Churches and local businesses in the U.S. have a lot in common. They both have buildings where people gather and give money. They sometimes have boards and committees and pay people to do certain jobs. They also host events and try to attract people.
But the comparison only goes so far. Unlike local businesses, local churches have other purposes and goals - one such goal being outreach.
As individual Christians and as a church, we must obey the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. He commanded us in Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." This means intentionally and actively looking for ways to tell people about Christ. It also means sharing the good news of Christianity wherever there is an opportunity. A website helps churches be obedient to the Great Commission by creating new forms of outreach.
Here are just two new forms of outreach that a church website creates:
This is how it is for Dulin's Grove Church in Charlotte, N.C.
I'm the webmaster at Dulin’s Grove Church, so I have direct access to their website analytics reports. And I can tell you, the numbers are sometimes surprising:
Now, not every website building platform includes built-in podcasting capabilities. But at the very least, you church website would be the best place to store podcasts. Podcasting has grown really popular over the past few years. People like podcasts because they're able to listen anytime, anywhere and on the device of their choosing.
For churchgoers, listening to sermon podcasts is the website feature they use the most.
What material can your church use for a podcast? Here are some suggestions:
If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to leave a comment! And subscribe to get notified when new posts are published.
This post is part of the series "10 Reasons Why Your Church Should Invest in a Website." You can read the first post in this series here. And read yesterday's post here.
But the comparison only goes so far. Unlike local businesses, local churches have other purposes and goals - one such goal being outreach.
As individual Christians and as a church, we must obey the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. He commanded us in Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." This means intentionally and actively looking for ways to tell people about Christ. It also means sharing the good news of Christianity wherever there is an opportunity. A website helps churches be obedient to the Great Commission by creating new forms of outreach.
Here are just two new forms of outreach that a church website creates:
Blogging
Churches are already proclaiming the gospel through preaching and teaching. Why not write about it? Most (if not all) website building platforms are equipped with blogs, and this is an effective way to share Christ. In fact, a blog could become the biggest part of your church website.This is how it is for Dulin's Grove Church in Charlotte, N.C.
I'm the webmaster at Dulin’s Grove Church, so I have direct access to their website analytics reports. And I can tell you, the numbers are sometimes surprising:
- Of the top 10 most viewed pages (January-March 2020), nine of them were blog posts.
- Blog posts made up 93% of the total number of pageviews from these 10 pages.
- Sermon recaps. (These are the most popular posts on our blog - those nine posts and 93% statistic I mentioned earlier are all sermon recaps.)
- Devotional recaps. (During COVID-19, we've been posting recaps to our daily livestream devotionals.)
- Biblical perspectives on hot topics.
- Thoughts on Scripture and life circumstances.
Podcasting
Another outreach opportunity that websites offer is podcasting.Now, not every website building platform includes built-in podcasting capabilities. But at the very least, you church website would be the best place to store podcasts. Podcasting has grown really popular over the past few years. People like podcasts because they're able to listen anytime, anywhere and on the device of their choosing.
For churchgoers, listening to sermon podcasts is the website feature they use the most.
What material can your church use for a podcast? Here are some suggestions:
- sermons
- testimonies
- devotionals
Final Thoughts
A church website opens the door to new forms of outreach. Blogging and podcasting are just two examples. Online services and livestreams are also good examples. In addition to other outreach ministries at your church, these can help you in obeying the Great Commission and being the church.If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to leave a comment! And subscribe to get notified when new posts are published.
This post is part of the series "10 Reasons Why Your Church Should Invest in a Website." You can read the first post in this series here. And read yesterday's post here.
Sources:
- Clark, J. (2012, August 1). Church website statistics. Retrieved from https://network.crcna.org/church-web/church-website-statistics
- Google Analytics. (2020). Audience overview. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from Google Analytics database.
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