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On October 7, 2015 at 6pm I will be in Chicago for the 2nd Black in Tech event at 1871. I had the pleasure of being invited by Thomas Stovall who is the founder of the event as well as the CandidCup.com, an App for Executives. The event is at 1871, which is located in Merchandise Mart (222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza, Floor 12, Chicago, IL 60654). This event means a lot to me for a variety of reasons:
Last year I was the spokesperson and expert consultant for AT&T’s Inspired Mobility campaign. It was a great experience for two reasons, 1. I got to go to Harlem, NY and kickoff the campaign at Blogging While Brown by giving a keynote and doing a panel with Chip Dizard, Tiffani Robinson and Michelle Smith. 2. I continue to get excited about the evolving space of Faith and Technology, I have written numerous iChurch Method books that cater to this space and to see a corporation like AT&T get involved is a great thing.
Well, it’s time to start the campaign up again and this year we are kicking it off at Blogging While Brown in Austin, TX. But it gets even better, this year we have included some great people who use the digital space to advance their careers and impact. People such as Devon Franklin, Lecrae, Valorie Burton and James Andrews. Here is some information about the Inspired Mobility campaign.
Blogging While Brown
Google+ Hangouts
Social Media Sunday
I am looking forward to participating in this great campaign and showcasing how we showcase our faith and inspiration using mobile technologies.
There are three systems that you will learn if you register for and attend Foundations Online Conference, an online event presented by our friends at Social Church. 1. Creating a communications strategy for your church. Communicating to your congregation is about more than just putting out information and hoping it sticks.
It’s about implementing a strategy that communicates the right information to the right people at the right time through the right channels.
Learn how to create this strategy.
2. Educating your pastor and staff on church communications. What if your pastor advocated for and helped support your church communications strategy?
Sound like a dream? It’s not.
Learn from the experts on how to work WITH your pastor and ministry leaders, not AGAINST them.
3. Communicating effectively on a tight budget. A common misconception is that you need a large budget to communicate effectively.
While this can help, it’s not always true.
Register now and learn how to communicate effectively for your church without breaking the bank.
P.S. Tell someone to register and they'll get to hear from these great speakers:
Emily Cummins — Associate Director of Communications & Branding, Central Christian Church Diana Wei Fang — Social Media Strategist, National Community Church Jon Ferguson — Lead Teaching Pastor, Community Christian Church Nate Merrill — Online Campus Pastor, Lake Pointe Church Tim Schraeder — Church Communications Specialist Haley Veturis — Social Media Director, Saddleback Church
Last year in Loveland CO, Nils Smith, Bob D'Ambrosio and Brian Abbott invited me to present at the inaugural eConnect conference. I had a blast co-teaching with Nils and Brian and I enjoyed teaching topics such as eCommerce, Websites and Mobile for ministry. This year we are doing it again! Join us November 4 - 6, 2015 in Loveland, CO for the eConnect Conference. This two and a half day conference will provide you with an expanded understanding of how social media and online tools can benefit and grow your ministry. You'll learn how to use these tools to save time, reach a broader audience, build a well-connected community, and create a place for constant communication in your church.
Use the Code: CASTON25 for a $25 discount
Do you have a communications plan for your church? You might be surprised, but a simple plan will help your church reach more people.
That’s why I want to give you a plan and give you access to 25+ church communication experts to hear about how they reach more people in your church.
Sign-up now. Mark your calendar. And get your team together.
My friends at Social Church are bringing together the “wizards” of church communications. Seriously, this is one of the biggest church communications conferences of the year, and you don’t even have to leave your desk!
Get Your Spot Now. Use the code PARTY for a Discounted Rate
The "wizard roster" includes: Jason Caston - Digital Team Lead, T.D. Jakes Ministries Jon Ferguson — Lead Teaching Pastor, Community Christian Church Darrel Girardier — Creative Director, Brentwood Baptist Church Casey Graham — CEO & Founder, The Rocket Company Jay Kranda — Online Campus Pastor, Saddleback Church Scott McClellan — Communications Pastor, Irving Bible Church Carlos Whittaker — Author & Church Communications Specialist
PLUS: You'll walk away with a Church Communications Plan & Facebook Ads Training.
P.S. Hey, this is the BIGGEST church communications event of the year we know about. Will you share this with 2 of your church leader friends?
