Virtual Prayer Meeting to Begin New Year
Church of God Prayer Ministries Coordinator P. Douglas Small will lead a national virtual prayer meeting to take place from Sunday, January 1, 2017 through Sunday, January 22.
Carmel Teens for Life Club Receives Wide Support
“As we celebrate the anniversary of the Bill of Rights, the Carmel Teens for Life Club learned that free speech cannot be taken for granted,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, which represents the high school students who lead the club.
Christmas Children’s Book Release: ‘A Nativity Christmas’
Just in time for Christmas, author Tawney Anderson has released her new children’s book: “A Nativity Christmas.” Tawney has combined her talents as a playwright and theater director to create a unique host of characters that bring this Christmas story to life. Combined with animal character illustrations, “A Nativity Christmas” creates theater of the mind that will leave a heart-warming impression in the minds of all children and their families, while exemplifying why we celebrate Christmas.
Ten Tax Developments that Affect Churches and Clergy
Several important tax developments in 2016 will affect 2017 tax reporting by ministers, church staff, and churches. Richard Hammar lists the top ten developments in the January/February issue of Church Law & Tax Report, including:
Prague Added to ‘Send the Light to the Cities’ Initiative
Prague, Czech Republic, has been added to Church of God World Missions’ emphasis on “Send the Light to the Cities.” Christ’s Birthday offerings will in part go toward a ministry center there.
Why Church Services Should be Live Streamed
There’s a persistent myth about church live streaming that needs to be put to rest: The idea that once you go live online, your members will stop coming to the services. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t have statistics; I can only give you my experience with the hundreds of churches we’ve worked with around the world.
By Phil Cooke
Over and over, as we help churches live stream their services, the actual Sunday attendance in the building goes up. In other words, putting your services out there online for others to see actually draws more to the Sunday service.
There are plenty of amazing live stream stories. I was speaking at a pastor’s conference in Oklahoma this year and met one pastor who preaches to 700 people in his congregation. But his live stream is viewed by an average of 10,000 people each week.
We worked with a large church in the Southeast who actually gets as much as one-third of its total income from the live stream audience. In fact, one Sunday, the pastor called me, excited to share that the previous Sunday, the church received more donations online than the congregation gave in the offering plate. That’s unusual, but it does happen.
Think for a minute about former members of your church who have moved but would like to stay in touch. Students who have left for college, business people in the congregation who travel. Missionaries you support. I can tell you that whenever my wife and I are on the road on a Sunday morning, she always opens up the laptop and watches the live-streamed service from our church.
The bottom line: There are millions of people outside the walls of your church who need to hear your message. Certainly you won’t reach all of them with your online service, but the fact is, if you’re holding back from doing a live stream, you won’t reach anyone beyond those walls.
If you’re a pastor or church leader interested in live streaming, ask any questions in the comment box, or contact our team. We want to see your message reach as many people as possible, and a live stream is a relatively inexpensive and effective way to make that happen.
Phil Cooke has produced media programming in nearly 50 countries around the world.
(Source: ministrytodaymag.com)
