By Brian Blackwell
A few years ago, Keith Hinson was preaching at a small Alabama Baptist church comprised of mostly senior adult members. When he asked one of the few young adults whether the church had a Web site, Hinson received a rather surprising answer: “No, most of our members don’t have computers, so we really don’t need one.”
Hinson, communications associate with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, responded by saying, “I’ve heard many of your older members talk of the passion they have for reaching young families. Those younger prospects do have computers, and the first place they look for information on any topic, including church, is on the World Wide Web.”
That passion for reaching the lost for Christ is a main reason why so many small congregations in Alabama and nationwide are using the Internet as a ministry tool. A 2005 study by The Barna Group, a California-based research corporation, found that most small churches have a Web site to facilitate their ministry, which “shows that new technology applications are now considered to be required tools for effective ministry in the third millennium.”
Terry Burke agrees.
“The Internet is an effective tool that has given us the ability to reach out to others who are lost but, at the same time, stay connected with members who may not be able to physically sit in the pew on a Sunday morning,” said Burke, pastor of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, Collinsville, in Lookout Mountain Baptist Association.
At any time, users can visit www.lookoutmountainbaptistassociation.com/MtVernon. and check the Sunday morning schedule, find a particular staff member and view pictures from church events. The site also includes an audio link to Burke’s sermon series on Psalm 23, which came in handy when two church members were away during a missions trip to Alaska.
Daniel Lawson, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, Collinsville, in Lookout Mountain Association, said keeping an up-to-date Web site is important, since some users may determine whether they visit a church based on such information.
“I can’t stress enough how vital it is for a church to do that,” he said. “You have to buy fresh bread so it won’t be stale. In other words, churches need to realize they should keep the site updated.”
While users can access a plethora of information at www.newbethelcollinsville.com, Lawson said the online prayer ministry is a key component that has impacted not only his congregation but also those outside the church. After a user sends a prayer request, he then posts it on a message board.
“As I type in people’s needs, it has helped me to remember just what those needs are,” Lawson explained. “And, in turn, I am able to concentrate on each request that comes in to me.”
Both Lawson and Burke — who are bivocational pastors of small congregations — said that while their Web sites have a wide variety of useful information, their time spent updating their churches’ pages is minimal, usually from one to two hours each week.
Burke said if a church wants to launch a Web site, then it should utilize an individual who is passionate about this particular ministry.
“Otherwise the page will not be pleasing to the eye or current and will eventually die, which is not what you are setting out to achieve,” he said.
Once the site is established, Hinson said the Web address should be advertised through any available avenue. This includes printed orders of worship, newsletters, church stationery, the pastor’s business cards and press releases about upcoming events.
He cautioned that churches should be careful about the chosen domain name.
“Domain names should be easy to spell, easy to pronounce and easy to remember,” Hinson said. “This means avoiding seemingly clever domain names such as church4Christ.com or church2visit.com. You would constantly have to specify whether people have to type the digits 2 or 4 or spell out the numbers.”
He also said that churches should buy both the dot-org and dot-com versions of their domain name. Otherwise a pornography or gambling site may purchase the counterpart.
“For example, if my church domain is www.anywherebaptist.com, some people will mistakenly assume the church Web site must be a dot-org site,” Hinson explained. “That’s not true.”
He noted that although dot-com originally stood for commercial and dot-org for organization, anyone can buy a dot-com or dot-org name. “This buying up of domain names similar to a church’s domain is a robust industry,” Hinson added. “Both small and large churches often fall victim to their failure to buy both versions of their domain names.”
For more information on how to start a church Web site, call Hinson at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 289.
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