What is Effortless eMinistry?
Effortless eMinistry is a Catholic content syndication service that has been publishing since April of 2001. Since that time we have helped Parishes minister to their parishioners each and every week through their Parish Web site -- with virtually no effort at all!
Every week, ParishWebmaster.com publishes articles directly to Parish Web sites, and then sends a customized electronic magazine -- an eZine -- to the Parish email distribution lists.
In the eZine, parishioners find a thought-provoking editorial and a digest of two or three new articles that are available on the Parish Web site. A link after each description takes them directly to the Web page on the Parish Web site where the full text of the article can be read.
The process is fully automated, and the integration of the articles into the Parish Web site is seamless. The Parish is able to minister online for one low monthly fee.
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What does the Parish get?
Each year, ParishWebmaster.com writes over 250 articles and editorials, which will appear on your Web site as they are published.
Every week, your parishioners receive our full-color LifeTimes Catholic eZine, customized with your Parish information and links. (We can also send LifeTimes Catholic TeenZine to the youth of your Parish.)
Hundreds of past articles are available for use on your Parish Web site or in your bulletins as long as you are a subscriber.
And along with your Effortless eMinistry subscription, you will receive our eMinistry Consulting Services absolutely free!
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Is it easy to set-up?
It is very easy to integrate the channels into your Parish Web site. You'll receive step-by-step instructions on how to integrate the content into your existing Web site or, if you prefer, we can do the set-up for you -- absolutely free.
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What if we don't have a Parish Web site yet?
If you don't currently have a Parish Web site, we can set one up for you with one of our media partners, CatholicWeb.com. And if you sign-up for a one-year subscription to our Effortless eMinistry Premium Solution, we'll do the set-up for free!
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Why should our Parish subscribe?
In order to convince people to visit your Web site more than once, you must give them something new to read, see or do. Unfortunately, most people underestimate the amount of time it takes to generate new content, and a Parish Web site can quickly become stale. A content syndication service like our Effortless eMinistry Solutions™ guarantees that your Web site will have a certain amount of new content each week.
ParishWebmaster.com creates content for a very specific audience. Our intent is not to become a major player in the information syndication business, but rather to fill a need for a very narrow target market. Also, being small, we can respond to your questions and requests personally and in a timely manner.
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How do the channels update automatically?
The channel is automatically updated by a small bit of JavaScript that you place in the HTML of the appropriate page of your Parish Web site. When a visitor opens that page, the JavaScript checks ParishWebmaster.com for the latest article, which it then writes directly into the HTML. Your visitor sees the text from ParishWebmaster.com -- seamlessly embedded into your Web page! Thus, whenever we update the text on ParishWebmaster.com, the corresponding page on your Parish Web site is automatically updated.
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Is an eZine really that important?
The email newsletter, or "eZine", is actually one of the most important parts of the subscription service, and it's one of the things that truly differentiates our Effortless eMinistry solutions from other content providers. The eZine allows you to reach out to your readers and "remind" them that you're still here and that you have something new and interesting for them to read.
Recent studies are showing that most people do two things on the internet:
(i) check their email, and
(ii) instant-message with their friends.
Think about your own online routine. It is very likely that the first thing you do when you get online is check your email. So why not meet your audience at their inbox, rather than simply sitting back and hoping that they remember to come and visit you?
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Wouldn't our Parish get much more content at much lower prices by subscribing to a few magazines?
Remember that when you purchase a magazine, book or other printed work, it is unlikely that you have purchased a right to copy or in any other way reproduce the contents of such printed work. If you post an article from a magazine to which you subscribe, in all likelihood you are violating the rights of the copyright holder.
When you subscribe to the Effortless eMinistry™ Premium Solution, you are granted much broader use rights. For example, you are granted permission to display any article(s) you download from our Archive. This would allow you to create your own online "library" or "reading room".
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Why should our Parish even worry about an eMinistry program?
First of all, an eMinistry program in an excellent way to keep people connected to the Church because it allows you to meet your parishioners wherever they access the Internet. We have had a great response from "fallen away" Catholics and "Chreaster" Catholics (those who only attend mass on Christmas and Easter), who say that the eZine serves as a weekly reminder that the Church is still there for them and is even making the effort to reach out to them. Even if they don't read every edition of the eZine, seeing it show up in there inbox every week is a small reminder and it makes them feel at least a little bit more connected.
Please keep in mind that Parishioners who are not active in the Parish will not become active simply because a notice is sent to them via email or posted on the Parish Web site.
Your Parish Web site and e-newsletter must be more than ads for your offline programs. The Internet provides you with the means to go into the homes of your parishioners and minister to them where they are. Don't wait for them to come to you… spread the Good News online!
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Do you guarantee the quality of the content being provided?
We definitely guarantee the quality of the articles we provide. Everything we publish is well written, well organized and easy to understand. We cannot guarantee that everyone will like the content, nor can we promise that people will agree with the opinions and views presented. We are, however, cognizant of the fact that one of our primary goals is to please our customers. Thus, we do consider any feedback we receive when
planning future articles.
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Can we see Effortless eMinistry in action?
Yes. You can see the live feeds in use on one of our client sites, the Web site for the Young Adult Ministry Program at Holy Redeemer Parish in Burton, MI: HRYoungAdult.org
Following are links to the specific pages that contain the content feeds.
We also highly recommend that you sign-up for our LifeTimes Catholic eZine. It is a FREE weekly publication featuring all of the new articles available through our Effortless eMinistry Solutions. By subscribing to LifeTimes, you will be able to "try" the content as long as you like. It is a no-strings, no-hassle, no-commitment way for you to test the program. And we'll have the opportunity to minister to you in the process!
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How much does it cost?
Our Effortless eMinistry™ Solutions come in three flavors. Please visit our Features & Pricing page for a complete list of features:
- Effortless eMinistry Teen Solution:
$20/month ($15 w/PayPal)
- Effortless eMinistry Standard Solution:
$35/month ($30 w/PayPal)
- Effortless eMinistry Premium Solution:
$50/month ($45 w/PayPal)
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We're interested... so what do we do next?
The ParishWebmaster.com Effortless eMinistry Solutions are not something we expect you to sign-up for on a whim. We want you to feel comfortable with the articles being provided, and we want you to fully understand how the service works. No one benefits if the Service is not implemented properly. The Parish does not see the value of it, and ParishWebmaster.com will not have you as a customer for very long. So there are two things we suggest you do:
- Subscribe to our FREE weekly publication: LifeTimes Catholic
eZine*
- Fill out this form to contact me for more information.**
OR...
If you'd like to dive right in, then you can certainly sign-up for your
free 2-month trial (or check this page for any current Special Offers).
* The subscription to LifeTimes is FREE, and you can cancel it at any time.
** Contacting me is also free, and I won't bombard you with solicitations or employ any high-pressure sales tactics. I am not a salesman -- I am a writer and lay minister. And I'm an awfully nice guy, too. :-)
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