Discovery Zone from MissionInsite - July 2010

Greetings!

MissionInsite Has A NEW Look and New Features!

If you have visited MissionInsite over the past few days you have noticed a NEW look to the Home page!  We are pleased to introduce you to the new and improved face of MissionInsite, but we are more excited to announce a number of new MI features.

• Targeted Mailing Lists

We are pleased to offer our clients the ability to directly link to and purchase direct mail mailing lists from LeadsPlease.  Select from New Movers, New Homeowners, Individuals and Business Mailing Lists - all at the click of a button.  To learn more about mailing lists select the "Local Churches" tab and then "Mailing Lists".  You may also select "Lists" from the burgundy "Mission Resources for Local Churches" box at the bottom of the home page. Click here to go directly to our mailing lists

• The Church Life Survey (Free!)

The Church Life Survey, developed by Tom Bandy, is right for you...right now!

1. Discover your church's place in the spectrum of church growth...and your strategic path for the future
2. Discern weaknesses and strengths in your ministries...and the tactics to be more effective
3. Enlighten your church leaders and members...confronting realities and embracing opportunities

The Church Life Survey is reveals insights that motivate your use of MissionInsite discovery tools. It will open the door to creative ministry applications, and launch you toward strategic planning.
Click here to go directly to our Church Life Survey

• Accelerate Your Church
  
  

6 Week Mission Planning Process
by Tom Bandy

Is your church electing new officers?

Are you preparing for a planning retreat?

Are you prioritizing leadership energy, programs, and budgets for the year?

Then Accelerate Your Church is for you!  Accelerate congregational growth and mission impact.  Focus congregational vision and assess vitality. Train congregational leaders in the use of a 6 week strategic planning process including:

...Spiritual Preparation
...Mission Field Awareness
...Leadership Retreat Process
...Objective Prioritization of Ministries

Click Here to see the Planning Process Summary

TECHNO Huddle

In this edition of the Discovery Zone we will be continuing the series of Techno Huddle articles based upon the "Map Tools" floating toolbar.  For this July edition, we'll wrap up the Map Tool bar choices and cover the "Theme Maps" and "Miscellaneous" menu.

THEME MAPS

The "Theme Maps" menu allows you to visually map more than 75 unique demographic variables.  You may have heard us talk about MISSION DISCOVERY.  This tool enables you to explore and discover ministry opportunities in your Neighborhood by targeting areas on the map that contain the demographic variable you are curious about.  For more information on Opportunity Maps, please call your agency administrator.

Click here to view the "Creating and Printing Theme Maps" Video

MISCELLANEOUS

The "Miscellaneous" menu allows you to perform several functions.

• Rectangle Zoom - In addition to finding the "Rectangle Zoom" tool in the "right click menu," you will also find it under "Miscellaneous." In the old MI System, "Rectangle Zoom" was previously called "Track Zoom."  "Rectangle Zoom" enables you to quickly zoom into a chosen area of the map screen.
• Reset Zoom - Selecting "Reset Zoom" takes you back to the original zoom level displayed when you first login to your study.
• Set Export Area - This choice is for printing purposes.  You'll choose "Set Export Area" when you want to tell the system exactly the map area that you'd like to print.  It works just like "Rectangle Zoom".   To set your export area, begin by positioning your mouse cursor up and to the left of the area you would like to print.  Depress and hold your left mouse button and draw a box around the area to print.  A new window will open presenting you with the printable image.  Several options are available when you right click your mouse inside the new window.  You may copy the image to paste it into a Word or PowerPoint document.  You may save the image to your hard drive by choosing "save as..." and renaming the image file.  The map image will be saved in a .png format.  Open the image and print.
• Export Image - Choose "Export Image" to immediately generate a printable image of the current map view.  Follow steps above to save your image and print it.
• Measure Distance - This is a new feature.  Select "Measure Distance", left click your mouse one time on a starting point, drag to the end point and then rapidly double click.  The Info box will open displaying "About Shape" and the calculated distance in miles between your two points.
• Locate an Address - Locate an Address is most likely one of the most used and helpful functions in the system.  Simply type in your address, click "Center to Address."  This will enable you to move directly to your area of study.  A "thumbtack" or "marker" will appear at the address location.  To clear this marker, right click your mouse, choose "clear" and then "clear markers."

This concludes the series on our "Map Tools" toolbar.  Would you like to see a Techno Huddle article on a particular subject?  If so, email Michelle Saxon with your suggestion!

In This Issue

TECHNO Huddle

Contact Us

Quick Links

Our Clients

MissionInsite Home Page

Resources For Local Churches

Resources For Regional Agencies

Introductory 30-Minute WEBINARS ON NEW MI SYSTEM INTERFACE

We will be hosting a number of 30-minute web-seminar orientations over the next few weeks. Learn more about the new MI System interface built on Google Maps. Orientation includes basic navigation, and use of features. There is no cost for these Webinars.

Webinar Dates and Times:
*All times are Eastern Time.

Monday Aug. 9 at 10 a.m.
Thursday Aug.26 at 3 p.m.
Tuesday Sept.7 at 11 a.m.
Wednesday Sept.22 at 4 p.m.

Please contact Michelle Saxon to reserve your space!  Contact information below.

MissionInsite: Innovating the Standard

in Church Demographics!

Please contact:
Michelle Saxon
Client Relations Manager
877-230-3212 ext. 327
or email 

msaxon@missioninsite.com

MissionInsite believes in the mission of the local congregation. Because of this belief, we are pleased to create resources to support you in your work.

MissionInsite: Innovating the Standard in Church Demographics

The most...

• flexible web based information system
• comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data
• interactive mapping platform
• responsive system to answer individual questions
• strategic information resource for ministry
• value and benefit for your financial investment

Sincerely,

The MI Team