Last week I received one of the early invitations to participate in "Google Voice," a service which reclaims the telephone from it's boring existence as an aging device into a powerful tool ready for the digital age.  You might be able to tell, I'm a fan.

When someone signs up for Google Voice they can select a telephone number in their area code, which can be called like any other phone number.  Unlike an ordinary phone number, however, the Google voice number doesn't simply ring the one location that is it is hard-wired to ring.  Rather, it can ring any number of phones that you wish to ring when your Google Voice (GV) number is dialed.  For example, when your GV number is dialed - you can have it ring your mobile, office, and home number at the same time.  You can also sign up for a free account from the Gizmo Project, which can be assigned to ring as well. The Gizmo Project is similar to another internet voice tool, Skype, and has clients which run on Windows, Mac, and Linux.  Normally, it costs money to send and receive calls from "regular" phones via Gizmo - but users of Google voice can do both for free.  This essentially gives individuals and organizations with both a GV and Gizmo account a free phone line!

You can also configure an internet phone adapter to connect to your gizmo account, which allows users to use the service just like they would any other phone.

While this technology is fascinating, however, how can it enhance the ministry of the Church?  This becomes more obvious as we look at GV's features.

A church that lists their GV number as their office phone, for example, wouldn't have to have anyone physically in the office to receive calls!  GV rings whatever phones that are assigned to ring when the number is dialed.  Even better, GV allows you to schedule when certain phones ring.  So, a pastor's mobile can be set not to ring while the church secretary is in the office, but ring at certain times when the secretary is absent during what would be considered "normal office hours."  The church I pastor, for example, has someone in the office from 9-12, four days a week.  From noon until 4, and all day on Thursday, we could assign my mobile and gizmo number to ring when people called the office.  To the person calling in, it doesn't matter if I'm at Starbucks, the office, my home, or in the car.  All they would know is that they called Central Baptist Church and Central Baptist answered.  GV also gives users the ability to put a widget on their web-site which will allow visitors to call the church with the click of a mouse.  If calls are missed, GV has it's own voicemail box - and a feature which will automatically transcribe voicemail and then e-mail it to an assigned address

Calls can also be transferred between connected phones on the fly by simply pressing "*."  Thus, if a call comes into the office that is urgent for the pastor to hear, of if a conversation needs to be continued with someone as they change locations (for example, from the office to the cell as someone sets out to a meeting).  This seamless interaction, and the ability to tie one's phone interactions into the web, make GV a tool to watch - and, perhaps, embrace.

GV is still currently an "invite only" service while they work out kinks in the system.  If you are interested in applying for an invite, Click Here.  The service is free, so it's worth checking into.