Originally posted 09-01-2009. Reposted 10-05-2010.
———————————-
Online Small Groups Part 2
Great news: you don’t have to be a 9,000+ member church and have a crack Web developement team to have online groups! A church that thinks they have to build their own software or applications for online groups is like a church that thinks they have to build an educational wing onto their facility to have physical small groups!
Most small groups meet outside a church building in places that are being funded by something other than the church budget like homes and coffee shops. So I got to thinking, why can’t online groups do the same?
There are free websites and applications out there that can be used to facilitate online groups. Here are my thoughts on a few:
Adobe ConnectNow
http://www.adobe.com/acom/connectnow/ Adobe ConnectNow is designed to be more of a business application but it can works well for online groups.
TokBox
http://www.tokbox.com TokBox is a social-networking webcam site and is simpler to use than Adobe ConnectNow.
The catch with BOTH Connect Now and TokBox is that everyone needs headphones. Without them there will be a distracting echo.
Google Chat (http://mail.google.com/videochat)
and Skype http://skype.com/
Google Chat and Skype are also great for online groups but only for two people. These applications are perfect if you emphasize accountability and/or mentoring in your church. One time when only two of us could make it to our online group we opted to use Google’s Video Chat.
So I dare every pastor out there to go out and start some online small groups! I even challenge every small group leader to try and have your physical group meet online a couple of times just for the experience! The technology for online groups exists and it’s free, so what’s holding you back?
Tomorrow you’ll hear about some of the challenges that face online small groups. I’ll have a guest blogger from London who is an online groups guru. You won’t want to miss it!
Got some great online group resource links from John Oliver at http://learningonlineministry.org/. These are some possible options for online groups other than Adobe Connect Now and Tokbox.
http://www.dimdim.com/products/dimdim_editions_free.html
http://learnhub.com/about/for-educators
http://www.wiziq.com/Virtual_Classroom.aspx
Thanks for the tips John!!!
I have a business as mission company based out of Nepal which is actually a crack Web development team =)
So, we’re creating a free product to go along with our sermon transcription (typing them up) ministry where churches can sign up to have their audio recorded sermon be typed up by a crowd of listeners to the least developed and least reached nations to provide new outlet for missions as well as income for these people to feed their families.
Anyway back to this free product. It could be a great interactive tool for online small groups to discuss the week’s sermon with built in bible memorization tools, reference tools, profiles of the people who personally took part in typing it, etc. I’m just now fleshing out what this all will look like but certainly have access to all the resources to get it built quickly once I’m ready. So I’d love to get your feedback both with comments here and through our website email: info+sermon@sprout-technology.com
– Tom