Web MinistryTHIS ISSUE Web Ministry

Inspiring Your Organization’s GrowthSUMMER_2003

South CarolinaBaptist Convention

A publication from

Visionary Spotlight

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“ACS has the perfect solutions to manageour immense growth and it’s a criticalpart of our entire expansion project.”

- Debra FairleyTechnology Ministry Coordinator

Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal ChurchCambria Heights, NY - Founded 1958

Congregation - 2,600 plusGrowth plan - $5 Million building expansion

“When we began our church expansionplan, we made a decision to go with thebest of breed in each area of technology.We looked for products that were stable,with smart features for future growth.Like IBM for our technology equipment. And ACS for our churchmanagement software.

“We were off the ground and running with ACS. HeadMaster met ourneeds immediately for our daycare management, and it’s there in placewhen we’re ready to open our school.

“We love their Volunteer Manager software too. It’s the best answer toorganizing our volunteers and building our volunteer program.

“What really impressed us was ACS Technologies’ excellent customerservice. They’ve made the implementation very easy.”

ACS Technologies designs software solutions that help over12,000 faith-based organizations manage their informationbetter. We have been dedicated to serving churches,schools, and the faith-based community for25 years. To discover additional ways we canbenefit your organization, call us today at1-800-736-7425.

For more on Mt. Moriah’s success story andothers, visit www.acstechnologies.com. Plus,online or by phone, ask for our free Showcase CDthat will help you explore The ACS Difference–solutions to advance your organization.

25 Years.12,000 Client Partners.

One Success Story at a Time.

©AC

STechnologies

Group,Inc.Allrightsreserved.0701VI

ACS Solutions

ACS SchoolSuite ACS WebSuite ACS ServiceSuite

ACS PeopleSuite ACS FinancialSuite ACS GrowthSuite

1.800.736.7425 | www.acstechnologies.com | solutions@acstechnologies.com

Future

Present

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Having grown up as a preacher’s kid, I had an inside view of how churches worked beforethe PC revolution of the past 25 years. The churches my dad served were small, so he didjust about everything from preaching to repairs. My mother was the church organist andprepared the Sunday bulletin. The most high-tech piece of equipment my dad ever usedwas a mimeograph machine. How things have changed since the 1960s.

I am proud of what ACS Technologies has accomplished over the past 25 years in helpingchurches embrace technology. Starting on some of the very first desktop computers,we helped the church office automate many of their manual processes. We’ve also giventhe church tools to analyze data for making better decisions and communicating withthe congregation.

Over the past few years, we have been working on what we believe will be a shift in thechurch office. Self service has become the norm in our individual lives. Especially with theunder-40 age group. Obtaining information and purchasing products online is a commonpractice today. The church is experiencing the same requests that business has alreadyresponded to. And, new technology gives us the ability to interact with the church anytime of the day—not just during office hours. Many of our clients have alreadyimplemented solutions that include the use of the internet.

Our development team has been working on internet-based products for the past fewyears. All of these efforts are focused on helping the church become more efficient andeffective. For instance, our newest release, Extend, is a Web-based tool that will greatlysimplify the creation and maintenance of a Web site. ACS Technologies was the veryfirst customer of this new technology with the launch of our own new Web sitewww.acstechnologies.com.We couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

The topics in this issue of Vision focus on the internet and how it is being integrated intothe church to enhance ministry. I hope you enjoy this issue and will find ideas to advanceyour ministry through the use of powerful internet tools.

Technology certainly has changed since the time I was a kid working with my dad aroundthe church. Helping churches embrace and use technology has been our mission for thepast 25 years. The entire staff of ACS Technologies looks forward to continuing theintegration of ever-changing and improving technology into our products and services.

HOW TO CONTACT USWeb site www.acstechnologies.comEmail vision@acstechnologies.comAddress 180 Dunbarton Drive

Florence, SC 29501Phone 800.736.7425Fax 888.822.4238

Letters to the EditorBy email: vision@acstechnologies.comInclude name, title, organization, city, anddaytime telephone number. We may edit forclarity and layout.

On the CoverMichael Atkinson, Pastor, SummervilleBaptist Church

Chris Gray, Web Site Manager, South CarolinaBaptist Convention

Roger Orman, Director of CongregationalSpiritual Development, South Carolina BaptistConvention

Photo by Chris Aluka Berry.

For additional copies or permission to republishor reprint articles, contact ACS TechnologiesReprints at vision@acstechnologies.com.© 2003 ACS Technologies Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

ContentsFrom the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Support:Quality Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Scriptural Secret No.6:HTML (His Truth in Meaningful Language) . . . . . . . . . .4Web Strategies:Six Essential Stages to Ensuring ChurchWeb Site Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Visionary Spotlight:Web Ministry In Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Central Services:New Products & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Special Excerpt:New Rules in the Age of the Internet Church . . . .12Visionary Spotlight:Reflecting Back, Looking Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Training:A Great Training Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16ACS Training Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Tips & Tricks:Sending a Group Email in ViewACS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Internet:Get Your Data Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18On The Road:ACS User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

The mission of VISION Magazine is to servechurches, schools, and other faith-based organi-zations with valuable technology and resourceinformation that helps inspire growth infulfillment of their vision.

MAGAZINE vol 20_no 3VISIOn

Hal Campbell - P R E S I D E N T & C H I E F E X E C U T I V E O F F I C E R

From the President

In the NEWSRelease Set for Organizational Software Solution

ACS Technologies announces the Spring 2004release schedule for the next phase ofits ACS Organizations product, a Web-basedinformation management solution built onMicrosoft's .NET platform. ACS Organizationsis a database solution for recording andgathering church and staff profile informationused daily in the regional offices of faith-basedorganizations and the reporting of statisticaldata from those organizations. The currentdesktop/server application is in use by over400 regional offices, such as State Conventions,Associations, Dioceses, Districts, Conferencesand Presbyteries.

Strategic Partnership Created with ServiceU Corporation

ACS Technologies has partnered with ServiceUCorporation, an innovative, cost-effectiveprovider of Web-based scheduling, payment,and event registration services that are revolu-tionizing the way organizations connect withtheir members. The alliance will benefit thefaith-based community with a more completeand robust solutions offering. "This partnershipwill allow us to provide our clients with thetop-tier level of service that they have come toexpect from us," states Hal Campbell, Presidentand CEO of ACS Technologies.For more on both news stories, and others, go towww.acstechnologies.com.

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Quality ImprovementsOne of the ways that businesses differentiate themselves is by thequality of service that they provide to their clients. Quality is theone component that can lead to a company’s success, or ultimatelylead to its demise. At ACS Technologies, our Supportdepartment goal is quality and during the past year we have spenttime improving the quality of our processes to provide the bestservice to you that we possibly can.

Support has recently developed a designated Training andResearch program from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. each day. In March,we made the decision to change our opening hours to 9:00 a.m.and use this time to provide more in-depth training for oursupport representatives. This has added three additional hourseach week (per rep) for time to train and perform research,which has improved call success. In the past, meetings andtraining had to be done during the day, which required pullingpeople off the phones, and resulted in longer hold times for you.Now, we are able to designate a specific time for training ourcustomer service representatives that not only improves theirknowledge and quality answers, but allows them to be available toyou when you need them.

Support

Jennifer SandbergA C S S U P P O R T M A N A G E R

To make sure that our efforts to improve quality are working, wecontinuously monitor and critique the solutions that we give you.This is evident in our CHATS monitoring program, and theimprovement of scores. Six months ago, 2% of the calls weregraded below 69% (on a scale from 0-100%). In the last 3 months,we have had no score lower than a 75.5% average…and our topaverage score has risen from a 94% to a 97%.

