The Buzzard, The Bat, and The Bumblebee

BUZZARD
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

BAT
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

BUMBLEBEE
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE
In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not ever realizing that all they have to do is look up.

The 'Hardest Mission Field in the World'

A Southern Baptist missionary stationed in Madrid, Spain, contends that Western Europe is currently the hardest mission field on Earth. Chad, a 32-year-old Christian worker abroad, says the hostility to Christianity has become so severe in Europe that he does not want his last name published.

Chad is responsible for ministering to missionary children throughout Western Europe and for taking part in evangelistic efforts. He says it is a tough place to share the gospel and when he approaches people, a typical response is, "Oh, we already know about all that. We don't need it."

The region is marked by "a spiritual deadness that you can't believe," Chad notes. "To me it's the hardest mission field on the planet right now. I think about Ephesians 6, where Paul talks about [how] we're fighting a spiritual battle. And the battle lines are drawn in Western Europe, especially with all the immigrants there."

The American missionary believes Europe can be viewed as a sort of bellwether for the future cultural and spiritual scene in the U.S. "Living in Europe," he says, "I see Europe as probably 50 years ahead of where the U.S. is going spiritually. In Madrid, the Spanish equivalent of the House of Representatives just legalized same-sex marriages."

What has descended on Western Europe, Chad asserts, is "just a spiritual darkness." He says most people see churches or cathedrals as just "the buildings and nothing else. They are empty on Sunday morning. There's no spiritual sensitivity whatsoever."

Nevertheless, Chad remains prayerful and determined, ever grateful for his opportunity to learn and serve in what feels to him like "the hardest mission field in the world."

Books and Authors That Have Most Influenced Pastors

Books sales and influence are two different factors. While news stories and sales lists proclaim which books become bestsellers, our studies show that the books that change lives are often the volumes that never make the bestseller lists. Which books and authors have had the greatest influence on America’s pastors in the last three years? A new survey from The Barna Group shows that not only are pastors eclectic readers, but there is a stable of a dozen or so authors who have the greatest impact on how pastors think and act. This week’s Barna Update identifies the books and authors who have grabbed the attention of Protestant pastors. To find out who influences the local gatekeepers, read the free report by clicking on this link for the Barna Group.

'Seeker semantics'

The 'seeker sensitive' church has not changed its purpose in weekend services. These churches still use an evangelistic paradigm -- but with a new methodology. They have simply changed their awareness of who is present and how those people can best be included and honored. The difference is more than subtle! Read more!

What a purpose driven church is not

We devote a great deal of time and effort to helping people understand the biblical vision of the purpose driven church, but some myths seem determined to persist. As you lead your church into greater health and effectiveness, you're going to encounter these myths.

Let Rick Warren spell out seven things a purpose driven church is not ...

It's not about being contemporary

It's not about your evangelistic target

It's not about being 'seeker sensitive'

It's not about your worship style

It's not about the size of your church

It's not about your location

It's not a denomination

Read Rick Warren's complete article here.

A Screening Test For Choosing Wise Leaders

Qualified leaders are hard to find. But the search becomes even more difficult when we look for the wrong qualifications.

Churches invariably seek candidates who are godly and of good reputation. Does the candidate's calling match the position? Is he or she passionate, devoted, gifted? Good questions, good qualities, but we often overlook the most important qualification: wisdom. Passion and vision are important traits, but wisdom points vision in the right direction and keeps passion pushing in the proper places.

How do we find wise leaders? Based on biblical criteria and personal experience, Mel Lawrenz has created a list of seven questions to discern a candidate's wisdom. Finish Mel's insight.

Marketing: Take a lesson from new churches

Scott Evans, president and founder of Outreach, a church marketing company, believes effective outreach starts where most new churches begin: In understanding their community and the people they are trying to reach.

"Understanding a church's individual identity can help focus marketing and outreach efforts for maximum effectiveness," according to Evans.

Reaching out to specific people with particular needs is also essential. Evans recommends that churches do their demographics homework.

Tim Stephens, who helped plant Journey Christian Church in Tampa, Fla., in 1999, said the outreach there included mass mailings targeted to unchurched people interested in learning more about Christianity.

"In the first three months of Journey Christian Church's existence," Stephens says, "over 40 people were baptized. Almost all of them came to Journey because they received a card in the mail." Read more about this effective marketing practice.

