The Sidekick Podcast

Conferences are the best. You learn so much and get so inspired to go back to your church and implement new ideas or change in some way. But then you have to go back to your church. It can be a buzz kill, honestly.

So how you go home and implement the ideas and changes you want to? Tom is joined by Cory Sullivan to talk about 4 specific action steps you can take when you get home to implement those ideas and changes.

* What happened at the Orange Conference

* 4 Action Steps you can take to implement change and ideas coming back from a conference.

If you hear Tom and Cory’s Orange Conference daily recaps click Day 1 or Day 2 to hear them

Cory is a great resource and you can find him here.  You can also follow him on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/big_sully55). He’s a great resource so hit him up and pick his brain.

What about you? What action steps do you take to implement ideas or change you get from a conference? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Alright, day 2 at the Orange Conference is done! And although we can’t really talk about “Serious” Night, it was a great day overall.

Today, Tom and Cory went to quite a few different breakouts and they process some of the things they learned. Tom spent time listening about social media, establishing a culture in your church geared towards the young, and about reimagining Graduation Sunday. Cory, on the other hand, went and heard a lot about city ministry. So they talk through some of those thoughts.

You can find Cory’s thoughts on his blog here. He has some Orange Conference notes up as well.  And, you can also follow him on Twitter here.

Tomorrow is all LIVE GENERAL SESSIONS. If you are not able to attend in person, you can still watch the live stream of all the main sessions here.

How about you? What are you learning from the Orange Conference after day 1?  Share your thoughts below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Day 1 at the Orange Conference is in the books and it was a great one! This year’s theme is entitled “For our Neighbors”.

As a way to process and share about what is happening, including who said what, Tom and Cory Sullivan will be breaking down what they have been hearing and learning at the Orange Conference.

Cory is a great resource and you can find him blogging here. He has some Orange Conference notes up as well.  And, you can also follow him on Twitter here.

If you are not able to attend Orange 2017 in Atlanta, you can still watch the live stream of all the main sessions here.

How about you? What are you learning from the Orange Conference after day 1?  Share your thoughts below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Having summer interns would be every minister’s dream. But a lot of detail and background works goes into it in order to make it effective. After all, a successful summer internship program involves more than just the Church or Ministry benefiting. It is about helping the Intern get a great experience they are looking forward to.

That is why Tom has brought back Ebony Bright to the podcast. Ebony is a former summer Intern, then a Resident and is now a Student Minister at New Life as well as the Intern Coordinator. Ebony has put in a lot of  hard work and time into shaping New Life’s Intern and Residency program. So today, Tom and Ebony talk about:

* What Ebony’s various jobs at New Life are

* What kind of background work did Ebony do to start forming New Life’s Internship Program

* How Churches can do something similar at their church

If you want to contact Ebony about questions you may have about a Summer Internship Program, you can email her.

Also, for other posts about summer internship program at your Church

* How to effectively recruit

* How to lead interns

What do you think?  Do you have an Internship Program at your church? What do you do to make it successful? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Easter has come and now Easter is gone! You put a ton of work into it as you prepared for weeks and even months beforehand to make sure Easter was extra special. But now, it’s over and done with. So now what? What do you do now, especially in your Church Communications and social media to inspire your church and capitalize on what happened at Easter? 

That is why Tom brought in Seth Muse back to the podcast. Seth has a ton of experience in this as he has been in ministry for quite some time. So today Seth is going to share about:

* What has he been up to lately (including Easter)

* What he did on Easter Sunday to capture what was happening

* How he used Instagram and Facebook on Easter

* How you can use all sorts of communication the week after (hint: one of them DOES include snail mail)

* Special Podcast update from the Orange Conference coming next week!

The great news about this is that you can utilize all the stuff that Seth did on ANY Sunday. So these are great insights to use.

Seth is a great resource in communications and would be happy to connect with you. You can check in on him on Twitter click here (twitter.com/thesethmuse). Also, you can find his blog and check out his Facebook page.

What about you? How do you follow up with people, especially after big Sundays like Christmas and Easter?  Share your thoughts and experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Easter is almost here! As exciting as Easter is in the life of the Church, it is also one of the most stressful times as well. That is why Stan Rodda, Linton Hall Campus Pastor at New Life Christian Church in Northern VA, blogger and podcaster, joined Tom today. They sit down and talk through a variety of last minute Easter preparations that every minister should be thinking about.

So, in today’s episode, Tom and Stan talk about:

* What Stan is doing for Easter and how he is preparing

* What are you bringing people back to the following week

* How you can effectively follow up with people (combo of print and digital campaigns)

If you want to connect with Stan you can read his blog and listen to his podcast here or you can find him on Twitter. He is very active on social media so definitely hit him up if you have a question.

Also, if you are a Campus Pastor or Ministry Lead, join the Lead from Second Facebook Group.

