ATLANTIC, N.C., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Small churches with fewer
resources are embracing technology as a means of controlling costs and
upgrading services for their members. This involves doing more with less,
and is one of the greatest challenges facing most churches today. For these
churches -- with very limited budgets and little or no staff beyond the
pastor and volunteers -- the Internet is offering cost-effective,
easy-to-use technology can measurably stretch resources.
    Chris Humphreys, Pastor of Atlantic United Methodist Church, Atlantic,
NC, has no staff, which he says is typical of most small churches,
particularly in rural and fishing communities. Despite this, he averages
more than 90 of the 120 active members at Sunday services, and more at
events.
    "I'm it when it comes to the administrative stuff... I'm the guy,"
Humphreys says. "We use a computer for most of the regular tasks so it made
sense to try to maximize its value. I checked out the Internet and found a
very viable solution for one of our needs," he says.
    "About two years ago, we downloaded the automated system that frees me
up for pastoral duties rather than bogging me down with administration. It
cost $299, and was the only system that we could find within our budget.
For us, it was an expense that required some thought and a board vote, but
we find it exceptionally helpful and our church members told us during the
trial period that they loved it," Humpheys says.
    The BroadcastByPhone auto dialer software from Voicent
Communications, http://www.voicent.com is in use by many churches around
the country as a technology-conscious way to reach people in the community
and to boost attendance at meetings and events, as well as notifying them
very promptly about church news.
    According to Humphreys, he initially downloaded the free trial software
(http://www.voicent.com/download/) on the Voicent website. "Within a few
months, we recognized how valuable this was for reminding our members and
others in the community about meetings, activities, fund raising efforts
and other events where a quick reminder can change the attendance pretty
dramatically for a small organization. We then took our vote and purchased
the product."
    Humphreys entered all of the phone numbers (approximately 400) in his
church's area code. "I could have gone further with other codes, but most
of our attendance comes from within this code, and we can easily reach them
all with the BroadcastByPhone," he adds.
    It takes only a few hours to complete about 225 phone calls using the
Voicent system, compared with days for a person to accomplish the same job.
Because it is boring and tedious, and the caller frequently talks to an
answering machine rather than a human, the task is also among the least
popular tasks for any worker to undertake.
    Prior to adding the calling system, Atlantic United Methodist Church
used regular mailings and posted flyers as event reminders, he explains.
"We were able to cut down the number of mailings dramatically. This was a
much more expensive way to go, so we are also saving money regularly with
this solution."
    As Humphreys is moving on to another pulpit in North Carolina, he is
training others to use the Voicent technology and, if there is interest in
his new church, he is prepared to offer them a cost savings and highly
functional solution.
    "As with any church," he adds, "it will be up to the board."