Once your small group ministry grows beyond a few groups you’re going to need new capabilities:

• a system that makes it easy 24/7 to find a small group to join
• a way to communicate with your leaders
• a way to evaluate the health of your system

Church Teams has all three and two of the three are pretty distinctive.  To the best of my knowledge, no other small group management system has them.

1. The Finder enables connection from your website, is simple to use, and has some very nice features.  It allows you to easily search the available groups by day of the week, zip code and type of group.  In addition, the new Facebook look provides an easy-to-understand list of the groups that meet your search criteria.
2. Reminder: A real distinctive, ChurchTeams has a built-in system that establishes communication with every leader.  An automated email is sent to every leader as follow-up to their meetings, allowing leaders to provide feedback on some very important aspects of grouplife.  With keen insight into the situation, the developers understood that although management wants accurate reporting of attendance, the last thing leaders care about is reporting attendance.  Leaders use this feature to enter prayer requests, meeting notes, and attendance (including guest and visitors) and are able to send a recap to their members (with their coach copied).  A definite win/win and a very nice approach.
3. Another real distinctive is the Summary, which helps staff to coach or coordinate through analytics (automated reports), providing a helpful overview of the ministry in general and every group in particular.  Developed by a concerned user in Seattle (a Microsoft employee and a volunteer small group director), this feature sends a snapshot once a month that staff can use to evaluate the health of the system.

I think one of the best aspects to the ChurchTeams product is the fact that its founders are small group practitioners.  That’s huge!  They get the issues that underlie small group ministry.  In our conversation, Boyd recounted the story of a group member that told him, “I’d often see the email and just delete it.  One time I opened it up and saw that I was marked ‘absent.’  Then I noticed that the group prayed for me.  This email is how I even know my church cared about me.”  Boyd continued, “As pastors, we care about every member but we can’t shepherd everyone.  The email every week took me out of the dark ages into the 21st century.”

Another very important aspect of the ChurchTeams product is their personalized approach to customer service.  Although they’ve been around for a number of years (they were the first web-based small group ministry specific tool I used), they remain very committed to a personal approach and have many raving fans around the country.  Additionally, customer requests have encouraged them to develop a more comprehensive church management system in the last 2 1/2 years.

Next Steps and a Great Offer:

• Take a look at the Grace Family Church website to get a look at ChurchTeams in action.
• Find out more about ChurchTeams by signing up for a webinar with founder, Boyd Pelley.
• Test it out by signing up for a free 30 day trial.  Be sure and take advantage of a very important offer for readers here at MarkHowellLive.  On the 30 day free trial page, enter MHL100 for a $100 discount on your setup fee should you choose to continue (Offer good through 12/01/10).

I had a chance recently to connect with Andy Ivankovich, the founder of UpperRoom Technologies, and take a look at the newest version of Groups Interactive (A friend of mine from Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, where Max Lucado pastors, put me onto  UpperRoom a couple years back).  I saw several things that will be really helpful…for lots of churches.  Their new version is even easier to setup, has a very good search function, can be easily added to your existing website, and best of all…is really affordable.

I asked Andy what prompted the leaner, simpler version.  Here’s what he told me:  “While working with small group pastors around the country over the past four years we’ve gained what we think is a really valuable insight into what works and what doesn’t in a small group application.  In 2006, we saw an explosion in all things social networking including software applications for the Church.  Approaches that sounded good at the time, didn’t work out as well in practice or even match up with human behavior.  In some cases, larger more complex systems called for time intensive management at the church level that hurt more than it helped (emphasis mine).”  Like many of you, I knew just what he was talking about!

He went on to say, “One of the biggest lessons learned is that internet users have a limited amount of time to spend online.  This time is almost always going to be used where they can have the most contact with the most people.   A survey conducted by churchwebsiteguide.com found that 88% of respondents use the internet on a daily basis but only 5.6% of them visit their church website often.  When we saw those figures we realized that instead of trying to bring members into a church login system, churches need to do a better job of leveraging existing social networks to facilitate small group communication.”