Join the Digital Bootcamp Facebook Group to learn how to be more effective using digital tools for your ministry join the group. This is for ALL Ministers, not just Church Communicators or Social Media Managers.

What do you think? What last minute Easter preparations are you doing?  Share your experiences and stories below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

In ministry I’ve always had the point of reaching people at where they are. You can’t help come to know Jesus without understanding who they are and where they come from.

But what if times have changed. What if the way we are ministering to people today needs to change because people have changed? I know people are coming to know the Lord today, but there are plenty who are not and have no interest.

That is why Tom brings Ben Kerns back to the podcast. He is making a change in his writing by switching from Average Youth Ministry to BenjaminKerns.Online. Now, don’t worry Average Youth Ministry is not ending, it will just be changed (we discuss it in the podcast). However, Ben is going to be writing more   In this episode, Ben and Tom talk about:

* What Ben has been up to lately

* What is happening with Average Youth Ministry blog

* What will the focus of BenjaminKerns.Online be

* How can we best minister to people in today’s post-Christian world

* Where to find Pen to the Palace.

 

Ben is a great resource and would love to connect with you. You can connect with Ben a few different ways.  He’s on Twitter (twitter.com/averageym), his blog (http://www.averageyouthministry.com) with tons of great insights each week.

So what do you think?  How are you ministering to people today in this post-christian context? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick. 

Also, Tom would love to hear from you about what you’d like a future topic to be. To email Tom some ideas email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

I love Twitter. There are no if, ands or buts about it. I enjoy interacting on it, using hashtags and talking to new people. I can do this on Twitter better than any other social network. Yet, it has it’s problems (making money is one of them). So, when Katie Allred said that it’s going bye-bye and that Darrel Girardier will be sad because he loves it as well, I felt that I should bring Darrel back on the podcast to talk about whether Twitter is dead or not and how the Church can still use it.

Darrel is the Digital Strategy Director at Brentwood Baptist Church and works with Katie Allred to put together the Church Communications Facebook Group.

So, in today’s podcast Tom and Darrel talk about…

* What is Darrel up to and what’s happening with the Church Communications Group

* Darrel’s view of Twitter and why he loves it

* How is it being misused currently

* How can Churches use Twitter more effectively

* What Twitter must do to survive the ever changing social media landscape

If you want to connect with Darrel you can find him on Twitter (twitter.com/dgirardier). He is a great resource to talk to as he is quiet active on it – go figure! You can also find him on his blog (http://darrelgirardier.com) and the Church Communications Group as well as the Church Communications Podcast with Katie Allred.

Also, I would love to hear from you about what you’d like a future topic to be. Send me an email with some ideas or even people you would like me to interview. Email me here.

So what do you think? What do you think of Twitter and how is your church or ministry using it? Share your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick. Join the conversation. 

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Facebook Groups are all the rage right now and for go reason. A Facebook Group can be a very effective tool for your ministry to grow your community. That is why Tom invited Katie Allred back on the podcast.

Katie is a Web Content Manager at Brentwood Baptist Church and runs the very successful Church Communications Facebook Group page. At the time of this podcast, there are over 6,700 people involved with so much daily interaction.

Katie, along with Darrel Girardier, started the Church Communications Facebook Group so in this episode she and Tom talk about…

* What she has been doing lately..including a weather story

* The Why and How they started the Church Communications Facebook Group

* Some tips on how to run your group effectively

* A revelation Katie had about what God has been preparing her for over the years

Katie is a great resource and you can find her here.  You can also follow her on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/katiejallred). She’s a great resource so hit her up and pick her brain.

What about you? What have you learned about Facebook groups so far? Share your thoughts below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other. Also, share any thoughts you have about how God has been preparing you for this stage in your life or a future stage.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Being relatively new to the Church Communicators world, I have the opportunity to talk to many great communicators and digital strategists. And one thing I have discovered is that many of them are not all people who went to school to graduate with a communications degree of some sort. A lot of them are like me, former workers in a different field who started learning how to do social media and communications for churches.

Why do I bring this up? It is because when you are learning on the run, you can sometimes not fully understand the dynamics of communication lingo and strategy. That is why I brought back Adam McLaughlin to the podcast. He has been involved in digital church communications for years, does a podcast at Church Marketing Ideas and has a great ebook out for all church communicators to check out. And, in today’s episode, Adam and I discuss the differences between branding, marketing and advertising in the church.

* How much Adam is enjoying the warmth of Florida

* What is branding

* What is marketing

* What is advertising

* How do these 3 work together and what are the main difference between them.

* How you can get your free copy of his ebook

If you want to connect with Adam you can read his blog here and listen to his podcast here. You can also find him on Twitter (twitter.com/adam_mclaughlin). He is very active on social media so definitely hit him up if you have a question.

What do you think? What else would you add to the conversation about branding, marketing and advertising?  Share your experiences and stories below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here. He’s always looking for great content ideas.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.