One of the greatest aspects of conferences is the offline events that help create online conversations. When I am working with organizations that are planning conferences, I continue to remind them that even though they are focused on the offline event and making it successful, do not neglect the online aspect of the event and how that can impact the experience of virtual and actual attendees. When creating the online experience for the conference we want to make sure the online experience enhances the experience of users at the conference as well as creates a great experience for users that are participating online only. This starts with four key areas, the web experience, the social experience, the mobile experience and the streaming experience.
Web Experience - The web experience should be one that is:
Informational - The website should be informational, make it a destination of information. Key pages are speakers, schedule, topics, location, travel accommodations and more.
Interactive - The website should be interactive, providing features that keep potential attendees coming back. Interactive features can be social (interactive Twitter feed, interactive Instagram feed, social sharing links) and they can be informative such as a news feed of latest conference updates. Keep users interested in your conference website by providing interactive features that encourage them to interact and share your conference website.
Social Experience - The social experience is key to creating an interactive online audience, here are some key things to consider:
Choose a Great Hashtag - A great hashtag can make or break the online aspect of a conference. If the hashtag is difficult to type and difficult to remember, the attendees won’t use it and it won’t gain traction. Without key traction, it makes the online aspect of the conference much more difficult to measure and promote. Choose a hashtag that is close to the title of the conference, a clever short acronym of the conference or a consistent overarching theme of the conference that users can type quickly, share easily and remember.
Encourage and Facilitate Interactions - Sharing features on your website are a great start to facilitating social interactions about the conference. Giving people a way to share your website as well as pre-populating posts with text and hashtags can help people share with the simple click of a button. Additionally, when people are having conversations using the conference hashtag, interact with them from the official conference account. Retweet them and talk with them about the conference, encourage them to share and make them feel like someone is listening to their excitement about this event. Don’t forget to ask that speakers and presenters at the conference use the hashtag and share the event with their online audiences as well.
Mobile Experience - Staying connected on the go is key to conference attendees these days.
A Conference app is better than a mobile website - An even better option than a mobile website is a mobile app. Conference attendees are much more likely to download your conference app then go to your mobile website. This app gives the organization a much better connection to their users by using features such as push notification, real time updates and continued access after the event since the app is still installed on their device. Make sure your app has all the key pages from your website as well as social interactive features and mobile streaming.
Streaming Experience - Watching the conference live stream can one of the most engaging aspects of the online experience.
Make the video HTML5 compatible - HTML5 compatible video works on any device and the best experience for the user is to make the video compatible on the device they choose.
Make desktop streaming interactive - Whether it’s an online live chat, a live interactive twitter feed or a sharing button to promote the stream on social networks, make sure the desktop stream is interactive. There are a variety of options that can be added to the desktop streaming experience that can enhance it and increase engagement.
Make Access Easy - I can’t stress this enough, make access to your conference’s online properties easy. Users want a seamless online experience or one very close to it. One of the most important aspects of the online experience is to promote it from offline venues. If there is a main stage or traditional marketing materials (goodie bags, flyers, etc.) that are given to attendees, make sure to inform them of the online aspects of the conference and ask them to “Stay Connected with us Online” and let them know how (hashtag, mobile app, social networks, and more).
Welcome to 2015, The iChurch Method is taking some great steps this year to helping organizations advance online and we have some great things in store. Here’s a preview of whats coming real soon.
1. The iChurch Method Vol. 3: Digital Missionary Field - April 6, 2015 is the release date of the latest volume in The iChurch Method series. This book will continue to focus on the five main areas of the iChurch method, web, multimedia, ecommerce, social and mobile, as well as take things to another level with topics such as internet church, internet tv, mobile apps, responsive design and much more.
2. Social Connections: Connect With and Engage Your Audience - April 6, 2015 is the release date of the first book in the new Digital Connections series by Jason Caston. This social media manual will help any organization connect with and engage their social media audience.
3. Mobile Connections: Reaching an Always Connected Audience - August 10, 2015 is the release date of the second book in the new Digital Connections series by Jason Caston. This mobile manual will help organization understand how mobile is changing the internet and we are always connected via our mobile devices.
