Putting the Web to Work for the Kingdom

The Internet is a largely untapped resource in reaching the nations for Christ. Yet its potential kingdom impact is huge.

Over 128 million (two-thirds) of US adults are Internet users. So it’s no surprise that over three-fourths of our teenagers are connected. The Pew Internet & American Life Project found in a 2004 telephone survey that close to two-thirds of all Internet users in the US have gone online for faith-related matters. A full 17 percent have searched the Internet for information about where to attend religious services.

The ‘virtual’ fields are ripe for harvest.

How then can our churches faithfully maximize the Internet for the sake of the Gospel? Two key ways are (1) to evangelize and teach, and (2) to equip ministries with administrative and communication tools.

Preaching the Gospel through the Web

Every week pastors invest hours of effort and prayer to craft sermons that minister to their congregations. These messages can be published on the web so they can reach far beyond their local church, having lasting impact long past Sunday. The enemy has been successful in flooding the Internet with a “Pandora’s Box” of websites that promote evil. How much more should we endeavor to blanket the Internet with websites that promote honesty, love, kindness and justice!

Consider putting together an Internet Evangelism team (consisting of volunteer writers, graphic artists and marketing pros). Inspire them to fill your church website with sermons and articles on Christian living. In order to streamline the process of publishing content to your website, equip your web team with a content management system (CMS). This software allows writers without technical skills to publish web pages. It’s as simple as using a word-processor. There are a number of companies that specialize in providing systems specifically designed for churches.

Equipping Ministries with Web-Based Tools

The greatest benefit of a web-based system is its incredible reach. It can be used by more people, more often and from more places.It is common knowledge that websites are great for publishing information, but many are not aware that the web is ideal for getting large numbers of people to share information with one another. With web-based software, the pastor can enable staff and ministry leaders with 24/7 access, from anywhere in the world, to the database so they can continually add events, ministry information and discipleship/assimilation notes. A private, members' login area can be created on the website to allow members to update their own personal contact information should they move or change phone numbers. With many people contributing up-to-date information into the system, the database becomes a valuable diagnostic tool. From a management point of view, a pastor can at any time evaluate whether the church is too busy, check how many families attend and monitor individuals' spiritual growth.

Here is a sampling of what a church can do with a web-based system:

• Equip pastors & leaders with 24/7 access to a member directory
• Give volunteers the convenience of doing data entry from home
• Send e-newsletters to your entire congregation
• Internet evangelism can be done through the publishing of sermons, pastor’s blogs, devotionals and Bible Studies.
• Database driven pages allow small group directories, calendars of events and photo galleries to be easily searched and utilized.
• Allow members to login & download their own tax-deductible gift statements
• Allow for on-site donations

Essentially, with web-based systems, churches can fulfill the maxim that “every member is a minister” by equipping the saints with administrative tools.

Switching to Web-Based Software

If you want to harness the Internet for the gospel, then you will probably need to change your software. Most churches use desktop church management software, which is installed either on a stand-alone PC or on a local area network (LAN) within the church office. Web-based software is accessed through the Internet using a web browser. Here are the key differences between the two types of software:

Key Difference	Desktop Software	Hosted Web-Based Software
Ease of Access	Limited to certain terminals in the church office.	Available to users anytime, anywhere, 24/7. If Internet access is down in one location, there are many alternative places to access the Internet (e.g., home, office, wifi hotspot, etc.).
Hardware Requirements	If installed on a LAN, may require an in-house computer technician to install and maintain network hardware.	IT staffing and hardware expenses are eliminated.
Response Time during Use	Very fast	Broadband Internet connection recommended.
Software Upgrades & Bug Fixes (e.g., software errors)	May have to wait for the next version to be released for some bug fixes. May need to purchase and install upgrade.	Upgrades are normally included and available without you having to install anything. Many bugs are fixed in a matter of hours or days.
Data Security and Backup	Data is only as secure as the physical security of your church office. If there was a break-in and the computers were stolen, sensitive member data would be lost and exposed to be used by identity thieves.	Data centers have 24/7 security guards. Data is protected with encryption technologies similar to those that banks use. Backups performed daily.
Content Management System (CMS)	Most church management programs do not have web publishing capabilities.	May contain a full fledged CMS for easy integration with your website.

Changing software in an organization is never easy. Yet long term benefit gains far outweigh temporary growing pains.

Transitioning to the Web: A Case Study

In 2003, Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay, a church of 1,600 in weekly attendance, made the switch from PC-based software to web-based software. Custom developed FoxPro and Microsoft Access databases, as well as a commercial church management software program, failed to meet their needs and philosophy. After all, they are a growing church and, under the apostolic leadership of senior pastor Ralph Moore, have planted over 220 daughter and granddaughter churches.

“The tail was wagging the dog,” recalls Connie Haskell, Operations Manager. “The programmer made us conform to them as opposed to them conforming to us. Specifically, because we were a growing church—there were so many changes happening in the way that we kept and processed data—that it really confined us. It caused the staff to create their own databases. At one point we had maybe ten different databases… Duplicates all over the place, [and] people getting five pieces of mail.”

By switching to a web-based system, Hope Chapel was able to consolidate into a single database, one that all staff could access. Haskell remarked that the web-based system brought significant labor cost savings due to increased employee productivity.

Finding a Web-Based System for Your Church

A few years ago, web-based applications for churches were not commercially available. And if a church wanted one, they went through an expensive and lengthy process. Today this is unnecessary as several systems are now available at far less cost. What would have been at least a five-figureprice tag, can now be acquired (on subscription basis) for not much more than a high-end cell phone plan. It’s easier to attain, yet more compellingly needed than ever.

When shopping for a web-based system for your church, look for feature sets which solidly enable your team to manage both your website and membership data. The web-based solution should contain a comprehensive CMS for web publishing and a complete member management system.

Has your church growth spawned a multitude of unmanageable databases? Does losing your church membership data due to fire or theft concern you? Do you want to do Internet evangelism? If you answered yes to any of these questions, now may be the right time to get your church online, anywhere, anytime, 24/7.

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