How a website will benefit your church

Having a Website has moved from being a rare thing to being a necessary tool not only for businesses but even for churches. Churches have realized that having a Website is a great way to reach out to their surrounding communities. Maintaining and updating a Website is relatively cheap so churches have been able to minimize their expenses by not having to rely on traditional print medium as much. Publications that once had to be printed and mailed can now be uploaded to the Website where anyone can have access to it. People can now access material that was traditionally reserved for the newspaper, television or radio at a fraction of the cost. Updating the material is also easy since you just access the Internet, post the up to date material and it is instantly available to your visitors. The Website can be reached anytime; this makes it easy for your congregation to have the information they need even when you are not present. The congregation does not have to wait until Sunday to have their questions answered. Another benefit of the Website is that it enhances the communication flow, an example is when you want to call for an earlier than usual service, or let people know the sermon title for the next service, all you have to do is post it on the church’s Website. The Website is not limited to a certain geographical location; your Website does not have any borders. There are people that cannot attend a church service due to physical illness, but they can listen to the message, read scripture and still be encouraged through the Website. The Internet has made the world a global village; you can communicate to people who are thousands of miles away. People around the world can come together and discuss relevant topics, listen to the week’s sermon and find useful study resources. Here is a short list of what an effective church Website will be able to do for its members and visitors. * Provide up to date information about the congregation such as meeting location, meeting times and what they practice and teach. * Post weekly sermon and bible study topics with any related material ready to download. * Post weekly bulletin articles. * Post weekly sermon outlines and MP3 downloads. * Have a member directory. As you can see from this short list it is important for churches to learn how to take advantage and harness the power of technology to deliver their message of salvation more effectively.