The Church is evolving, and so is the way we measure engagement. Understand what metrics truly matter in assessing the vitality of your church and learn practical ways to measure and enhance your church’s health. […]
Every data point represents a soul. Are you treating it that way?
You and I got into ministry because we know people matter. We feel compelled to help people meet, follow and share Jesus. But over […]
Sometimes the relationship with your Church Management software becomes tired, brittle or even broken. No software is perfect, but is your ChMS working as well as it should? Your software does not have to be […]
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about password managers, especially due to the LastPass hack that started in 2022 and was fully disclosed in 2023. Before getting too far into this, let me be […]
What is data anyway? You don’t have to look far to find data. Megabytes in your cell phone plan. Visits and results in your electronic health record. Expenses and deposits in your bank account. Perhaps […]
Data security breaches are constantly in the news, but the threat of phishing scams and ransomware attacks aren’t limited to large companies. In fact, ministries are increasingly under attack by savvy cyber criminals. That’s why […]
This year is a crazy year for compensation. Inflation is high and house prices are even higher! How can you give adequate raises to your staff? What bonuses and perks should you offer? Fletch and […]
As the Church continues to evolve in a digital era, learn about the latest technology trends, concerns, and what’s important for churches as they develop strategies for the future of ministry. Join Pushpay’s CEO Molly […]
The U.S. Supreme Court gave churches and ministries the legal right to only hire those who agree with their religious and doctrinal views, but many IT solution providers require churches and ministries to certify that […]
Ransomware is a serious threat that costs a lot of unbudgeted dollars to fix. Effective protection is available! Here’s what I recommend. Ransomware is not like most malware threats that slip into systems under the radar. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change in churches at arguably the fastest rate in history! Back in 2015, megachurches led the church world in offering online church: 30% of megachurches offered an online campus experience—defined […]
Each question in the free Qnnection app leads to a meaningful conversation. The app is designed to empower and enable the individual to improve conversation, small talk and daily interactions rooted in the rhythm […]
Where are you working right now? If you are working remotely, it’s likely your employees and coworkers are, too. So how do you secure remote workers and the devices they use to access your resources? Remote […]
In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, XPastor is sharing an article that highlights one vendor of online streaming. There are many vendors and ways to accomplish a video worship service. Enjoy this as a way […]
Michael E. Batts, CPA, is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., Certified Public Accountants. He gives great insight on what churches should be doing now regarding their financial operations using the Coronavirus […]
There are two email scams occurring with increasing frequency. These scams hurt churches in two ways, by stealing finances and by breaking congregational trust. What are these scams? What can or should you do about […]
Personnel salaries and benefits are usually the largest expense category for churches and ministries. Sometimes facilities is higher, but there’s no getting around the fact that salaries and benefits consumes a large portion of the […]
Monday, April 1, 2019
Hey Fletch … How long do you suggest keeping video footage from church cameras?
DRF—As you are in the process of getting bids on surveillance cameras (CCTV), you are asking a million dollar […]
Friday, March 1, 2019
Hey Fletch … Do you have any thoughts on putting security cameras in children’s ministry classrooms? If this is something you recommend, do you have any recommendations as to companies to get […]
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Hey Fletch … I am trying to find information about the legalities of requiring our church staff to install software on cell phones and laptops such as Covenant Eyes. We reimburse $100/month […]
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Hey Fletch … I’ve been posting some of my articles on social media. Out of the blue, Facebook blocked my account. They said that the content was inappropriate by their standards. This […]
With the myriad of wireless devices in constant use, many churches provide Wi-Fi for the convenience of employees and guests. However, this complimentary benefit can come with a heavy price if security is taken for […]
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Hey Fletch … Who set up the XPastor.org website? I’ve explored the XPastor site and like how it is set-up. I’m currently serving on the board of a ministry. They tasked me […]
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m a new XP and would love to listen to past sessions of the XP-Seminar. Do you record them?
DRF—One year we purchased some thumb drives that had terrific […]
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Hey Fletch …Good day! There seems to be a technical glitch in signing up to your awesome website. When wanting to register, it keeps bringing up an error, as if you were […]
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Hey Fletch … We live-stream our worship service and also have some recorded worship songs on our website. Someone asked me if that is legal. Thoughts?
DRF—That is a huge can of worms. […]
Monday, May 28, 2018
Hey Fletch … At the risk of coming across as a jerk, although I hope not, I did want to throw a suggestion your way. I’ve noticed your “Hey Fletch” images on […]
Friday, April 13, 2018
Hey Fletch … There are several good articles on XPastor.org related to website best practices. I am looking for one related to Apps for churches. Apple has changed the rules for Apps […]
Friday, March 9, 2018
Hey Fletch … In a February 6, 2018 “Hey Fletch” column I saw the question: Is anyone out there using a system that allows a church to broadcast a Spanish speaking translator […]
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … I can’t log into XPastor to get the stuff that I purchased. Can you help?
DRF—Many of us have several email addresses, such as church, personal and family. It looks […]
February 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … We need some über-techs for a short project. Are there super-users or trainers on the following platforms that we could pay to write a key stroke script? The platforms are […]
January 30, 2018
Hey Prof … I’m in XPastor’s class on Church Communication—Ops 102 and doing the assignment on church websites. Here are the criteria that I’m using to evaluate a usable website: Staff, Locations […]
January 28, 2018
Hey Dr. Fletcher … I’m a pastor in charge of media ministry in our church in Africa. Please, is there a job description for a technical team, video team and multimedia team?
DRF—I’m so […]
January 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are having some website trouble. It looks great on a desktop monitor but some of our pages are awful on a tablet or cell. Can you take a look […]
January 19, 2018
Hey David … I’m working on our church’s cell phone policy and wondering if you have any resources that address that?
DRF—Here is some policy thoughts on that: “Cell phones are a part of […]
Malware. Ransomware. Identity and data theft. Phishing. Corporate account takeovers. Denial of service attacks. As recent headlines illustrate, cyber attacks are a real and growing risk for all organizations. It’s no longer a question of […]
Neil Miller and KiSSFLOW have just released an e-book, The Beginner’s Guide to Church Automation.” He says that “Automation can be a big step for some churches, but these questions shouldn’t stop you from experimenting with automation.” […]
As an attorney, the vast majority of business and church executives I talk to dread their copier lease expiring as they must deal with leasing new ones. Recently, we helped a church with a multiple […]
With 87% of the U.S. adult population now carrying mobile phones, (52% of them internet-enabled smartphones), people are changing the way they buy things. According to a survey recently released by the Federal Reserve Bank, 15% […]
This year’s hurricanes mostly “missed” us, but our basement flooded anyway. Days later I sat absorbed in my computer monitor, buried up to my eyeballs in search results and browser tabs. Search by search, each […]
The dichotomy churches are experiencing during tough economic times creates an interesting set of challenges. On one hand, people are either finding their way back to church looking for help, guidance and answers or they […]
Imagine holding Sunday services with an unlimited number of available seats. Imagine those seats being accessible to anyone, anywhere in the United States or world. Surprisingly, these days it’s easy to turn those dreams into […]
