In real estate they say it’s all about location, location, location. The same can be said for modern ministry. It’s not just about having an easy to find church - if you are not making the most of where your ministry ‘fronts’ on the information superhighway, you may be starting a long way behind.

Your.sydneyanglicans.net regularly publishes articles on how Christians in ministry can make the most of Internet and technology, for organisational, pastoral and evangelistic purposes. It seemed like a good time to bring together a list of some of our favourites. So, here are our top ten tips for getting your ministry moving on the information super highway…

1. Get technology working for you in the pulpit: Here are some good article listing some of the great programs and websites that can aid a busy minister research a sermon or find the perfect illustration:
Bible Resources Online: BRO
In search of the perfect illustration
2. Get technology working for you in the service: Think how much time could be saved if the words of songs, the prayers, the notices etc. didn't have to be handed out first at the door, rifled through during the service and then collected again at the end. If you haven't already, you need to think about introducing display technology like PowerPoint and such. Here is a comparison of the best worship-suited programs on offer:
Road-testing PowerPoint alternatives
3. Get technology working for you in the office: If you've got a sizeable team of volunteers or paid staff, chances are you're having issues with documents. Where are the rosters? Have they been updated? Do they include John's stuff? What about the service outline? Get some software that allows you to share key documents and task-lists online. Here are two free favourites:
Googledocs " online document sharing
Ta Da Lists " online activity list sharing

And when it comes to church management software­, there’s a good conversation addressing this growing field going on here.
­4. Use technology to stay in touch: There are a lot of good ways to use SMS and email etc. to provide that weekly "touch' that reinforces a person's sense of belonging to a congregation. Again, another good article:
Ministry in 136 characters or less
5. Stay informed yourself: Your region is pretty big, the Sydney Diocese is bigger, the Christian church is just plain huge. How do you keep across the sweeping issues that are shaping your congregation's world? It's no surprise that I'm going to spruik sydneyanglicans.net at this point because informing the diocese is why we exist. So, here are some useful services to consider:
Sydney stories " stuff that's happening in the Sydney Diocese
Breaking news " stuff that's important for Christians to know from all over Australia and the world
Mission Thinking " articles on great ideas for engaging in The Mission and the resources to do it
Indepth " solid Christian thinking on key social issues and theological conundrums
Culture " working out what Christians have to say on the latest films, television shows, books, music etc. 
6. Email newsletters and RSS: OK, so you don't have time to go looking at all this stuff; ministry staff members are generally run off their feet as it is. Well, have it delivered to your email inbox or your desktop and then scan it over a cup of coffee. For the technically minded, you can use an RSS reader to search multiple websites for new material for you. For the rest of us, you can download a "widget' that sits on your desktop and tells you what has just been posted on a particular site. As an absolute minimum, have the headlines and summaries of articles delivered to your inbox. Here are two well worth considering:
Social Issues Executive " well researched briefings on the current social issues from Andrew Cameron at Moore Theological College
The News Bulletin­ " all of the latest content from sydneyanglicans.net summarised on a single page
7. Get yourself a web site­: This should be obvious, but let's face it some ministry teams still think they can get by without it. The average Australian spends an hour a day on the internet working, playing, searching. In fact, it is their first stop for information they don't have " like the location of a local church" Simple is good, considering that most people just want your address, meeting times and contact details. There's a good discussion thread about church web sites going on here.
8. Revamp the existing church website: There are a couple of simple things you can do to improve the resources offered by your church website without it costing you any more effort:

­(i) Have a good think about your content­ " There's lots of stupid stuff on web sites, and lots of stuff lacking. Here's a good easy-read article to get people thinking: 10 easy ways to keep me from visiting your church because I visited your web site

(ii) Add the SAN bar " The Sydney Anglican Network bar is a free, design-neutral bar that sits at the top of every page of your web site giving people one-click access to all of the other major sites in the diocese. It’s sitting at the top of this page right now, and could be across your site with little effort.

(iii) Add a Gospel explanation " Christianity.net.au provides a simple to understand Gospel presentation designed specifically for post-modern computer users. It also encourages people to submit their questions which are answered personally by a team of theologically trained responders. There's also a helpful library of previously asked questions. What's more, they provide free stuff (iv) Add a newsfeed­ " One of the biggest problems for websites is that fact that they are content driven, and if the content doesn't change regularly the audience will realise that there is no real need to visit. By adding a newsfeed (an automated updating of news stories) you can have new content arrive seamlessly on your site, making it look fresh. Here's one provided by " you guessed it, Anglican Media.
9. Meet the people who visit your web site: Do you know much about the average internet user, or for that matter, the modern Australian? A good place to view them, talk to them and have your ideas about them shaped are forums and blogs. Check out the forums at sydneyanglicans.net for an easy introduction. Don't be scared; these are the people your web site is trying to talk to, right?

10. Got all that down? Now " stop: Technology is a means to an end, not the end in itself. Make yourself another cup of coffee and ask yourself what it is that you're trying to say, or who it is you're trying to assist, and what "tool' will suit them best. Understanding our Message and our Audience are the two most important things you can do in any form of ministry. Lose focus on these and it's all just "bells and whistles' " or "clanging gongs' if you prefer Paul’s metaphor.
In closing, we have a regular tech writer, Andrew Lim, who is monthly writing columns on how to get the most out of technology for your ministry. We aggregate his columns here. Happy reading!