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There are many churches
have lost control of their websites. This has been
confirmed through some of the emails that I have
received.
Carl Howard from
Hedgesville explains it well. -
“We've had a website for
some time, created in FrontPage, but the site's
originator has moved on,... ”
My concern is three fold.
First is for the churches that do not websites. Second
is for the churches with websites that are unable to use
them effectively. And the third reason is the most
important to me. An internet presence in the church
community should be more that just a vehicle to
disseminate information to it's current members. It
should be an outreach to the community. The site needs
to be inviting, exciting yet comfortable, and should
create a desire for the viewer to want to be part of
that church. The websites should be designed and written
in such a manner… knowing that in most cases, they only
have one chance to affect the viewer before the viewer
moves on. As I review many of the existing sites from
our churches I believe that they have been unable to
express their ministry with the tools and services they
were using.
This proposal is not to
just get our churches “online”. It is much larger. The
dream is to help create engaging, Spirit filled,
evocative and inviting websites that will reach out not
only to existing members, but to future members. Most of
the new families in our communities are transient and
internet savvy. Given the opportunity, they will check
out local churches online. They will drive by the
church, and if the website address is prominently
displayed, they will visit the church first online... to
check it out.
How much more attention
would we give to our church websites if we knew that ten
or twenty (or more) families in our combined area will
make a decision this month on which church to visit?
We have been given a great
opportunity to serve.
Patrick Lanaghan, Elder
Feb. 19,2008 |
