Here’s the revised list of various free Web applications that I’m using. I tried to rank these in order of perceived value they add to my life.

1. Gmail – I’ve been using it for years for personal/blog email. Last year I ditched Outlook and am also using it for all work email. Try Gmail Labs for fun beta options.
2. Google Calendar – We’ve been using it for family calendar for several years. Last year I also shifted my work calendar. Now my wife, my assistant and I are all on the same page.
3. WordPress – It’s how I share daily insights about ministry, leadership and life from my blog.
4. Twitter – It’s how I share mini-insights throughout my day.
5. Google Reader – I made the switch from Bloglines to Google Reader within the last year. I use it to track about 100 blogs each day.

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Let me preface this by saying I’m not sure what I think about what I’m about ready to share. I’m still processing. I’m still waiting to hear more from God on this. I haven’t landed.

As best as I can tell as I study churches across the country, here’s how the typical contemporary church asks people to invest their time today:

• Participate in Sunday worship services.
• Read their Bible.
• Become a member of the church.
• Attend classes to learn more about the Bible and their spiritual walk.
• Participate in a small group with other believers.
• Serve in a ministry.
• Participate in events and programs that connect believers with others in a similar life stage. (i.e. men, women, married couples, moms, singles, college students, etc.)
• Participate in missions efforts either locally or globally.
• Invest in people’s lives and invite them to church.

I think that’s a fairly comprehensive list, but you could probably modify that for your specific church and add or delete from the list.

Now, as a result of all this, we see that about 20 to 25% of people end up doing most of the serving at a church. Contemporary churches struggle to get more than 30% of their people engaged in small groups. A very small percentage of people are in the Bible daily. People end up spending a lot of time at the church rather than connecting with people outside the church. We reinforce a consumption mentality that says if you’re going to grow in your faith that the church needs to spoon feed you. People become reliant on the church rather than Jesus for their spiritual maturity.

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