Here in Support, we want to make sure that our solutions notonly meet your needs, but that the quality we offer helps inmaking your ministry truly a success! Visit us atwww.acstechnologies.com/support, or call us at 1.800.736.7425. �

Support has added three additional hourseach week (per rep) for time to

train and perform researchwhich has improved call success.

If my ministry produces great volumes of words, pictures, and ideas andfunnels them all through conventional media (paper, broadcast, live events)—but a growing number of my target audience is spending a growingproportion of its life in front of a computer screen, surfing the Internet—Iam a speaker without a listener! My god-given vision for helping peoplethrough my ministry is dissipating because I’m not going “through all thetowns and villages”—finding the people where they are.

On the other hand, God has given us a fantastic gift in the form of HTML(our friend Matt Krepcho says it stands for “His Truth in MeaningfulLanguage”), because this Internet language enables us to communicate withgreater numbers of people at a higher level of quality than ever in humanhistory. (And HTML’s various cousins, including XML and others, will onlyincrease the communication powers of the Internet.) As we are about to see,an Internet site is not simply an informational brochure posted on acomputer screen. The Internet is alive. It has more capability for involvinga person than television, radio, CDs, videos, or even live events.

Does this seem far-fetched? We’ll see. Certainly, there’s not an over-whelming body of evidence available on the Internet at this time. Sadly,many ministry websites are badly designed, under-utilizing the amazinginteractive communication capacity of the Internet.

But your ministry’s website can be very different. The possibilities arethrilling. Through the Internet, you have the potential to speak to anindividual individually (impossible in a sermon delivered to a sanctuary fullof people), to get feedback from them instantly (impossible with TV, radio,or a response card tucked into a direct mail package), and to beginimmediately tailoring all future communication with them to the feedbackyou’ve received (even telemarketing can’t work that fast).

If such quality of communication seems like an impossible goal, that’s asign that we’ve lost sight of Christ’s own standard. He spoke to individualson their own terms, He got immediate feedback, and He tailored Hisapproach accordingly. He talked to the woman at the well about livingwater. He talked to the heredity-conscious Nicodemus about a new birth.

Excerpt reprinted with permission by the author.Visit www.berkeybrendelsheline.com for more information.

HTML(His Truth inMeaningfulLanguage)This is the next tip in aseries on how to successfullyintegrate a Web site into your ministryplans. From the book The God of the Internet,Doug Brendel explores 25 scriptural secrets for raisingministry money online.

The Internet lets us be more like Jesus in our communications than everbefore. Christians, caring about the world as Jesus did, and caring aboutfulfilling the ministries to which God has called them, should be the bestcommunicators on the entire Internet.

Are we?

Let’s go there.

Scriptural Secret No.6 > God places a priority onquality communication, because it’s a prerequisite topersuasion, conviction, response, and change.

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By Rev. Dr. W. Davies Owens

A church Web site is like the church’s physical building. Before any-one ever worships in the building, someone has to determine a needexists. Next, members identify the right resources required to buildit. After completion, a staff is mobilized to maximize the use of thebuilding as well as identify and respond to maintenance issues.

But can you imagine if people built their church buildings with thereckless approach often used to build their church Web sites? Wemight see buildings with crazy architecture, such as steeples inparking lots and classrooms in the bathrooms. Since no one reallyplanned out what would be needed, buildings would look a littlehaphazard and half completed as the pastor’s son, or some long-timemember, might be selected since “he understands that newconstruction stuff.” Finally, the Sunday bulletin for the morningworship would probably be six months old and the pastor would nothave considered that people in the pewmight not be regular membersor get the insider’s jokes.We laugh at this analogy, yet it isn’t far fromthe way many church Web sites exist today.

To avoid this situation, churches must depend on good planning,execution and maintenance. In fact, at least six stages need to bethoughtfully considered if your site is going to reach its full potentialfor your congregation.

If you are the “Web person” at your church, it is vital that you see thepotential of your church’sWeb site and are prepared to be the resident“Web evangelist,” that is, converting others to the idea of using it to itsfull potential.

Practically speaking, do some research and become familiar with therate at which the internet is growing. You want the other staff anddecision makers to understand that the internet isn’t something for afew of the youth but the most powerful of all of your communicationtools for reaching both your members and those outside your walls.For instance, there exist some six billion pages on the internet withsome two million pages added every day!

Take some time and look at what other churches are doing using theWeb. There is nothing wrong with a little R&D. That’s “Research andDuplicate.” Obviously, this doesn’t mean plagiarism but ratherbe inspired by other churches’ creative use of the internet intheir daily ministry.

This is the all-important step of how your site will look and fittogether. Begin by researching what the needs and requirements willbe for your site. Take a day or two and literally draw out on a whiteboard how each page will interconnect and what content will be oneach page. Spend time looking at other sites. Keep things simple,clean and clear.

The danger is in starting to build the pages and then realizing theWednesday night dinner menu is on the front page and the seeker’sinformation is on the fourth page under two links. You must have ablueprint for your site. It doesn’t mean things won’t change but it isa critical master plan.

Often the barrier to maximizing the opportunity of using the Web isthat you are the only one in the church who sees the potential. Whatcan you do to convince the staff and the decision makers that it is wellworth the time and money to take your site to the next level?

Selling it to the other staff and decision-makers happens best whenyou can match their off-line felt need with a practical tool of theinternet. Make an effort to meet one-on-one with all key staff andlisten first. Too often, zealous Web enthusiasts try to convincenon-technical staff to join the technology frenzy rather than helpingthem solve daily church challenges.

If the business office wants to increase the tithes, demonstrate how anonline giving tool will make it easier for people to give. If the seniorpastor wants to get feedback from the sermons and have more peoplediscuss the preaching series, then demonstrate how a message boardcan make that possible. If the communications director is frustratedabout people throwing their newsletters in the junk mail pile,

continued on page 17

Reverend Dr. W. Davies Owens serves as Executive Director of BlueSky Ministries(www.blueskyministries.org). BlueSky Ministries is a Christian ministry innovation labdedicated to identifying, innovating and implementing next generation ministry concepts.

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• Organization Site:http://www.scbaptist.org

• Community Site:http://www.scbaptist.net

• Summerville Baptist Site:http://www.summervillebaptist.org

s one of the largest churches in town,Summerville Baptist Church draws hun-dreds each Sunday. In all respects, the churchlooks the part of a traditional SouthernBaptist church with stained glasswindows, mahogany pews, and red carpet.But in every Sunday bulletin, you’ll see thechurch’s Web site and email addresseswhere the mailing address once was.

Minister of Education Michael Atkinson hastaken on the role of technology advisor for

In early November of last year, Atkinson reached a pointwhere he was fed up with his existing church Web site. Itwas stale. It was difficult to change the content regularly. The sitewas nothing more than a basic ad on the internet. Atkinson had toface the fact that he needed a better solution than what he currentlyhad in place.

“We were dependent on our hosting provider for updates, which wasvery limiting. Everything would get bottlenecked and it was oneheadache after another,” Atkinson confesses.

It was at this point that he turned to Roger Orman, Director of theCongregational Spiritual Development Team for the South Carolina

S OU T H C A R O L I N A BA P T I S TC ON V EN T I ON WEB S I T E S

Summerville Baptist. Although it might seem like a leap from educa-tion to technology, he’ll tell you that having a global mindset is whathas impressed upon him the need to implement an interactive Website that reaches out beyond the church walls. His ultimate desire isfor Summerville Baptist to have an online community of people of allages discussing faith, the Sunday sermon, prayer requests, and what-ever else people need to discuss to help them feel more connectedand supported in their Christian walk.

A new survey from the Barna ResearchGroup (http://www.barna.org) hasdiscovered that in a typical week, 90 million adults discuss religiousor spiritual matters through message boards on the internet. Peoplelike Atkinson want to put the Web to work for good. If it helps morepeople find Christ, then it will be worth the work necessary to get theprogram off the ground.

