Our church planters depend on the prayers and encouragement of God’s people. OUTREACH NORTH AMERICA provides this monthly prayer letter to inform you of some of their specific needs and praises so you will know better how to pray for them. Thank you for your prayers and the interest you show by your phone and e-mail responses. Your prayers truly encourage your church planters. (See the bottom of this e-mail for a summary of all the mission churches included in this update.)

Fill out the form below to receive our monthly prayer email from our mission congregations

Photo Credit – pritam

Here are my notes from the Technology and Social Networking track at the January GCA Church Planting Conference in Orlando.  The presenters were:  Tim Brister and Drew Goodmanson.  Tim is a pastor who has developed an integrated web and social networking strategy.  Drew is a pastor and also CEO of Monk Development, an internet strategy and development company.

A first question to ask:  Are church websites effective tools for evangelism?

Unfortunately, a 2009 study on ‘The State of the Church Online: Websites & Mission’ involving numerous church websites & strategies, the answer is – At the present time, church websites are not an effective tool of evangelism. This is based on the study of collective analytics of church websites, online surveys, and offline interviews.

Less than 1% (0.17%) of non-Christians were influenced to attend church because of a church website.  Only 6% of churches have a gospel presentation on their website.  For the churches that have a gospel presentation on their website, those presentations receive only a tiny fraction of the total hits on the site.

If you are trying to reach non-Christians with the gospel, you may be better off creating a separate website or blog for the community other than the church website.  For example, a church in British Columbia, Canada, developed a website to link together people in the community interested in hiking.  The hiking website was the bridge to non-Christians in the community.  Other churches developed blogs to target topics for which non-Christians are searching for help on the internet, such as:  serious illness, death, depression, loneliness, marital issues, transitions, etc.

So that leads to the question:  Why have a church website?

Church websites are effective at helping Christians find churches, and then helping new people in the church connect with the church.

Church websites have attracted 17% of Christians to their present church.

The people visiting church websites the most are new visitors to the church.  Of the new visitors to the churches, 30% found the church through the web.  A total of 77% said that the church’s website was at least somewhat important in their decision to actually attend the church.  One interviewee said, “A church’s website has to be our first filter to find a church.”

What are new visitors (less than 3 months) seeking on the church website:

• Learning about the church
• Reading about beliefs
• Listening to sermons
• Trying to connect with the church
• Finding events/times
• Finding ways to serve.

For 82%, the church website was at least somewhat important in facilitating participation in the church community.  For 45%, the church website was at least somewhat important for their ongoing discipleship and spiritual growth.

For beginners in the church (3 – 6 months) 100% had visited the church website.  What are beginners seeking on the church website:

• Learning more about the church
• Listening to sermons
• Reading pastor’s or church’s blog
• Trying to connect deeper in the church
• Finding events/times
• Looking up or contacting church staff.

A question I have to ask:  Is there any good news regarding how a church website can help in evangelism?

The answer is “yes.”  Beginners in the church tend to use the church website in telling their friends, business colleagues, and others about the church.  Therefore, 73% said that the church website was at least somewhat important in sharing their faith with others.

The final question:  what is the take away from this information?

You need to identify your audience and what you are trying to provide them as you are designing the website.  There are four possible audiences – how do you address them?

Our church planters depend on the prayers and encouragement of God’s people. OUTREACH NORTH AMERICA provides this monthly prayer letter to inform you of some of their specific needs and praises so you will know better how to pray for them. Thank you for your prayers and the interest you show by your phone and e-mail responses. Your prayers truly encourage your church planters. (See the bottom of this e-mail for a summary of all the mission churches included in this update.)

Fill out the form below to receive our monthly prayer email from our mission congregations

Photo Credit – pritam

Our church planters depend on the prayers and encouragement of God’s people. OUTREACH NORTH AMERICA provides this monthly prayer letter to inform you of some of their specific needs and praises so you will know better how to pray for them. Thank you for your prayers and the interest you show by your phone and e-mail responses. Your prayers truly encourage your church planters. (See the bottom of this e-mail for a summary of all the mission churches included in this update.)

Fill out the form below to receive our monthly prayer email from our mission congregations

Photo Credit – pritam

CLICK HERE to download the Winter 2010 edition of OUTREACH.

Mike Milton
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
Seminar 3

R. J. Gore
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
Seminar 3

Zack Eswine
Seminar 1
Seminar 2

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to download the Fall 2009 edition of OUTREACH.

Tasking Outreach North America is the agency of Synod charged with the responsibility for denominational strategies for evangelism, multi-ethnic ministries, church vitality, new church development, and ARP expansion in the US and Canada.

Values God’s glory, prayer, evangelism, responsibility, balance, relationships, and communication.

Goals 2005-2010

Vision Transforming North America’s heart, transforming our denomination’s heart, transforming our congregation’s heart, and transforming our hearts.

For More information, contact Ken Priddy, out Director of Church Renewal.
PO Box 4911, Richmond, VA23220
Office 804-306-7942 cell 804-550-0768
kenpriddy.com@gmail.com, www.kenpriddy.com

• Proclaim the truth plainly without distortion
• Appeal to the conscience
• Recognize that people’s eyes are blinded to God’s truth
• Pray and trust God to open blind eyes
• Preach Christ, not ourselves
• Serve others for Jesus’ sake
• Avoid pretending to be something we are not.

CLICK HERE to listen to an interview with Tim Keller on reaching today’s culture.
Tim Keller interviewed by Ligon Duncan at Twin Lakes Fellowship, April 2008. An approach to reaching today’s culture.

“By setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2