A Visitor's View of Church Websites

Most of the churches we attend are small churches.  Most of them do not have anyone who sits in the office.  If you call to leave a message, the message may not be received until much later. Even if the service times are on the answering machine, how do people get the phone number in the first place? The web, however, has often been the means we have used to find out about churches.  As the number of people who do not have a landline phone grows the web will become even more important as the first point of contact for a church. There are some things that churches should consider if they are going to maximize the benefit of their website.  As someone who is frequently visiting new churches, here are some things you may want to do.

Your most important reader is someone new to the area or an unchurched person looking for a church so your home/first page should include the following in a prominent location, large font, contrasting box.
   
     1. Service Times
     2. Physical Address - linked to a mapping program if possible.

Do not bury these in "About Us" or "Contact Us". The more a prospective visitor needs to work to find these two essential pieces of information the more likely they will be to pass by your church in their search.

This information will allow a prospective visitor to quickly determine when to visit and where the church is located, how long it takes to get there, etc.

It is also helpful to put "branding" information in a prominent place on an "About Us" page. Including your denominational affiliation, or independent status. Words like "Independent", "Fundamental", "Evangelical" will help prospective visitors who care about these things evaluate your church.

If you have a calendar page keep it up to date, and include location information for any off site events.

1. Don't leave up announcements for things that have already passed.
2. If your weekly schedule changes, change it on the calendar.  Don't encourage someone to come to a service that has been cancelled or moved.

If you have an e-mail contact on the web site make sure you monitor that e-mail and respond promptly to questions. Remember that prospective visitors may have left e-mails with several churches in the area. It can also be a good means to initiate a gospel presentation.

View your site with as many browsers as possible to ensure it works in all of them. Do not forget to consider smartphone users. Many new movers will not have a phonebook, a landline phone or internet service when they conduct their first church search. Many will turn to their smartphone first. Find out how your web site looks on iPhones, Androids and BlackBerrys.

Professional web designers like to put in lots of graphics, moving elements and even music. Remember these all take up bandwidth and slow down a web site, or make it functional on fewer platforms. The primary purpose of a church web site is not to entertain but to inform. If a picture, video or piece of music does not convey information about your church find an element to replace it that does inform the reader. 

When I was a pastor I would "Google" my church name and the terms a prospective visitor might use at least once a year. I wanted to know what was out there about my church, and whether a visitor looking for a church would find us easily. Put yourself in a visitor's shoes and see if you can easily find out how to get to one of your services, and what to expect when you get there. In Maine once a year was often enough, in a major metropolitan area more often may be needed.

My last comment is not about the web, but the church signage. Please put your service schedule on the sign. I know modern signage ordinances make that nearly impossible in some municipalities, but posting a professional looking sign on or next to the front door will at least get the information to those willing to drive up and look. I have not visited some churches because there is not enough information available on the sign or the web to determine when the services are. If I as a motivated church seeker can't find the information, the average unchurched person will be unlikely to darken the door of those churches.

--Charlie

Simple Questions With Not-so-simple Answers

It's funny how the simplest questions can be hard to answer. 

"Where do you live?"  Right now we are staying with my parents, but is that where we live?  It is, but it's temporary, and it's broken up by trips all over.  Because of our frequent travel, Charlie has sometimes used our license plate number as the answer for that.  While we don't actually live in our car, wherever you find our car, that's where we're staying.

The church we attended Sunday night.

"Where are you from?"  Here in Georgia, we know they are not asking where we live because they can tell by our accents that we are not from around here.  So the easy answer is, "We used to live in Maine."  But in Maine, you're not from Maine unless you've lived there all your life, so we can't claim to be from Maine.  So Charlie sometimes answers Connecticut and then they want to know about me.  As a missionary kid, I don't claim a place to be from, so that's complicated too.  

"Where do you usually attend church?" Often this question is asked when someone observes that we're visitors but they don't know yet that we're missionaries. In order to answer that question, we find we need to explain the work of deputation so they don't assume we're unwilling to settle into a church.

"What is your home church?"  Now that's an easy answer for us, but it is not always understood.  If they haven't asked us a question yet that tells them we lived in Maine last, they expect us to name a church in the immediate vicinity.  When we say, "West Hampden Baptist Church in Hampden, Maine," they often go on to ask, "Yes, but where do you normally attend church here?"  Then we have to explain that our job right now is to visit as many churches as we can, so we don't claim a single church in the area.

"How many children do you have?"  I'm grateful that I didn't have to answer this question every week when the tears of barrenness were close to the surface.  In this age of birth control, it's not enough to say, "We don't have any," but I usually feel a little more explanation is necessary so that it's understood that our lack of children was not our preference but God's design for us.  We love children even though we don't have any of our own.

"Where are you going to be missionaries?"  This is, perhaps, the most difficult question for us.  Most missionaries are identified by which country they serve.  In our case, we will be going to multiple places for short periods of time.  It's not an easy concept to get across.

