You know about the front door, the one painted red. But you have three other doors as well. If you work all four doors, your church will grow and thrive.
I just received a year-end greeting from a Web service that I tried briefly last summer and then forgot about. And while I was writing that sentence, another arrived from a service that I stopped using over a year ago.
You don't need to remember Danny & the Juniors, the Beatles, Pearl Jam or even Red Hot Chili Peppers to know that churches are plying their trade in a rapidly and vastly changing world.
For ministers, elders and other church leaders seeking to create a Multichannel Church, perhaps the hardest challenge will be developing trust and letting go of control.
A recent personal experience affirms my observation that congregations won't thrive unless they have a consistent and extensive calling ministry, led by clergy who value calling more than attending meetings and doing judicatory business.
As congregations diversify their ministries, they want to pay special attention to the many tools and opportunities available online. This means Facebook and Twitter, but far more than such social media tools. It means a solid Web site, but used in new ways.
When you consider moving to a Multichannel Church operation — going beyond Sunday morning to add off-site, online, and other weekday ministries — you can expect at least six objections.
A friend and I were having lunch at a fabled restaurant in New York's Grand Central Terminal, when the eatery’s famous owner came out of the kitchen, trailed by two acolytes, and took an adjacent table.
Social media like Facebook and Twitter are changing our world, including how faith communities function. Opportunities abound to use them as a ministry communications tool.
