Tag Archive for: church

763 – Planning That Works

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On this episode of WELSTech, we take a closer look at one of the standout offerings from the upcoming WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership. We also revisit the WELS Strategic Plan, with a special focus on the Calling pillar. Plus, we’ve got our usual lineup of helpful Picks of the week and the latest Community Feedback. Ready to dive in? Simply press Play!

Podcast: Download (Duration: 38:39 — 35.4MB)

The interview and discussion

Church Planning – Martin chats with John Rathje, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Kent State University, about his upcoming breakout session at the WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership titled Planning That Works.

Ministry resource

WELS Strategic Plan – Christ Through Us

Picks of the week

Community feedback

From the WELSTech Google Group

Next time

Jason and Rachel return for some educational technology goodness!

Get involved

730 – Summer Tech Talks – Sarah Krause & Eileen Rosenow

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It’s almost time for back-to-school, and this episode of WELSTech will introduce listeners to helpful Lutheran Schools personnel who many will recognize. They shed light on school statistics and products as well as give us a sneak peek at next summer’s WELS Education Conference, currently in the planning stages. Sallie is “certified” and can’t wait to show you how to differentiate your lesson resources. Martin has a pick so good he needs to share it a second time. Plus, we talk church worship live streaming, and there’s an infographic involved!

The discussion & interview

The brains – Sarah Krause and Eileen Rosenow from WELS Lutheran Schools join Martin and Sallie to share a behind-the-scenes look at the important work happening in preparation for a new school year. These ladies just can’t wait for you to get those school stats and product subscriptions taken care of!

Picks of the week

Community feedback & events

Considerations for live streaming worship

Click image to view the full Infographic10 Live Streaming Consideration for Church services

Next time

Our Summer Tech Talks series finale features a conversation with Northern Wisconsin District President, Pastor Joel Zank.

Get involved

646 – The Post-Quarantine Church

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Happy 13th anniversary to WELSTech! Today’s show includes a new book discussion, changes to Facebook, Edge browser features which may convert you, online collaboration resources for teachers and more. Join the celebration/conversation!

The discussion

To kick off the new year of podcasting, Martin and Sallie start a new book discussion of The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom Rainer.  Today’s show covers the introduction and chapters 1 & 2. We know the pandemic will end at some point and we want the church to be ready to operate in the new normal which emerges. Read along and perhaps share and discuss in your congregations.

Picks of the week

Ministry resource + WELS now

From the Lutheran Schools Office

Community feedback

Next time

Edtech is center stage as we welcome back Prof. Rachel Feld & Jason Schmidt to the guest host chairs.

Get involved

636 – HR & A Pandemic

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On this episode of WELSTech we wrap up our summer look at ministry across the synod during the pandemic by talking with WELS Human Resources Director Dennis Maurer. We also discuss NPH’s new “at-home Sunday School” program. Google extensions and add-ons shine in the “Picks of the week” segment, and WELSTech listeners have lots to say about social media for schools, and more!

The interview and discussion:

Pandemic protocols at the CMM – WELS Director of Human Resources Dennis Maurer talks with Martin and Sallie about the policies and procedures which are in place at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry (CMM).

Sunday School at home – New from Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) are resources for doing Sunday School from home using Christ-Light materials and free, age-appropriate video lessons by experienced WELS teachers.

  • Learn more from NPH
  • Get lesson worksheets from your church or order directly from NPH
  • NPH on YouTube

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Featured videos/online course:

How to use Choice Eliminator add-on for Google Forms

Next time:

WELSTech goes back to the books with a kickoff discussion of Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Get involved:

635 – PR & A Pandemic

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This week on WELSTech we hear from the Martin Luther College Director of Public Relations about the challenges and changes to communication during the pandemic. In addition, there’s a wide variety of tech tools and tips that may benefit your ministry including safely back to school webinars, Gmail organization, Bitmoji classroom images, and farewell to classic Google Sites. Tune in and turn it up!

The interview and discussion:

Communicating to a college community – Bill Pekrul, Director of Public Relations at Martin Luther College (MLC), talks with Martin and Sallie about the levels and multiple channels of communication they utilize. Bill also shares tips that congregations and schools can use as they devise communication plans.

