Top Christian media website, Evangelize.com, has rebranded it’s video download site as MinistryFlix.com. To celebrate this name change, the site is giving away brand new exclusive content each week throughout the summer, created by some of its top selling producers. Please know some of this content you can’t find anywhere else on the web!

The site offers thousands of short videos that give viewers an opportunity to hear about important themes. Videos tackle issues such as gossip, worship, relationships and forgiveness – all from a Christian perspective. Many of the videos feature stars from such hit television shows as “The Office,” “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Glee,” “Saturday Night Live” and more.

The site’s founder, Tom Rice, says “We are constantly bombarded with stories and visual imagery that compete for our imagination and aim to influence the way we view our world. Our imaginations are often led to value what is contrary to God’s teaching. MinistryFlix.com thinks it’s time to reclaim our imaginations,” says Rice.

MinistryFlix.com believes that parables and imagery are just as influential today as they were when Jesus delivered his sermon on the mount. They have put together a vast resource of materials that they believe will help capture the imagination of their audience and lead them closer to Christ.

“People yearn to hear truth that will set them free. Your audience might be your church, your family or perhaps your friends who don’t know Jesus. They’re ready to listen,” says Rice. Rice wants people to view MinistryFlix.com as the top digital resource for offering the best in Christian media for church, small group or individual use. The downloadable videos range from inspirational videos, documentary testimonials, and comedies and often feature recognizable actors. The content on the site is produced through a partnership of top Christian media producers.

Don’t miss that last point – it separates MinistryFlix.com from most of it’s competitors. They screen and filter their videos and won’t put up just anybody. My problem with some companies is they have so much junk on their website that you have to search for hours to find anything usable. Only the top Christian media producers have been selected to be on MinistryFlix.com. It’s really a who’s who of Christian media resources. If you want to save yourself time, it’s worth you bookmarking them and checking them first when you’re looking for a video clip for your ministry.

In case you missed it in the opening paragraph: They’re giving away FREE videos every week. The new Deidox film is only on their site and available as a FREE download. At least go get your free video!

Today I leave for my good old hometown of Dallas, TX. I’ll be hanging out at the ECHO Conference for the next few days. If you’re going to be there, please find me and say “hello”. I’m looking forward to being back in a city that I love and getting to see several friends from around the country that are coming to the conference.

Friday, I’ll be leaving Dallas and flying to Salt Lake City, Utah to hang out for six days with my friend, Charles Hill (founder of The Sticks Conference). Charles is planting a church near Salt Lake City, Utah (which happens to be the most un-churched city in the US) and I’ll get to attend his second preview service this Sunday. I can’t wait to share with you all what God shows me from my time with Charles.

As you know, I have a big heart for church planters and church plants in general. I love all church planters, regardless of where they plant, but I’m very passionate about hard to reach and unchurched areas like the Northeast, Pacific Northwest and where I’m going to be in Utah.

I’m also praying through some big decisions these days and would appreciate your prayers, as I believe God is leading me to start a church planting movement. I’ll be blogging more about the vision of this movement in the near future, but for now – please just pray for me. I feel God is up to something and stirring something inside of me and I feel my time with Charles in Utah is going to mess me up (for good)!

Can you believe it’s almost August?

My friend downunder, Steve Fogg, inspired this blog post or at least encouraged me to write about it for my readers. When I create a secret shopper report for churches, the first thing I report on is the church’s online strategy and the first thing I look for is the church’s Facebook presence and specifically is they have a custom landing page.

Why is this important? To put it simply: If you’re trying to reach people, Facebook is your mission field. Facebook just passed 500 million users and if it was a country it would be the third largest in the world! By the way, if we’re not already friends on Facebook, we should be. Add me HERE.

Instead of giving you a step by step ‘how to’ on this post, below are some links which others have used as a tour guide to getting it done and also getting started on Facebook. Any and all of these can more than help you.

Darren Rowse from Problogger gives the clearest step by step instructions for creating a Facebook landing page here.

Brandon Knight provides an another excellent step by step guide.

DesignM.AG shows who they consider the best landing pages on Facebook are.

Smashing Magazine gives some insight and help here.

If your church isn’t on Facebook yet. Get on. ChurchCrunch provides 4 tips to help you get started.

Here are some great Facebook landing pages:

LifeChurch.tv

Soul City Church – this Facebook landing page was recognized by SmashingMagazine.com

Park Community Church

Crossway

Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit

I created one for my secret shopper company HERE. If you’re not a member of the page, please join for special tips, insights and resources for your church.

Have you created any custom functionality in Facebook? How would you rate your church’s Facebook presence? Also, do you have some other awesome church Facebook landing pages that I need to know about and list? Share!

My brother actually introduced me to this video. It’s pretty innovative and creative. What are your thoughts?

The following is a blog post announcing the new book OUTSPOKEN – a book on church communications (which I’m honored to be  a part of). Read what Tim Schraeder said in his announcement on his blog:

Less than a month ago an idea was born.

I bought a domain, sent a few emails, and the rest has been a crazy journey that only God could have orchestrated.

While there are a number of great books and resources available for church communications directors, they often offer a very narrow or limited view of what can be an intricate subject. Church communications is now a wide umbrella that encompasses a broad range of disciplines including print, media, branding, design, web, social media, online communities, and much more.

The need is great but solid resources are few and far between.

Two years ago I was approached by an editor to write a book about my experience doing church communications, and I began the process of putting together a manuscript. While things seemed to be coasting, the economy began to take a slump downward and the idea was quickly shelved.

Well, about a month ago a fire was rekindled under me to make a book happen [credit to Scott Belsky’s Making Ideas Happen and Seth Godin’s Linchpin]…only this one would be different.

I felt there was need for a more holistic resource that would pull from the collected wisdom of many to create an indispensible resource for church communications leaders to help them clearly and effectively communicate the Gospel. Rather than one sole voice, I wanted to help create a conversation.

I’m thrilled to be the first to let you know the idea has become a reality and it’s happening… in partnership with the Center for Church Communication, I will be releasing OUTSPOKEN: Conversations on Church Communications.

Well, it’s not just me doing the writing… it’s me and over 50 friends including:

Kem Meyer – Granger Community Church
Dawn Nicole Baldwin – AspireOne
Greg Atkinson – gregatkinson.com
Michael Buckingham – Holy Cow! Creative
Shawn Wood – Seacoast Church
Scott Hodge – The Orchard
Ben Arment – Story, Whiteboard Sessions, Dream Year
Leonard Sweet – best-selling author, professor at Drew University
Phil Cooke – author of Branding Faith
Tony Morgan – TonyMorganLive.com
Jon Acuff – Stuff Christians Like
Will Mancini – auxano, author of Church Unique
Tony Steward – LifeChurch.tv
Charles Lee – Ideation
Cynthia Ware – Center for Church Communication
Blaine Hogan – Willow Creek Community Church
Daniel Decker – Higher Level Group
John Dyer- donteatthefruit.com
Rhett Smith – RhettSmith.com
Scott McClellan – COLLIDE Magazine
Katie Strandlund – CautiousCreative.com
Jason Widney – Park Community Church
Matt Knisely – Lawton First Assembly
Nathan Davis – Destiny Christian Center
Phil Bowdle- West Ridge Church
Jesse Phillips – CATALYST
Kent Shaffer- ChurchRelevance.com, YouVersion.com
Katie Moon – Fellowship Church
Kevin Hendricks – Center for Church Communication
Corbyn Tyson – monvee, Heartland Community Church
Curtis Simmons – Fellowship Technologies
Eric Murrell – Long Hollow Baptist Church, MediaSalt.com
Cleve Persinger – The Chapel, MediaSalt.com
Matthew Paul Turner – JesusNeedsNewPR.com

I’m just getting started!

John Saddington – North Point Ministries
Jay Argaèt – Hillsong Church
Maurilio Amorim – The A Group
Danielle Hartland - Grace Church
Jim Gray – Mission Igniter
Lori Bailey – LifeChurch.tv
Vin Thomas – VINTOM.com
Justin Wise – BeDeviant.com
Sam DuRegger – theomusings.com
Blair Farley – Mariners Church
Jeremy Scheller – The Sanctuary Covenant Church
Jan Lynn – TheViewfromHer.com
Steve Fogg – Crossway Church
Clint! Runge – Archrival
Jennifer Schuchmann – WordstoThinkAbout.com
Kerry Bural – The Resonate Group
Jeremy Sexton – National Community Church
Michael Forsberg – Jarbyco
Bobby Chandler - Sugar Creek Baptist Church
Vince Marotte – Gateway Church
Denny Weinman – Sugar Creek Baptist Church
Josh Burns – Park Community Church
Dawn Bryant – bloom
KC Walsh – Willow Creek Community Church
Rich Kirkpatrick – Sunridge Community Church
Cameron Smith – Christ’s Church of the Valley
Gerry True – Oak Hills Church
Josh Cody - Center for Church Communication

Added July 21:
Dave Blanchard – IDEO
Josh Blankenship – NewSpring Church
Bianca Juarez – InTheNameofLove.com
DJ Chuang – Worship Leader Magazine
Drew Goodmanson – MonDev/Ekklesia360
Paul Steinbrueck – OurChurch.com

…and more to be confirmed!*

OUTSPOKEN will be a collection of short essays by each contributor focusing on various areas that encompass church communications. It will offer practical ideas and insights from some of the people who are shaping and changing the way churches communicate. Some faces are familiar, some are new, but they all represent a unique mix of churches and backgrounds that will inspire and challenge you to change the way you do communications.

OUTSPOKEN will be self-published and available for purchase online as a downloadable PDF. Print copies will be available for purchase through Amazon. We’ll also be working to make it available in Kindle and iBook format.

Release date is to be determined, but we’re aiming for early winter.

Proceeds from the sale of OUTSPOKEN will go to support the Center for Church Communication, the parent organization of ChurchMarketingSucks.com and the Church Marketing Lab. CFCC exists to help the church matter and is a resource for church communicators. Churches have the greatest story ever told, but struggle to tell it well. They want to help churches tell it better.

Follow the OUTSPOKEN journey on twitter @OUTSPOKENbook or “Like” it on Facebook to stay up-to-date! Watch for more updates, the website launch and more!

Here’s something that I thought was cool.  Squeeze, made an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s show the other night to play the classic “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),” and the keyboardist was playing both the electronic ivories and an iPad. He even drops a nice solo in right around 2:32. YouTube commenter MooCowMusic says it’s his app, Pianist.

I’ve commented before that I look for laptops on the stage when I visit a church. If I came to your church, would I see someone playing an iPad? What do you think?

The following is a guest blog from Vineet Kothari. Vineet is the CEO at MyCorporateLogo.com, which provides custom logo design and website designs and offers affordable business logo design prices.  Vineet graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and has worked in the digital design industry since 2005.

Branding your business is all about telling people who you are and what you do. A business doesn’t become successful unless it is noticed by others. You need to stand out from the crowd and leave your competitors behind. For this you have to develop a unique and original online brand. A brand should reflect the reliability, professionalism and quality of the company and its products or services.

These days there are a multitude of ways in which companies can practice Online Branding – Corporate Websites, Banner Advertisements, Articles, Blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube etc. have all been used at one time or other to further the awareness of brands on the web.

Here are a few tips for online branding to make your business successful.

Define Your Objectives

Your website should actually spell out what your brand stands for. When a visitor views your website he should get to know what your business is all about. Many companies crowd their web pages with unnecessary graphics and taglines without defining the objectives of the business.

Write about the history of your business and its purpose. Provide a detailed account of your products on the web to give visitors a virtual feel for the products or services on offer.

Make It Visually Appealing

Your website should have a design scheme that suits your business. Images, graphics and colors are appealing to the clients. Which visitor would like to browse a web page that is devoid of color or design? Your business website shouldn’t appear dull. It has to attract the viewers and keep them interested in you.

As the old saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words, so use appropriate images wherever possible to highlight services or products. Research has found that graphics/images with a human element (picture of a person) are more likely to attract visitors to the products on display.

Make Good Use of Words

Your web page is a combination of images and words. So, be sure to balance the graphics and imagery used with textual content. As a designer one tends to focus on the graphics as much as possible and the content gets neglected. While the imagery may get a visitor’s attention, it is the content that will keep the visitor coming back for more.

A conversational tone works best and personalizes the content, keeping interest alive. Regular updates of content and articles to your website leads visitors to believe that you pay attention to the website and this perhaps translates to the services and products produced. Try to be witty and crisp, so that the readers don’t get bored. Your purpose is not putting them off to sleep but making them crave for more.

One-Stop Destination

Go beyond just your products and services. A good web page should contain articles about every thing that is related to your business. You can discuss in detail the type of products that your business produces – their utility and origin. Link out to other resources with more detail on similar products. Create photo galleries, message boards and try to come up with other interesting concepts to keep the visitors glued to your website.

Search Engine Optimization

If you have not included Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in your marketing strategy, you have made a big mistake. SEO will optimize your site such that it appears higher in internet search results. People who search the internet by your business name are already aware of your presence. What about the ones who search by the products or services you supply? Specialist SEO consultant firms can help increase the visibility of your website on the internet through various online strategies.

Collaborate with other Websites

You can contact other websites to promote your products. This will help you reach out to a wider circle of viewers. Advertising your website is a good idea for online branding. Post articles, submit press releases and write blogs on your behalf to make online branding successful. You need to keep track of the sites that your customers visit and engage with them at a regular basis. Including banners on these sites keeps you visible and links visitors back to your site.

Your Logo

Your business logo embodies the vision of your company, the reason you do what you do and where you are headed. The message should be clear and unambiguous. Often designers get caught up in the aesthetic appeal and forget the message of the company.

Fonts and colors can be bold or mellow to go with the nature of business. Logos with a mix of graphic and textual elements work best.

The logo should be prominently displayed on all your online branding efforts from your corporate website to the advertisements and even the articles/blogs you write. It should be prominent but not overbearing and should always link back to your website.

Recently businesses have started using social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to further their online brand strategy. Innovation in advertising and branding is constant and one must keep pace with all the avenues available to increase ones business presence online.

Do not underestimate the power of online branding as it can reach far beyond the boundaries of traditional advertising and marketing to people and places you may not have even considered.

Have you ever wanted a custom Twitter background for your youth group but don’t know how to make one?  Well here is a free customizable Twitter background and tutorial to walk you through how, compliments of Sheepish Design.

Sheepish Design did my new Twitter background (seen HERE) and is a great company to talk to about your church’s website. Most churches I come across are in desperate need of a new website and branding campaign. Sheepish Design can help you with that.

Go HERE to get a custom Twitter background and a tutorial for editing it. Thanks Sheepish Design!

Last night my wife and I watched the movie “Chariots of Fire“. Those of you that know me know I’m a movie guy, but I had never seen this classic Academy Award winning movie (it won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture). I really enjoyed the movie and was moved by Eric Liddell’s convictions and great witness as a Christian. He was a great athlete, but very humble and a true sportsman.

The scene that moved me the most was his refusal to run on a Sunday (at the Olympics- mind you) due to his conviction and sacred observance of the Sabbath. Now please know that I’m a HUGE believer in grace and a New Testament view of living. I absolutely hate legalism and run from it (I also know that there are many strong Christian football players that play on Sunday and strong Christian coaches that coach on Sunday and I’m okay with that), however, learning of Liddel’s taking a stand and passing up an opportunity to compete in the Olympics due to his desire to honor God was very refreshing.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I encourage you to watch it. If you have, you know that an American runner named Jackson Scholz handed Eric Liddell a note before he raced that said that since he had honored God, God would honor him. I believe that is the principle and take away for us today – that if we honor God and our convictions and commitments to Him, He will honor us.

I also think the principle of the Sabbath – observing a day of rest is desperately needed in our lives today. Far too many pastors and Church leaders struggle with burnout and depression and are in desperate need of rest. Rest from work. Rest from social media and the web. Rest from ambition and drive (I’m talking to myself). Just plain REST.

My encouragement to you, dear friends, is to be sure to honor God and observe a day of rest. Your heart, health, wife, family and ministry will thank you for it.

The following is a blog post from my friend, Terrace Crawford. If you can give anything (this week) to help him get to Philly – that would be awesome. Read his words:

Our team has been preparing for this experience for months on end now and we’ve been raising funds to help our team get there; however, we are falling short. I am personally trying to raise $1,000 dollars this week to help us meet our goal. Would you consider helping me? Any donation would be appreciated.