"What mission are you with?"  Finally, an easy question with an easy answer, but because most people have not heard of our small mission agency, it's not that simple.  As soon as we mention IPM, we've hit a wall because they've never heard of us before.

"How long do you think it will be before you get to go to the field?"  This question usually comes toward the end.  We've already tried to explain our different methodology, so we generally assume that the question they are asking is "When will you finish deputation?"  It's hard to answer that question, especially since our support level is so low right now and part of our job description amounts to perpetual deputation.

There is one question we were recently asked that does have a simple answer. "Why are you doing this?" Because we believe with all our hearts God called us and will provide for us in this ministry.

Do you have a question for us?  Post it here and we'll answer it.

Planting Seeds

As Spring arrives, I start to think in gardening terms. I was thinking the other day of some of the contacts I have made with pastors and churches. They are like seeds in the garden. 

Some will not sprout.  The pastor or church will not choose to have us for a meeting and  will not support us in prayer.

Some will be early crops, like radishes or lettuce. The pastor schedules a meeting right away and we have an immediate opportunity to present our burden.

Some are late crops, like cucumbers or potatoes. We plant the seed and it will yield an opportunity, months later. Some may not bear fruit for years.

Some are “everbearing”.  Some vegetables like zucchini or hot peppers will keep producing as long as the plant lives. Some churches will catch a vision for our ministry and support us in prayer and finances for years to come.

The difference between deputation and a garden is I never know which seeds are of what type. When I plant a radish, I know it will spring up quickly and produce a tasty reward soon after. When I plant a cucumber (in Maine), I know it may not produce before the first frost of Fall. When I contact a church, I never know what the outcome will be. But I do know I need all kinds of plants in my “garden”.  When I plant a garden, I intentionally do not restrict myself to only early crops, or only late crops. I plant a variety of crops so that if some fail my garden is not a total loss. I intentionally plant a variety of crops so the harvest is spread out over a longer season.  I intentionally plant vegetables that must be eaten right away and others that keep well over the winter.  On deputation I trust the Lord will meet my need in the present, as well as the future if I plant the seeds and trust the harvest to Him.

Send the Light

A little light from the deepening shadows of the early evening filtered through the closed blinds of the darkened auditorium.  In front of the pulpit on the communion table, a pillar candle with three wicks cast light into the room.  Behind it stood the pastor of the church.  On the platform, the visiting missionary began the second part of his sermon. 

“'Send the light' has been our theme this week,” he went on," “and this candle in the front represents this church right here.  You can see how much light this candle throws into the room.  Indeed, this church has stood for over a century bringing light to this region.”  He gave a history of the church, described the current pastor’s call to lead this flock, and talked about the many ministries that the church has used to reach out to the community around it.

“But preacher!”  Mark, a man in the congregation stood to his feet and interrupted the missionary.  The missionary paused.  “Preacher,” he exclaimed, “I spent two tours of duty in Iraq.  I didn’t see any churches there.  There were hardly even any Christians in my unit.  The soldiers serving our country and the Iraqi people are lost.  What about them?”  Tears were in his voice, and nearby people began to wipe tears out of their eyes.  He went on.  “Here in Georgia we have churches on almost every corner.  What about them, preacher?  They need Jesus too.  We may be helping our neighborhood, but who is going to care about them?  Who will tell them about Jesus?”  His voice broke.

“Well,” said the missionary.  “I appreciate your concern.  I truly do.  But this church gave $35,000 last year toward missions.  Those missionaries still need your support.  You are already stretching yourselves in order to reach out to the world.  I don’t know if this congregation can raise even more money in order to help send someone to Iraq.”

The pastor jumped in.  “I think we can do it, brother.  I really think we can.”

“Your pastor has a lot of confidence in you, I see,” the missionary said.  “But even if you did manage to raise enough money to send someone to Iraq, someone has to be willing to go.  We don’t have anyone here interested in going there right now.”

“I’ll go, preacher,” Mark said quietly.

Behind me, a gasp went up from several people.  Beside him, his wife started to cry.  Others were stunned.

“Do you mean that?” the missionary questioned. 

“I do.”

“Then I need you to come up here and grab one of these candles that is here in front and go stand in the back corner to represent Iraq.”

As he walked up to the communion table, the pastor handed him a white taper and he lit it.  As he walked back to the corner, a small amount of light came from there as well as the larger light in the front of the room.

The missionary continued with his message.

“Preacher!”  Matt jumped to his feet.  “I’ve been reading lately about all the violence and bloodshed in Colombia because of the drug wars.  Someone needs to go tell them about Jesus.”

The missionary smiled.  “Yes, someone does.  But you see the problem we have?  As a church you’ve already committed to help someone go to Iraq.  How can this church stretch even farther to get someone to go to Colombia?  There isn’t enough money in the budget.”

The pastor spoke quietly.  “I think we can raise it, brother.”

“Okay, then, but we still have the same problem with our brother who is concerned about Iraq.  Who will go?”

“I will, preacher,” Matt responded.

