When I was growing up, some of my favorite stories were the tall tales of the old West. Whenever I think about Pecos Bill wrestling a tornado, or Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox forming the Grand Canyon, it just brings a smile to my face. But I know those are tall tales and not true stories. In contrast, whenever I see "Under Construction" on a church website, I never know if it is a tall tale or a true story.
What is a CMS and how can it save your church money? The abbreviation "CMS" stands for Content Management System (website content that is). A couple of years ago our team at Church Plant Media created a custom-built CMS that we specifically designed for churches. But we don't simply offer a CMS product; we provide a website design service as well. Over the years, we have helped churches save money in 3 different ways; specifically through our tools, service, and ministry.
Have you ever considered why a church website should be added into your annual budget? Or better yet, have you ever considered what the Bible has to say about your church having a website? Obviously, the Bible does not directly reference the Internet, but the following verse does have a direct application. Romans 10:14 says, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"
In November, we partnered with our friends over at Rice Bowls to encourage churches and ministries to help feed orphans through the Red Bowl Challenge. Rice Bowls feeds over 1,500 happy kids in 52 Christian orphanages across the globe. Through the challenge, we were able to provide 5,560 meals for those orphans. That number is about 1 full month of meals for all of the children living in 2 different orphanages.
Next week most people in the USA will celebrate by eating turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and squash, pumpkin pie and cylinders of cranberry goodness. We all have much to be thankful for. Which is why we are announcing a special holiday challenge that will give back to those in need, when we have plenty. From Thanksgiving Day until New Year's Day, we are asking everyone we know to team up with the good folks over at Rice Bowls to feed children in 52 orphanages across the globe. But we are not only asking, we are going to reward the biggest giver with a big gift!
Our team at Church Plant Media has been building websites for more than 10 years now. In this decade of service we have come across three consistent misconceptions that pastors believe about the websites they want to build. Each of these misconceptions come from a misunderstanding of what is available on the Internet. We would like to cut through the confusion and put these doubts to rest.