s profile. This gentleman helps pastors implement a discipleship process that embraces the importance of small-groups within the church. Well upon viewing Millee’s profile in Twitter he learned that she was on the MemberHub team and went to our website. He then noticed our emphasis on connecting multiple small-groups and providing membership managment and decided that he’d contact us. 

Millee and I called him and there really appears to be a great opportunity for us to partner and provide value-added service for our clients. It was so encouraging and the opportunity to help this fellow and the pastors that he consults with is really exciting! I’ll let you know how it goes.

I am also impressed today by a Church Technology Evangelist by the name of Anthony Coppedge. I started following Anthony a few days ago because of our similar interest in technology and churches. Today he posted a tweet (a message in Twitter) to all his followers saying that he needed to do some brainstorming.

Then a few minutes later Anthody posted another tweet providing a link to a live audio and video chat room using TokBox.com. Unfortunately I missed the chat, but in less than 15 minutes he was able to announce and begin a real live chat with people that share similar interests and concerns over the church technology industry and brainstorm with colleagues that he’s never met (presumably). That is REAL cool! I’m going to sit in on the next one and try to learn from him and others in this space. Maybe I’ll even be able to contribute. Anthony is about to launch an E-Book titled “The Reason Your Church Must Use Twitter”.

I’m looking forward to that book and have begun to formulate thoughts on how church pastors in particular really need to use Twitter.