Church Websites, Blogs, Podcasts, and Social Networking
April 29, 2008
Yesterday, an article was released by the Barna Group detailing the use of technology by churches. According to George Barna, “Churches are well-advised to have an intelligent and foresighted Internet strategy in order to facilitate meaningful ministry.” The survey touched on eight technologies and applications and the percentages of churches that have implemented the use of these emerging tools. Yesterday, I discussed the uses of large screens and movie clips. Today, let’s look at the ways that churches are using new media to communicate and connect with their congregations.
First, let’s pause for a moment of silence as we reflect on the passing of glossy paper newsletters as the primary means for a church to update members of ministry highlights and upcoming opportunities. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you: E-blasts. 
If 400 million people are online worldwide and they spend 91% of their time checking and responding to e-mail, then it is no secret that e-Newsletters are a way to connect with people right where they are connecting with people. Many people will respond to an e-mail the moment it is sent. I believe that the noise that outlook makes upon receipt of an e-mail has become the best illustration for classical conditioning since Pavlov’s dog. Hang on, I just got an e-mail…be right back…
Next, the Barna study visits the topic of internet or online presence. The amount of churches with a website has doubled since the year 2000. If I could offer one piece of advice to churches it would be this: make sure your website reflects your church. I have visited churches with websites that were cutting edge and culturally relevant and have struggled to stay awake during the sermon. I have also been pleasantly surprised to find churches that have websites that need a little TLC; nevertheless, their church was on the front lines of ministry, pushing the envelope, and reaching their community in the most creative means possible. Please make sure that your website reflects who you are.
That brings up the growing trend of churches using the internet to facilitate community. Blogs are at the forefront of this use of new media and podcasts and social networking are close behind. It was recently reported that there are now over 12 million blogs in existence. Why are they so popular? Because they are the easiest way to have an instant voice online as either a broadcaster or an aggregater of information. In other words, you can become a trusted voice on a topic or as one who filters the trusted voices online writing on a particular topic.
I was surprised to find out that social networking is more popular among churches than podcasting. It is so easy to put audio on your church website, blog, or even iTunes. This does not mean you have to abandon your CD duplication, it just means that you will be duplicating less copies as people choose to stream the sermon from the internet or download a sermon to listen to on their MP3 player.
So what about social networks? Well, they take a lot of time and you have less control over content. I recommend that you let your congregation control the social networking and focus on ministry that is so powerful that they want to talk about how they have been impacted by their experience of God through the ministry of your church. However, if you do choose to dive into social networking, please do your research. Don’t use technology just to appear cutting edge, have definite goals in mind. For example, I use social networking to build community, reach the lost, and equip others to do the same. How do you leverage social networking to reach your target audience and accomplish your ministry goals?
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