The Internet has firmly planted itself in the lives of people across the world. For many people surfing the net on a daily basis is as common as watching the 6 o'clock news (if not more so). Social media is the current buzz word with participation in Facebook reaching well over 400 million. And it isn't just young people who are getting online. The fastest growing age group on Facebook is the 55+ bracket. Naturally many people believe they require a web presence for their church in order to stay relevant.
My mother's church is in decline. On formation of a team to discuss and work on strategies for saving the church from demise; the first idea brought forward was "We need a website as that will show the young people we are relevant." This from a congregation of whom the youngest is in their 50's and the vast majority are in their 70's and 80's. Web sites aren't the silver bullet to connecting with youth, they however can be an effective tool. It is a myth to believe that every church needs a website; it is however a great tragedy when one believes that once a website has been constructed and made available online that is the end of the process. People need reasons to visit your website if all you are offering is a brochure they may read it once and completely forget about the site. If however your website is a dynamic, changing, vivid and inspiring place to visit it has the potential to become a powerful and effective communication and ministry tool. And with the ease of Facebook integration why wouldn't you want to.
My mother's church is in decline. On formation of a team to discuss and work on strategies for saving the church from demise; the first idea brought forward was "We need a website as that will show the young people we are relevant." This from a congregation of whom the youngest is in their 50's and the vast majority are in their 70's and 80's. Web sites aren't the silver bullet to connecting with youth, they however can be an effective tool. It is a myth to believe that every church needs a website; it is however a great tragedy when one believes that once a website has been constructed and made available online that is the end of the process. People need reasons to visit your website if all you are offering is a brochure they may read it once and completely forget about the site. If however your website is a dynamic, changing, vivid and inspiring place to visit it has the potential to become a powerful and effective communication and ministry tool. And with the ease of Facebook integration why wouldn't you want to.
