Finding a Place on the Web
by Peggy Haymes, Pinnacle Associate
In the back of the school magazine where the alumni news was listed, I found out that one of my classmates was retiring. Curious about where he’d landed, I looked up the church.
Sure enough, there was a picture of my classmate and his wife… celebrating his arrival as their pastor some six years earlier. Obviously, this was not an updated web page.
We sometimes talk about a website being the new front door of the church. People used to check out churches by walking through the physical front door on Sunday morning. Now they are more likely to look up the church’s website.
In my work, I’ve spent a lot of time on church websites. Some of them are hard to navigate. Some have a homepage proclaiming upcoming events, for example, Easter Sunday services.
Three years ago.
As a counselor I sometimes work with people who have been harmed in their church experience. And yet, they long for a Christian community. I urge them to examine church websites. It’s a safer way for them to begin again.
What can they learn about who the church is, what they believe, and the kinds of ministries they offer? What can they learn about how they worship?
That is, how they worship now, not three years ago.
A church website can be a primary avenue for reaching new people. With streamed worship services, the website can be an avenue for sharing the Good News, reaching people who may never be able to set foot inside your sanctuary...
But a website can also be intimidating for a church. Thankfully, at Pinnacle we offer web design for churches. Understanding the special demands and needs of congregations, we can design an attractive, functional website that’s easy to update.
Even after your computer whiz youth group member leaves for college.