“We want our Web site to be truly interactive where people candiscuss real issues and at some point have the gospel presented tothem,” remarks Atkinson.

"Being able to network with other churcheswill be a big benefit for us. It’s a great featureof our Web site,"states Michael Atkinson, Minister of Education, Summerville Baptist Church

Chris Gray, Michael Atkinson, and Roger Orman (left to right) meet to discuss Web strategy.

WEB MINISTRYMOTION

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In the small town of Summerville, South Carolina, deemed the “Flowertown in the Pines" thanks toits ancestors who sought respite from the hot summers of the Charleston Lowcountry, onechurch has developed a vision of using technology to aid ministry and is already well under way inimplementing plans to extend its church through the internet.

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South Carolina Baptist Convention–Columbia, SC

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Providing assistance to churcheshas been a hallmark of the SouthCarolina Baptist Convention’semphasis on “Empowering KingdomGrowth” over the last decade. Itscontinued commitment to help congrega-

HAVE FOCUS OR PURPOSE FORYOUR WEB SITE

Before you begin building yourWeb site, make sure you have aclear focus for your project.Whether your Web site goal is tomarket your church or to evan-gelize, develop concise plans tokeep you on target.

COVER ALL YOUR BASES

Make sure everyone has boughtin to your Web Ministry programand feels it will be a valuableasset to your church.

CLARIFY STAFF ROLES

Make sure church staffmembers know what portions ofthe Web Ministry they areresponsible for. For example,the senior pastor is responsiblefor writing a message to thecongregation to be postedweekly; the church administra-tor is responsible for uploadingthe current church calendar ofactivities.

KEEP MEMBERS INFORMED

To help the success of yourorganization’s Web site, desig-nate a Web Ministry manager, orWeb administrator, who isresponsible for keeping mem-bers informed of the resourcesavailable on your site.

Tips for Implementing aNEW WEB MINISTRY

From Chris Gray, Web Site Manager,South Carolina Baptist Convention

�

Baptist Convention for ideas on what to do.He soon found out from Orman that theConvention was in the beginning stages ofbuilding a new corporate Web site and anonline community for all Conventionchurches to participate in. Atkinson wantedin at the ground level. He became the proto-type member church to build a newWeb siteon the Extend Platform™ offered by ACSTechnologies and customized for theConvention and its needs.

“Being online was a big priority for us atSummerville,” notes Atkinson. “I’m findingthat all generations are using the Web, fromseniors down to children. So it’s reaching across-section of our community and ourchurch. The internet has brought to us aglobal mindset.”

When Summerville approached Orman forhelp, he wanted to do everything in hispower to meet the church’s needs. “It’s ourjob to help our member churches when theyask,” states Orman.

tions in evangelism, missions, and spiritualdevelopment has led the Convention toadopt three new internet-related corporateinitiatives. The first initiative is to create adistributive learning network that involvesthe Web. The second is to enhance theircorporate site so that services and resourcesare available 24/7. The third is to bring everychurch online—either through garneringuseful tools from the Convention’s Web siteor by creating a Web site of their own.

The South Carolina Baptist Convention’svision is to empower and support itsmember churches. Because it is workingahead to anticipate church needs, theConvention is often able to support churchesmore fully by providing tools that will enablethem to reach more people for Christ. TheConvention sees the Web as one of the keysto ministry in the future and is doing every-thing it can to encourage churches to harnessthe internet for good.

The Convention was able to provide thetools to Summerville Baptist Church so thatit could meet its individual online needs. TheConvention staff also recognized thatSummerville’s needs are an indicator of

Michael Atkinson and photos of Summerville Baptist Church.

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similar needs at other churches as well. This is why building an onlinecommunity where churches can build a Web site within theumbrella of the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s network is soimportant. It helps churches communicate with one anotherand easily build a Web site without prior knowledge of Web siteor layout design.

Churches need to work together. In fact, they crave communicationwithin their church community. Through the South Carolina BaptistConvention’s community network, churches have a way to commu-nicate with each other online, share online articles based on topicsthat are universally applicable, and become a resource to one another.

“Being able to network with other churches will be a big benefit forus,” Atkinson notes. “It’s a great feature of our Web site.”

In addition to providing a way for churches to move online by way ofthe South Carolina Baptist Convention community network, theConvention itself is now able to better provide information andresources to churches by utilizing the network to build and maintainits own corporate site.

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VISIOnary Spotlight

Web ministry in your organization can be more than a Website. The ability to manage your member data and generatereports are valuable information tools that can help organi-zations succeed in its ministry plans. A showcase example ofhow one church is benefiting from enhanced informationtechnology via the Web is Mount Hermon Baptist Church, inPelion, South Carolina, a member church of the SouthCarolina Baptist Convention.

Mount Hermon was looking for a way to run its church officemore efficiently. The church needed to find a system thatwould organize all their data and put it in one place whereeveryone would have access to it.

Each lay leader in the church had a different method ofrecording membership information—from a spiral notebookto an Excel spreadsheet—and none of them corresponded toone another. Mount Hermon knew that something wouldhave to change if their church was to grow.

When WebACS was introduced to them, church leaderswere excited to locate a computerized church managementsystem that fit their small church’s needs. Because WebACSis totally Web-based—meaning it’s accessed 100% over theinternet—they are all able to do work from their homecomputers. This is helpful since the church doesn’t have theresources to maintain a large office.

"With WebACS, I’m able to post contributions and run reportsfrom home over the internet. I work another job and teachschool, so I don’t have time to go to the church at night tokeep the books. It’s great to be able to have access fromhome," states Mildred Poole, Church Treasurer for MountHermon Baptist Church

The church can now parcel out jobs, such as handlingmembership records and keeping track of contributions.

"Additionally, our Sunday School Director posts membersand visitors to the program, our church clerk uses it forgeneral membership reasons, and our pastor is able toquickly and easily send email to our entire congregation,"Poole adds. "WebACS is really good for all the informationthat it holds."

For more information on WebACS, including an onlinedemonstration, visit www.webacs.com.

SCBC Member Church HighlightMount Hermon Baptist Church, Pelion, South Carolina

THERE’S MORE TO WEB MINISTRYTHAN AWEB SITE.

As Summerv il le was building its Web site, theConvention was building theirs. Each had similar goals thatthey discussed and had worked through together, so that in the futuremember churches will be able to build their Web sites with ease.

One of the first major successes the Convention experienced onlinewas registering people online for its annual senior’s convention.They promoted the Web site address in all marketing materialsleading up to the conference, and by the deadline date, 90% of allregistrants had registered online.

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South Carolina Baptist Convention–Columbia, SC

Additionally, out of the 90% who registeredonline, only eight email addresses were fromthe church, meaning that the majorityof seniors registered from their home. Theywere even able to create a special domainaddress that took registrants directly tothe Web page they needed and bypassedthe home page that might distract themfrom registering.

With this high adoption rate among thesenior age group, Convention leaders areoptimistic in getting its member churchesonline within the next three years.

According to Barna Research, today, threeout of five adults (59%) have home internetaccess and two-thirds of adults (65%) haveonline access either at home or at someother computer. Convincing churches

to go online to reach the majority of the population isa very real possibility.

“The Web is by far one of the most effective tools at our fingertips,”states Orman. “When we’re working with churches, we can pointthem to theWeb and help them with their online evangelism strategy.”

Not only Chris Gray, the Convention’s Web Site Manager, but all staffmembers involved with the Convention’s Web site have theability to edit content without having to know HTML through theExtend Platform’s unique content management tools. Additionally,as many people as needed can have access to edit the site,thereby streamlining the online publishing process andeliminating bottlenecks.

Gray recalls, “We had prepared one article that had to do with anupcoming Convention event. When a member church called one ofour staff members and said they couldn’t find anything about thisevent online yet, she said ‘hold on just a moment’ and uploaded thecontent piece to that very Web page while the person was on thephone. Then she told them to refresh the page, and voila! The personwas so impressed that they bragged to everyone at their church office,‘The Convention just designed a Web page especially for me!’”

Content management has changed the way the Convention operatesand given them tangible tools to help member churches immediately.

“Our goal is for our Web site and community site to become aresource to our churches. By providing lots of information online, wecan give churches a choice of content for them to place on theirindividual sites to meet their specific needs,” says Gray.

Results from Summerville’s annualsenior’s convention … showed90% of all registrantshad registered online.

TOP: summervillebaptist.org LEFT: scbaptist.net RIGHT: scbaptist.org

SCBC staff develop Touching Your Community program through E-Evangelism.(Left to right: Roger Orman, Dino Senesi, and Chris Gray.)

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VISIOnary Spotlight

The South Carolina Baptist Convention’s vision is to bring over 2000churches that work with the SCBC to the Web with the ACS ExtendPlatform. From a single site to a robust community of thousands ofsites, the ACS Extend Platform is a comprehensive Web contentmanagement service that enables anyone—from the nontechnical to thehighly technical—to build a professional lookingWeb site or a communityof affiliated sites quickly and affordably.

Straightforward design tools make laying out content simple with an easyto use point and click interface. SCBC affiliate churches are able to quicklymanage hundreds, even thousands, of pieces of content including pictures,video, text and Flash animations. And creating content is easy. HTMLknowledge is not necessary to create content. Anyone can do it. Anyonewho can use a word processor can create content. Users familiar withHTML may use HTML code if preferred.

Workflow and editorial procedures are beneficial for any size organization,especially for organizations with multiple levels of authority or areas ofinfluence. This ensures that content is approved by the relevant peoplebefore being viewed by the public.

The Extend Platform also provides additional tools to maximize memberparticipation and visitor interest, such as:

With multiple options for managingcontent, the Extend Platform easily tailorsto how you want to use the internet:

Site Extend is the single-site solution. Itis ideal for organizations that plan tomaintain an independent online presencewith centralized content control.

Network Extend provides a robustsolution for organizations with distinctoperational departments or units.

Extend Platform™ EXPLAINEDCommunity Extend offers a strategy for integrating multiple Web sites.Affiliated members can create independent—but interconnected—Websites to form a true online community.

With Community Extend, the South Carolina Baptist Convention iscreating a growing, interactive online community of churches and churchWeb sites. Affiliated churches receive all the benefits of Site Extend. TheSCBC uses Extend’s powerful syndication tools to offer fresh, relevantcontent to member sites. Cross-sharing of articles, sermons, studies,and other media-rich content is now easy. The association headquartersnow has the ability to syndicate selected content to each Web site inthe community.

If you are a member church of the South Carolina Baptist Convention andwould like to get more information or get started building your new Website go to www.scbaptist.net.

For all other organizations—churches of all sizes, ministries, andschools—interested in obtaining more information on Extend,email extend@acstechnologies.com or visit www.extendplatform.com.If you would like to speak directly with an ACS Sales Consultant,please call 1-800-736-7425.

• SECURE ONLINE GIVING

• MESSAGE BOARDS

• EVENT CALENDARINGAND REGISTRATIONS

• ONLINE RESOURCE ANDFACILITY MANAGEMENT

• FORM BUILDERS

• EMAIL BLASTS

• SUBSCRIPTIONMANAGER

• STAFFINTRANET

• MEMBER ONLYAREAS

“Communicating with existingmembers and drawing newmembers through our Web siteis a great return on investment,”

Brandon Steiger, Web ministry consultant and Web Services Groupmanager for ACS Technologies, says, “The Convention’s desire is toprovide internet tools that complement its churches’ traditionalministry plans. Overall, they want to provide the best research, besthomework, and offer the best solutions and tools to ensure success atthe local church level.”

Atkinson has directly benefited from Gray’s renewed ability to focuson strategy: “Chris Gray has helped me with Summerville’s Web sitemore than anyone else. He’s really got me up and going. I’m verygrateful to the Convention.”

As for the Web services team at ACS Technologies, they areextremely pleased that they have been able to support the

Atkinson remarks.

N

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WHERE IS YOUR WEBSITE GOING?

Every destination is reached quicker with a road map to help you planand prioritize what you need. Start down the right road by sending forthe free white-paper, "Developing an Effective Web Strategy." It willhelp you on your journey to get the most out of your organization’sWeb site. Email us at vision@acstechnologies.com. Include yourname, your organization, and address.

South Carolina Baptist Convention–Columbia, SCCentral Services

New Products & ServicesCentral Services just released a new forms and supplies catalog.It’s better organized and updated with new products and newservices to help you do your job better than ever. New andenhanced functionality in ACS 6.0 offers some exciting productsto use with your ACS software. Take a look at some hot newproducts we are offering you:

Portable Barcode TerminalFor quick and easy attendance marking! No more time spententering class or event attendance! Easily mark attendance usinga wireless, portable barcode scanner right from the classroom.Then upload your data into ACS Attendance. If you use ChurchGrowth Tools you are now ready to run the Attendance Analysis,and assign your Visitation with those individuals who are mostlikely to positively respond to your ministry.

Statement FulfillmentACS 6.0 introduces the new Laser Print Plus Extract forContributions. It’s the first fully outsourced solution for sendinghard copy statements. Never spend time printing, folding,and stuffing contribution statements again! For more informa-tion on Contribution Statement fulfillment, contact us at1-800-736-7425. This extract currently uses the Flex Statement sothat each user can still custom design their statement according totheir specific needs.

TimeClock PlusACS 6.0 also introduces TimeClock Plus, the easiest way to trackand report staff hours! Collect and report data in real time withTimeClock Plus software. Simply log In- and Out-times on yourcomputer and import them into ACS Payroll. No more endlesspunch cards to tally and data to manually reenter.

AutoGraphicSave time authorizing checks with AutoGraphic software!Electronically sign checks with security features in place to pro-tect signatures. Encrypt signatures and secure graphics to beunlocked with a specific password. Review documents prior toadding signatures or security graphics. Improve office efficiencyby eliminating signing by hand. Add unique backgroundsindividually developed and placed behind the signature. Scanand import your own signature and graphics.

For any of your needs relating to these products and services, callus at 1-800-736-7425 or email us at central@acstechnologies.com.Also, please get in touch with us if you haven’t received a newcatalog. We’ll be happy to send it to you. �

Paige WrightD I R E C T O R O F C E N T R A L S E R V I C E SNow, after the first year of focus on their Web site, the

question Summerville Baptist Church leaders are nowasking is “What is our return on investment?” Thanks to theConvention’s help, they now have it. As an example, one ofSummerville’s goals was to have the ability to register kids online forVacation Bible School. “We registered 30-40 kids online over theinternet using the form feature with the Extend Platform. It workedgreat and even helped us discover some prospects,” notes Atkinson.

“Communicating with existing members and drawing new membersthrough our Web site is a great return on investment. It’s an afford-able way of communicating to the Web world,” Atkinson remarks. Ayear ago, Summerville struggled with a static Web site and a bottle-necked work flow within their church. Now Summerville takes prayerrequests online and sends out over 400 emails weekly through theirACS database of members to keep people informed about what’sgoing on at church.

So what’s next for Summerville Baptist Church and the SouthCarolina Baptist Convention? According to Atkinson, one ofSummerville Baptist’s goals is to communicate to their entire churchfamily through their site and through email eventually. The SCBCsees one of its biggest roles as promoting the value of the internet toits churches and the global impact that it can have. Havingexperienced the success of making resources available to churchesonline, the Convention envisions the natural extension of everychurch being on the Web.