He added that “since the majority of communication is happening within social networks, we’ve turned our attention to helping churches make finding a small group really easy.  Once members are in a group…they can communicate in whatever way is easiest for their members.”

As I looked at the new version, four big ideas jumped out at me right away.  I bet they will for a lot of churches:

First, the setup is really easy. In fact, setting up Groups Interactive is almost as simple as using it.  An administrator can either set the system up manually or by using the easy import tool.  If your groups are already part of a church management system they can be imported straight from there.  Since it doesn’t create a second database…it plays well with others.

Second, I was impressed by the visual search capabilities. Giving users multiple ways to find a group (zip code, type of group, specific tags, etc.) and tying neatly into a package powered by Google Maps, finding a group is a simple process.

Third, the new version is really streamlined on cost as well. At $50 per month (with a $100 discount for churches that pre-pay for a full year), it is very affordable.

Last, it can be easily integrated into an existing website. Copy and paste a little bit of code into the page on your site that will contain the small group finder and you’re in business.  Very nice.

Want to know more?  You can Email Desmond Lewis or call him at 210-639-6800 to set up a short demo to show you how Groups Interactive can help your small groups ministry.

Want the latest ideas in small group ministry?  Sign up right here to get my updates.

In the last couple weeks we’ve been talking about using technology to enhance grouplife in your church.  Blogs, Facebook and Twitter and eNewsletters all can make communication with your leaders easier.  Using a web-based survey tool can help you understand needs and next steps.  Here’s a little bit on why it makes sense, which tools to consider, and some ideas on how to use the tool.

Why Surveying Make Sense

Whether you have 10 leaders or 100, you can gather important insights by surveying.  I’m not discounting the value of individually talking with leaders.  It’s just that the way you ask the questions and the setting you’re in will make a difference in how they answer.  At the same time, a focus group or discussion with a group of your leaders will usually yield some helpful ideas and information, but the privacy offered by surveying adds a nice element.

As your small group ministry grows, it will become much easier to get feedback from a larger percentage by using a survey of some kind and a web-based survey allows easy access (it can be emailed to your leaders or linked from a web page or blog).  Depending on the kind of information you’re gathering, you can share the results with your leaders.

Survey Tools to Consider

SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang are probably the two most popular tools.  Both offer a free version that will work for many survey needs.  Depending on the size of your congregation, upgrading to a pay-as-you-go plan often makes sense since they can be used for all ministries (including guest follow-up).

Types of Surveys

A number of different surveys can be used to enhance grouplife.  I’ve used a survey to establish a baseline understanding of how groups function on arriving at a new church by including questions about:

• how long your group has been meeting?
• how often do you meet?
• how did you start?
• how many different people take a turn hosting?
• how many different homes (or locations) do you meet in?

I’ve also surveyed my leaders on curriculum preferences and needs, curriculum review, leadership development ideas, and service project interest.

Survey Design Tips

Both SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang include a variety of prefabricated survey templates about customer service, employee feedback, and event planning.  Although you can learn from the provided templates…you’ll want to learn to develop your own.  Here are some keys:

1. Determine in advance whether you’d like to be able to follow up with anyone.  If you do, you’ll want to include a question that inputs name, email, etc.
2. Learn to take advantage of skip logic in the design of your survey.  Skip logic allows you to set up questions that segment your responders into groups (i.e., currently leading, no longer leading, taking a break, etc.).  A question that segments can lead to pages that are only applicable to that group.
3. Some questions can be “required” and others made optional.
4. Add “other” as an option to allow unexpected responses.
5. Keep the survey as short as possible.  Surveys that are too long will discourage responders.

How are you communicating with your small group leaders, co-leaders, hosts, facilitators, etc.?  Are you able to go straight to all of them?  Are you mailing a newsletter?  Are you limited to the ones you can personally call?  Or are you relying on a “pick up a flyer next time you’re in the lobby” strategy?

With the predominance of the web it’s very important to develop an easily updated 24/7 presence (think website, blog or Facebook).  A static presence that is available even when you’re not is a key to good communication.  It’s a key…but it’s not enough.  It’s not enough because websites, blogs and Facebook all depend on the visitor visiting.  Blogs and Facebook deserve an asterisk on this point, because they can be set to notify the subscriber that there’s been an update…but that’s where we get to the advantage of email or an enewsletter.

