Creating products that actually serve the church is not easy, especially when it comes to technology.  The interwebs are littered with Christian ghettos, static dead-end websites and social networking tools that promised they were designed to serve the church but somehow really didn’t.

Why a product or application fails is hard to say.   Some apps end up as walled gardens, others accidentally fell into broadcast mode, offering no community appeal, and so died off, and still others never got over their clunky user interface issues or high bar fees.

Nevertheless, there are those courageous individuals who press forward always straining to develop services that really do foster richer communication opportunities for churches.

Recently, I was asked to check out a start up called SoChurch and I found myself curious….

Here’s what I learned:

SoChurch is being built with the church in mind.

SoChurch is a work in progress, with developers getting plenty of input early on to make sure the product release is stellar.

SoChurch wants to change the way ministries and churches leverage web technology for church communication.

SoChurch is a communication platform for community development both within and beyond the church walls.

SoChurch is going to be scalable, dynamic, and culturally flexible – and I can’t wait to see what that means!

John Saddington, a SoChurch advisor & evangelist said this recently, “Organizations who are weak in terms of communication end up with frustrated programs, initiatives, and burnt out personnel.”  So true!!   So bring it SoChurch, help us communicate.

You can expect to hear a lot more in the near future and follow SoChurch on Twitter to get daily status updates.

Disclaimer: I am on the advisory board for SoChurch.

You are looking at an image of the logo on the first edition of Inspiren; a monthly newsletter designed by the originators of the Christian Web Conference (formerly GodblogCon).

As the web becomes a bigger part of our lives each day, faith leaders are challenged to engage people where they live.  For example, only a few years ago, the notion of belonging to an online church was unheard of.  Today, it’s often a central topic of discussion & debate.

Now with individuals spending greater amounts of time online each day and frequent personal interactions often taking place via online communication, some propose online church as the next logical step to effective gospel proclamation.

Inspiren exists to thoughtfully engage this and other topics that deal with the relationship of New Media and the Christian faith.

Each monthly installment will take the main purpose of the Christian Web Conference; idea collaboration with the intent of advancing New Media and its users for the Kingdom of God; and extend it formally beyond the weekend of September 11-12.

This first edition includes the article “Some Rough Notes on Technology, Exclusivity, and Online Church” by Matthew L. Anderson.  And the photo image above should link to my dear friend, Rhett Smith, and his article in the second installment “Christian Web Conference“.

To the relief of some people, GodTube is changing it’s name.

Here’s the GodTube is Changing it’s Name link.

Here’s a link from GodTube CEO, Jason Illian.

Any suggestions for what they’ll rename it?

The most prolific author in the field of Christianity & Media Studies, Dr. Quentin J. Schultz, has edited a new publication, Understanding Evangelical Media.  Dr. Schultze is a Professor at Calvin College, a media consultant and co-founder of the Gospel.com Community.

Understanding Evangelical Media is co-edited by Robert H. Woods, Jr., an Associate Professor of Communication and Media at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. 

The compilation includes the work of nearly 100 authors.  The blogsite will offer both essays and podcasts.

Great news if you're looking for the place where media & the Church converge.  COLLIDE Magazine has a brand spankin' new, redesigned website.  It's less than 48 hours old.  

And how can I resist mentioning COLLIDE when several Digital contributors are featured in the magazine's new May/June issue.  Odd happenstance?  I don't think so; it's more like Spirit-led inspiration if you ask me.  

Our Digital contributors in COLLIDE include:

Aaron Linne (Mr. Vimeo himself) His article, Stop Throwing Sheep, explores how we can use Facebook applications to spread the messege.

Cynthia Ware My article, Technology and the Virtual Church, was written to inspire early adopters of new media technologies to forge ahead.

Joe Suh (MyChurch.org founder) Joe's interview explains how social networking can serve local churches and facilitate their members connecting online.

Additionally, there are a lot of other good resources, articles and reviews in the magazine and while you're visiting the new website, it's easy to get a risk-free issue or subscription. 

Congratulations again, Tim Stevens, on Pop Goes the Church making the cover with some amazing graphics by Barton Damer.  And speaking of Barton and his way good digital media skills… you didn't think I was going to forget to show off some of his video maneuvers did you? 

Not when they feature this August's Echo Conference…..

ECHO Full Promo Video from barton Damer on Vimeo.