“Reaching people for Christ requires multiple approaches for sharingthe gospel,” explains Orman. “It’s about Web ministry, not just a Website. The Web is no longer the platform of communication for thefuture; it’s a great communication asset for use today.”

If you are a member church of the South Carolina Baptist Convention andwould like to get more information on getting started building your new Website, please visit www.scbaptist.net. �

“It’s about Web ministry, not just a Web site.”– Roger Orman, Director of Spiritual Development,South Carolina Baptist Convention

Convention’s vision forWebministry.“It’s a team effort,” adds Steiger.“We’re ecstatic that churches like Summerville Baptist are alreadyrealizing some of the potential that exists within the internet.”

pastor, one giant leap for the church. At that moment no onecould see what God was about to do in the next year to launch anew outreach ministry to the community and to the world. Butthe church was on its way.

A modem was connected, and America Online was installed onthe pastor’s machine. Like most, Pastor Fred went through trialand error as he cruised around in the new world. He was surfingthe Net and even using e-mail. He sent his sister-in-law an e-mail,even if it did take two years to get him wired.

As [Pastor Fred’s church] site was completed and put on-line,statistics were monitored to see how many would seek out thechurch over the Internet. At first there were not too many, butduring the next twelve months the numbers were startling. Thesite was drawing up to one thousand visitors per day, and peoplefrom more than thirty countries logged onto the Web site in thecourse of any given month. The recorded domain names rolled inby the thousands each month from Hewlett-Packard, AppleComputer, Sun Microsystems, Lockheed-Martin, and othercorporate giants. Still others connected from India, China,Singapore, Hungary, Brazil, and the U.S. armed forces. The largestnumber of non-English-speaking inquiries came from Japan.

The path has not been an easy one during the past four years.There were many who thought this was silly and would neverwork. Some had doubts about the Web site as a valid tool forministry. Fred observed, “It’s no different than the introduction ofany new ministry. Some will support it, and some will not.” Hepointed to the ways in which the site has been utilized. “It hasgiven us the chance to say something intelligent,” he said. “Theworld does not always view Christians that way.When skeptics logon, they don’t have to stay, and they don’t have to argue.We aren’tcompelled to defend. None of those tensions are there since aperson can simply log off. What we do see is the opportunity tointroduce the doubter to truth and the seeker to God.”

Increasingly, whenever a new person comes into Fred’s field ofvision on a Sunday and he asks how they found their church,moreand more the answer is, “We saw you on the Internet.” In one case

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Even when his sister-in-law sent him a disk that would deliver ane-mail service and an Internet browser to his desktop, he didn’tbother. Fred explains, “Spending the money on a computer wassilly in order to write a letter; just buy a stamp.” If you really had aneed to communicate with someone, he further reasoned, justpick up a phone. Why would anyone use a computer to contactanother person? Sure he had read stories about people usinge-mail and buying airline tickets on-line, but that was for techies,not for common people.

Three years ago, there was no vision for the use of technology forministry at their church. There was no budget for technology. Thechurch had the wrong phone lines. There weren’t that manycomputers, and few of these had modems. Those ministers whodid have modems may have purchased them with their own funds.Some progress, although perhaps not conscious, was being made.The church staff had come to the point of staying in closer touchwith its missionaries. That was an unexpected discovery. Thosewho were not Internet-literate would ask those who were to sendmessages for them. Although it could not be articulated at thetime, an early network was being created.

During the period, the youth pastor quickly adopted the newtechnology as a method to reach out to his high-school flock.People in the congregation were now starting to communicatewith each other and the church through e-mail. Still, the seniorpastor was not part of the revolution, but he was increasinglyaware of the changes taking place. He felt out of the loop. So heasked the administrative manager to get him connected. That wasperhaps a moment in the history of the church that launched it ona journey toward a new vision. It was a moment in time for PastorFred that was comparable to Neil Armstrong’s experience as hefirst stepped onto the surface of the moon: One small step for the

I n t e r n e tThe local church can’t be just local anymoreC H U R C H

The

ByWalter P. WilsonExcerpt printed with permision by the author. Email waltccm@aol.com for more information.

By his own admission and with a grin, Pastor Fred—

from a large Silicon Valley church—admits that just

four years ago the Internet was of no interest to him.

Pastor Fred asks how they

more and more the answer is,“We saw you on the Internet.”

found their church,

New rules for ministry in the age of . . .

Walter Wilson currently serves asfounder and chairman of the InnovationCenter for Technology at CampusCrusade for Christ International.

The singles pastor … relies heavily upon the

electronic ministry to touch the lives ofnumbers of people he could not see in any given day.

a mature Christian, new to the area, said, “I read your doctrinalstatement, and I knew that this was a church I needed to attend.”

Then there are the people who have responded to the audiostreaming broadcasts or those who simply reach out for help inthe midst of crisis. The young adults pastor uses the Internet tostay in touch with his GenX clan and reports that the ministry isso effective he can sometimes receive up to one hundred e-mailmessages daily. He can’t respond to that volume with detailedanswers, but just think of the reach and the access he hasdeveloped. He describes a rule he has for his electronicministry. “If I open an e-mail, I will answer itimmediately. Even if it’s a sentence or two, I can be anencourager; that’s what I’m here for.” The singlespastor reports a similar situation as he relies heavilyupon the electronic ministry to touch the lives ofnumbers of people he could not see in any givenday. The church’s reach is extended not only tothe church members in the community butaround the world.

Fred noticed that his position as senior pastorin a church of twelve hundred members tendedto isolate him from the congregation. “People perceivethat you’re too busy, so they don’t call. It wasn’t like that at allwhen I pastored a small country church in Oregon.” E-mail haschanged that. Fred observes, “With our electronic ministry, peoplesend me messages, and I respond. It breaks down the perceivedwall. I have more interaction with people.” He also added that hegets a nice feeling when he receives a message from someone thatsimply says, “Thanks, you helped me.” That’s worth noting. Thereare few jobs that can be more discouraging at times than that of apastor of a church. It has its rewards, but how often do the

members take a moment to say, “Thanks, pastor”? We all needencouragement, and our pastors are no different. E-mail is so easyto use and so convenient, I would hope that we asChristians would begin using this tool to encourage one anothermore than we do now.

The Web site provides opportunities to help people with doctrineor to help them focus during a time of crisis on the larger plan thatGod is working in everyone’s life. It can be an immeasurablecomfort when a believer offers encouragement to another.

Fred described an e-mail exchange with a former member ofthe church who had moved away and was living

with her boyfriend. As a result of the ongoingnature of the discussions, both this young lady andher boyfriend came to a point at which theyrededicated their lives to the Lord. They also askedPastor Fred to discuss their rededication during theirwedding ceremony.

Just over two years ago, Fred Wilson did not know theInternet was of any use. In his everyday experience, he hadno use for it in ministry. Today he is one of thevisionary leaders in Internet ministry, touching lives aroundthe world in a personal way. As he looks toward the future, hesees more outreach in the area of parenting, marriagerelationships, and raising children.

Silicon Valley does not love going to church. Recently the San JoseMercury News reported that 26 percent of people in the areaadmit to some church affiliation, but that number is more than 70percent in many other places across the United States. The worldmay not come to the church, but the church is going to theworld—through the Internet. Your church can too. �

W W W . A C S T E C H N O L O G I E S . C O M | 13

360˚ IPIX Images Give your site visitors an interesting perspective with a360 degree image of your organization’s campus, sanctuary, or classrooms.It’s like being there and can entice site visitors to become yourorganization’s visitors.

Flash Animation Spice up your site with flash graphics thatentertain and inform. Check out www.macromedia.com/software/flash forshowcase examples.