Discipleship and the church growth movement

Church growth, historically understood and properly defined, is simply evangelism that results in the growth of the church. Yet the perception today seems to be that church growth is concerned about the absolute size of the church regardless of the type of growth. We who identify ourselves with church growth should recognize that the movement is in an identity crisis because of lack of clarity in our purpose.

Our critics are not at fault when they misunderstand us, mislabel us, and misapply our principles. So much takes place under the guise of church growth that it shouldn’t surprise us when our purpose is misunderstood. Let’s learn from our critics. If they do not understand us, let us have greater and more specific clarity in our purpose. Read the balance of Dr. Thom Rainer's article.

A philosophy of leadership From Rick Warren

When you become a pastor, you become a leader. Rick Warren says, "I'm often asked specifics about my administrative style, but I think it's more important to understand some basic concepts about leadership."

Let Rick share six thoughts about the nature of leadership ...

1. Nothing happens until someone provides leadership for it

2. Leadership is influence

3. The test of leadership is "Is anybody following?"

4. The foundation of leadership is character, not charisma

5. Leadership can be learned

6. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading

Read more here.

Star Wars Could Spur Dialogue on The Force And Jesus

May Christians be with the Force. That's what Reg Grant, a professor for one of the largest seminaries in the country, hopes to see when "Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith" arrives today in theaters nationwide. The final film in the popular "Star Wars" series, which details the tragic fall of the heroic Anakin Skywalker and his transformation into the wicked Darth Vader, is the most anticipated movie of the year. Creator George Lucas, 61, introduced fans to "Star Wars" in 1977.

Reg Grant, director of arts in media and communications at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in Dallas, believes Christians should watch "Revenge of the Sith" for several reasons.

"By viewing the movie, we will be able to dialogue with those in our culture who have seen it," Grant, who is also professor of pastoral ministries at DTS, told CharismaNow. "By viewing the film, we will acquaint ourselves with some of the subtleties of our enemy's counterfeit religious systems, and be better equipped to answer questions regarding the differences that exist between George Lucas's view of life and ours as Christians."

Read the complete article.

Creative Leadership Is Not Just Black And White - It's Shades Of Gray

Bill Hybels interviews Steven B. Sample and receives some unconventional wisdom from the man who engineered your dishwasher.

Good leaders delay making decisions. Good leaders think indecisively. Good leaders do not keep up with popular trends. That's according to Steve B. Sample. He wants us to question conventional wisdom about leadership. Sample, an electrical engineer, musician, and inventor, is also president of the University of Southern California and author of "The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership" (Jossey-Bass, 2002). His book has been widely praised by leaders in politics, business, and now the church.

A committed Christian, Sample was interviewed about his provocative leadership principles by Bill Hybels at Willow Creek's recent Leadership Summit. Hybels told the audience when he read the first few pages of the book, Sample's concepts "knocked me out of my airplane seat." The pastor made The Contrarian's Guide mandatory reading for leaders at Willow Creek Community Church and the subject of a two-day staff retreat. "That's how strongly I feel about these principles," he said.

Finish this article here.

What Is A Purpose-Driven Life to Americans?

Religious books have become a publishing phenomenon in the past decade, and no religious book (other than the Bible) has generated more attention – or sales – than Rick Warren’s bestseller, The Purpose-Driven Life. More than 20 million copies of the book have been sold, and millions of people have been exposed to Purpose-Driven church programs, classes and resources.

What do Americans perceive their purpose in life to be? That’s the focus of this week’s Barna Update. Close to half of all adults surveyed provided a particular answer. Can you guess what it is? To find out if you’re right, read this week’s free Update.

Blogging Can Change Your Church

Ken Gosnell believes that pastors and other church leaders can use blogs to communicate vision, develop sermon ideas, and more. The April 5th issue of Business Week magazine had as their cover topic "Blogs will change your business." The article was both interesting and thought provoking. The article focused on the trend of blogging and how businesses will need to tap into this tread to stay current.

There are some 9 million blogs out there, with 400,000 new ones popping up each day. So as I read the Business Week article my mind began to race and think about how blogging will change the church.

