Church Web Evangelism - An Opportunity Lost?

"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Colossians 15:16

Church Web Evangelism - An Opportunity Lost?

by Gary A. Snow

I have visited many church websites, however, most of them fail to use it effectively. Being married to a web designer I've picked up on some of the nuances of good website design and effective web ministry. As I scan the various church web sites, they are all the same. No, they may not look exactly alike and the pictures sure are different, but the message is the same – “This is our billboard, in case you want to come here.”

If a church has a webmaster, they may update the “billboard” website weekly, or if they do not have a webmaster, you may see month, even year-old content. One site I visited has photos from an event that occurred over 18 months ago and some information over 6 months old. Another site once published a fresh message from the pastor each week, but since the webmaster moved away from the area, this is no longer done on a regular basis and announcements stay active for a month or longer. What I’m getting at is, “What a waste of an opportunity to spread the good news of God’s great love and forgiveness.”

The Apostle Paul would have used every method available to him – as he in fact did – to spread the Word of God and the good news of redemption through Jesus Christ His son. I think Paul would have screamed out God's message from his web page. Paul’s web page would not be filled with social news, but news of the redeeming power through the blood of Jesus, our Savior. I am sure there would be instructional, and perhaps mundane announcements of his meetings or church news, but the thrust of the page would be to gather new converts and members to the Lord's supper. It would be a message to compel people to come and hear more, not to simply invite them.

So, if it would suit Paul, “what’s your problem church?” Too busy to reach out to the vast untapped web community full of souls hungering for the salvation grace and peace that a life with Jesus would give? What an opportunity!

We preach from the pulpit to go out and invite people to church, exhort congregants to spread the Word to all their friends and neighbors. Good advice, but what about the “unreachable” people, those folks that walk away when the conversation turns toward religion or the Bible? How will we reach out to them?

A suggestion would be a fresh, upbeat – yes, even jazzed up website that tells them how to fill the void in their lives and find the peace they seek. How do you spread the word of forgiveness and hope to the unwed mother or convict? Yes, there are outreach groups and prison ministries, but how would these lost souls know where to go to find them? And, speaking of prison ministries, how many men and women are intimidated away from church because it doesn’t fit the bad actor image they feel necessary to put forward to stay alive behind bars?

Should these pages entertain? You bet, if it gets one more soul through the gates of glory! “How do I do this... who has the time?” you might be asking. You do it through prayer, imagination and a good dedicated webmaster. You needn’t spend hundreds or thousands of dollars of precious church funds to accomplish this task. There are professionals out there – good Christian men and women who do this type of work as a second income or a calling. But, a good professional approach to your web design and your message will give your ministries the "faith lift" they may need. The costs of these services are extremely reasonable from one of these Christian web design services... and, they can maintain the site after the design is done for just a few dollars per month. So you get the exposure for your church, reach the unreachable and best of all, get people the help they need to get back on track and into Heaven.

There are four basic steps to making your website grab the attention of the casual browser and get your message of God’s love out there:

First – ask other pastors and church leaders for recommendations of Christian web designers and Christian web hosting. Check your local web design listings. Do an Internet search for Christian freelance designers, web design directories and associations.

Second – contact the web designers for their pricing options and be sure to comparison shop. Use this as an opportunity to become web savvy by asking questions and seeking as much detailed information as possible. Not so much asking about price, but about their Christian beliefs if this is important to your search. Ask about the what is included in the development of the web pages and whether they provide hosting and domain name registration. If they don't provide hosting and domain registration, can they assist in acquiring them? These are but a few questions to ask.

Third – have a fairly clear idea of the who, what, when and why.

a. Who – do you want to reach? What group of souls are you best equipped to minister to? Always keep in mind when planning your pages that you cannot be all things to all people.

b. What – is the message or programs you want to promote? How do you want your message to look and sound.

c. When – or how often do you want your fresh new message to go out on the Web pages? Don’t let your site get old, keep it and your message fresh and current.

d. Why – is the church or ministry entering this ministry stream? You must know what your goals are and who will supply the information. Your designer can offer maintenance plans for your site and help you to keep it fresh. Remember, keeping your site updated and fresh will help in spreading the Word.

Fourth – share your vision with the designer you choose and listen to the designer’s ideas on presentation. Between the two of you, you will develop a vibrant site to glorify the Lord and spread the love of Jesus Christ.

So, church, get the picture? Get out there and use your website for the glory of the Lord and be about doing His work.

Gary Snow is husband of web designer, JoAnn Snow, owner of ChristianWebmaker.com. He is an accountant by profession, an active church member and published poet and writer.