If you like free stuff, than swing on over to Group Publishing’s Ministry Makeover.

It is a free DVD that presents ideas on children’s ministry, youth ministry, and adult Bible class. Best of all, the principles discussed are presented in a way intended for you to easily apply them to your own ministry.

Yes, it is true. Teenagers do have a ringtone that adults can’t hear. I waited three weeks before reporting it just to be sure it was not a hoax.

As people begin to age past twenty years old, many begin to lose the ability to hear higher-frequency sounds. It is a state known as presbycusis or ageing ear. A Welsh security company called Compound Security saw the potential in the science and created the Mosquito, an ultrasonic teenage deterrent used by shop keepers and many others to deter teenagers within a matter of minutes. There are no short term or long term hazards with use. Teenagers simply do not enjoy the sound. United Kingdom police describe the Mosquito as “the most effective tool in our fight against anti social behavior.”

But you could say that teenagers are fighting back because they have converted the high-pitched noise into a ringtone. Named Teen Buzz, the new ringtone allows students to secretly use their mobile phones in class without their teacher hearing. Howard Stapleton of Compound security states, “A teacher would be able to hear the sound only one meter away. Teenagers could hear it from much further away.” Compound Security now sells the ringtone to UK teenagers, and fork.com distributes it to the United States.

Next time your youth group starts mysteriously laughing about something, remember- It could be the new ringtone, or it could still just be you.

You can hear the ringtone here if you have good enough hearing.

Additional links:
The Age :: November 30, 2005
Metro.co.uk :: May 24, 2006
Boing Boing :: May 24, 2006
Chroma :: May 26, 2006
The Age :: June 14, 2006

A recent survey of college students found that Facebook.com tied for the second most “in” thing among undergraduate college students. Part of the allure is that Facebook.com has a membership exclusivity that other social networking sites like Myspace.com lack. Facebook.com boasts:

• More than 7.5 million people registered
• Over 2,200 colleges, 22,000 high schools, and 2,000 companies supported
• Two thirds of registered people return every day
• People spend an average of 20 minutes on the site daily
• Seventh-most trafficked site in the United States

Obviously, its statistics vouch for its popularity among college students. You might expect that such great statistics would also lead to costly advertisements, but it hasn’t.

Facebook.com is perhaps the best advertising opportunity yet for churches to reach specific college students within their area. Each one of Facebook’s 2,200 colleges offers the opportunity to advertise specifically to that school. They are called Facebook Flyers, and they only cost $5, which will get your ministry’s advertisement displayed:

• 2,500 times if you aren’t a member (5 displays per penny)
• 10,000 times if you are a member (20 displays per penny)

So find a college student with an account and quadruple your reach. It’s not often if ever that advertising is so affordable yet so targeted.

According to research conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation:

• 83% of children under the age of six average two hours per day using some form of screen media
• Roughly 33% of kids under the age of six have a TV in their bedroom
• 43% of the kids have used a computer
• 27% of the kids use a computer several times a week or more

Today’s generations of kids are presenting children’s ministry with an unprecedented tech-savvy and media-hyped generation. On the one hand, screen media has had many negative influences on children of all ages. I am amazed at the cultural differences between the middle school students I teach today and the middle school culture that I grew up in. At the same time, screen media has opened a whole new world of possibilities to preach the Gospel. And if executed properly, these possibilities can communicate more clearly and more effectively than flannel graphs or traditional Bible stories.

Special thanks to the Convergence Culture Consortium for highlighting the research.

Hey College Ministry Pastors,

Do you know what is important to your students?

According to CNN, it is Apple’s iPod music player.

In fact, the iPod is more popular than beer among undergraduate college students according to a recent survey of 1,200 students from 100 U.S. colleges. Since last year’s study, the iPod has grown 14% in popularity.

• 73% of students said iPods were “in”
• 71% said drinking beer was “in”
• 71% said Facebook.com was “in”
• Other mentions included text messaging, bar hopping, and downloading music.

Special thanks to Trend Hunter for highlighting the study.

CEO IQ is distributing the world’s smallest interactive information delivery device called the rCard. In simple terms, think of it as a digital business card.

Currently, it costs $25 which makes it more practical for selling expensive items like automobiles. But as with any technology, I am sure that one day that will be affordable enough for churches to use as invite cards.

Features of the rCard include:

• 3mm Thick
• 1.5 Ounces
• Streaming Video and Audio
• Navigational Button
• Password Protection Capabilities 
• Time-sensitive Data Capabilities  
• Battery Life: 4 hours continuous use or 7-year shelf life
• 32 Megabyte Storage (it is possible for a gigabyte plus)
• USB Connector for uploading and recharging

Undoubtedly, this technology will be an incredible tool for churches as it becomes more affordable. 

Special thanks to Trend Hunter for highlighting the rCard.
Also, Gizmag has an interesting article about the rCard.

For those of you who love the free resources from LifeChurch.tv, Southeast Christian Church, and Seacoast Church, you will love having even more access to free resources with Ministry Communicorps.

Ministry Communicorps is run by Gene Mason, Communications Minister at The Church at Brook Hills (Birmingham, AL), and his staff.

Their downloads section includes:

• Logos – for specific ministries and events
• Themes – event and program related graphics
• Images – pictures and backgrounds
• Forms – for organizing ministry

Of course, there is plenty more on the site including large lists of resources and various articles.

Nature.com had an interesting article earlier this year about research conducted by Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University that investigates how web users judge websites. A few thought-provoking nuggets from the article are:

• If you can snare people with an attractive design, they are more likely to overlook other minor faults with the site, and may actually rate its actual content more favorably.
• People enjoy being right, so continuing to use a website that gave a good first impression helps to ‘prove’ to themselves that they made a good initial decision.
• Potential readers can make snap decisions in just 50 milliseconds.

Remember that your church website‘s quality of design will influence its effectiveness. This is true regarding any design. People’s behavior is greatly influenced by their environment. This principle applies to the brick and mortar church as well as the virtual church.