Emergent Brethren

Hey, it’s been a while since there’s been much action there, so I’ll throw-out this topic to you! Many of us have websites, either personal or for our congregations. In your mind, what makes for a good website? What really attracts you to a website? What repels you? What design elements are good and what are a turn-off?

I’d love to hear your comments to the above questions!

Here’s a list of 5 things that I think can turn people off to your church website:

1. Not mentioning what’s happening this week. New people often go to a website first to check your church out before coming to visit. Not having current info on what’s happening leaves them in the dark and may help them make their decision to not visit. Likewise, having information what what’s happening last month or last year, as if its current, can be a BIG turn-off.

2. A big picture of your church building on the main page. What’s ministry really about, people or your building? In my opinion, having pictures of people on your home page is most important. A picture of your building might be better placed on the “Directions” section of your site.

3. Having lots and lots of pictures and graphics on your home page. Having pictures and graphics are important, but be careful not to overwhelm people when they visit your site.

4. Using bad photography. Good, brightly lit, well-cropped photos are important to show your best! Pictures with shadows are not good. Pictures showing people in the distance are not good. Head and shoulder shots of people or close-ups of people doing things together are much better.

5.Directions to your church or worship times that are difficult to find. I’ve been to more than once church website where I could not easily find directions or what time they gather for worship. Something similar is not finding an email address to contact the church or pastor. To make your church more attractive to others, its important to make finding this kind of information easy.

What are your turn-on’s and turn-off’s for church websites? Do you like multi-media on sites? What would you add to my list above?

Also, in your opinion, what are the best Church of the Brethren websites? If you were going to nominate a congregation’s site for recognition, whose would you name?

I’d love to get your thoughts on all the above!

Jeff

Hey, there’s a really interesting debate going-on at another blog site. Some of the writers include Alan Hirsch, Dan Kimball, Scot McKnight, and Andy Crouch.

Missional vs. Attractional: Debating the Data
What do the numbers say? It depends who you ask.

The debate continues. For the last two weeks, opinions have been fast and furious on the definition and validity of “missional” churches. It all began with Dan Kimball’s post about his missional misgivings. . .

If you would like to check-out this debate go to Out of Ur.

Does this debate touch any of your nerves or stir your passions? If so, please come back and share some of your reflections and how the Church of the Brethren (either as a denomination or your local congregation) works at being missional or attractional.

Jeff

Next year, the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Team is sponsoring a video contest to see who can best creatively interpret next year’s theme: “The old has gone! The new has come! All this is from God!”.

Watch Moderator David Shumate explain this year’s theme on YouTube.

The winner will have their video shown from the floor of Annual Conference plus receive a $100 prize. Up to 4 runner’s up will have their video’s distributed on a DVD at conference and receive a $50 prize.

For more information, please take a look at the Video Contest Information and Video Contest Entry Form. Here’s the PDF version of the Video Contest Information Form and Video Contest Entry Form.

If you’re not a multi-media or video editor person, please pass this information to someone who is!

Please feel free to get in contact with me for any questions:

Jeff Glass
888-826-4951
jglass_gb@brethren.org

Hey everyone, so sorry that its been so long since I’ve posted. I have some ideas in my mind, but haven’t taken the time to get them written down. I’ve been very busy in my CLT work. I hope to post my other ideas soon!

Anyway, next February 9th-13th, the National Pastor’s Convention will once again be coming to San Diego. I always enjoy meeting various Brethren from around the country to join this rich event. Do you know of anyone who might be coming? If so, could you please send me their name and congregation? In past conferences, there’s been up to 13 Brethren from around the country attend that I know of, and who came.

I like to host a dinner each year for all Brethren who attend. Its a great time to connect and reflect on our learnings. However, the sponsors will not give me information on who’s coming. So, I just have to rely on a sign at the message board, with my phone number on it.

So, if you know of someone, please let me know!

Thanks!!!

Jeff

Hello hello hello… Last week for the first time in a year and a half, I was sick on Sunday. Not being with Missio Dei that night was one of the most uncomfortable experiences that I’ve had in recent memory. I was sure it would have been foolish for me to try to lead that night; but unsure whether I had the right not to be there. One of the members wrote after the meeting saying that things went well, I was really happy to hear it. 

Building a church is, or better said should be, more about the people than the pastor. Now I know that there are those that prefer to have everything under their control. The truth be told, I have a hard time letting go of some stuff myself; for example, I will probably will always want to teach, and think I lead meetings better than most. But I think a better way to run things, is to let people find what they do best, and run with it.

That said my dual employment is proving more difficult than I had hoped. I am in Hollywood 55+ hours a week, and can’t effectively cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s; study, rehearse, teach, and connect with the community like I could when I was in Pomona all day. This experience has however really helped me understand how much a church asks of people when we ask full-time workers to volunteer. It’s why I think that many large churches use mostly paid staff. In the postmodern economy, people just don’t have much time to help out volunteering. The American expression of finance and labor, combined with Californian commuting demands, produces a social toll on the individual that severely limits what we can expect out of our members. Worship shouldn’t be a chore, it should be a respite.

And yet “a respite” can also be thought of as a vacation. Vacations can be relaxing, or exciting; it really depends on what you prefer. Now my wife and I enjoy vacationing in the city. Cities are the center of the human experience. They are full of life and culture, new births, and expanding boundaries. In fact, even though God’s creation begins as a garden, in the Book of Revelation, we see it’s completed as a city. I work in a city now, and everyday I see hard working people; in the office, on the streets, on telephones and in taxis. Black people and brown people, shades of Asian beige, and European pinks,   everyone up, out, and on the move. A million stories overlapping and interconnected by a common humanity. It’s exciting to be honest. Just the kind of place I imagine Jesus would be living.  

That certainly has put an exclamation point onto my frustration with folks with no passion for growth or vision for the future. The Christian life can be a sleepy experience if you’re not careful; short slow days that accomplish little except conversation. I’m convinced that, that can’t be the best way to be to live for God. The Christian life should be vital, dynamic, exciting and intense. If that’s not the way you’re living, let me kindly suggest, you’re missing a big part of the resurrection story. What have you done with what God has given you? Are you asleep or are you alive… either way, the truth is, things like this aren’t secrets. God knows, the World knows, and your heart knows. Therefore the Apostle says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine, make day dawn upon you, and give you light. ” And likely, a lot of smiles, and a little excitement.