Tag Archive - Terry Storch

LifeChurch.tv: Sharing Stories & Impacting the Kingdom

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I’m pretty much stating the obvious when I talk about the amazing ministry impact that LifeChurch.tv is having all around the world. So go ahead and say “Duh, Rhett!” But the reason I bring them up is not specifically the impact that they are having, but their ability to share the stories of life change with others on the web.

I see this as a huge encouragement not only to Christians who try and walk daily with Christ, but I also see it as a huge encouragement to those who are seeking. I think that the Church, and we as Christians have to do a better job of sharing our stories of what God has been doing in our lives and the communities we are a part of.

I also see this as a huge encouragement to those in ministry, whether on staff or in a volunteer position. I have found that ministry, and the job we perform is often based around metrics, usually numbers (i.e. attendance, tithe, retreat numbers, etc.), and I think there is a larger metric that is more difficult to measure, but more valuable…and that is the stories that are told about the work of redemption, grace, salvation, etc. in our lives. Often these stories go untold because there is no outlet…which is a shame.

I remember that the question I most often got on a Thursday morning in my 7 years as a college pastor (college group was Wednesday night) was, “How many college kids were there last night?” THAT’S IT! I kept thinking how about the question, “Tell me a story of how a kid’s life was changed last night?” Or “How is God working in the lives of the students in the college ministry?” Those can not be quantified in easy to grasp metrics and numbers.

I appreciate the online ministry team there at LifeChurch.tv. I count it as a blessing to be able to call Tony Steward a great friend, and I’m looking forward to getting to know Brandon Donaldson better, and still looking forward to meeting Terry Storch and the rest of the crew soon.

So check out some of the great stories that they have been sharing the last two weeks….

This is one of my favorites. Tony is getting interviewed by social media guru Chris Brogan at SXSW. Chris writes this in his blog,

Originally, I thought of LifeChurch.tv as a place to cater to those who couldn’t make it to church, like shut-ins and others who are physically infirm. Tony explained that it went far beyond that. Quite interesting, to say the least.

Tony didn’t miss a beat when Chris made cracks about people getting into church so their money could be taken, and by the end of the interview Chris is quite blown away. Way to represent Tony. And way to make Kingdom impact at SXSW.

Continue Reading…

Technology and the Future of the Church

There are a lot of amazing things happening in the world of ministry and technology. So much so that it’s hard to keep up with all of it. Some churches are on the leading edge of innovation, while others are still trying to get a website put together. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, below are four links that might interest you from this past week.

First:
Author, blogger, video guru and Church 2.0 leader Greg Atkinson has a great post which basically introduces the Digerati Team from LifeChurch.tv, SPOTLIGHT: LifeChurch.tv’s Digerati Team. Many of you don’t know that there exists such a team on a church staff. But I think that trend is changing, and as you read the article you will definitely see their fingerprints all over the world of ministry and tech.

Greg says:

You might be wondering: “What in the world does “digerati” mean?” To get to the bottom of something, I go to Wikipedia. Wikipedia reads:”The digerati are the elite of the computer industry and online communities.” From what I know of my friends Terry Storch and Tony Steward (and the rest of the Digerati Team) this fits them very well.

Maybe you don’t recognize the team, but you may recognize their work. Here is what the Digerati team has been up to and is responsible for:

* YouVersion (Web, Mobile, and iPhone)
* OPEN
* ChurchMetrics
* Internet Campus
* LifeGroups
* LifeShare
* OnePrayer

Second:
If you can make it to Pasadena, CA this Friday, then you need to so that you can attend Church Tech Camp. It’s the first in what I think will be a growing group of church leaders who are on the innovative edge of integrating technology and ministry, especially as it relates to social media, web 2.0 tools. If you can’t make it, then watch the live stream of the get together. Not only is the technology and its use in ministry innovative, but the organization of the camp itself is on the leading edge. Check it out and you will see.

Third:
Check out Andrew Jones’ Powerpoint presentation from his talk at GodblogCon, The Missional Church in the Internet Age. You can listen to Andrew’s podcast as well at Podcasts of Godblogcon 2008, as well as all the others from there.

Fourth:
Godbloggers Prepare to Invade ‘Sin City’

To Get, or Not To Get an i-Phone?

Before the new i-phone came out I was drooling at any site of, or rumor of it’s impending release.

The days leading up to it and on release day I was glued to TechCrunch’s Twitter just so I wouldn’t miss anything.

But now I’m pretty glad I didn’t rush out to get one. I’m no tech expert, but it seems that first generation i-phone users haven’t had many problems with their phone as they uploaded the new software. But I’ve heard nothing but complaints from most of the people I know about the 2nd Generation phone.

And then Terry Storch who I respect decided to take his back.

So we will see what happens. I still want one, but I’m not in as big a rush anymore. In regards to my post, I don’t want to become a slave to the i-phone, and I think I was getting close.

My former co-worker and good friend Matt Singley has a humorous vlog about his new i-phone. Check it out below: