Ministries, such as churches and Christian non-profit organizations, set up websites to tell the world about the schedule of their worship services, what kinds of ministries they implement, and why people should come visit them. Too often, though, ministries setup an online brochure and nothing more. In my own denomination, only about 1 in 5 church websites are updated. Most of them just show static content placed there last year (or was it 5 years ago?). Makes you wonder if churches really do have an idea in using the Web for their ministries.

But if you’re one of the few ministries, and that includes individuals who are keen on having an online ministry, then you should consider the three elements of a good ministry website.

Read more…

Thanks to the Christian Stewardship Association and the Asian Theological Seminary, I led a seminar on Social Media Marketing on May 9th. Here’s my Prezi:

In the next few weeks, I’ll be elaborating on this framework to help you implement an online communication campaign for your ministry.

The Internet and the Web ushered in a period of interconnectedness unprecedented in history. Businesses and organizations rushed in to create their own websites and use these technologies to sell their products, offer their services, and broadcast their message online.

The problem though, as I complained in a previous blogpost, Christian leaders and organizations are slow to use the web and New Media technologies for ministry.

If you’re still in the sidelines and want to use the Web for ministry but somehow, unable to move forward, here are five reasons why you need a ministry website.

(When I say ministry, I mean your church, your church organization, and yes, it could even be your personal advocacy.)

Provide resources online.

Many Christians are looking for resources for various purposes–spiritual growth, leadership articles, sermons, and how-to articles. If you’re a Pastor, most likely, you’re preaching for 4 Sundays every month. That’s 52 Sundays for the whole year! Church members who go to church every Sunday can listen to your sermons. But if you upload your sermons online, those who fail to attend church can also read your sermon. Members who love your sermons can also go back to your previous ones. Not only that, you can even record your sermons in audio or video formats so that people can experience them better. Read more…

For more than three years now, I’ve been challenging Pastors and Church leaders to start blogging and use Social Media for ministry. It wasn’t entirely fruitless. I have about 5 converts. Five!

At least my efforts yielded something.

But seriously, Filipino Christian leaders, especially from Mainline, Protestant traditions tend to bes slow in using new technologies for their ministries. Heck, I have yet to see a Filipino Bishop who’s really into social media. One of the few active Pastors on Facebook is Ed Lapiz, but he’s not a bishop, so he probably doesn’t count.

In the country, Victory Christian Fellowship is the only Christian Church that has successfully integrated Web and Social Media technologies into its overall ministry and communications strategy. Not convinced?

All VCF Pastors have their own ministry blogs. Dennis Sy, Joey Bonifacio, Paolo Punzalan, Joash Paunil, and Steve Murrell, of course. Even some of their not-pastors, but active Christian members have really good blogs. Chinkee Tan (okay, granted, I’m not really sure if he’s VCF or not), Randell Tiongson, and the social media guru, Carlo Ople. Read more…

As a Netizen, I’m no longer a big fan of TV. But occasionally I find myself watching news, or (gasp!) Soap operas at Channel 2. Well, my wife works at ABSCBN News Channel so that figures.

Every time the soap opera ends, the main characters promote a little known service being offered by the station: in case you missed your favorite TV Show, you can always watch it online at http://iwantv.com.ph.

As a true-blooded netizen, I didn’t own a TV until after I got married. The last TV I owned was a Black and White one, which got burned with the rest of my things and probably 50 other houses at Pook Ricarte in UP Diliman back in 2001. Let’s just say that I didn’t really miss anything, except for those times when the country seemed to be in the cusp of major major change or it’s on the verge of chaos.

With the ubiquity of the Web these days, even soap operas and other TV programs are available online. Go check it out.

Iwantv.com.ph used to be exclusively available to Sky cable and BayanDSL subscribers. What happened? ABSCBN realized the importance of the Web and jumped right in.