Advantages of an eNewsletter

Sending a group email or an eNewsletter has a couple key advantages:

• They don’t depend on the visitor visiting.  The reader still has to open them up…but they’re delivered straight to the subscriber.
• They can be pushed to the subscriber and include strategic links that pull them back to the blog or website.

Available Resources

There are several easy-to-use, template based, eNewsletter technologies.  All of them are relatively inexpensive or free.  Here are a few of the most popular:

• Constant Contact is probably the best known and is easy to use and get started.
• iContact.com is another pay-as-you-go service that is customizable and inexpensive.
• MailChimp is relatively new and slightly more hands-on in terms of design…but it’s free for lists of less than 500 subscribers.

Keys to eNewsletter Effectiveness

• Data accuracy: maintaining your email list is very important.  Prompt management of any bounces should be a regular part of your process.
• Awareness of the ‘open rate.’  If you’re sending 100 emails and only 37 of them are opened…you need to find out why and work to increase the open rate.  A three of the above services include this feature (even MailChimp which is free).
• An eNewsletter is very effective when it’s used in combination with a blog or website.  The eNewsletter can feature 2 or 3 line blurbs that include a link back to the blog or website to read more.
• Use pictures or graphic images to make your point.  All of the services above make it easy to add pictures.
• Make a plain text version of your eNewsletter available.  For users with dial-up, this is a helpful step.

To get the full picture on using technology to enhance grouplife, make sure you take a look at all the articles in this series:

• Technology: Tools That Enhance GroupLife
• How To Get Started Using a Blog To Resource Leaders
• Boost Your Blog Participation with These 3 Tools
• Using Facebook and Twitter To Enhance GroupLife

Don’t want to miss future updates?  Be sure you’re signed up to get the update!

One of the most important cultural trends right now is the widespread use of social media.  And before you think it’s only for teens, a February 2009 report showed that the fastest growing segment on Facebook was women over 55.  A March 2009 report showed that the biggest growth by segment was users over 35 (which doubled).  What’s the message?  If you’re not using Facebook, you’re missing out on a way to connect and communicate with the adults in your congregation.

Now that we’ve settle that…how will you use Facebook?  There are at least a couple ways you should be considering.  First, it’s easy to set up your own Facebook account.  In addition, Facebook has made it pretty easy to create a page for your church or pages for your multisite church.

LifeChurch.tv has recently unveiled a Facebook page for each of their campuses, allowing the individual campus to provide better communication about campus specific events and activities.  For example, the Oklahoma City campus of LifeChurch.tv already had its own home page within the main website (here it is).  They also now have a Facebook page devoted to campus specific goings on (here it is).

Along with a post on their own Facebook journey, LifeChurch.tv has also released a series of training videos on how to post an event or activity on your Facebook page.  You’ll also find a step-by-step series by Nick Shoemaker at ChurchCrunch that will make it even easier for you to move to Facebook.

In addition to being able to post campus specific events and activities, Facebook offers a very important advantage.  Anytime you add an event it will send a message to everyone who is a fan.  Can your regular website do that?  If more and more of your adults are already online and connected, why not take advantage of that?

Twitter has a related benefit in that it allows you to tweet a short update (140 characters max) that is received by everyone who “follows” you.  It can be easily updated from a cell phone, making it a great way to send an intraday message to everyone who follows you…and you don’t have to be at a computer.  In addition, because the Twitter follower determines how they receive updates from you…they don’t necessarily have to be at a computer to get the update.  It can be set to come to their phone.

Like Facebook, you can have a separate personal and church account on Twitter.  It’s super easy to get started.  And it’s free.

You can follow me on Twitter right here and Facebook right here.  I hope you’ll come along.  More importantly, I hope you’ll take advantage of Facebook and Twitter to enhance group grouplife in your church!  Already using them?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll follow you!

If you missed my article on Using Technology to Enhance GroupLife, you can read it right here.

Once you’ve built your blog you need to take advantage of three services that will really boost your awareness of who is reading what you’re writing.  Best of all…they’re all free!

Clicky

Clicky is a free service that allows you to easily track blog usage during the day.  It’s not hard to set up and is available even with Blogger.  I use it on all my blogs as a way to watch traffic and see what people are reading.  Here’s more about it and here’s how to integrate it into your blog.

Feedburner

Next, let me tell you about Feedburner.  One of the things you’ll definitely want to do is make it possible for your readers to sign up to get an update whenever you add a post to your blog.  Most blog platforms (Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, etc.) have that as an included feature using their service.  They also make it possible for you to offer an improved capability through the free service Feedburner.  When I direct you to sign up to get the update…I’m using Feedburner for 2 of the 3 ways you can sign up here at MarkHowellLive.com.  Here’s more on the what and why about Feedburner.

Google Analytics

Another great free service that you’ll want to integrate into your blog is Google Analytics.  If you’d like to see where your readers come from and what they read while they’re on your blog…this is the best free way to do it.  It’s easy to install with pretty thorough instructions.

A Last Word on Tools

Admittedly, these tools may seem like an unnecessary addition.  After all, for a blog offering always-on info to your leaders…what more do you care about than that they can read what’s there?  And I guess that’s true as far as it goes.  But I’ll say this…with Clicky, Feedburner, and Google Analytics you’ll know what’s happening and how many of your leaders are actually reading what you write.

What’s the easiest way to make information available to the leaders in your system?  I think you’ll find that a blog is an easy to start resource that’s always-available, makes it easy to share, and offers some huge advantages over almost every other method.

Easy-to-Start

It’s easy to get started.  Just follow the outline below to jump-start a blog today.  It’s not hard to do.  There is a range of available products, from free with limited functionality to pay-as-you-go with enhanced capabilities.

Always-Available

Blogs are not only easy to start, they’re always available.  While you can leave out hard copies of leader materials on the small group table in the lobby…as soon as the building closes (or someone picks up the last copy) it is no longer available.  On the other hand, if I make the same resource available online, my leaders can read it wherever they are…even when they’re out of town.

Easy-to-Share

Another very big advantage that a blog offers is that information becomes super easy to share.  When a leader recruits a member to facilitate Thursday night’s session…they only have to email a link to the leader’s notes.  When a new leader is identified at a small group connection or 28 people attend your HOST orientation…it’s easy to send them a link to the online resource you’ve created to enhance their experience.

How To Get Started

Here is a basic guide to launching a blog:

1. Choose a blog platform.  You can sign up for a free version with Google’s Blogger or WordPress.  Both offer good functionality and are easy to understand and get started.  A good example of Google’s Blogger functionality is Eric Dunaway’s Journey Together.  Or take a look at Rick Howerton’s old blog site using the free WordPress platform.  Although they’re built on free platforms…they offer a lot of functionality.  You can use the sidebar to feature archives or promote an upcoming leader’s meeting or a blogroll (a list of recommended sites).  My new site for small group leaders and coaches at Parkview is an example of a pay-as-you-go platform.  GroupLife @ Parkview uses the pay-as-you-go WordPress platform.  Note that I have my own domain name (www.parkviewgrouplife.com).  I’m going to write a separate article for designing a blog using the pay-as-you-go  WordPress platform.  Steps 2 and 3 here are for free Blogger or the free WordPress.
2. Once you’ve chosen your platform, step 2 is to just get started.  On Blogger it literally takes 3 to 5 minutes.  You choose a name and choose a template (colors, look and feel, etc.) and you’re rolling.  Once you’re rolling you can arrange the features of the template (put in a blogroll, add archives, add a picture, etc.  Not hard at all.  Very similar on WordPress.com.
3. Write a welcome post.  Take a look at mine right here.  Notice that in mine I direct readers right away to “sign up to get the update.”  That is a very important detail to me.  Once they’re signed up to get the update…they’ll be notified as soon as I write a new article.  Also, note that in my welcome article I have a link to take a survey.  I am always looking for a little more interaction and a little more information.  I’ll have more about using SurveyMonkey.com in an upcoming article.