4. Speaking - Here are Key Speaking dates - ichurchmethod.com/calendar
*dates are subject to change
HIM Conference - Honolulu, HI - March 20, 2015 - himonline.org
CLA Conference - Dallas, TX - April 14, 2015 - christianleadershipalliance.org/outcomes-conference
Pastors and Leadership Conference - Orlando, FL - April 30, 2015 - pastorsandleaders.org
Biola Digital - Biola University - June 3, 2015 - events.biola.edu/bioladigital/
MegaFest - Dallas, TX - August 20, 2015 - mega-fest.com
Group eConnect - Loveland, CO - Nov 4, 2015 - group.com/econnect
5. iChurch TV - with new book releases come new episodes for iChurch TV such as internet tv, internet church campuses, social media strategies, best networks to use and much more. YouTube.com/ichurchmethod
6. AT&T Inspired Mobility - As I continue to be the spokesperson for the AT&T #InspiredMobility Campaign, I will continue to speak on how we use mobile devices to enhance our personal and spiritual lives as well as teach how The iChurch Method can help organizations connect with growing online audiences. Look forward to events coming soon. http://inspiredmobility.com
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We at The iChurch Method are always looking for better ways to help organizations advance online and your encouragement helps motivate us to continue to develop innovative ways to fulfill those tasks.
Come join me at the #InspiredMobility Google Hangout from the amazing panel that introduced the campaign in June at Blogging While Brown. We had such an amazing time at the conference starting this national conversation that we wanted to continue it online and have a google hangout.
Thursday, August 7 - 2pm CST
(12pm PST / 1pm MST / 3pm EST)
ichurchmethod.com/inspiredmobility
This hangout will focus on a great panel as well as answer questions such as:
If you are interested in participating in the conversation you can submit your questions using the #InspiredMobility hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday, August 7 2pm CST (12pm PST / 1pm MST / 3pm EST) http://ichurchmethod.com/inspiredmobility
It's that time again and Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 2pm, I will be at Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, California. I will be teaching Social Media for Ministry and strategies to connect with your online audience via social media. Additionally, I will be speaking on #inspiredmobility and the campaign with AT&T that I am leading. This will be the second time I am teaching at the FICWFM convention.
This training on how to use social media for ministry will focus on social platforms, daily strategies, consistent communication and inspirational content from the ministry. But here's the best part of the presentation, I will giving away iChurch Method book/dvd packages for participants who tweet using the hashtag #inspiredmobility. So if you are there at the conference, come check out the Media and Technology workshop and learn some great tips for online ministry.
This weekend I will be at “Blogging While Brown” as a speaker and attendee. My presentation is the closing slot where I am on a panel with Tiffani Robinson (@JanCynCo), Chip Dizard (@ChipDizard) and L. Michelle Smith (LMichellePR), we will be discussin Faith in a Mobile World. Before I get into my expectations of the conference, here is a short description of the conference from bloggingwhilebrow.com.
Blogging While Brown is more than a conference, it is a community - an incubator of creativity, collaboration and sustainability for emerging leaders in digital media and social change. We've been around since 2007 and our evolution has mirrored the explosion of social media's impact in our daily lives.
I have already started meeting people online via Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #BWBNYC and based on my early interactions, they are a passionate group of fun bloggers. As I researched how to present my topic at Blogging While Brown, I watched numerous YouTube videos about the 2013 conference. The vibe I got was a very informative laid back conference where people networked, learned from each other, helped each other and enjoyed interacting at this conference as well as online.
Overall, I am looking forward to a great experience, meeting many new people and presenting a great topic on my area of expertise. And of course I am very grateful for ATT and Flowers Communication Group for this opportunity.
At the 2013 iMinistry Conference, I was interviewed along with a few additional specialists about the most effective ways we use online ads in ministry, what platforms we use and how it has impacted the organizations we work for. Online advertising was initially just a Google only thing but now it has expanded with the addition of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube having very effective platforms and engagement.
As my gift to you, I would like to give you this video and audio for FREE! Yes, just click the link below and download this teaching today!
http://www.ichurchmethod.com/store/#!/~/product/category=5897035&id=35574527
Social Media has fundamentally changed the way we use the internet and this has opened up an amazing opportunity for the church. People are already looking for the solutions that the church has, the church just needs to meet them where they are, which is on social media. By focusing on a strategy of high quality visual content, a variety of sharing features, external social media advertising and establishing a presence on the top social networks a ministry can build up an online audience that exceeds the number of seats in its sanctuary.
At the 2013 iMinistry Conference, I was interviewed along with my buddy Nils Smith, author of Social Media Guide for Ministry, about the most effective ways we use social media in ministry and how it has impacted the organizations we work for.
