Let’s face it – we’re all busy, and in a crunch it’s easy to ‘file’ a newsletter and ‘get back to it later’. Here are some tips to help keep your newsletter from getting filed:

1. Don’t self-promote; cast vision – involvement and support follow vision
2. Watch your “voice” – it’s easy to slip into a formal, sterile writing voice
3. Tell stories – let people know about exciting things happening at your plant, especially stories of changed lives
4. Have a strong call to action – tell them what you want them to do as a result of reading your newsletter
5. Set a strict publication schedule – inconsistency can negate all of the above. Never start your newsletter with, “I’m sorry it’s been so long since the last newsletter.”

Adapted from 5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter on CopyBlogger.

If you don’t already have a Facebook page or your business, go create one. With over 500 million active users, Facebook is a powerful network to tap into to expand the online footprint of your business.

The next step in personalizing your business page is to get a username to create a vanity URL (customized web address). By default, your Facebook page will get a randomly assigned number and URL (facebook.com/pages/yourbusiness/123456789), but last summer, Facebook made it possible to customize your Facebook page URL (facebook.com/yourbusiness).

Here are their easy instructions on how to create a FaceBook page vanity URL. Remember, though, that you need at least 25 fans of your page before you can claim your name.

This technique is called creating a ‘landing page’. Here are 7 things your landing page should do/have, from HubSpot’s blog post 7 Habits of a Highly Effective Landing Page Note – this list presumes you have some kind of sign up form or download on the page that people clicked through for:

1. Pass the Blink Test - can readers figure out what you want them to do quickly?
2. Keep it Simple
3. Keep it Short
4. Graphics and Endorsements Matter
5. Go Naked – do not provide navigation to elsewhere on the website, except through submitting the form
6. Restate Value – they just clicked through to your site based on your ad. Tell them again why it’s a good idea to sign up for your newsletter (or whatever your call to action is)
7. Eat Your Own Dogfood – would you fill out this form?

Having some kind of form or call to action really is important. The last thing you want is to pay $.50 or more for them to click through to your website and then bounce away without connecting with your church.

Wow!  I love that story.  How many church planters can say that?  That is the story of a missionary.  Contextualization is important work for a church planter.  One of the unique facets of the gospel is that it is not contained within a particular culture.  If a person is a Gentile, they don’t need to first become a Jew to access God.  Remember that story?  The first thing a church planter needs to do once they are on the ground is what Alan Hirsch calls missional listening.  Church planters are typically highly driven individuals who want to hit the ground running.  Too often they assume they understand the culture and begin planning for church services.  When this happens, I guarantee you are planting a church for yourself and not the culture you are in.

Read more at Church Planting Tidbits

Make sure it doesn’t.

If you answered yes to both of these questions you could qualify for a website free for 12 months! SiteOrganic is offering this great deal to church plants meeting the criteria. For more information on this offer, click HERE.

• Going Deep with Sabbath Rest

  Acts 29 by JR Vassar
  Church planters are notorious for ignoring the Sabbath. JR provides solid biblical grounding for practicing the discipline of Sabbath as well as the practical benefits.

• Creating a Facebook Page for Your Ministry Part 1 and Part 2.

  Church Crunch by Nick Shoemaker
  This is a easy to follow set of instructions for setting up a facebook page for the church. It includes several screenshots to make it dummy church planter proof

• 10 Church Planting Mistakes and the Lessons I Learned

  Church Leader Insights by Nelson Searcy
  Nelson recaps a list by Sean King. If you are planting a church, you need to read this list.

• Fear of Philanthropy (Avert Your Eyes)

  By Seth Godin
  Seth voices a question many of us have asked. When giving generously, how much is enough? There are some great insights here for those raising money.

This morning I came across a video by Jason Fried of 37signals (Thanks to our voip provider, OnSip).

It doesn’t take much to qualify Jason Fried’s knowledge. Fried and his colleagues at 37signals have created web apps now used by over 3 million people. Yet, 37signals does not have a PR Team. They do not have traditional marketing campaigns. They do not spend money on advertising. Instead, they simply share information about their expertise, including their product features and business efficiency, in their blog.

Share in the comments how you do (or can or should) do this in your church.

Launch team meetings are DNA setting experiences. What you do and communicate at these meetings matter. This is where the vision and values of the church begin to be lived out. First and foremost, launch team meetings are vision casting experiences. The church planter should be planning out what will be communicated at new member or 101 level classes. This is your playbook. If you are on this team, these are the plays we run and how we run them. It is crucial that the church planter communicate the playbook to the launch team and ensure that the entire team play according to it. Remember that you are setting the DNA. It doesn’t matter what is in the playbook, if no one plays by it.

It’s also important to remember that what you are launching is public services. From the beginning your launch team is the church. Therefore, the church planter should balance business meetings with time together to worship. In fact, launch team meetings may be a terrible thing to call your gatherings. The word meetings communicates business and for many church meeting communicates pointless and boring.
Alan Hirsh in his book, The Forgotten Ways, says there are three key elements to church: worship, discipleship and mission. Launch team meetings should include aspects of all these. If launch Sunday is the first time your launch team has done these three things together, chances are you have missed the chance to ingrain these habits in the church DNA.

• Monday is for Missiology

  Lifeway by Ed Stetzer
  This entire series has been phenomenal. In this post, Ed focuses on the connection between missiology and soteriology.

• Mind Dump for Church Planters

  By Jimmy Britt
  This post really is a mind dump, but includes some great thoughts on church planting. It’s worth the read.

• “And” Instead of “Or”

  by Tony Morgan
  Tony wonders why the Church has an ‘or’ mentality.

• Driving the Chevy Impala

  by Tony Morgan
  GMC is used as an example of what happens to organizations that don’t change.

• Leadership Is Tough – Part One of Three

  By Perry Noble
  God told Joshua to do what?