Additional examples to consider from MLC communication:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Featured videos/online course:

MLC Update

Next time:

Summer interviews on pandemic ministry continue, next time with Dennis Maurer, WELS Director of Human Resources.

Get involved:

634 – Technology vs Pandemic

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Tune in to this week’s WELSTech to learn about a new tech tool to check temperatures before admitting people to your buildings for church and school. We also share googly picks, tips for content filtering and worship projection, and COVID-19 resources from WELS.

The interview and discussion:

Thermal Scanner – Art Flater, WELS member and owner of Central Office Systems, shares a timely tech innovation, the Pyrexia Kiosk, which uses thermal scanning technology to check body temperature before allowing admittance to a building.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Featured videos/online course:

Members of St Mark, Green Bay, pray for police

Next time:

Summer interviews on pandemic ministry continue

Get involved:

633 – Music Ministry in a Pandemic

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This week the WELSTech featured interview focuses on pandemic music ministry blessings and challenges. Martin and Sallie geek out a bit with their picks of the week, the WELSTech community buzz is around Chromebooks and texting solutions, and we share details about an upcoming “Back to School” webinar by WELS Lutheran Schools and Christian Family Solutions.

The interview and discussion:

Making Worship Music from a Distance – Lisa Uttech, Music Director for Christ the Lord, Brookfield, WI, and Kristen Koepsell, Music Coordinator for Cross of Christ, Boise, ID, share their experiences with congregation and school music during the COVID-19 event.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • WELSTech Google Group discussions
  • Remote Learning Must Haves from Trox
  • Back to School Webinar – CLS and Christian Family Solutions are partnering to host a webinar for all WELS teachers and leaders on Tues., July 21 at 1:00 p.m. CST. The focus of the webinar will be preparing for the unique social/emotional needs and stresses of our teachers and students in today’s context based on God’s promises to be with us in all things. Register to reserve your seat!

Featured videos/online course:

Hands on with PowerToys for Windows 10

Next time:

Summer interviews on pandemic ministry continue

Get involved:

632 – Google Just Wants To Save You Some Money

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On WELSTech this week we talk with a long-time WELSTech contributor about his pandemic experience. In addition, we have hardware recommendations, an exciting virtual conference to share, “free” items for schools, and highlights from Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference.

The interview and discussion:

Coast to coast – Martin and Sallie chat with WELS educator Perry Lund regarding his pandemic experience in church and high school classroom.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Featured videos/online course:

Apple WWDC 2020 keynote in 18 minutes

Next time:

Summer interviews on pandemic ministry continue

Get involved:

631 – What Does Church Look Like?

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The WELSTech Summer interview series kicks off today. We’re taking a look at the many faces of ministry during a pandemic from across the synod in an effort to spark ideas and encourage excellence in all ministry, whether in good times or challenging times. There’s also some awesome community feedback on everything from smart tech to VBS and Summer Sunday school to free Bible images.

The interview and discussion:

Unique ministry ideas – Pastor Rob Guenther from St. John’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, MN joins Martin and Sallie to share his ministry experience during and beyond COVID-19.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Featured videos/online course:

Check out the unique video ministry experience from St John’s, New Ulm, MN, where they spliced the current readings and sermon into full church worship recordings from 2019, making the safer-at-home worship experience feel a bit more normal.

Next time:

Summer interviews on pandemic ministry continue

Get involved:

592 – Church Intranets by Trello

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WELSTech returns with a look at the possibilities for developing church Intranets on the Trello platform. We say “Happy Birthday” to the World Wide Web and take a look at WELS Missions Journeys. Plus, we have picks and ministry resources and community feedback that you won’t want to miss. Turn it up!

The discussion:

Build a Church Intranet with Trello – Martin and Sallie continue the Let’s Build an Intranet series with a sample Trello setup that will do the job.

News in tech:

Happy Birthday to the World Wide Web

WELS now:

WELS Mission Journeys

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Jitsi video conferencing

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Get up to speed on Trello with 7 Things You Should Do with Every Trello Board (Setup Guide) from Simpletivity

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 593 – Get a preview of “Seesaw: Student-Driven Portfolios Made Easy” with #EdTechLead19 presenters Stephanie Krahn and Kurt Gosdeck.  Release date: Wednesday, March 20.

Get involved: