Strategy

Alan MuehlenwegDirector Market ResearchThird Degree Advertising and CommunicationsHow Your Members See You:Using Market Research to Improve Membership Involvement and Enhance CommunicationsIn today’s “message cluttered” world, companies and organizations are quick to throw some fancy words together with some pretty pictures and say “Here we are!” without even considering “who we are.”Third Degree Advertising and Communications believes there is a better approach to developing coherent, relevant messaging that is consistent with your church’s image and identity.Using best practices and case studies from clients who are membership-based and faith-based organizations, this session will provide you with insightful, proven tools and techniques that can be used to help you understand and uncover the essence of your church’s brand.Areas to be explored include:

• How to discover if your church’s “backdoor” is closed.
• How to uncover your church’s character.
• How to unearth your church’s internal strengths and weaknesses.
• How to determine where your church’s greatest opportunities lie.
• How to learn your communities greatest needs.

This session is designed to challenge your thinking and provide you with some practical “do-it-yourself” tips for basic church research.Alan Muehlenweg is the Director Market Research at Third Degree Advertising and Communications, Inc., an Oklahoma City-based full-service advertising, marketing, communications and new media company established in February of 1995.Alan’s experience in market research and ministry has led to his creation of several proprietary research methodologies, including Church Membership Involvement (CMI) studies. Alan’s expertise lies in developing custom research tools based on proven methodologies, such as focus groups, depth interviews, online surveys, and phone surveys and then providing detailed consulting and recommendations based on the results of these studies.Alan, his wife Charity, and son Ethan (8 months old) attend Southgate Baptist Church in Moore, OK, where they actively serve as the junior high ministers.  Includes audio (MP3) and slides (PDF).Electronic download only (27Meg)

Chris ForbesInteractive Media SpecialistPurpose Driven MinistriesThe one thing that can help your ministry reach more people is not a program it is a way of thinking Chris Forbes calls the ministry marketing mindset. Chris says it is the “missionary mindset, meets media”. Forbes believes that only when you and your ministry understand and apply sound marketing principles, can you really create marketing that “works.” Learn how you can develop a strategy for reaching the people in your area or focus group. This conference will give you an overview of the Ministry Marketing Mindset that will help you build the skills you need to apply marketing to your context. You’ll be surprised how fast you understand the marketing mind-set and start applying it in your ministry.

• 7 Ways To Stop Short-Circuiting Your Ministry’s Communications
• The One Simple Principle that Will Help You Reach More People
• How to Communicate to People in Ways that Get Attention and Invite Response
• How to Build Positive Awareness of Your Church in Your Community
• 25 Free Marketing tools You Can Use Right Now.
• And more!

About the Presenter:Chris Forbes (MinistryMarketingCoach.com) has been in the ministry since 1989, serving all over the world. He developed the Ministry Marketing Coach™ seminar surprisingly simple concepts while serving in real ministry situations while working as an international missionary, strategy leader, media strategist, and marketplace researcher. Chris has a passion for developing and implementing ways to use media in the work of the ministry. He has a vision for helping your church or ministry share the Good News in ways that get attention and invite response from the people you want to reach.Chris is the Interactive Media Specialist for Purpose Driven Ministries and is presently developing strategies for www.pastors.com the world’s largest gathering of pastors on the internet.
He is also is the Marketing Evangelism Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma where he has developed leading internet evangelism sites like www.mostimporttantthing.org, and www.code2life.com. Chris is also a certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach specializing in nonprofit marketing and works with secular charities, social marketing groups and humanitarian relief organizations in developing strategies for advocacy and fundraising.
Includes audio (MP3) and slides (PDF)Electronic download only (33Meg)

