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Eric Seiberling
Cincinnati, OH
A professional digital nomad and church troublemaker looking for ways to baptize "secular ideas" to help make the church a little more effective.
Recent Activity
Keith, I agree that we as "Christ-followers" need to get out into the world to reach the lost. A denomination is a organizational construct meant to create a group of common theology, practice and resource sharing. The connectional system of the United Methodist Church can be a very powerful one, but we are too stuck fighting with one another vs. focusing on our true mission to "re-present" Christ's love to the world. I think the mainline denominations need to get back to their roots. As a Methodist, I'd love to get back to basics and focus on the core of mission vs. the "denominational schizophrenia" we have today. Thanks for the comment! Eric
Toggle Commented Sep 13, 2011 on If this is not a call to action, I don't know what is! at flock:ology
Ready or Not...Mobile is Coming!
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Ready or not, mobile is a growing trend that your church needs to deal with. Many churches have barely launched websites let alone reach out to those in your community using mobile messaging and applications. Many people believe it is just a fad. The data suggests otherwise… Continue reading
Posted Sep 4, 2011 at flock:ology
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Erin, Thanks for the comment. I would love to hear what “bright spots” you have found and how it helped your church move ahead. Would you be willing to share your experiences as part of a “follow-up” post? Thanks for the great work! Eric
Toggle Commented Jul 21, 2011 on What are the bright spots for the church? - Lessons from Chip & Dan Heath's book "Switch" at flock:ology
Thanks Brian!
Toggle Commented Apr 3, 2011 on Show me the VISION (vs. money)...The Art of Digital Fundraising at flock:ology
If this is not a call to action, I don't know what is!
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A paper called "A mathematical model of social group competition with application to the growth of religious non-affiliation" presented this week at the Dallas meeting of the American Physical Society predicts organized religion will be driven toward extinction in 9 countries. Is this really true? What are we (as the church) willing to do about it? Continue reading
Reblogged Mar 24, 2011 at flock:ology
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Let the children lead...
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Out of the prayers of children can come the clarity of God's call for all of our churches. Continue reading
Posted Mar 23, 2011 at flock:ology
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Piecing together a story using "Storify"
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How can churches use Storify to pull together content from social networks to create a cohesive story with tweets, posts, photos and videos from all the sources across the web to spread the word. Continue reading
Posted Feb 24, 2011 at flock:ology
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Show me the VISION (vs. money)...The Art of Digital Fundraising
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50% of churches do not have an annual stewardship campaign. EPIC FAIL! Churches need to cast a vision of why to give and allow people to support causes that matter. Here are some ways to do that. Continue reading
Posted Feb 22, 2011 at flock:ology
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Invite people home... a strategy to create digital relationships with your church.
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Social media tools are great, but churches need to think through how to leverage social media sites to help create relationships and connect them "home" to deepen relationship. Continue reading
Posted Feb 16, 2011 at flock:ology
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Egypt & Social Media...the blueprint of creating a digital movement (even for your church.)
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Churches can learn a lesson from the digital revolution in Egypt. A digital movement can be generated using the social media tools now available. The power is in your hands. Use it wisely. Continue reading
Posted Feb 15, 2011 at flock:ology
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Show me the benefit... the obligatory Super Bowl 2011 commercial roundup and what churches can learn from them.
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What can the church learn from Madison Avenue to connect with people from Main Street? Here are some thoughts on the latest round of Super Bowl commercials and what the church can learn from them. Continue reading
Posted Feb 7, 2011 at flock:ology
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Singing from the same sheet of music... Using Dropbox for Worship planning.
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Many times, getting all the materials ready for Sunday Morning worship can be a hassle. People are e-mailing songs, announcements, sermon outline changes, slides or any number of things or running around with USB drives to get everything ready. Here is one tool that can help... Continue reading
Posted Feb 3, 2011 at flock:ology
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Arianna, I am not quite sure of your intent of your comment. The focus of my post was to encourage churches to deeply immerse themselves in their community for 30 days to understand their point of view. Most church members stay focused within the 4 walls of their church and never look beyond it. This became apparent when my wife (who is a pastor) asked a question to her Christian friends and parishioners, "Do you have many friends who are non-Christians? If not, why?" Many of the response stated that they did not. It was not intentional, but who they interacted with and had more in common with. The effort to connect with your community needs to be intentional, especially for churches. The decline seen in many churches is caused by being inwardly focused. They need to "RETHINK" how they "do church" and focus on the people outside the four walls of the church and not inside them. As for the individual Christian, you are right that we need to "live in the world" and make connections with people in all walks of life. That is a lifestyle and not a trial period. To see the full context of how this fits into by downloading an e-book that I wrote called "Connecting with Your Community: Why 1>99." http://ericseiberling.typepad.com/files/flockology---connecting-with-your-community.pdf
Toggle Commented Feb 1, 2011 on One way to grow your congregation...SKIP CHURCH! at flock:ology
Avoid the "field of dreams" syndrome... How to plan and promote church events with Social Media.
