Open Source Software for Christian Educators

Computer software gets quite expensive for many churches, especially if they need to install multiple copies in a computer lab of office that doesn't get constant use. Three strategies are worth exploring, if you're looking to decrease your software costs. I'll address these in the next three blogs. They are:

1. Open source software
2. Utilizing denominational sources like TechShop
3. eBay and other online software

So what's "open source" software? Here's a definition from Wikipedia:

Open source software is computer software which source code is available under a license (or arrangement such as the public domain) that meets the Open source definition. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open Source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user generated content.

Put more simply, it's software you can usually download and use for free! But it's different from Shareware, in that the software is usually developed by a whole host of volunteer programmers who each try to make the software the best it can be.

Now, not every piece of open source software is free, so you should look through the licenses to be sure it's OK for you to use in a business context. Some ask for a small fee for business use; others offer the software free for nonprofit usage. Just do the right thing and pony up if necessary.

OK, so what software do I suggest checking out for Christian education purposes? Start with these wonderful programs.

OpenOffice is basically a Microsoft® Office-like suite of applications, and a very, very good one at that. If you need a great word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation package for your lab or office, check it out. (Mac users - you might want to skip OpenOffice in favor of NeoOffice, which looks and feels more Mac-like and which is easier to install and use.)

Mindmapping software has many uses in educational settings. For example, you might have children create a diagram of a biblical story or book of the Bible, or you could have youth do theological reflection on some particular word like "grace". You might use it to plan a summer mission trip. Many children and youth use mindmapping software in school now, so the concept could already be familiar to them. While there are many options available, I'm partial to FreeMind. Try it out!

GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a Photoshop®-like program for those who would like to do some really professional image or photo work. It's an exceptional program that both PC and Mac users can use (and if you are already a dedicated Photoshop® user, you might want to take a look at a variant called GIMPshop, which makes GIMP look a lot like Photoshop®.)

Ever wish you had some decent Bible software? Free software may not meet all of your needs, because newer translations and commentaries are usually not included due to copyright reasons. Still, one option worth considering is CrossWire Bible Society's free Bible software project. It's a nice program for those interested in doing simple or complex searches, and it does have two pretty decent, recent translations--ESV and God's Word. It's also both Mac & PC compatible.

Once you've taken a look at these four programs, use your favorite search engine to find others to try out. Got a suggestion to share? Be sure to leave a comment!

Use listservs to stay or get connected

I'm from Iowa--land of corn, soybeans, the nation's largest state fair, and a relatively small number of professional Christian educators. Many towns have no paid Christian education or youth ministry staff members in any church. It's tough sometimes to feel connected to others who understand the life of a CE staff person.

When I was asked to take over the Christian Educators Fellowship newsletter for the Iowa chapter, I mulled it over and decided it was time to see if we could accomplish many of the same things with a listserv. A listserv, simply put, is an email group made up of people with a similar interest. Some listservs are unidirectional; that is, the list moderator is the only one who can send messages. Other groups allow any member to post, but replies go just to the original sender. (Freecycle is a very useful listserv that operates in this fashion.) Still other groups are set up so all messages go to every member in the list, regardless of who sends them. This is the kind of list I set up for our CEF chapter. Currently, our list has 126 members--pastors, volunteers, youth workers, Christian education staff members, conference staff persons, and more. Connecting with 125 others is a whole lot more useful and interesting than connecting just with the very small number of CE people I know in my area.

Starting and moderating a listserv is really easy, free, and not very time-consuming. I moderate at least five groups at any point in time, and rarely do I spend more than five or ten minutes a week taking care of list-related tasks. Listservs are great because people can sign up or remove themselves from the group on their own. My favorite place to set up listservs is through Yahoo! Groups, but there are other similar services, such as Google Groups and Topica. The procedures for starting a group are all pretty similar--give it a name, decide on the settings you want, create a welcome message for new subscribers, and invite people to join. Honestly, it's not hard at all, and there are plenty of help files to assist you if you get stuck.

Let me describe some of the groups I moderate, and maybe you'll get some ideas for your group. (All group names are the Yahoo! Group name you would search for if you wanted to join.)

Group #1: ia-cef is the Christian education group I just mentioned. It's a great way for us to share ideas, ask questions, post job listings, announce special events, and more. You're welcomed to join our list, but I'd really encourage you to create your own network in your area.

Group #2: ia-aym was the second group I started. It was created for our Academy for Youth Ministry--a 9-month intensive training program for youth ministers in the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church. This is an example of a discussion and support group created for a particular small group/event.

Group #3: menince is a group I began a few years ago for networking men who are Christian educators--a pretty small subset of the total population of CE staff. The group still exists (I'd love to have you join us!), and occasionally a message or two gets sent to the group, but apparently we haven't quite reached a critical mass yet or just haven't felt enough need for the group. I've learned as a result of this group that it's important to a) have a passionate facilitator and b) have at least a few passionate members if a group is going to survive over the long haul.

Group #4: summersundayschool was a group I started for my congregation this summer. We don't normally hold Sunday school in the summer, so I thought I'd try using a listserv to create a class. Participants were sent a PDF document each week during the summer for them to read and discuss with the group. (The curriculum I chose was The Thoughtful Christian.) Our group never really got any dialogue going, but everyone said they appreciated getting the lessons to read. I'll definitely try doing this again in the future.

So, to sum up: listservs are email lists that are great tools for connecting to others with the same interests as you, and being a list moderator is really quite easy. You might use a listserv in Christian education to connect with other educators from your state, to connect people in a Sunday school class, to announce information about church events (so members feel more connected to the church), or to help the people in your congregation who are passionate about movies to connect with one another. Have another great idea about how to use listservs in Christian education? Leave a comment and share it with others!

About this blog

This blog is borne out of an awareness that:

• too many Christian educators have little training in contemporary technology;
• too few churches have done adequate theological reflection upon technology;
• too many people are not being touched by our Christian education ministries because we have not done an adequate job of communicating in the language of the culture.

I'm your basic computer geek--not quite expert enough to make my living by programming software or by installing servers, but definitely interested enough with what's going on in technology to feel like I have decent handle on things beyond the basics. I can, for the most part, tear a computer apart and put it back together, set up a website, program VCRs, use an iPod, and manage my life with my Treo. In addition, I'm a full-fledged, card-carrying, experienced Christian education director. (OK, the card-carrying part is true only if you count my Cokesbury card!) Put these together and you get a guy who loves technology and Christian education, one who wants to help newbies in either area to grow.

So, once a week or so, I'll try to write something semi-intelligent and coherent about the point on the graph where technology and CE meet. I'll try to talk about...

• where to go for basic training about technology
• what's good and not-so-great about current technological trends in curriculum
• resources that I think are worth checking out
• tips for making sure your church Safe Sanctuaries policy includes appropriate pieces related to technology
• reflections on using Facebook, YouTube, Second Life, and other popular websites in your ministry
• and whatever else strikes my fancy during the week.

Got a great idea for a blog topic or a question you'd like answered. Click here to send me an email.