Online video has arrived. According to YouTube’s Statistics, 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Here’s the rest of the statistics:

More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month
Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube
72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
YouTube is localized in 53 countries and across 61 languages
In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views or around 140 views for every person on Earth
Millions of subscriptions happen each day. Subscriptions allow you to connect with someone you’re interested in — whether it’s a friend, or the NBA — and keep up with their activity on the site

Some of these content are duplicates, of course. If you search for your favorite TV program, either on ABS-CBN, GMA, or Channel5, you’ll find hundreds of people uploading content they don’t own to capitalize on the growing interest of people to watch these videos online. Read more…

The Great Commission is like the Last Will and Testament of Jesus just before he left our planet. But what if, before leaving the planet, he had access to the technologies we have now?

I could just imagine Jesus, nail wounds prominent in the sunlight, handing out his business card, containing his phone number (kinda like prayer, you know), and his Twitter and Facebook account, to his ragtag followers. The disciples then take their mobile phones and readily store the information. Jesus prepares to ascend and tells his followers that he’ll always be with them.

And after a few minutes of looking up, full of wonder and lots of unanswered questions, the disciples’ phones ring one after another. Since they follow Jesus anyway, they get the same Tweet:

All authority on heaven and earth is mine. Go. Make disciples. Baptize. Teach em to obey my commands. I’ll be with you till the end. TTYL

But that is not how it happened, right? Read more…

Text: John 21:1-19

Introduction

Have you ever been to a Worship service that’s not United Methodist? Ecumenical? How about one of those CF’s: VCF, CCF, GCF?

Try attending one worship service at CCF in Ortigas or pretty much any VCF in Metro Manila, and I bet that you could see 3 or 5 Methodist young people in attendance.

Or, probably, try watching the Social Media accounts of our young people, and you’ll see them Checking In and talking about the worship services at any of these “new” and very dynamic churches.

I grew up a United Methodist. I was probably singing in the choir already when I was still in my Mother’s Womb. Attended Sunday School, and ditched several episodes of Voltes V. I attended School for Christian Youth Development for three years, and since 1993, I’ve been a regular delegate of Christmas Institutes, except for about 3 years of College, where I grew my hair long, listened to screaming metal music, and tried to make sense of my faith, my life.

Right off the bat I could say that the United Methodist Church has a solid Children’s ministry and an awesome youth ministry which produces leaders in the church and in the society. But after that period of involvement with the UM Youth Fellowship, something happens.

Either there’s a hunger among young professionals/young adults we can’t address or their commitment to church gets buried in an avalanche of new experiences, new experiences, and ‘new’ expressions of faith.

And yes, I confess, I attend Bread of Life Crossroads 77 occasionally, when I feel like it.

What do they have that we don’t? Why are they able to attract more people while we seem to be floundering, declining, even?

Or maybe, those are not the right questions to ask at all? Read more…

Thousands of Bible believers joined the Philippine Bible Society’s biggest event called the May They Be One (MTBO) Bible Run today, March 9, 2013, Saturday, at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila.

This year’s run was more enjoyable as it was highlighted by colorful themes and floats inspired by biblical stories. The Bible Run is designed to help participants learn more about and engage with God’s Word through the scripture verses, biblical information and trivia that will punctuate the race tracks.

Participants got to interact with the Bible characters and have their pictures taken in a photo booths situated along the race tracks. It was even more meaningful as they got to help PBS to raise funds for the printing of the Bible to be given to under-privileged Filipinos.

Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo, PBS Chairman and President, and Manila City Mayor Alfredo S. Lim led the 2nd staging of MTBO Bible Run through the gun start ceremony of the event.

Radio Jock and Youth Pastor Jordan Escusa and Beauty Queen and Actress Miriam Quiambao provided the energy and grace as the host of the event.

Bishop Jonel Milan led the opening prayer followed by the Bible reading by a member of the Resources from the Blind. Read more…

I’m working on the edits and revisions of Chapter 5 of my book. You know that feeling that you just feel overwhelmed with the many things that you want to say, you end up feeling that you’re really saying anything good at all?

I planned to complete the full chapter 5 and 6 yesterday. But I guess, I just didn’t have the energy and the inspiration perhaps. I felt stumped and unable to proceed with the best way to present the information I wanted my readers to have.

Oh well, talk about dammed words!

Thomas A. Edison was right: a job well done requires 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. So here I turn on the computer, and pick up where I left off yesterday. Perhaps, the muse will appear today. Or not! Either way, I write.