Ginger Sinsabaugh-MacDonaldTop CookieTastyFaith.comChicago, ILStarbucks never forced you to buy that skim mocha frappucino. Disney didn’t twist your kid’s arm to make them want to go. That’s because marketers know creating a craving for their products and services is a much easier task.
In this workshop lead by advertising professional Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald, you will learn how to create a craving for your church programming with break-through communication. You will discuss the importance of keeping your message simple, knowing your target audience, and even walk through a do-it-yourself creative brief.You will learn:  How to give your communication the impact of advertising, by using freshness, simplicity, and YOUR creativitythe importance of knowing your audiencehow to zone in on the Big Ben (the big benefit) that you are trying to communicate  ways to organize a creative brief, the back-bone of any successful marketing projectAbout the Presenter:Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald splits her time in Chicago between advertising and urban youth ministry.  Professionally, she has worked with Snap! Crackle! Pop! as well as Michael Jordan. She’s won awards, creating commercials you’ve seen on TV, ads in magazines, coupons in Sunday papers, as well as the signs the sample lady has next to her mini frozen sausages at the supermarket.
But in now, Ginger is using her  creativity to create a craving for Christ instead of just snack foods. Ginger is the creator of TastyFaith Resources  for Urban Ministry which  is available at TastyFaith.com. She is the author of Help! I’m an Urban Youth Worker! by Youth Specialties as well as several articles on the media influence and teens. Ginger and her husband Jeff live near Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where they  enjoy eating candy, watching the Cubs lose and attending JPUSA  of Chicago.audio (MP3), handouts and slides (PDF) (16Meg)Electronic download only

Jon EdmistonDirector of Communications and Information TechnologyChrist’s Church of the ValleyPeoria, AZTrying to be all things to all people can lead to you reaching no one. Selecting a targeted demographic can be tough. It means focusing on a few to reach the many. Without focus, you risk communicating a weak message that appeals to no one. Topics that will be covered include:- Using your community’s demographics to define a target for your church- Learning how to adjust your communications message for your target- Cultural shifts in targets- Case study in how CCV has determined its target and how we use it in every aspect of ministryJon Edmiston is the Director of Communications and Information Technology at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona. He joined in the staff four years ago. Before CCV, he spent 7 years at Honeywell International leading E-Business / E-Commerce teams. Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF).Electronic download only (40Meg)

Kathy SharpDirector of CommunicationsSaddleback Church / Purpose DrivenLake Forest, CA Whether you’re new at leading an entire organization or managing a group or short-term project, this seminar will help you develop personal tools that accelerate transition and assure success as you connect with your team and build influential support coalitions. Not only will we identify structural similarities in challenges, opportunities and guidelines — must do’s and don’t do’s — for every type of communications situation, we’ll address situation diagnosis, productive working relationships, establishing credibility and creating momentum. Also helpful for leaders who feel like they’ve reached a plateau in their work.Kathy Sharp is director of communications for Saddleback Church and the Purpose Driven Network. Her expertise in magazine publishing and marketing have been developed against the backdrop of service on local church staffs, as an international missionary, and while working with LifeWay Christian Resources and the International Mission Board. A popular international conference leader, she has published more than 75 articles in several languages.Includes audio (MP3) only.Electronic download only (36Meg)

Mike FosterFounder, XXXChurch.com
In 2002, Mike founded XXXChurch.com, the Internet’s #1 Christian porn site. Utilizing his creativity and passion for people, Mike has helped bring healing and freedom from pornography addiction for people around the world. He has appeared on CNN, FOXNews, Good Morning America and has been featured in the New York Times.
2008 Keynote: Mike Foster
Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (43Meg)

Phil LingExecutive Vice President of Field OperationsINJOY Stewardship Services A capital campaign can be a daunting experience, but it also holds the promise of remarkable blessing and benefit.  When a campaign is successful, its impact lives on for years and years, often transforming entire communities.  However success does not easily; and it’s essential to approach the process with strategic precision.  The challenge within a capital stewardship campaign is to think, pray, and implement strategies with a certain sequence and timeline in mind.  Although there are steps common to every campaign, the way in which those steps are taken can vary significantly.  During this session, we will take a look at the 7 steps to a successful capital campaign.1. Clarifying the Vision 2. Counting the Cost 3. Committing the Resources 4. Communicating the Vision 5. Capturing the Hearts and Minds 6. Collecting the Resources 7. Continuing the JourneyAbout the Presenter:Phil Ling, Vice President for INJOY Stewardship Services, serves the nation’s churches with 21 years of pastoral experience as guidance. He received his Master of Ministry Degree from Kentucky Christian College, and has been the founding pastor of two church plants over the last 15 years. Most recently he served as Senior Pastor of Northshore Christian Church in Everett, Washington. He and a group of families planted the church in 1990 and it has since grown to over 2,500 in weekly attendance. The church also founded Northshore Christian Academy which quickly grew to over 300 students. Phil was also a popular drive time radio talk show host for America Today with Phil Ling in the Seattle area. Phil has a wealth of experience that is now focused on helping pastors and their churches maximize their full potential. Phil and Georgia Curtis Ling have been married for 25 years, and have a fun-loving, 15 year old  son,  Phillip.MP3 audio only (13Meg)Electronic download only

MinistryCOM 2009 Breakout Session

Presenter:

Terrell Sanders
Executive Director
MinistryCOM.org
Edmond, OK

Session Description:

Do you have more logos than ministries at your church? Do some ministries complain that other groups  receive more support from communications than they do? Do you struggle with balancing announcements across print, web, live, and even more brochures? Do you need some basic principles and strategies to fall back on when making communications decisions?

Sometimes it’s hard to get everyone on the same page when they come from such diverse backgrounds. Often church communications is hampered by lack of common goals and divergent basic assumptions.

In this session Terrell will present seven core communications principles he has collected from extremely effective churches around the world. When approved by your leadership, these principles give your a strategy for effective communications, and a defense from trying to be all things to all people.

About the Presenter:

Terrell Sanders is the Executive Director of MinistryCOM, and founder of MainStreetOpen, a web development firm. Between his web company and MinistryCOM, he has trained and consoled church communications staff for almost 10 years.

Terrell’s background is computer technology, both from the software and hardware sides. He has extensive experience in business process automation and software development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics and a number of obsolete technical certifications.

He has worked with a number of churches and non-profits on communications projects both a volunteer and a paid consultant. Terrell lives in Edmond, OK and attends Henderson Hills Baptist Church (where the communications team does a fine job without his help).

Includes audio (MP3), workshop slides (PDF)
Electronic download only (50Meg)

Michael Buckingham Holy Cow Creative
“I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.”
Sermon branding is all about creating visual connections to what is being said. It’s much more than a colorful slide; it is the presentation of the Gospel. This workshop takes you beyond the “if” of sermon branding into the “why,” teaching you how to connect visuals to emotion for creating sticky preaching. Michael will outline the process for sermon branding from title to visuals to building anticipation through creative resources. Since this is all about connecting visually, he’ll do more than talk about it. He’ll show examples of effective and engaging sermon branding.
About the presenter: Michael Buckingham, owner and creative director of Holy Cow Creative, brings a unique blend of business and creative ability to the Church. With a diverse background ranging from starting large corporations to developing a youth center to agency work, he now works with churches of all sizes to develop relevant and engaging marketing. He has taken his experience in the public sector and is now set out to change the way the Church does Church.

Includes audio (MP3), handouts (PDF) Electronic download only (59Meg)

Dawn Nicole Baldwin Founder, AspireOne
Dawn Nicole is Founder and Lead Strategist of AspireOne, a strategic branding firm with a passion for helping churches reach people more effectively. She has led visual communications and advertising teams at Willow Creek Community Church and Big Idea Productions, Creators of VeggieTales. For over 10 years Dawn Nicole has consulted with some of today’s most innovative churches, such as Granger, Seacoast and Perimeter.
2008 Keynote: Dawn Baldwin
Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF) Electronic download only (37Meg)