You just invested time and money in a Church software application.  You enjoyed the conversation with the sales person and got a lot out of their implementation process.  However, the congregation has been slow or limited in using it.  

The only thing worse than a child being hurt or abused by an older child or adult is that hurt or abuse happening in Church.  This concern keeps those of us bent on child safety awake at night.  There is no greater concern for safety in church ministry than this.  The liability and legal issue is important, but even more important is the authentic concern pastors have for their families, parents have for their kids and kids have for their friends.  Here are three common challenges to child safety every church faces.

Agility is the ability to improve speed and grace.  It is the way an athlete moves on the field that gives him or her a competitive advantage.  It is the way a lawyer exudes confidence with clarity and timing before the judge and jury.  It is the way a software company innovates quickly, efficiently and beautifully to serve their clients.  Agility is also the way some churches are able to constantly improve how they attract, equip and release people.

Last week I visited with the Executive Pastor and IT director of a church about an hour from me.  Over a decade ago they built a really useful software application to manage their church.  It is especially good at automating follow-up of guests.  We talked back then about Churchteams and I was impressed with what they built.  Obviously, they didn't need us.  

We are part of the Plano campus of Watermark Church here in Dallas.  It was a Saturday morning in July, I was at our church for the second week of training on speaking.  I had spent the week putting together a 10 minute talk using the structure we had been given.  I had also had 3 lunch meetings that week, a morning ministry team meeting, an early morning accountability group and an evening spent with a couple's group.  I was tired that morning and wanted to be home to get stuff done around the house.  As I was talking with a good friend, I found myself complaining about all the time I had invested in ministry that week.  Now, that's not really like me.  I love ministry and am grateful for the opportunities to invest in the lives of people.  But, something was happening in me that morning that happens all the time in the lives of your most engaged leaders.  I was feeling over-engaged.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."  

To say that Pokemon Go is a phenomenon is and understatement.  I visited the App Institute's Pokemon Go real-time-status page and in the 3 minutes I watched, the Pokemon Go App made over $50,000 in revenue!  Stretch those numbers out over a 24-hour period and you get $24 million!!!  After it's release, it only took Pokemon Go 13 hours to become the top highest-grossing app in the United States.  Nintendo's market value increased $9 billion in the first 5 days.   All of this is amazing considering the fact that Nintendo invested $30 million to develop the app.

Is it Biblical to make donations to your church via the Internet?  Yes! 

I tell my kids things all of the time. Over and over. And over and over. If there’s one thing I can say is always true about parenting, it’s that I repeat myself constantly.