This is HIS Story

Want to know more about What is a Gap Year? What is Link Year in Branson Missouri? Well today, we interview a person, Zander Turner, who has been through the program and talks about how he spent his year between high school and college.

While Gap Year programs can focus on specific goals, talents, and skills, they are generally a non-academic experience in between two very academically rigorous experiences – High School and College.

Everyone you know is a disciple of something. You’re either a disciple of a culture that’s attempting to force you into its image, or a disciple of Jesus Christ – being molded and shaped into whom He desires you to be.

Link Year may be a place for you to discover the foundations of your faith, to better understand how God has wired you and seeks to work through you.

We are making changes to this podcast. Listen to hear WHY and how you will be enjoying a LOT more God Stories along the way. 

Let's talk about the Meta Verse and how the church can or will or might spread the gospel and even make disciples in the virtual world. Jeff is already deep down the rabbit hole of a world many Americans and church leaders have not even considered. If you are a pastor or church leader, you need to listen in.

Listen in to hear what makes Jeff tick and how God has wired him... then we will jump into the new virtual world. 

About Jeff: Founding THECHURCH.DIGITAL in 2018, Jeff’s passions have evolved into helping churches (and individuals too!) find their calling through digital discipleship, releasing people on digital mission, and planting multiplying digital churches. This pursuit is realized through DigitalChurch.Network, an organic, decentralized network for digital expressions of church. The DCN vision is achieved by working with the team NewThing Network. Jeff also champions Meta Church development as the Director of META for Leadership Network, and works closely Exponential and other globally facing, multiplication friendly, gospel-centric organizations.

Jeff married his high-school sweetheart, Amy, and has two kids, and a dog, They live in Miami, Florida.

Christian Non Profit Organizations can feel like panicking, locking down spending, changing strategies when times are tough or when their donors are watching every penny.

But some of the best practices for digital fundraising do not change during a recession... some do.

Let's discuss what your faith based organization needs to do online to help weather the storms of fundraising during a recession.

Christians come to the table with many lenses and theological assumptions. Today, I am going to challenge a few.

Today's episode will have some things you may or may not agree with. I am poking at some traditions in a way to challenge YOU and your thinking. I do not know if I am 100% right but I am ok with pointing, observing, and looking under some traditional rocks, if you will.

1. Churches benefit from a tradition and the phrase "tithing."
2. Pastor teach give to church first then additional goes elsewhere
3. High Profile Pastors have NOT helped. Prosperity Gospel
4. Churches Spend what they collect by hiring more staff or building more buildings or bigger programs.
5. Many do this spending in the vein of "Seeker Sensitive."
6. Companies that help... wealth giving (taxes & strategies)
7. Companies that help fundraise for projects
8. People like me.... Move church from passing the plate to digital collection of generosity.

Listen in as we discuss churches, fundraising, money, pastors, and giving to churches.

Today we discuss the top 3 things Executive Directors should make sure is happening on their organization's websites. Super important stuff to increase engagement with potential donors. 

Chris Sicks pastors One Voice Fellowship, a new multi-lingual church in Northern Virginia. They gather to experience a foretaste of Revelation 7:9, and to make Jesus known among their new neighbors.

Their logo and leadership reflect the diversity of the church. The leadership team speaks English, French, Persian, Amharic, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Punjabi, Uyghur, Chinese, and Urdu.

Chris Sicks has been a pastor for over 20 years. As Pastor of Mercy, he labored to show compassion in Word and deed to the congregation and community. He is founder and board president of For the Nations DC, offering English classes to refugees and immigrants four days a week, to help our new neighbors acclimate and discover the truth and love of Jesus.

Chris is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary DC

Previously, he worked at Gospel Rescue Mission (homeless shelter and drug treatment program in Washington, DC) and ran a scholarship/mentoring program for inner-city youth. He’s been a newspaper editor, restaurant manager, and Army officer.

Chris lost his first wife, Sara, to breast cancer. Now married to Naomi, they have four teenagers. Chris wrote Tangible: Making God Known through Deeds of Mercy and Words of Truth

He now pastors One Voice Fellowship... A gospel-centered church that glorifies God as “a light for the nations—so that all the world may be saved.” (Isaiah 49:6). We intentionally cultivate cultural and linguistic diversity, working to reduce barriers that often separate people. United in Christ, our voices and lives harmonize in a chorus of praise to God and service to one another. Compelled and enabled to love sacrificially for Jesus’ sake, our unity in diversity is a testimony to the world of what Christ alone can do as we “declare his glory among the nations!”

Listen as we discuss how God has prepared him for his unique ministry at a multi cultural church. 

https://onevoicefellowship.org

Web Vendors generally build websites that are too formal and sterile. 

When speaking with nonprofit directors who don't feel confident in their web presence, there's almost always the same issue at play:

The way the organization talks about their mission face to face is totally different than how it's described on their website.

In other words, the way they talk about their work in normal conversation is clear, compelling, and interesting. Let's talk about how a non profit can build a website that moves people to action.  Let's discuss must haves for a Non Profit Website.

Your web team is running digital campaigns out of order and it is hurting your online donations.

Ever try to bake a cake? You must mix the ingredients in the right order. Adding an egg at the end won’t produce the same results of mixing it at the beginning. The order of the ingredients is just as important as the ingredients themselves.

The same concept is true with words. Same three words out of order changes EVERYTHING.

Jonny bit the dog vs The dog bit Jonny

As I work with faith based non profits I see the same thing over and over again. Well-meaning web and marketing teams trying a “best practice” idea they just read about or learned at a conference. Hoping this new campaign will somehow create more donors or new names.

Listen as we discuss the reality that "not all Digital Strategies Work for Non-Profits"

Ask 100 people and you might get get 99 answers to "what should be the top priorities of a non profit?" We'll today we tackle this subject in a short and simple episode... What strategies and tactics should a non-profit make their top priority and goals?