Photo Galleries Photos are a great way to make people feel involved in yourorganization. Show people having fun on trips and at events. Keep sitevisitors coming back for more.

Message Boards Start a discussion about hot topics and get peopleinvolved and learning. Message boards, or sometimes called "discussionforums," can help keep your site fresh and keep people coming back to joinin the current discussion.

Streaming Audio & Video What better way to get your message out to theworld than with audio and video that site visitors can easily download?Check out Community Bible Church’s archive of weekly V-Mails atwww.cbc.org as an example. Also, tape youth concerts, plays, and more tooffer on your site.

Event Calendars Limit phone calls and still keep your congregation informedby listing your organization’s event schedule on your Web site.

eNewsletters Give your organization’s members the option to sign up forinformational email newsletters instead of traditional printed and mailednewsletters. Email newsletters have relatively no cost to send versusa printed newsletter plus postage. Also, give site visitors the ability tosign up for your eNewsletter through your Web site. This practice will helpyou save money!

Forms Increase communication and interaction with your site visitors byproviding forms through which they can get involved right there on the spot.Set up easy fill-in forms to get opinions, suggestions for your ministry, reser-vations for events, and to collect contact information from visitors so youcan reach them through future communications.

Giving Receive donations online. Through secure online giving, acceptcredit cards, bank drafts, or check donations on your Web site. It’s apowerful tool that will provide you with additional funds, plus provide thosewho give to your organization an easy to use and highly convenient way tohelp you. People pay bills online, buy clothes, plane tickets, and more; whynot allow them to give online too?

Email Everyone uses email. So offer your members and site visitors theoption to join in and reach each other through email lists on relevant topicsto your ministries. Site visitors can opt-in to email lists that give them theability to send an email to all other members on the list. It’s a great way toget people more involved on a continuous basis. Plus, you can use emailblasts to communicate with your members encouraging them to sign uponline for events, receive news and donate online.

Top10Tips 10 Ways to Create an Interactive Web site

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The Internet Church–Chapter 7

Provided by ACS Web Services Group. Call 1-800-736-7425 or email internet@acstechnologies.com to find out more.

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When she joined First Broad Street, she washandling all contributions, membership,and financial information for the churchoffice, so she searched for ways to trim timeinefficiencies, cut down on costs, and doher best to make her church office runmore smoothly.

In 1983, a group of the trustees at thechurch began researching softwarecompanies. Greene had heard thatcomputers could make information man-agement a lot easier, and was excited aboutthe possibilities.

“We went from a manual posting machineto the fully-computerized ACS system andit was wonderful,” recalls Greene.“Something that took us half a day to donow only took 35 minutes—that was thebiggest difference technology made for us.”

It wasn’t until she went back to school inthe early ‘90s to finish her accountingdegree that she realized her church was onthe cutting edge.“I remember sharing whatI was doing at church with my accountingprofessor. He told me that he hadn’tseen such detailed financial reports comeout of a church before. As the treasurerof his own church, he began looking

VISIOnary Spotlight

into ACS for himself.Overall, he was extremelyimpressed.”

Although technology hasplayed a role in her career,she wouldn’t say that she’s an expert atusing it. “I’m still just learning,” she notes.

At one point early on, Greene remembersthat Hal Campbell, president and CEOof ACS Technologies, actually wrote areceivables program for her. “It has beenwonderful to work with a company that hasbeen so responsive over the years. If I madequestions and issues known, they havealways tried to make things happen for us.”

“Now other people use ACS too. We havestaff and volunteers that keep attendanceand print reports, for example. Without acomputerized church management system,this wouldn’t have been possible.”

LOOKINGforwardACS Technologies Celebrates Client Partnerswith its 25th Anniversary

Reflecting Back

Photos by Eric McCarty

Nestled between the Appalachianand Great Smoky Mountains liesthe town of Kingsport, Tennesseewhere the First Broad Street UnitedMethodist Church has resided forthe past 34 years. Sue Ann Greene,the church’s financial accountant,has worked at the church for 20 ofthose years and doesn’t intend onleaving any time soon.

W W W . A C S T E C H N O L O G I E S . C O M | 15

First Broad Street United Methodist Church–Kingsport, TN

Looking back, Greene recalls one majorconcern the church had. “Our financialadministrator asked, ‘Will this companystill be here next month?’ I would reportthe growing number of clients happily asthe years progressed and now 20 years later,they are bigger and stronger than ever.”

Hal Campbell, President and CEO of ACSTechnologies adds, “When their churchpurchased ACS, we had fewer than 40clients and were struggling to keep thedoors open. First Broad Street UMC wasthe perfect client for a startup companytrying to figure out what to do in the brandnew world of computers.”

During a building campaign several yearsback, the church applied for a line of creditat its bank. “Our local bank was veryimpressed with the professional qualityof our financial reports. They weren’t usedto working with a church that couldprovide such extensive detailed reports,”notes Greene.

As Greene plans for the future at FirstBroad Street UMC, she’s going toimplement additional technology to helpbenefit the church and its members. Sherelies on the Knowledge Base, an onlinehelp center where people can go onlineanytime day or night and get any informa-tion they need on ACS. “I think this is awonderful idea.”

Greene is looking forward to the futurewhen ACS will be entirely Web-basedso that she and her staff can have fullaccessibility online. “I think technology isthe only way to go. We’ve loved workingwith ACS Technologies over the last20 years, and we’re looking forward tocelebrating the next 25th anniversary.”

“We use almost every ACS software modulein some capacity,” adds Greene. “We’reconstantly amazed at the support andproducts that ACS provides to us. I justdon’t think you can beat ACS.” �

Our vision for the future is to continue helping you do more with your information to make yourministry even better. There is a growing need to collect and manage information from multiplelocations around the clock. We want to give you this ability to manage your data from whereveryou want, whenever you want—this means giving you access to your information in an easy touse and highly secure environment 24/7. So in addition to our current software, we’ll also offerWeb-based software programs combining all benefits of your current data management with theaccessibility, ease of use and security of the internet.

A first step: ViewACS (www.viewacs.com) publishes popular member profile and group informa-tion so that organizations can have an easy way to view records, print data, send group emails,and change contact information for individuals and activity groups over the internet. Anotherstep towards this vision is having the ability to automatically back up records from your comput-er through the internet with the push of a button. The ultimate goal is the full functionality of ACSover the internet, plus even more, coming in 2004.

A second step: We launched the Extend Platform (www.extendplatform.com). It’s a Web-basedcontent management system that makes it possible for organizations of any size to build a Website and control content without knowing any HTML. Additionally, this platform has the ability tobuild communities of Web sites for larger organizations (see cover story).

Joining the benefits of your ACS data management software and your Web site—thus giving youthe ability to collect information and manage it all in one place—is exciting. We are thrilled to beable to utilize our 25 years of experience in serving organizations like yours in developing the lat-est technology products that will continue to empower your vision—well into the future.

For more information on our vision for the future, or to give us input into your growing needs,please email future@acstechnologies.com.

