How do people find your church? I don't mean find as in how do they rate your service. I mean find as in how do they physically locate your church.
I've not got a placement this year, so I'm wanting a range of Christian experiences. I'm wanting to see worship and fellowship and I want to see what makes us tick. I'm trying to go to different congregations, and perhaps find myself along the way. Much of my recent research has came from church websites.
Thesedays, if someone is new to an area, if they want to find a church, they will Google "church Edinburgh" and start trawling through the 60,000,000 entries that are thrown up. This is where your church website comes in. You may have a church newsletter that is sent to every member, but that's preachinig to the converted. Your website exists not for those in the congregation (although it can be a great resource base for your congregation) but for those who are actively seeking a church.
Have a look at Letham St Marks Church in Perth. I've never been there*1, but their website has all the right things that make me want to visit. The front page contains the contact details, including physical address, phone and email; the forthcoming service times, including events for the week ahead; and most importantly, central to the page is a statement of what they believe. All this information is on the front page, visible to everyone as soon as they land on the site. And the layout is simple, it's just one page, with no distracting animations or graphics. You don't need a video stating your core values, just as long as it is stated clearly.
Every congregation should have a website. No exceptions. It's probably more important than your listing in the phone book, and in the age of smartphones, even more likely to be looked at. This blog is hosted by Blogger, a Google company and it's free to setup and use. There's nothing to stop you setting up a blog to act as your church website, as long as you pay attention to my rules above about the content. I'm no expert, but when I wanted to set up a website recently, I asked Google "how to set up a website", and started reading how to guides. Then you can see about registering your own domain like www.kirkcafe.blogspot.co.uk
The most important thing is that your site is kept up to date. One congregation that prides itself on its online presence had a website that stated services were at 11am, but nobody had changed their website to reflect the summer, 10.30 services. It wasn't just the website though, the sign outside the kirk said 11.00 as well. Glad I arrived early. Your website should be adopted by your Session as an important part of your Christian outreach and should have someone designated to keep the site going. Just one cautionary note however. It must be clear that the website is the property of the congregation, so that if the site administrator becomes unwell, dies or falls out with the congregation, you are not left in a position where your site is unavailable or defaced.
If we want to be a modern, thriving church, we need to drag ourselves kicking and screaming into the twentieth century. Yes, I know we are now in the 21st, but one step at a time...
P.S. If you want general advice, please leave a comment.
*1 Edit. Actually, I have now visited. Nice folk and a decent cup of tea.
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