Discover how to leverage technology in your church

If you’ve spent time on Instagram, you probably know that almost every day of the week has a hashtag to accompany it. For example, there’s #ThrowbackThursday (endless baby pictures), #FlashbackFriday (last weekend’s lake pictures), and #SundayFunday (mimosas and bloody marys).

If these are foreign concepts to you, count yourself lucky!

Basically, there’s an unofficial schedule to indicate what pictures to post when, and most people follow it; they’ll save their baby picture for Thursday rather than posting it on Monday.

The concept of scheduling social media posts is not inherently a bad one, and it does apply to your church (although hopefully you’re not posting too many embarrasing baby pictures of your pastor).You should have a general schedule for posting that you stick to throughout the week.

I hate Comic Sans.

Truly. I do. And just about everyone in the world agrees with me!

“But Comic Sans is fun!” you protest.

I’m going to stop you right there.

Its curved sides and round handwriting script were originally designed to resemble comic book text (hence the name), and I’m even hesitant to allow it to be used in comic books because it simply isn’t the best out there.

You can like Comic Sans and use it for your family Christmas card, but it really has no place on your church website or any documents you produce professionally.

In The Social Network (2010), which is arguably my favorite movie of all time, Mark Zuckerberg tells his best friend about his initial idea for what would eventually become Facebook: “I’m talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online.”

I’ve always enjoyed going in church offices.

As a teenager, I became very involved in activities at my church, in everything from the youth group to mission trips to even attending meetings with the Board of PR Communications. It’s safe to say I visited the church office more than most people my age.

The office was closed on Sundays, making it look dark and gloomy, but during the week, it had such a friendly and happy feel. Our church secretaries, Mrs. Geighes and Mrs. Moll, would smile and greet me, asking what was new with me and how my family was doing. Then they’d happily go back to their work. I thought it must be a really fun place to work!

Have you ever felt like your church kills an entire forest printing its weekly bulletins? Liturgy, songs, entire Bible passages, announcements, and all of the prayer requests are added, until the bulletin begins to resemble a beginner’s chapter book.

Using a content management system (CMS) can help condense your bulletin or just expand and update your website. A CMS allows you to distribute frequently updated information, and it makes sure people actually see it. Your visitors can subscribe to this content, which means they will receive instant email notifications when you post new information.

When my wife and I were shopping for a new (used) car a few years ago, we had a list of “must-haves.” We need a car that I (being 6' 4") could fit in, but one that wasn't too big for my wife (who is 5' 1"). Of course, a roomy backseat was needed (as we wanted to start a family), as well as a large trunk for storage. We reviewed many different cars, and, with this list of qualities in mind, found a car that we’ve had ever since.

If you’ve ever been in charge of volunteers, you’ve experienced one of the most stressful jobs in a church. People are prone to forget or cancel on a moment's notice, and while they often come full of energy, that excitement wanes after a few hours out in the hot sun.

So how can your church recruit and retain volunteers? Whether you’re looking for help with a one-time project or for someone to offer support on a regular basis, here are a few ideas to make the most of your eager volunteers.

Whenever my parents are expecting visitors, my mom cleans. She cleans the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, and, when I was a kid, she even asked me to clean my room! My response? “But mooooooom, the guests aren’t going eat dinner in my room!” Mature, I know.

Now that I'm an adult, I get it. I like my house clean too. And, just like your house (or your church), your website should be clean and uncluttered. Luckily, this kind of cleaning doesn’t require Clorox or rubber gloves—just a few quick tips. You can simplify your website in no time!

Meetings have a bad reputation, especially in churches. They are stereotypically long, boring, and unfocused. They seem to revolve around the details of running a church, like finances and schedules, rather than how the church is sharing the Gospel.

What I have found in my experience in the church, as well as in a corporate environment, is that people really don't dislike meetings; they just don't like unproductive meetings.

Awkward situations are... well... awkward. Nobody likes these moments, whether it's watching someone show up late or hearing a person call someone else by the wrong name. These situations become even more awkward when you're directly involved and become almost unbearable when you're experiencing them alone.