There’s tons of stuff that you should be doing with your church website.

But at the base of it all, one of the most important things that matter are the 3 C’s for church websites:

1. CONTENT
2. CONTENT
3. CONTENT

Pastors and church webmasters are always struggling on how to churn out relevant content that will pull current church members back to the site more than the first week after announcing the website was revamped, relaunched, etc.

Surveys and polls are a great way, but most implementations to date have been awkward and non-optimal.  Here’s one that someone how gets people to answer multiple questions - it strangely works to get people to answer even looooooonnnnnng surveys with over 100+ questions.

What is the first survey you are going to set-up on your site after reading this post? Please feel free to link to the page on your website that includes a survey or poll to we can see examples in action.

Do you pray?

Mosaic Church has made the finalists in this year’s television commercial showdown sponsored by Doritos:

The church, led by Erwin McManus, has already won $25,000 for becoming one of the 6 finalists. The masses were invited to vote for their favorite over at www.crashthesuperbowl.com. And the winning tv commercial will not be announced until the actual Superbowl commercial is run during the Superbowl.

Erwin McManus explains in this video clip a little about their tv project, and why they want you to support their cause over at www.VoteForCasket.com

The 30-second spot is bringing a lot of attention to Mosiac Church. The big question of course is if this type of engagement with secular culture is worth it for the church and the Church (with a capital “C”). Of course, any church pursuing this sort of mass-media tactic to gain attention will garner a lot of support and criticism at the same time.

“Phil Cooke, a Christian producer, filmmaker and author has commented about Mosaic’s tv commercial:

Nobody’s going to fall on their knees and accept Jesus as a result of this spot. But advertisers on Madison Avenue spend millions on a Super Bowl spot because they know it influences people,” said Cooke, the producer. “It might not get someone converted, but I think it will get someone to say, ‘Maybe there is something I ought to investigate.“‘

source:FoxNews

I leave you with TWO QUESTIONS:

• What do you think of the actual tv commercial?
• Did Mosaic cross the line by spending their time, money and energy toward this contest?

Please share your reaction and thoughts in a blog comment below.

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UPDATE @ 7:09 PM SUPERBOWL SUNDAY. . . IT AIRED! Congratulations Mosaic Church, congratulations to the Church.

I have recently been mulling over a few concepts in order to publish a book over this next year and recently met Jeff through Twitter and blog. For many reasons, I believe self-publishing is a great option for those wishing to further their reach and influence. I asked Jeff if he could help introduce the concept of publishing a book to the pastors and ministry leaders who haven’t even considered it to begin with. Here’s his guest post — I’m interested in your thoughts regarding pastors publishing books…please read this post and then leave a comment below!

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With the start of the new year, agents and publishers alike are being deluged with record numbers of query letters and book proposal packages. But while publishing dreams are at an all-time high, the cold, hard truth is that not everyone will make the cut into the ranks of the commercially published. But that’s no reason to give up hope, keeping your message under wraps.

The self-publishing model is nothing new. From Martin Luther to Joyce Meyer, writers of all stripes have stepped up to take matters into their own hands in sharing their work with the world. And with the current array of technology to help both produce and promote their books, aspiring novelists, business owners, and yes, pastors too, are increasingly seizing upon a quick, efficient, and cost-effective way to reach their target markets.

While there’s no question that taking the traditional route over the self-publishing route garners an added level of prestige — no matter how imagined — the lines between approaches are increasingly blurred. In fact, there’s really only one core question separating the two: who fronts the money?

Here’s how it works: with the traditional model, the publisher, e.g. Thomas Nelson, commissions a team to have a book written, edited, designed, printed — and to some extent — marketed. The publisher pays an advance to the author on estimated future book sales, and in return, the publisher reaps 85-90% of the profit. And when you think about it, why shouldn’t they – it’s their investment!

In the self-publishing model, however, authors come up with their own funding for book production, promotion, and distribution, and as a result, stand to make 100% of the profit – depending on the company and services being utilized.

Granted, we’ve all seen material on the racks that we consider “not ready for primetime.” But that’s certainly a matter of opinion. With respect to your own work, you’re now empowered to make that call for yourself. If you believe in your message, and you invest the proper energy and resources to do it right, the self-publishing path can be a tremendously rewarding experience. And it’s especially true with pastors.

Here’s an introductory Q and A that may help you understand the process:

Is self-publishing expensive?
Not really. Any legitimate self-publishing service provider will offer reasonable rates for their services and expertise. In fact, we offer a special discount to pastors to help defray the costs.

Can pastors use existing sermons as source material for their books?
Absolutely. Many pastors are excellent orators, and we highly recommend playing to those strengths. We offer a transcription service to capture the message from a recorded sermon, which we then use to repurpose the content into book form.

Where is the best place to sell my book?
Congregations are often a great source of initial book sales. The book can also be used as an entryway to guest speaking engagements at other churches. Many large churches even have in-house bookstores that will carry a pastor’s book.

Bottom line: If you’re a pastor interested in spreading your message in 2010, self-publishing a book should be among the top methods on your list of considerations.

Have you ever thought about publishing a book? Leave a comment and share what you are thinking of doing next!

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Jeff Smith is a writer and publishing professional with Smith Publishing & Communications in Colorado Springs. He can be reached via his company website at www.smithps.com or via email at jeff@smithps.com.

Todd Rutherford and Ryan Sheehan of Yorkshire Publishing (www.yorkshirepublishing.com) also contributed to this article.

In the age of Facebook, Twitter, Digg and other digital modes of expression, the new Google generation is comfortable with blurring the lines between offline and online worlds.

“Doing church online” is not a big stretch for the up and coming digerati crowd. I’ve been attending the Internet Campus live worship experiences at LifeChurch.tv recently and feel connected to Pastor Brandon or some other brothers and sisters that I’ve met repeatedly during the iCampus worship experiences.

During the week, I trade Twitter tweets and post comments on blogs which explore tangential issues on a deeper level.

Just as in offline churches, the next step is building relationships that invest in each other’s lives based on trust, genuine love and fellowship. LifeChurch.tv is going about forming these LifeGroups amongst the hundreds and hundreds of worship experience participants who show up each week online.

Here’s one example of an Internet ministry that gets it right in reaching out. . . (more…)