Hopefully, this will get you started!  The first step really is to take the plunge.  Jump in!  If you don’t yet have a blog to get the latest information to your leaders…you’re missing out on a huge advantage.  If you missed my overview article, you can catch up right here. You can also catch my follow-up article on three free blog tools that can really boost your participation right here.

If you’re not signed up to get the update here at MarkHowellLive.com, you can sign up right here.

What are you using to communicate with your small group leaders?  What are you using to train your leaders?  If you’re not yet using a blog or e-newsletter to communicate you’re missing a great opportunity.  What about Facebook and Twitter?  If you’re still relying on centralized, come-to-the-church meetings for training and encouragement…you’re not in step with some ideas that will increase the number of leaders you can train.

Here’s an overview of a few of the possibilities:

Blogs: A blog is an easily updated web-based tool.  It can look like a website (markhowelllive is actually a blog) or it can look more like an online journal (like this).  The key idea with a blog is that you can update it.  It’s not hard.  You don’t need your webmaster.  It’s not expensive (some are free like Blogger, others are inexpensive like Typepad and WordPress).

E-Newsletters: You’ve probably assembled a newsletter at some time in your ministry.  Your church may still be mailing out a hard copy newsletter or making it available in the lobby.  The advantage of an e-newsletter is that there’s no postage and it can be easily forwarded to someone else.  I use a service called ConstantContact.  Easy to use.  Template based (you don’t have to design anything…you pick from many prefabricated designs).  Looks great.

Facebook: If you’re not using Facebook, you may think it’s a little crazy to talk about it, but you need to realize that regardless of where you live or where your church is…many of your members are already using every day.  It’s a free service.  Easy to update.  Your leaders can get the update on their computer or as a text message.  Very cool.  You can connect with me right here.

Twitter: You may have heard about Twitter and not really understand what it is.  Think about it like sending a text message that everyone in your small group ministry gets.  You set up an account.  It’s free.  Group leaders follow you on Twitter.  They get the update either on the computer or cell phone.  I also use Twitter to follow ministry leaders around the country that I want to keep track of.  You can do the same!  In fact, you can follow me right here.

Survey Tools: I’ve been using web-based survey tools for about 5 years.  It’s a great way to gather information from your leaders.  You can find out how their group is going.  You can see what they think about the most recent study they’ve done.  You can use it to ask your leaders what kind of training they need.  Two very popular services are SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang.

YouTube and Vimeo: If you’re not taking advantage of YouTube or Vimeo for online training opportunities…it might be time to check it out.  With so many easy-to-use digital video cameras (I picked up a Flip camera last year) it’s getting easier and easier to post your training videos online and let your leaders watch the skill training from home (or a coaches home).  Here’s an example of how Seacoast is using the idea.  I shot this welcome video with my Flip camera (and a tripod).

This is an overview of some technology ideas that you can use to enhance your small group ministry.  Here are my expanded posts on each technology:

• How to Get Started Using a Blog To Resource Leaders
• Boost Your Blog Participation with These Three Free Tools
• Using Facebook and Twitter to Enhance GroupLife
• How To Use an eNewsletter to Enhance GroupLife
• How To Use Web-Based Survey Tools to Enhance GroupLife
• Web-Based Survey Tools

How do you get the word out about recommended resources and upcoming events?  How do you stay connected with the small group leaders and coaches in your ministry?  Where do your small group leaders go to get information about next steps?

The answers to these questions say a lot about whether you’re living in the past…or taking advantage of developing technology to communicate.  Sure…there was a time when the combination of office hours and a printed handout at the small group table in the lobby was about all anyone could expect.  But those days are thankfully gone!  There’s so much more you can do to resource your leaders.  Blogs, Facebook, and even Twitter can make a big difference…and you can do it!

