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Please take a few minutes to complete Church Relevance’s 2007 Reader Survey. Your answers will help us:

1. Understand you better and, consequently, create a better resource.
2. Get more sponsors, whose support helps make Church Relevance possible.

It is easy to fill out. I know you are a busy, but your input would mean so much to me.

Forrester Research studied the online shopping behavior of teenagers under age 18 and discovered:

• 40%-45% of boys read product reviews
  40%+ of girls read product reviews
• 40% of boys visit comparison shopping sites
  35% of girls visit comparison shopping sites

Why is this important to the church?

It shows that a good number of teens are thrifty with their money and are willing to do some research to see if a product is worth it. And since for many people time is money, it is likely that a good number of teenagers will also research whether time-consuming activities, such as movies or visiting a youth group, are worth their time. So ask yourself:

Does our church have a way for teenagers to learn about our youth group before they attend?

If so, would it interest them or just seem lame?

[via Ypulse]

Podcasts are growing in popularity, and many churches are learning how to use podcasting to further the gospel. But who is listening?

According to comScore, the iTunes podcasting audience, which accounts for 75% of all podcast downloads, is:

Gender

• 63% male (125% of their share of total Internet users)
• 37% female (74% of their share of total Internet users)

Age

• 29% 18-24 (203% of their share of total Internet users)
• 14% 25-34 (68% of their share of total Internet users)
• 27% 35-44 (113% of their share of total Internet users)
• 23% 45-54 (103% of their share of total Internet users)
• 5% 55-64 (41% of their share of total Internet users)
• 2% 65+ (29% of their share of total Internet users)

 Income

• 7% <$25K (78% of their share of total Internet users)
• 16% $25K-$50K (77% of their share of total Internet users)
• 27% $50K-$75K (95% of their share of total Internet users)
• 19% $75K-$100K (109% of their share of total Internet users)
• 31% $100K+ (128% of their share of total Internet users)

Education

• 25% High School (89% of their share of total Internet users)
• 28% Some College/Assoc Degree (82% of their share of total Internet users)
• 47% College/Graduate Degree (125% of their share of total Internet users)

It is quite clear that the wealthier and better educated an individual is, the more likely he or she will download a podcast. This really is not too surprising.

However, I am surprised to see how few people ages 25 to 34 download podcasts. Additional research shows that they use the Internet just as much as other age groups, but they do not use podcasts as much. I would guess that this is because many of them are parents of young children which require the attention that would otherwise be spent listening to a 15 to 45 minute podcast.

But there you have it. These are the people who are likely or not so likely to listen to your church’s podcast.

[via eMarketer]

Here is a roundup of what we were talking about one year ago:

• X-Treme Tape for the Church’s Unsung Heroes
  [May 28, 2006]
• 35 Skills for Modern Ministry
  [May 28, 2006]
• What Makes a Millennial Tick?
  [May 30, 2006]
• Digital Puppets and Portable Children’s Ministry
  [May 31, 2006]
• Giant Thumb Tacks Make Cool Signage :: Oneighty TurnLife
  [June 2, 2006]

Do you want to attend a ministry conference but are dreading the travel costs?

Well, life just got better with Skybus Airlines’ $10 plane tickets. Skybus claims that every flight has a minimum of 10 seats available for only $10. Their destinations are few at the moment, but they are planning on adding more soon.

[via Trend Hunter]

Jim Wideman recently shared 3 questions he often asks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of his ministry:

1. What am I doing that someone else can do?
2. What do I need to be doing that only I can do?
3. Is there a better way to do what we are doing?

Train yourself to regularly ask these questions. If you do, you will develop better leaders, be a better steward of your time, and consistently be improving your ministry.

Tony Morgan recently shared 6 communication lessons that he has learned from Perry Noble while working at NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC).

1. Prepare your messages weeks in advance.
   You’d be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal in a month compared to what he reveals in a week.
2. Speak the truth.
3. Keep it simple.
   The less you teach, the more your audience will retain…and (more importantly) live out.
4. Sweat the outline not the manuscript.
5. Tell stories.
   People will tune out unless you engage their emotions.
6. Invite others into the process.
   Perry is a phenomenal communicator, but one of his secrets is that every message is prepared with the input of a team.

And do not forget to read Tony’s post for the extended, full-scope of Perry’s wisdom.