1. Blogging will bring churches closer together as it closes a communication gap.

2. Blogging will help to develop sermons and classes.

3. Blogging will break down barriers and remove masks.

4. Blogging will help the church to engage the culture..

Read the complete article and use this new form of communication for the glory of God.

Eight Myths of Church Membership

How do myths affect the local church? Present expectations confine us, and myths will keep any church in a rut. We need to be aware of the myths churches face today:

Myth One: The church is a volunteer organization.

Myth Two: We should use guilt to enlist people.

Myth Three: Membership cannot have expectations placed on it.

Myth Four: Discipleship and evangelism are two separate things.

Myth Five: It is impossible to get people to serve today.

Myth Six: Programs outweigh purpose.

Myth Seven: The "80-20 Rule"

Myth Eight: Belonging to a local church is irrelevant.

When we allow myths such as these to become reality in our congregations, we limit our impact for Christ. Myths rob our churches and members of being all that Christ intends them to be.

Be sure to read the complete article by John S. Powers, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va., and author of "The BodyLife Journey: Guiding Believers into Ministry."

Emerging Scholars Network And The Next Generation

The Emerging Scholars Network is called to identify, encourage, and support the next generation of Christian scholars, at all stages of their academic careers, who will be a redeeming influence within higher education as they:

Love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength as they follow God's call in discipleship and spiritual formation

Exhibit excellence in research, teaching, and service

Influence the university, the church, and the world by practicing their disciplines from a profoundly Christian viewpoint

Embody the gender, ethnic, and social diversity of the church within the academy

The Emerging Scholars Network offers ESN Discussions and extensive archives in academia, Bible studies, prayer and more. Graduate and Faculty Ministries provide articles such as"Parables for Modern Academia," "Cheap Hope" and ""Faith and Scholarship: A General Bibliography for Christian Academics."

To learn more about this group visit their website.

Why Change is Like a Slinky

1. You have to take it out of the box to have fun with it.
2. It comes in many styles and colors.
3. Somebody has to launch it on its way.
4. The course it takes once it begins is entirely unpredictable.
5. It routinely gets stuck halfway down the stairs and has to be relaunched. Repeat as necessary.
6. It is messy, noisy, and chaotic.
7. Before it is launched, it has stored potential energy. When launched, that energy force becomes kinetic energy.
8. You really don't control it once it begins its journey.
9. It rarely lands where you predict.
—from "Change is Like a Slinky" by Hans Finzel (Northfield Publishers, 2004)

Change or perish. This is a current motto for leaders in all types of organizations. But how does one adapt to such fast and furious change and effectively lead the organization through change intact and more effective? hans Finzel provides a proven strategy in Change is Like a Slinky, exploring the six major phases in the cycle of change. As he says, "Change is a lot like a Slinky . . . A Slinky can be a lot of fun, but it is also completely unpredictable." Instead of grudgingly wading through inevitable change, readers will find themselves equipped and fired up to tackle it head on.

Buy the Book: Change Is Like a Slinky: 30 Strategies for Promoting and Surviving Change in Your Organization

Three Irrefutable Catalysts

"When it comes to change, there are three seasons of timing: People change when they hurt enough that they have to, when they learn enough that they want to, and when they receive enough that they are able to."
—Author John Maxwell

Also read John Maxwell's "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" available online.

What have you learned about bringing change to your church—and at what price?

Five leaders respond to this question. Leading means making changes. They're twin concepts. If nothing needs to change, you don't need a leader. In church ministry, however, most pastors find themselves having to lead the way to change, and sometimes those changes have unexpected costs.

Here are the stories of five such change makers.

The Inadequacy of "Yes" Theology

If saying "no" makes me narrow, so be it. Ben Patterson says, "Terror seized me by the throat a few months into my engagement to be married. Ardor turned to horror. Hot pursuit suddenly got cold feet. This came with a fundamental realization: If I had this woman, I couldn't have any of the others. If I said "yes" to one, I was saying "no" to millions. Not that this was the breadth of my options, mind you—but whatever options I might have had before I said my vows, they were no more after I said them.

"I gingerly raised some of these concerns with the woman who nevertheless became my wife. That was many years ago. She's forgiven me, I think.

Finish Ben's insight.

How to Shift Your Church's Culture

As a leader in your church, you have the privilege, along with other leaders, of shifting your congregation's culture. If you assess that the culture isn't healthy, you have not only the privilege but the responsibility to shift it. The process of making the shift is not optional; it represents the process of incarnating the kingdom of God.