How To Use Social Media To Resource Your Leaders

First, let’s talk about using a blog to provide an “always on,” 24/7 resource. You may point out that you have a website page that has information about how to find a group, become a leader, or even a listing of approved studies…but that’s not the point.  One of the best parts about a blog is that you (or even a few members of your team) can update it.  It’s easy, super easy, to get one started.  There can even be free!  Here are some advantages:

• Easy to get started.  Simply choose a platform (Blogger is free, TypePad is very inexpensive, WordPress has both a free version and an inexpensive pay version.
• Easy to learn how to use.  These basic programs are so easy to learn there’s really no excuse.  You can be up and running in less than an hour.  Instead of waiting for your webmaster or the CMS company to update your webpage…you can do it right now!
• Your leaders can be notified every time there is an update.  This is a huge advantage.  Think about it…when you update the blog with information about an available study or an upcoming training the blog will automatically let your leaders know.
• Recordings of your new leader training can be posted online.
• You can provide links to recommended small group studies so your leaders can preview them.  You can even allow your leaders to rate them after they’ve used them.
• Here are two examples: Allen White and Brookwood Church uses Blogger and provides great content for his leaders.  Eddie Mosely at LifePoint Church uses the free version of WordPress is another good example.

I launched my first blog in 2005 on TypePad (on a technicality…I was on Xanga for about a week).  TypePad was easy to use.  It was an inexpensive solution ($4.95 a month) and it allowed me to run the blog with my own domain name (i.e., www.strategycentral.org).  Free services like Blogger tack on the .blogspot.com to your site name.  I’ve since moved to WordPress to provide great flexibility and a better look.

Second, take a look at Facebook as a way to connect with your leaders. If you’re not already on to this, a very large percentage of your adults are using Facebook as a way to connect with friends and family.  Many of your leaders are already on there!  Why not take advantage of a free way to provide an always on connection?  Here are some keys:

• Easy to add links to highlighted curriculum.
• Leaders and members can access the latest news.
• You can update Facebook from your cell phone.

Twitter is a surprisingly easy way to connect with your leaders. It’s free.  It takes two minutes to set up.  Small group leaders who connect via Twitter can set it to update them with a text message.  You can easily set Twitter up to update your Facebook page and Facebook to update Twitter.

Sign up to get my next post!

I’ll provide a detailed “how to launch a blog” article next week.  If you want to be sure you don’t miss it, you can sign up to get the update right here.

Twitter.  Crazy name.  Sounds a little goofy.  Very odd to tell people you tweeted this or that today.  Even stranger to try and explain being re-tweeted.

I don’t know if you use Twitter, but I think it’s an important tool and want to give you my take (why I like it and how I use it).

What Is Twitter?

What is Twitter really?  It’s much like sending a text message (you’re limited to 140 characters), only you’re sending the text to everyone who is following you.  Only people who elected to follow you can see what you’ve tweeted.  Also, you can only see the tweets of those you are following.  If you’re concerned about how broadly your information is leaked…you are notified every time someone new follows you and you can choose to block them.  I’ve done that a few times when it’s been something inappropriate (weird, but it is being used by people who are sharing evil too).

I like Twitter because it allows me to stay aware of what a lot of my friends are doing (kind of like Facebook) and share what I’m doing.  I can also begin to get to know people I’ve met here or there in ministry.  I also use Twitter to spread the news about a new post here at MarkHowellLive or over at StrategyCentral.  Every time I post a new article here, it automatically updates Twitter and Twitter updates Facebook.  Very cool.

Small Group Peeps:

Because I’ve chosen to, I follow many of the people who follow me.  Don’t know ‘em all, but some of them are tweeting right in my main interest areas.  Here are a few of my favorite small group ministry peeps:

• Alan Danielson
• Heather Zempel
• Rick Howerton
• Reid Smith
• Allen White
• Cary Branscum
• Jim Meldrin
• Mac Lake
• Greg Bowman
• Bill Donahue
• Steve Gladen
• Brett Eastman
• Frank Chiapperino
• Stephen Blandino
• DeAntwan Fitts
• Michael Mack
• Mary Beth Stockdale
• Ben Reed
• Todd Elliott
• Richard Wollard
• Joseph Myers
• Scott Mawdesley