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Too many take the "Field of Dreams" approach in their events, thinking people will "auto-magically" come to any event. Churches need to take advantage of many of the Social Media tools to make their event a success. Here's a "how-to" to help you. Continue reading
Posted Feb 1, 2011 at flock:ology
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Stay top of mind! State your calling in 5 to 8 words.
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Many churches are going through their annual planning process to make a "Kingdom-difference" in their community. The problem is that most churches are not focused. They want to do everything well. But what is their focus? Creating a clear call can make all of the difference. Continue reading
Posted Jan 27, 2011 at flock:ology
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What are your 3 big words? Untangling the mess of church strategic planning.
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Many churches get bogged down in the strategic planning process. They get lost in the concepts of mission and vision and try to throw everything (including the kitchen sink). Try a different approach by focusing on 3 big words. Here's how... Continue reading
Posted Jan 25, 2011 at flock:ology
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Don't use half your brain! Focus on the WHOLE church experience.
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Churches need to focus on the individual's experience at every touchpoint we interact with them. Words are not enough. Visuals help. Meaningful, relevant experiences are what will connect someone to Christ and your church. Continue reading
Reblogged Jan 20, 2011 at flock:ology
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Setting the bar...what are your goals for 2011?
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Four our of five people will break their New Year's resolution. Churches fail in the same trap. It is because they are too general and express more of a "wish" than a real, tangible goal. Learn how BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) can make all of the difference... Continue reading
Posted Jan 18, 2011 at flock:ology
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Need more proof Facebook is critical to your church outreach efforts? [INFOGRAPHIC from Mashable.com]
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In case you need any more proof that Facebook is critical to your church's outreach efforts, here is an amazing infographic from SocialHype and OnlineSchools.org. Continue reading
Reblogged Jan 13, 2011 at flock:ology
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The infomediary effect...a simple reason why your church needs to get in the game.
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Every two days, we create the same amount of knowledge at existed from the dawn of time until 2003. We are buried in information. Our attention spans have gotten shorter. Churches need to understand and leverage infomediaries if they hope to stay in the conversation and stay relevant. Continue reading
Posted Dec 20, 2010 at flock:ology
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Getting unstuck from the molasses swamp of life (or church work)
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Individuals and churches get stuck. Instead of staying stuck or focused meaningless activity, we need to take a step back and understand why we are stuck and how can we fix the "system" to do it. Continue reading
Posted Dec 7, 2010 at flock:ology
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Chunking your discipleship...a lesson from Kahn's Academy and Bill Gates
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While the world has changed, our process for discipleship has not. We are stuck in the same industrial age model of classes and content while new technologies enable new ways to convey the same idea in a deeper yet in a more immersive and simpler way. Learn a lesson from Kahn's Academy (Bill Gates favorite teacher) and how to apply it to the church. Continue reading
Posted Nov 10, 2010 at flock:ology
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Expanding your boundaries...the impact of hyper-social nature of man and social media.
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The growth of tribes and digital technologies create new opportunities for churches to "expand their boundaries" beyond the four walls of the church. How can churches understand the concepts of "hyper-social" and "human 1.0" as well as new models and technologies for interaction to help create God-centered change. Continue reading
Posted Nov 8, 2010 at flock:ology
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Is this what you are meant for? Reflecting on God's Calling for You and Your Church
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Reflection is always a good thing. We get caught up in our day-to-day living and get so busy that we never have a chance to reflect on our lives or how we serve God (either on our own or as part of the church. As you reflect on your life, what would God say about you and your church? Continue reading
Posted Nov 4, 2010 at flock:ology
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Stop the spiritual pity party by asking "What are you doing here?"
Sermon on how Elijah needed to break out of his spiritual pity party by taking a time out to restore himself physically and listen to God's still small voice asking "What are you doing here?" Learn how this can apply to your own life and to the church. Continue reading
Posted Nov 2, 2010 at flock:ology
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