VISION F U T U R Ef o r t he

“We began using ACS the first day our church used a computer. We feel like ACS is the best softwareprogram available and it has the best Support team. After 20 years, we are still learning, and we knowthat ACS still strives to be the absolute best for its clients. That feeling is so important! There are noother words to describe ACS than ‘we just love them!’”– Marilu Dempsey, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

“We do many special mailings throughout the year and are able to reach people who are specificallyinterested in our Music Ministry and other special events. ACS is simple to use and has really keptus on track. Happy anniversary ACS!”– Sherry Tumlin, Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston Salem, NC

“Very seldom do I have to call Support for help—because the software is so great—but when I do call,the representatives are very helpful and they make sure my questions are answered. Thank you ACS for21 years of hard work and dedication to help us further our ministry!”– Penny Plafcan, Central Baptist Church, Magnolia AR

“ACS has helped us provide better service to our members with the flexibility of the software. We areable to form special reports so that we can see the overall picture of who our ministry is reaching. Thesupport staff is super at working us through our problems. We couldn’t do it without them and areexcited about the next 25 years!”– Carol Jones, Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI

25 Years and Counting . . .ACS Client Partners Speak Up on ACS Technologies Silver Anniversary

Sue Ann Greene is not alone. She’s one of thousands who have been with ACSfor longer than most software companies have existed in the market. Hear whata few clients have to say:

16| S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 _ V I S I O N M A G A Z I N E

ArizonaPhoenix Area.....................9/29 to 10/3

Phoenix Area...................10/6 to 10/10

CaliforniaSacramento Area..............11/4 to 11/4

Los Angeles Area..........11/10 to 11/12

Los Angeles Area..........11/13 to 11/13

Los Angeles Area..........11/17 to 11/21

FloridaJacksonville Area...............9/8 to 9/12

Clearwater Area ...............9/29 to 10/3

Clearwater Area .............10/6 to 10/10

Miami Area........................11/3 to 11/7

Tampa Area ...................11/13 to 11/13

Pensacola Area.............11/18 to 11/18

GeorgiaRoswell (Atlanta Area).......9/8 to 9/12

Roswell (Atlanta Area).....9/15 to 9/19

IllinoisChicago Area ......................9/8 to 9/12

Chicago Area ....................9/15 to 9/19

IndianaIndianapolis Area .............8/25 to 8/29

Indianapolis Area..........11/21 to 11/21

KentuckyLexington Area..................8/25 to 8/29

MarylandBaltimore Area ..............10/27 to 10/31

MissouriSpringfield Area................11/3 to 11/7

St. Louis Area ................11/20 to 11/20

MississippiHattiesburg Area...........10/20 to 10/24

North CarolinaHickory Area .....................9/15 to 9/19

Charlotte Area.................10/6 to 10/10

Raleigh Area....................10/6 to 10/10

Charlotte Area...............10/13 to 10/17

Raleigh Area..................10/13 to 10/17

OhioBrecksville Area ...........10/20 to 10/24

OklahomaOklahoma City Area............9/8 to 9/12

Oklahoma City Area..........9/15 to 9/19

PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Area.................9/22 to 9/26

South CarolinaSpartanburg Area9/22 to 9/26

Spartanburg Area .............9/29 to 10/3

Charleston Area ............10/20 to 10/24

TennesseeChattanooga Area ..............9/8 to 9/12

TexasFort Worth Area ................9/29 to 10/3

Fort Worth Area ..............10/6 to 10/10

San Antonio Area .........10/20 to 10/24

VirginiaAlexandria Area..................9/8 to 9/12

Alexandria Area9/15 to 9/19

Richmond Area..............10/20 to 10/24

ACSTraining

Mark SeymourA C S T R A I N I N G M A N A G E R

A Great Training ResourceThis past May, 665 ACS clients and nearly 100 ACS staff converged

on Nashville’s Opryland Hotel for the 2003 ACS National

Convention. It was an exciting time of networking and fellowship.

But the Convention is more than just a lot of fun. It’s an outstand-

ing training resource—an investment that brings immediate

returns to your ministry.

Hear what clients are saying about how the Convention helped them:

ACS Training Schools provide program specific softwaretraining for your church management staff. For moreinformation, including a list of schools in your area, visit ourWeb site at: www.acstechnologies.com/training.

T R A I N I N G F O R A C S 6 . 0

Plan now to join us, May 26-28 at the Charleston AreaConvention Center in Charleston, SC for the 2004 ACS NationalConvention! Visit our Web site for more information:www.acstechnologies.com/convention. �

"I got individual help in consultation with cleaning up a big mess wemade in our database." – Colorado Client

"It's a great way to understand ACS and all it has to offer and a greatway to connect and hear what others are doing." – Iowa Client

"You can learn so much…not only about the software, but aboutother important ministry topics. I learned new ways to use theinternet to reach our current members, seekers looking for answers,and the possibilities ACS can provide for off-site backups and Website support." – Missouri Client

"Training is always something people need to renew and refresh.New ideas and tips equal new energy and good work." – TennesseeClient

"Very good way to learn more about what ACS can do. Every time Icome, I learn something new in all the classes I take." – Indiana Client

"I think it benefits you to see the overall abilities of ACS and why theywould help you work, then get in-depth training to build on. Severaldifferent classes took my knowledge another step. Makes me moreconfident in my job." – Tennessee Client

For more information, emailtraining@acstechnologies.com,or for a complete listing of trainingschools in your area visitwww.acstechnologies.com/training.

Training Schools

W W W . A C S T E C H N O L O G I E S . C O M | 17

52TipN

O

Sending a Group Emailin ViewACS

View an attendance roster.

Click the Check All check box to send the email to all of the members orselect the check box next to each name you want to send the email to.

In the Take Action! list, select Group Email and click Go.

The email address field is automatically filled in with the addressentered for the current user under Add/Edit Users. You can change theemail address here, if desired.

Enter the Subject.

Enter the Message.

Click Send Message.

To send a group email:

If you’re on the road or at home and suddenly remember you need toget important information out to your congregation or staff, such as anevent or meeting reminder; or if you have an exciting idea you want toshare and you're not in the office, you can quickly and simply send anemail to members of an attendance group in ViewACS.

1

5

4

3

2

7

6

demonstrate how a targeted email with relevant information willmore likely be read and be more cost-effective. If the youth leaderwants more traffic on the youth Web page, demonstrate how postingdigital photos can increase interest.

So you finally get approval to build it and a little money...but who willactually build the site? Will you do it yourself using FrontPageor Dreamweaver? Or will you take advantage of a full servicecontent management system like the Extend Platform? One hugeadvantage of a content management system is that it allows multiplepeople to participate in the writing of content, not to mention youcan work on the church site from any internet connection in theworld! Ownership is essential. Nothing will sap the enthusiasm forthe church’s Web site faster than if staff members don’t feel like theycan keep their ministry areas updated and appealing. A contentmanagement system gives them access but limits what goes liveuntil it is approved.

Don’t assume that the staff and laity are ready to embrace and use theinternet just because you built the site. One senior pastor at a largeurban church didn’t even bother to plug in his new desktopcomputer for four months. He needed someone to sit down and showhim or her the possibilities. People may not be embracing theinternet because of fears, such as privacy concerns. Make sure youprovide information and plans to help address their concerns.Consider offering classes on Computer 101 in a church computer lab.

Ask the senior minister to mention the information that is on theWebsite. And don’t forget the basics like making sure yourWeb site addressis on all printed materials.

Just as the Wild West was filled with ghost towns where communitiesonce thrived, the internet church is filled with virtual ghost townswhere an updated site and an active user base once existed. Likethe church building, there is always a need for updating andmaintaining content.

One key to staying fresh is to make sure you are using the right toolsfor managing your site. Having to wait a week for the one volunteerto change it will never ensure a well-maintained site. Here again, usinga content management system will make a dramatic difference.

Also, consider forming a Web ministry. You will find that there arepeople who would never volunteer for anything else but who willimmediately get excited about such a team. People from the Webministry can be assigned to a respective ministry to ensure that thereis always good representation by each department.

Each of these six stages is essential to an active and well-used churchWeb site. Appreciate the potential of the internet for enhancing theministry at your church; map the plan for the site first; sell to staff andusers the value; build it out using the right tool; teach staff and laitythe practical way to use it; and finally, maintain the site daily to keepownership high and people coming back. Then you will have a churchWeb site that rivals your actual physical building!