As my gift to you, I would like to give you this video and audio for FREE! Yes, just click the link below and download this teaching today!
http://www.ichurchmethod.com/store/#!/~/product/category=5897035&id=35574391
For a great discount use the code Caston2014. Click Here to Register
Two years ago I happen to find an online conference dedicated to Digital Ministry while I was researching universities to pursue a Ph.D. in Digital Ministry. Unfortunately, I didn't find any universities offering the program but this conference was a diamond in the rough. I attended the conference in 2012, was invited to speak in 2013 and again I have been invited to speak in 2014. June 3 - 5, 2014, the Biola Digital Conference will occur at Biola University in La Mirada, California.
This year I will introduce a new topic and speak on The Internet Church Campus, a major theme from my upcoming iChurch Method Vol. 3 release later this year. I will unpack the topic of the Internet Church Campus, the impact of it, how to build one and how it can advance ministries online. I have been building the Internet Church Campus for The Potter's House of Dallas for the last few years and the newest version is getting ready to launch next month and subsequently speak on the process at the Biola Digital Conference.
Another great benefit this year is the amazing lineup of speakers including Tami Heim, Joe "J.R." Miller, Justin Wise, Justin Blaney, Kent Shaffer, John Edminston, hosted by Prof. David Bourgeois and much more. I always enjoy my experience at Biola Digital and look forward to speaking and interacting with this great group of people. You should join us there! For a great discount use the code Caston2014.
Let's Have a Social Media Church Summit, a free online conference for church leaders about social media! Go to your calendar now, save the date June 4th, block out 90 minutes starting @ 10:00pm Pacific / 12:00pm Central / 1:00pm Eastern & register for this free event.
Learn from the experts and discover the power of social media for ministry. You’ll hear from these 8 speakers: Nils Smith – Host Gary Vaynerchuk – Social Media Strategy Aaron Tabor – Facebook Best Practices Haley Veturis – Instagram, Pinterest & More Matthew Barnett – The Power of Twitter DJ Chuang – The Future of Social Media Sean Cannell – Maximizing YouTube Jason Caston – Social Media Content Creation
In one 90 minute session, we have brought together seasoned experts in social media and digital ministry to share strategy and best practices for church leaders to better engage their members and grow their ministry through social media. This event is the perfect opportunity to invite church leaders in your network to take advantage of everything without leaving their desk.
This Social Media Summit for Churches is being hosted by Nils Smith (Author of Social Media Guide for Ministry) and Faith Social (who has helped organize the logistics behind this event). This event is supported by key sponsors: Media Fusion, Association of Related Churches, FaithVillage.com, Group Publishing, Vanderbloemen Search Group, and Faith Social.
Register online for the Social Media Summit for Churches to reserve your seat because they’re preparing for 5,000+ church leaders to attend and we don’t want you to be left behind
For a great discount use the code Caston2014. Click Here to Register
Two years ago I happen to find an online conference dedicated to Digital Ministry while I was researching universities to pursue a Ph.D. in Digital Ministry. Unfortunately, I didn't find any universities offering the program but this conference was a diamond in the rough. I attended the conference in 2012, was invited to speak in 2013 and again I have been invited to speak in 2014. June 3 - 5, 2014, the Biola Digital Conference will occur at Biola University in La Mirada, California.
This year I will introduce a new topic and speak on The Internet Church Campus, a major theme from my upcoming iChurch Method Vol. 3 release later this year. I will unpack the topic of the Internet Church Campus, the impact of it, how to build one and how it can advance ministries online. I have been building the Internet Church Campus for The Potter's House of Dallas for the last few years and the newest version is getting ready to launch next month and subsequently speak on the process at the Biola Digital Conference.
Another great benefit this year is the amazing lineup of speakers including Tami Heim, Joe "J.R." Miller, Justin Wise, Justin Blaney, Kent Shaffer, John Edminston, hosted by Prof. David Bourgeois and much more. I always enjoy my experience at Biola Digital and look forward to speaking and interacting with this great group of people. You should join us there! For a great discount use the code Caston2014.
I want to let you know about a transformative Christian leadership session I will be teaching at CLA Dallas 2014, April 14 – 16, called The iChurch Method: How to Advance Your Ministry Online.