When we talk about making a culture shift, we are talking about changing the default. To take an example, on most computers the default font size is 12 point. If you prefer generally to read print that's a little larger, say 14 point, then you have to permanently modify the default setting. If you change it just for the document you're working on now, then the next time you use the computer, bling! It's back to 12 point again.

Culture shift is a lot like that. You try to instill a new program in your church, and you think you've succeeded, and then the next week — bling! — everything has reverted to the way it was. If this happens week after week after week, you have not really shifted the culture at all. You need to find the cultural default and reset it by doing hard work that involves not just you but other church leaders, and ultimately everyone in the congregation. Over a period of time, this culture shift occurs, and a new day will dawn.

Learn more about shifting your church's culture here.

Five Good Minutes With Kirbyjon Caldwell

Kirbyjon Caldwell pastors the largest United Methodist church in the U.S. located in Houston. He is the author of the bestseller "Gospel of Good Success" and the recently released " Entrepreneurial Faith."

Spend five minutes with Kirbyjon Caldwell.

First Impressions Are Powerful!

It is a good idea to visit other churches because you can learn a great deal from others mistakes. Pay close attention to the details and you will be surprised by how little thought most churches put into important issues such as signage, parking lots, greeters, ushers and decor. Millions of dollars are spent on great buildings, and amazing video and sound systems, and very little effort spent on helping the first-time guest feel comfortable and welcomed. A great church experience begins even before entering the parking lot.

When was the last time you took a good look at your sign? What does it say about you? I know of several churches that have a dynamic worship style with contemporary music but the sign out front says "old and uninspired."

Read this important article from the "Church Report."

Church Planting Movements

By Josh Hunt

All around the world there is a spiritual revolution brewing. It is bound to come here.

The way they do missions today is totally different from the way it was done when I grew up in the Philippines.

Forty years ago, it worked like this. An evangelist would go out and share the faith. Some would respond. After they responded, the evangelist would gather these new Christians into churches. (This order is important as we will see in a moment.) The churches would take on an approximate form to a church in America. They would have a choir and a Sunday School and a constitution. (How can you run a church without a constitution?) They would have committees and Wednesday night supper, church counsel, & visitation. In the early days we even built buildings with red bricks, a tall steeple and white columns out front.

Then, we grouped churches together in Associations, State Conventions and National Conventions. We created institutions, seminaries, agencies and so forth. We sent our young ministers to our seminaries and they received degrees that duplicated the kind of degrees they can get here. In short, we not only exported the gospel, we also exported the whole form of the way we do church in America. We exported not only the wine, but the wineskins as well.

Around 20 years ago, we started experimenting with a different model, one that is now known as Church Planting Movements. It is the dominant model of missions around the world these days. I found this statement on the International Mission Board's web page:

International Mission Board’s Overseas Leadership Team adopted a vision statement: We will facilitate the lost coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ by beginning and nurturing Church Planting Movements among all peoples.

Now, the phrase "Church Planting Movements" is probably not all that clear to you, as it was not to me. I think of "Church" as "Church as I know it." These are more like house churches, as was made clear to me on a recent trip to Richmond and a conversation I had with an IMB executive there. These are not churches as we think of churches. The executive clarified this to me adding, "In fact, we try to keep them small and continually reproducing."

These Churches in the Church Planting Movements are more like Sunday School classes than they are Churches as we think of them. They are small groups led by laymen that meet in homes. They are house churches.

I am curious what comes to your mind when you think of the phrase "House Church." It has always had a bit of a negative connotation to me. It has always spoken to me of people who could not get along with the people in traditional churches and decided to just do church at home. But, these are not rebels. This is an intentional strategy. Those who follow this strategy are following the top leadership of the IMB.

One other caveat. I don't see an essential difference between a Sunday School style group and a home group. To me, a group is a group is a group. Whether the group meets on campus on Sunday morning or off campus during the week does not change the essential character of the group. There are pluses and minuses for both home groups and Sunday School style groups. One is not essentially superior to the other. A group is a group is a group.

I have done a little reading on House Churches in America. I was surprised to learn that many who participate in House Churches in America actually attend a traditional church on Sunday morning. This raises an interesting question. What is the difference between this house church and any other home Bible study? One word: attitude. They see this house church as just that, a church. It is just as legitimate as the traditional church, it just takes on a different form.

