The Sidekick Podcast

While no one knows what it takes for a piece of content to go viral, there are some things you can do at your Church to create shareable content. Today Cory Sullivan joins the podcast to discuss what is shareable content and how can Churches create that content that people want to share to their friends and others. Subscribe: Apple Podcast |  Android |  Spotify | RSS ACTION STEPS: W...

Jeff Reed has been doing online ministry for a very long time, well before Covid hit. Today we get to hear his story of how servers going down propelled him to online ministry and how the Digital Church Network can help people doing online ministry succeed and have a community to help support and encourage. Learn more about it in this episode. Subscribe: Apple Podcast |  Android |  Spoti...

Even though your Church may have been a long time in your community, it does not mean that your Church is known in the community. The reality is that less and less people are attending Church today. So how does your Church become known in the community today? Today Justin Nava and I talk about how you can do that so that more and more people can come to know Christ as their savior. Subscribe: Appl...

Church communications is so important in today's world. But, with every opportunity comes challenges. Today, Seth Muse comes on the podcast to talk about what those challenges are in communications and how Churches can address them. To find out the other challenges are and how you can fix them with this FREE download . Subscribe: Apple Podcast |  Android |  Spotify | RSS ACTION STEPS: Wh...

There are a lot of different analytics that you can track for your Church communications. While all of them are important in different ways, Google Analytics is one of the most important analytics to track. Today Jeremy Zach joins the podcast to talk about why and how to get started on Google Analytics. Subscribe: Apple Podcast |  Android |  Spotify | RSS ACTION STEPS: What do you think?...

Covid has been hard on all of us and have effected us all in different ways. Now, Springtide Research Institute has NEW research out about how the pandemic has directly affected Generation Z in regards to faith and faith leaders. To talk to me about their findings is Dr. Josh Packard, the Executive Director of Springtide. He shares 3 findings that the Institute has found about how Gen Z coming out...

When you say the word Twitch, people often think about gaming. In fact, Twitch is often associated with gaming. However, it is much more than that. It's a great live streaming app that people from all different backgrounds use for different purposes. It can even be used to start a Digital Church! Today Mark Lutz, founding Pastor of Lux Digital Church joins me on the podcast to talk about how...

Student Ministry is always changing. But, over the past few years, it has changed so much more than normal. And that change was in large part because of Covid. So what has changed and how can student ministers adapt to the change? That is what Steve Cullum and I talk about in this podcast. Steve has been on the podcast before discussing how he is using games (especially online games) for mini...

Ministering to Middle Schoolers has always seemed hard. They aren't children anymore and yet they aren't teenagers. They are tweens in which a 6th grader looks very much different from an 8th grader developmentally and spiritually. To make matters more challenging, there just isn't a lot of resources out there for middle school ministry and how to best communicate to them. That is why I am excited...

Twitter doesn't have the best of reputations amongst people on social media. It is knowns as a place where more arguments happen than agreements. Yet, hundreds of millions of people are on this platform. As Digital Missionaries, we are called to minster to all nations...and platforms. We are called to love and serve those around us...and on Twitter. So what can  people do to minister to peopl...

Ever since Covid hit TikTok has become the most popular social media network in the world. And this isn't just amongst Gen Z and Alpha. This is amongst all generations. People are doing dances, inspirational video, funny videos and so much more. With the popularity of TikTok only increasing , it presents a great opportunity for digital missionaries to minister to people online. There are many diff...

TikTok has been the hottest social media platform since Covid hit. In fact, it just recently passed 3.5 billion all-time installs . It was the most downloaded in 2021 and already, in the 1st quarter of 2022 , report the most downloads of any other social media app. With the popularity of TikTok only rising more and more, has your Church ventured into the world of TikTok? If not, why not? Today, Sa...

There's an app for that" used to be a common phrase when apps came out and were new for smartphones. And, the reality is there an app for almost anything. After all, there are lots of digital tools and apps out there. Some are fun. Some are productive. Some are for learning. Apps have have so many uses these days. But what are the ones that are helpful and useful for you personally or your ministr...

Easter is one of the most important days in the life of a Christian and the Church. And, it is celebrated all over the world. It also means that more people are going to come to Church that day, even if they don't regularly attend your Church. That means your Church needs to be prepare for an increased number of people and families. There are lots of ways you can do this, however, unless you are p...

Church planting is hard work. It takes years of planning and praying. However, when a global pandemic hits, it definitely messes up plans. Imagine spending many months praying, planning and preparing to launch a Church when all of a sudden the Covid pandemic shuts everything down in your community. What do you do? How do you pivot and still minister to your community? See what Jared Nassiff did an...

Considering that Easter is one of the biggest Sundays of the year for Churches, Staffers and Volunteers spend countless hours preparing to help make the Easter experience an amazing time for families, many of whom will be coming for the first time or the first time in a long time. That is why I invited Adam McLaughlin back on the podcast. He wrote a blog post for ChurchBanners.com entitled, "...

Just like in any Church, there are lots of different types of people who are online and participate in online ministry. There are so many different types of people who are online. One group of people who seemed to be overlooked by Churches are gamers Enter Checkpoint Church . Checkpoint Church is led by Nathan Webb and is a Church designed for "nerds, geeks and gamers". We talked about how they ar...

Easter is fast approaching. While a lot of Churches are focused on in person Easter services, there are lots of different online Easter experiences you can create that engage your specific online attendees. What does that look like and how can you do it? Tyler Volkers and Jake McNamara join me on the podcast today to talk about what they are doing and how they are ministering to their communities...

Going through covid changed a lot of the ways we have done life and work. And while our lives improved in some areas, we also developed some bad habits in other areas, especially in regards to our work habits. So how do you correct some of those bad work habits? How can you set some boundaries in your life that will help you use your time wisely and more effectively? To talk about is with me is Co...

Parenting was always tough work. But then you add technology into the mix and it become a bit more challenging. The reality is that we live in a digital world and technology encompasses so much of our daily lives. So how do adults manage technology for themselves AND parent? This week I welcome back Matt McKee to the podcast. I first met Matt through the reThink Group but he has since moved o...

Churches have been doing student ministry for decades. Over that time, what student ministry "looks like" has changed and evolved. After all, if you are still trying to do student ministry the same way as they were back in the 1960s, you probably wouldn't be as successful as you could be. Enter Taylor Terpstra. He is the Online Youth Lead at Sandals Church in California. He was hired in...

Why is Google Search so important for your Church? What does it do and how does it help you reach more people for Christ? Today Mark MacDonald is joining me on the podcast to talk about it. He will share tips and tools you can utilize so that Google Search can work best for you and your Church. Mark is a Church Branding Strategist for BeKnownForSomething.com , a national Church Communica...

No ministry can be done by a single person. You need a team of people around you to help you be as effective as possible in reaching as many people as possible. And this applies to Online MInistry as well. Many people started doing Online Ministry during the pandemic and they were a one person team. Now, as we are growing in our online ministry capabilities, it is vital to the health of the minist...

In every business, organization or Church strategy is important. But, in order for the strategy to be effective, research is necessary. Research is important for a variety of reasons, but most importantly it is because without doing the right research and asking the right questions, your Church may not be effective in creating a great strategy to reach your community. To talk t...

Strategy is so important in anything we do. Over the last 2 years a lot of online ministry has been throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. After all, a lot of online ministry has started over the last 2 years. But ultimately, strategy needs to take precedent in order to be truly effective in online ministry. To talk to me about this is Sly King. Sly is a friend of mine who has been doi...