CLA Dallas 2014 #CLA14 is America’s premier educational conference for Christian leaders. Sponsored by Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) it features more than 100 practical, biblically-based learning experiences. The theme of the conference is “Kingdom Outcomes,” and keynote speakers include influential Christian thought leaders like Francis Chan, Rich Stearns, Nancy Ortberg, Michael Oh, Tony Evans, Shirley Mullen, Jedd Medefind, Mark Hanlon and more.
By attending CLA Dallas 2014, you’ll be joining leaders from many of America’s most influential Christian ministries, churches and businesses, and will find a great place not only to learn but to build a collaborative network for your kingdom work.
And the best news is that I can offer you a special faculty discount for attending this one-of-a-kind event. You will receive a discount of $100 off the full registration price of either the “Academic,” “Workshop,” or “Academy” learning experience at CLA Dallas 2014 by using my special “CLA_Faculty” registration code when you sign up. The CLA_Faculty discount code applies to either the Academic, Workshop or Academy experiences. It is for new registrants only, and there are no refunds. Register at www.CLAConference.org
Let me know if you have any questions! I hope to see you in Dallas. I know that this event will make a real difference in your life as a Christian leader, and in the organization you serve.
Coming up quickly, March 6 - 8, 2014, I will be teaching/attending/working at the 2014 Pastors and Leadership Conference. It's always a great experience for me at this event because this was the first conference I ever spoke at back in 2011. It also was the event that I released the first iChurch Method book in 2012. Another great thing about this conference is that in addition to speaking at it, I work the conference's online experience including social media, mobile apps and online streaming experience.
This year I am looking forward to teaching four sessions which include Social Media Basics, Social Media Advanced (twice) and Digital 360 (The iChurch Method). I am also continuing my pattern of releasing new products at the conference by announcing that I am releasing the following products:
Make sure you join me there!!
Normally I would talk about how to implement an online church or quote stats on how it has impacted churches but today, I just want to do something different. I want to tell a great story.
This past weekend I taught quite a few sessions at the econnect conference and it was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had for a variety of reasons. Here are the reasons:
1. I was able to meet the great people at Group Publishing (including Brian Abbot and Bob D'Ambrosio) and they truly took care of me and Nils Smith.
2. I was able to teach, fellowship and serve with my friend Nils Smith, a great guy and as I always tell him, my long lost brother in digital ministry.
3. I taught, interacted and engaged with a diverse crowd of people that were eager to learn how to utilize online tools more effectively for ministry. This crowd was hungry for knowledge and they were open to everything we were teaching. Even with their past traditions and church informal ways, they looked past all of that and said how can we reach the millions that are online and do church in a new way! And best of all, I cannot say how many times people mentioned to me that they were appreciative of what I taught....that blessed me immensely.
4. This is the most important thing, I heard a story that encouraged and transformed the way I think about what I do. First let me say that I have had moments where I wondered how effective The iChurch Method was and should I change my focus from churches to businesses and teach in that realm. Well after this story I am about to share with you, I will surely let you know that I am on the right path and The iChurch Method will continue well into the future. I was talking with a guy and he mentioned that his wife recently passed due to cancer but prior to passing she spent much of her time bed-ridden. But she managed to worship by watching T.D. Jakes Online and to be more specific, the internet church page that I played a role in creating. His wife also used Social Media to form a facebook group for women with cancer and they communicated and shared what they thought heaven would be like. And he just wanted to thank me for what I was doing and he was happy that he met the guy who created the page that helped his wife worship prior to her passing. Those words encouraged me so much that I knew I was on the right path.
I feel blessed!!
I’m most excited to be able to share this special discount code with you for $50 off:
The code is: SpecialOffer (one word; case sensitive)
If you register by January 10th you will still get the early bird rate and get the cost down to just $149. This event will be great for you to attend whether you know very little about technology or consider yourself an expert. Group offers a very warm and conversational space for you to learn and engage with other ministry leaders about utilizing online tools for ministry purposes.
I would love for you to join me at the eConnect Conference on January 29-31, 2014 in beautiful Loveland, CO. Group Publishing is hosting this amazing event where we will be discussing how to use social media, online video and other online tools for greater ministry impact. I’m also very excited to be joined by my good friend Nils Smith, author of the Social Media Guide for Ministry and soon to be good friend, Brian Abbott.
At this event we will discuss social media, websites, mobile apps, and how all of these things translate to becoming effective ministry tools. I can’t wait for the conversations that will be had and hope you will be a part. Click here for more information and to register for this exciting event!