Church Planting Movements

This change of strategy is resulting in unprecedented world-wide growth of the church. For example:

Southeast Asia

When a strategy coordinator began his assignment in 1993, there were only three churches and 85 believers among a population of more than 7 million lost souls. Four years later there were more than 550 churches and nearly 55,000 believers.

North Africa

In his weekly Friday sermon, an Arab Muslim cleric complained that more than 10,000 Muslims living in the surrounding mountains had apostatized from Islam and become Christians.

City in China

Over a four-year period (1993-1997), more than 20,000 people came to faith in Christ, resulting in more than 500 new churches.

Latin America

Two Baptist unions overcame significant government persecution to grow from 235 churches in 1990 to more than 3,200 in 1998.

Central Asia

A strategy coordinator reports: “Around the end of 1996, we called around to the various churches in the area and got their count on how many had come to faith in that one year. When they were all added up, it came to 15,000 in one year. The previous year we estimated only 200 believers altogether.”

Western Europe

A missionary in Europe reports: “Last year (1998), my wife and I started 15 new church cell groups. As we left for a six-month stateside assignment last July, we wondered what we’d find when we returned. It’s wild! We can verify at least 30 churches now, but I believe that it could be two or even three times that many.”

Ethiopia

A missionary strategist commented, “It took us 30 years to plant four churches in this country. We’ve started 65 cell churches in the last nine months.”

Abdul

Abdul came to faith in 1987. The team found more than 350 evangelists serving in 29 districts, nearly 2,300 pastors serving among some 4,000 churches, and 89,315 baptized members—all direct spiritual descendants of Abdul. More than 23,000 of the baptisms had occurred during the previous year alone. And that’s only part of the overall church-planting movement now spreading through Abdul’s people, who number in the tens of millions, comprising one of the largest unreached groups in the world.

Consider this chart I found

• By AD 1430, (1%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1790, (2%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1940, (3%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1960, (4%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1970, (5%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1980, (6%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1983, (7%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1986, (8%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1989, (9%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1993, (10%) were Bible believing Christians.
• By AD 1997, (11%) were Bible believing Christians.
  

It took 1430 years for 1% of the world population to become Christian. Now, we are gaining 1% every 3 or 4 years. The percentage of Christians doubled between 1970 and 1993 from 5% to 10%. WOW!!

If this doesn't seem quite right to you, consider this. I heard a statistic from George Barna years ago that said that North America is the only continent on the planet where the church is not growing. It feels like we are not making progress because we are in the United States. But, in many places around the world we are making rapid progress.

I'd invite you to do some reading up on Church Planting Movements. Do a search and start chasing down the links. It is exciting.

Let's experiment together with how to make Church Planting Movements a reality in America.

How Do You Handle The Complainer?

The complainers place me in an awkward position, seeking God on their behalf when I'd rather give them the boot.

When the Hebrews left Egypt to begin their difficult journey through the desert to the Promised Land, they brought "the rabble" with them. These were not true believers in this journey or in the God who called them to it. The rabble's toleration for discomfort was low and their capacity for complaint was high, always an unfortunate combination.

All the pastors I know would love to get rid of the rabble in their church. The dopey thing is that the rabble keep threatening to leave if we don't service their needs. "If you don't get a better youth pastor in here, we'll just go to another church." Why do they think that's threatening? "So go," I want to say. But the rabble never leave.

M. Craig Barnes, pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, has an excelent article that deals with "the rabble."

Developing a Vision - What kind of church would we like to be?

Vision is essential to a church. However, unlike the values, mission, and purpose, the vision is more subject to change. It is dynamic, not static. Over time, the vision must be renewed, adapted, and adjusted to the cultural context in which the congregation lives. The change takes place only at the margins of the vision, not at its core. The core—the Great Commission—does not change. The details of the vision and the words used to convey them will change. The vision provides us with a picture of what the mission will look like as it is realized in the community.

The vision concept is not new to the Scriptures. You will find visions sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments. For example, God caught Abraham's attention with his vision for him in Genesis 12:13 (the Abrahamic covenant). God used Moses to communicate his vision for his people, Israel, in Exodus 3:7-8 and Deuteronomy 8:7-10. It is possible that the "joy" that Jesus looked forward to while enduring the cross was the vision of his return to the presence of his Father in heaven (Heb. 12:2).

Read the rest of this article by Aubrey Malphurs.

Your Default Personality Traits May Undermine Your Ministry

"They're making me crazy," Peter said, "they" meaning, among others, the board of elders and a few prominent members. He described the elders as lazy and uncommitted, and the chairman as controlling and incompetent. Peter was very angry.

"If only they would listen to me, things would be better," he insisted.

Read Dr Jekyll & Pastor Hyde at this link.

College Students' Spirituality Needs Direction

A new survey shows interest in spirituality is high among America's university students. But although the results come as no surprise to the head of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), he contends the survey's findings represent both good news and bad news.

The survey released by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California in Los Angeles found that more than half of the students surveyed place a high value on integrating spirituality in their daily lives. (See related story) Recently, as a guest on Mission Network News, IVCF president Alec Hill remarked that the survey's results were no surprise to him, since he has had ample opportunity to observe the dynamism of the young adults on U.S. campuses.

"This group of students -- they want to take the world," Hill says. "They're interested in justice, they're interested in changing things. So they're a great group to work with because they're spiritual, and they're change agents."

The good news about these young people, the InterVarsity spokesman says, "is that there's a spiritual quest going on" within them, and they are actively seeking a connection with something higher than themselves. "The bad news is that seeking -- that religiosity, if you will -- is not well defined."

Hill says the buzzword on many campuses these days is tolerance. "And, of course, tolerance sounds good," he adds, "but in its current form it sometimes speaks against true truths. So we have students who kind of want a smorgasbord of spirituality, but they don't really want to be nailed down to tenet creeds and beliefs."

The Higher Education Research Institute survey found that more than 80 percent of students identified themselves as seekers. Their openness to things spiritual has positive aspects, but IVCF's president asserts, "the downside is this sense of wanting a smorgasbord of spirituality as opposed to something that's more coherent in terms of orthodox Christianity."

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship exists in part, Hill notes, to "disciple students and faculty to be good stewards of their intellectual gifts, for service in both the Church and the world." The trick, he says, is to create a missiology that relates to the current generation without compromising the wholeness, integrity, and truth of the gospel message.

According to Hill, the results of the UCLA survey suggest that this generation of seekers may be more culturally ready than some others to be drawn to Christ and live their faith out loud. As the 2004-2005 academic year comes to a close, IVCF is asking believers to pray for more student leaders to share the gospel and more funding to support staffers' outreach on U.S. campuses.

By Allie Martin, AgapePress

Church Websites That Really Reach Out

What happens when a church creates a website with only its members in mind? Just the members read it! But what if a church has a site specifically designed to reach outsiders, in user-friendly language which connects withtheir lives? "Week in, week out, more visitors turn up at our church on a Sunday because of the website than anything else," writes the webmaster fromKing's Church Kingston (UK).

Church websites are an essential part of local churches’ public profiles to their communities. Indeed, in some parts of the world, church websites draw more people into face-to-face church activities than any other method. Church sites outnumber all other types of Christian sites by a ratio of 5 to 1. Church sites could therefore be powerful outreach tools.

However, research reveals a discouraging picture:
* most church sites are written purely for their members, using ‘religious insider’ content style and religious language.
* many do not create a sense of welcome to outsiders or include any material that they would perceive as relevant to them.
* either they do not provide any hint about the life-changing Gospel; or else they present it in heavy-handed terms which may be ‘too much, too soon’, a counter-productive ‘Bible-bashing’.

Yet there are many ways you can create church sites that are truly welcoming to non-Christians. Ideally you would want to include these strategies when you plan your site. But you can also apply them to an existing church site and transform it into one that reaches out into the community.

Read the strategies for effective church sites here.

Church Website Tips Can Transform Results

One of the Christian Web's sad truths is that although there are vast numbers of church websites, not many have understood how to make themselves user-friendly to non-Christians. The '60+ Tips for EffectiveChurch Sites' page gives a clear concise explanation of how to do this. You can also syndicate the content from this page seamlessly into your own site, simply by copy/pasting some CSS and Javascript onto your own page. Be one ofthe first, and the Web Evangelism Bulletin will add your site as an example of a user.