WE USE SLACK
We gather regularly as a church, as parishes, and for other friends to celebrate the good things Jesus is doing in his family. To facilitate communication throughout the week, we use a tool called Slack. It’s an online messaging app that allows us to share prayer requests, testimonies, needs, questions, opportunities to grow, and even have a few random conversations.
Sign Up for Slack
If you would like to join us on Slack, there are two ways to sign up:
Ask your parish leader to invite you to join Slack.
Email info@sojournheights.org, and one of our staff members will be in touch.
Helpful Tips
Slack is pretty straightforward in the way it handles communication. However, we want to give you some helpful tips to get you started.
To start off, Slack is a messaging app. You can log in here, or you can download the app for your desktop, tablet, or phone here. We highly recommend the app.
When you log in, you'll notice that Slack works by splitting communication into two categories, "channels" and "direct messages." A channel is like a big conversation about a specific topic. A direct message is like a text message to one or more people; it's private and perfect for conversations that aren't meant for a public channel.
When you first join you'll be automatically added to the #general, #announcements, #prayer, and #introduce-yourself channels. Start off by telling us a little about yourself in the #introduce-yourself channel. Then check out other channels to join, like the #buy-sell-trade channel.
The next thing to do is set your notifications, and upload a photo of yourself. You can do this by clicking the "Sojourn Heights" option at the top left of the desktop app, or the “You” option at the bottom right of the mobile app.
This should be enough to get you started, but if you are still interested in learning more, check out this help page from Slack or join our #slack-help channel.
Guidelines
Slack serves as a communication portal for those connected to the life of Sojourn Heights. It shouldn't replace face-to-face interaction, but it should help keep everyone connected. Like any tool, it is only useful if you use it correctly, so we have a few rules to make clear.
We won't edit any of your posts, but we do reserve the right to delete a post if it contains rude or offensive commentary, abusive or graphic content, anything considered "trolling," and anything considered "spam."
If we find that you are a repeat offender with inappropriate posts, we reserve the right to suspend your account.
If you find a post that is questionable, email us at info@sojournheights.org or send a direct message to one of our moderators.
Your posts should be encouraging, supportive, and helpful. If not, keep your thoughts to yourself.
Speak to others the way you would like to be spoken to.
Assume the best of others when reading a post. There is a lot of non-verbal communication that is missed in Slack, so show grace.
Respect one another’s privacy. In order both to avoid gossip and to protect one another’s privacy, use the same level of discretion regarding something you read on Slack as you would if you heard or saw it in person. This is true not only of prayer requests and life updates, but also basic personal information such as names, pictures, and birthdays.
Slack accounts are available to all current covenant members and connected guests (those actively involved with or visiting a neighborhood parish) age 16 and older. If you have left Sojourn, we request that you deactivate your Slack account as you turn towards plugging into your current community; we may do so ourselves after a time.
FAQs
Can you tell me a bit more about why we are using Slack as a church?
Yes! Give this video a watch. It’s intended for current members of Sojourn to explain why we are starting to use Slack, and to answer a few introductory questions you might have.
Why are we beginning to use Slack?
While there are other benefits, the main reason we have decided to use Slack is to open an avenue for church-wide communication that is accessible to everyone at Sojourn.
Do I need use the Slack app or can I access through their website?
Slack is best experienced through their apps, which are designed for all kinds of devices (computers, tablets, phones, etc.). With that said, you can also access Slack through a web browser.
Will Slack replace Planning Center?
No! The only feature that Slack will replace from within Planning Center (i.e. Church Center) is group messaging. Otherwise, we will continue to use Planning Center for what it does best: scheduling and planning for Sunday gatherings. We will also continue to use Planning Center for giving, event registrations, and a church directory, all of which you can most easily access through Church Center, which is accessible both through a web browser and through their app.
Where can I find a church directory?
Members of Sojourn have access to the church directory through Church Center, which is accessible both through a web browser and through their app.
How does Slack guard privacy and the security of personal information?
Our Slack account, in general, is a private online environment. It is invite-only (covenant members and guests who are connected to parishes will be invited to access Slack), which means that there is no public-facing access to any of the information posted in Slack. Within Slack public channels will be accessible to everyone on Slack (members and connected guests), and private channels (such as neighborhood parishes) will be invite only, even within Slack. The gatekeeper for creating new Slack accounts will be certain staff members, and the gatekeeper for each channel will be the channel creator and/or administrator.
Slack is a secure and appropriate environment to share information such as pictures, information, and prayer requests about ourselves with one another as a church community, while engaging appropriate levels of discretion between public and private channels. This may vary on a person-by-person basis depending on different levels of comfort, which we want to embrace. But on the whole, you can see this as a private environment, and we are committed as a church to pursuing care together with respect to the preservation of one another's privacy as a community with the things that we share and that are shared with us, just as we do with things that are shared with one another in person.
From a data security and data use standpoint, Slack operates on the understanding that “Customers own their own Customer Data,” with details regarding the storage and use of “Customer Data” found in their Privacy Policy and Privacy FAQs. For any additional questions or concerns regarding data use, feel free to reach out to Paul.