Once again a gasp went up from the congregation.  Someone started crying.  Someone else didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Some began to wonder who would be left in the church if this continued.  The two men who had jumped to their feet were leaders.  How would their places be filled?

Matt also took a candle, lit it, and went to stand in another corner in the auditorium.  The room was slowly brightening.

Mary stood to her feet.

“Preacher, you’ve been talking about all the AIDS orphans in Africa.  Someone needs to tell them about Jesus.  If my brother and brother-in-law are willing to go, I’ll go too.”  She, too, took a candle , lit it, and found a spot against the wall.

By this time, the people began to catch on that this was a drama.  After all, Mary would never have stepped forward without her husband.  By the time it was over, six people stood in different parts of the auditorium holding candles.  The missionary’s wife and two families (including us) were in the audience.  We were asked to light small candles and stand on the platform with the preacher. 

“Now for those of you still sitting," the missionary continued.  "If you are willing to support your worldwide missions program with your prayers and financial support, would you come up here, take a small candle and go stand next to one of the representative missionaries.  Light your candle from theirs as a way to show your support.”

The room brightened steadily as, one by one, the candles were lit.  Now the room was filled with light as about sixty candles glowed in the darkness.

The missionary continued.  “Now let’s suppose that problems arose here at home.  Bickering, gossip, discontent, and fighting arose within the church.  New people stopped coming because they didn’t like what was going on here.  People began to leave to get away from the fighting.  Soon there were only a few left and the church had to close its doors.  The support that the missionaries were receiving from this church dried up."

He paused for a moment to let that sink in.  "Now, those of you holding small candles, blow them out and return to your seats.”

When everyone had returned to their seats, the pastor also blew out the three wicks on the big pillar candle in front of the room,  and walked down the aisle and out the back door.  The once bright room was now shrowded in darkness.  Six candles scattered throughout the auditorium still shone brightly.

“Well, now the missionaries are out there without support.  One by one they faced troubles that they could not overcome.  They needed the prayer and support of the people back home, so one by one, they left the field and returned home.”

One by one, the six representative missionaries blew out their candles and left the room. 

“But it doesn’t have to be this way,” the missionary continued.  “You can stay bright in this place.  You can give missions a priority.  You can keep burning bright, both here and abroad.”

The six representatives and the pastor returned with candles burning bright, singing “Send the Light, the blessed gospel light.”  The second time through, the congregation joined their song. 

When the drama was over and the lights were turned back on, people began to stand to their feet and give testimony to God for what He had done in their lives during the week of missions conference.  Later, the faith promise commitments were taken.  People were reminded that a "faith promise" commitment is not based on what you can do, but what you believe God will allow to pass through your hands for missions.  When the commitments were tallied, almost $40,000 was pledged through faith that God would provide the money to His people for use around the world!

* * * * *
Note:  All the "M" names are pseudonymns.  Since we are in many churches, and I love what the various churches are doing for God, I would love to name them all.  However, I realize that not all people like their actions to be this public, so I try to give them annonymity.  Those who were there at the time will know who is who, and for the rest of us, it doesn't really matter.  All that really matters is that God saw what happened and sees into each of our hearts to know the whole truth.

Light

I sit on the beige loveseat in my parents’ home, looking out the front windows at the freshly-rinsed spring-green grass, sparkling in the sunshine.  Long shadows from tree trunks fall across the lawn, and dappled shadows flirt among its blades as the wind blows through the tall pine trees.  I love the sunshine.  I need light, and today I’m realizing it more than ever.

For months now I have been struggling with lethargy.  I get very little done each day, and yet I am so tired that all I want to do is sleep.  I awaken tired in the morning and could fall asleep almost anytime I sit down.  The only time, it seems, I don’t feel like sleeping is when a screen is in front of me.  So I spend too much time browsing on the computer when there are so many other things I need to do.

This week Charlie and I have been attending and participating in a missions’ conference.  The theme has been “Send the Light.”  It has been a good reminder of Jesus’ light in our lives and our need to reflect and spread that light to those around us who are in darkness.  My heartbeat quickened whenever the preacher talked about the joy of seeing the light come on in someone' else’s life when they realize they need God to fill the vacuum in their lives.  It has been a long time since I’ve personally experienced that.  So I began to pray that God would make me more effective in sharing God’s light with others. 

While I prayed, a thought occurred to me: Could my lethargy be partly due to a need for more light?  The thought almost startled me.  I thanked the Lord for His care for me, asked forgiveness for my own sin of giving into laziness, and asked for His healing in my life with His light, both spiritual and natural.

This morning, I read my Bible with the "Lite Book” off to one side.  The Lite-Book shone its light into my eyes as the Bible shone its light into my heart.  It’s too soon to tell, but I think the Lite-Book is helping. 

The good news is that I don’t have to wonder about the Bible.  It always helps shine the light into the dark corners of my heart where the nasty weeds of selfishness and pride are finding a place to take root.  Depending on how long I’ve let them grow, sometimes removing them is hard and painful, but oh, so good at the same time.

Thank you, Lord, for light!