For more in-depth advice and solutions, send for a free eMinistry white paperby Dr. Davies Owens. Email vision@acstechnologies.com. Include yourname, your organization’s name, and address. �

Tips & Tricks

For more information on ViewACS, visitwww.viewacs.com.

Each week, ACS Technologies publishes Tips & Tricks articles containing simplestep-by-step instructions, screen shots, key graphics, and additional informationon ACS software, so you’ll gain a greater understanding of the core conceptsbehind ACS. To view the latest Tips & Tricks, visit the ACS Support Site atwww.acstechnologies.com/support.

�

continued from page 5

NOTE: If any of the selected individuals do not have email addresses and thereforecannot receive the group email, their names will display on the Compose Messagepage so you’ll know who to contact through another medium. Also, the individualswho will receive the email are listed under Recipients.

18| S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 _ V I S I O N M A G A Z I N E

Internet

Cindy StreettW E B A C S / V I E W A C S P R O D U C T M A N A G E R

ACS users can be a great help to each other in learning to usethe ACS modules to their fullest potential and in buildingprofessional church management skills.

New users will find User Group meetings invaluable forlearning tips and shortcuts from seasoned users. Andveterans have a great opportunity for mentoring otherchurch staff members. Regular ACS User Group Meetingscan nurture these relationships and provide opportunitiesfor learning and training for all.

The professional friendships that develop through the ACSuser network will serve you in good stead throughout yourcareer. And best of all, you’ll have a good time, since ACSUser Group meetings are usually lively and fun!

Attend an ACS User Group meeting by contacting one of theACS Consultants listed below or by registering online atwww.acstechnologies.com/events:

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA < September 3Foothills Baptist Church < Robin Clayton < 800-203-4597

DECATUR, GEORGIA < September 4Decatur First United Methodist Church < Libbie Sanders < 800-598-3334

KIRKWOOD, MISSOURI < September 9Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church < Kirk Bennett < 800-471-4804

NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA < September 9Siloam Baptist Church <Wanda Hylton < 800-669-2509

RENO, NEVADA < September 10St. John’s Presbyterian Church < Robin Clayton < 800-203-4597

DRAPER, UTAH < September 11Salt Lake Baptist Association < Robin Clayton < 800-203-4597

TARENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA < September 16Central Presbyterian Church < Kirk Bennett < 800-471-4804

HAMPTON-NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA < September 23Northside Church of Christ <Wally Sale < 800-948-6388

HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA < September 23Highlawn Baptist Church < Amber Harrison < 800-471-4514

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY < September 24Christ Church Cathedral < Amber Harrison < 800-471-4514

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY < September 25First United Methodist Church < Amber Harrison < 800-471-4514

GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA < September 30Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church <Wally Sale < 800-948-6388

On the Road

With more and more people accessing the internet for informationand communication, the work of the church is spreading out into ourhomes and communities over the internet…and ACS Technologies iscommitted to helping client partners in this endeavor.

For organizations not using our ACS software, we have developedWebACS. Churches do not need software installed on their comput-ers to use WebACS. The software is installed on a SQL server that wehost. Therefore, a staffmember can work from any computer that hasinternet access. This is great for churches that use remote staff or vol-unteers working from several locations.

WebACS continues to grow, using the latest .Net technology. NextSpring, we expect to have this Web-based solution available fordenominational offices and others who have multiple organizationsunder one umbrella.

For churches currently using ACS, we recommend getting starteddown the Digital Road now with View ACS. Data remains stored onthe ACS database in your church office. However, administrators canselect some data and “publish” it to our SQL servers. Authorized userscan henwork with data from home or elsewhere over the internet—emailing committee members, or looking up family informationprior to a hospital visit, for example. Plus, if you discover a change(such as an address change or new phone number), you can recordthe new information via the internet. This change will appear in a listfor the administrator to accept or reject; making it easy for changes tobe entered, yet still giving the church staff control of the data.

We are steadily adding to these products, based as always on clientpartner input. Many of you have asked for the ability to enable yourlay leaders and volunteers to have access to select data for theirgroups. Then, for example, group leaders could mark attendance orsend emails to their group…or see the birthdays of each member intheir group and send a birthday card.

We have many plans for applying the power of the internet for use inthe Church and want you to share your ideas with us. If you’ve beenwaiting for ACS Technologies to build just the right internet productfor you, now is the time to let us know what you need.

Visit www.acstechnologies.com to learn more, or email your ideasto us at internet@acstechnologies.com. �

Get Your Data Online

ACS TECHNOLOGIES USER GROUPSACS TECHNOLOGIES USER GROUPS

Provide the right peopleaccess to your data—

when and where theyneed it most.

Kay, Ministry AssistantFreeman Heights Baptist Church, TX

It’s Great! I always come

away from ACS Training

excited about how I can

apply my new knowledge to

better manage our ministries.

TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL!Alice in Maryland

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Why you need ACS TRAINING.Training gives people the ABILITY to use the powerful tools they havein the ACS software to do their jobs more EFFICIENTLY.

Training HELPS people understand, not just how to use products fromACS Technologies, but how to use them EFFECTIVELY.

Training gives people INSIGHTS into features and CAPABILITIES thatthey often don’t know are there.

Training helps people see that when they UNDERSTAND the system,their job can be much easier.

IDEAS YOU CAN USE more at acstechnologies.com/training

LOOK FOR YOUR TRAINING SCHOOLINVITATION COMING IN THE MAIL SOON!

Fred / ACS Certified Trainer

ACS TRAINING Solutions

Exciting CLASSES to help youmaximize your expertisein the powerful ACS SOLUTION Suites.

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For a Training School scheduled near you, call 1-800-736-7425,email training@acstechnologies.com or

visit our Web site at www.acstechnologies.com/training.

VERY BENEFICIAL!Barbara in Ohio

E x t e n d Your MinistryImagine a Web sitewhere content is alwaysengaging and informative– solving the informationbottleneck that causes oldnews to stay online.

Imagine a Web site thatgives you complete controlover design and layout –where you aren’t limitedby template based programsor complex technology.

Imagine a Web site thatmost anyone can createand manage – eliminatingthe need for high cost webdesignersanddependence onvolunteers.

Now, imagine that a partner you count on – a company with 25 years of experiencewith ministry-minded churches and schools – has developed just theWeb site solutionyou need.A solution to help you share your message with more people less expensivelythan ever before.

ACS Technologies relies on Extend tomanage its corporate Web site. With over27 sites making up this network, all pages atacstechnologies.com have a common look.Individual departments within theorganization use existing staff to maintaintheir own site sections. This allows forconsistently fresh and accurate onlinecontent company wide.

Dayspring International wanted anengaging Web presence to communicate itsrevolutionary mission, but it didn’t want tobe dependent on a single staff member orcostly consultant to develop a custom site.They also needed a way for team membersin other states and countries to publishcontent on the site. With Extend, they wereable to launch dayspringinternational.orgin days, while maintaining control overbudget, content, and workflow.

The South Carolina Southern BaptistConvention recently launched a new 24/7community at scbaptist.net, using Extend.Affiliated churches receive all the benefitsof Extend. Plus, the SCBC is able to useExtend’s powerful syndication tools to offerfresh, relevant content to member sites.This facilitates the cross-sharing of articles,sermons, studies, and other media-richcontent among constituent churches.Extend provides a way for the SCBC and itsmember churches to increase communica-tion and decrease costs.

It’s Easy and Affordable to Extend Your MinistryThe ACS Extend Platform™ tailors to how you want to use the Internet

Glenn, Christ Church Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

“Combining our information into one system with ACS is a big advantage.”

Now is the Time to Extend Your MinistryTo learn more about this powerful and exciting new service; pleasevisit www.extendplatform.com, email extend@acstechnologies.com,or call 1-800-736-7425.